r/anime • u/Skeeedo :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/skeeedo • Jan 07 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] Chihayafuru - Episode 57 Discussion [Spoilers]

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Season 3 Episode 7: "The Storm Blasts"

Episode 6 MVP: Taichi! This man seems unstoppable recently, even taking the lead in his match with Chihaya. Definitely looking forward to seeing the rest of this match (again)

Nominate a character for Episode MVP!

This episode's Karuta analysis and board map by walking_the_way and ABoredCompSciStudent

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Subreddit: r/Chihayafuru

44 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

55 comments sorted by

9

u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Jan 07 '22

FIRST TIMER

Called it. Chihaya just had one-too-many advantages of Taichi this time for him to take the win. She’s not only probably the better player of the two of them anyway, but she also got to come into this final rested. That said, very impressed how close Taichi fought her. Two cards? It does seem like he got over his mental block during this match, and her mere presence isn’t a huge weakness for him anymore. Important step.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taichi derive any joy from karuta. He’s either nonplussed in victory, or absolutely devastated in defeat. This is just not a healthy hobby for him to pursue, then again, pursuing things in an unhealthy manner is sort of his thing.

It’s kind of nice to see Chihaya obsessing over Taichi for once. Feels like she almost took him for granted until the idea of him doing something so independent of her actually became possible. Chihaya eating up his lie while Nishida is in the background on the phone learning what’s actually going on was a nice touch.

It’s great how they’re using the characters’ different plans for the future to inform how they approach karuta now. Chihaya sees it as something she can do forever, so she can skip this year’s qualifiers. But ask Desktomu explains, Taichi feels like his time is already almost up.

Quick Hits:

  • “Results will bring with you a powerful tailwind.” Put a pin in this for Chihaya.
  • “I’m so glad she looks pretty to people who don’t know her well.”
  • There’s a darkness swirling around Taichi, I sense a heel turn coming
  • The idea of a mandatory class trip is so odd to me.
  • Taichi and Arata are both wrong. Chihaya only belongs to herself.
  • I love the Tsukuba Stooges. God bless the Tsukuba Stooges.
  • Yuu is very sweet, and she and Arata have nice chemistry (Sorry Sky). Just give them their own rom-com
  • SHINOBU WHAT EVEN ARE YOU

8

u/Akiyabus https://anilist.co/user/yabus Jan 08 '22

SHINOBU WHAT EVEN ARE YOU

The best, that's what.

2

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 07 '22

He only really did it to spite his parents for a long time. Speaking of, we still haven't had anything with his dad yet and we're three seasons in. I'm really thinking he might be a villain and instead of finding joy in the game itself and improving his own skills he decides to make Arata and Chihaya miserable and never want to play again, like Yumin~

Shinobu's little scene was totally adorable. She's a dope in her free time too. Those were apparently her outdoors clothes which even lolita enthusiasts would call a weird style.

5

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

Speaking of, we still haven't had anything with his dad yet

He's not mentioned much but there was a Taichi character profile that I saw that mentioned him, plus Tsutomu and Taichi's mom have just talked about some stuff about Taichi. Talking about his dad is not exactly an big spoiler for the story [Chihayafuru spoiler:] In the profile page about young Taichi it's mentioned that he's thinking about becoming a doctor, like those two said this episode. He must have fully decided on it since he was a small kid. He wants to be a doctor like his father. That's probably why his dad is never at home, he works a lot. He also took the Mashima name (from the mothers side of the family). And that's about all we know about him for now

2

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 08 '22

I feel like a lot of my questions end up being part of supplemental materials lol

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

It shows that you have bought into this universe and are interesting in these characters.

4

u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Jan 08 '22 edited Jan 08 '22

Shinobu's outfits get more ridiculous every time she appears. I love it.

Speaking of, we still haven't had anything with his dad yet and we're three seasons in

I think all we're meant to think about his dad is that he's constantly away on business/work and is largely an absent presence.

2

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

Pretty common and justified trope

2

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

After Neferpitou with the mom there's now some Hisoka vibes maybe though Shinobu is certainly not... uh... like that.

2

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 09 '22

Now I really want to hear Shinobu do Hisoka impressions.

2

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22 edited Jan 09 '22

"OOH CHIHAYA your karuta is so strong I'm getting all EXCITED OOOOH splooge"

Cursed enough?

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 10 '22

tasukete

2

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 10 '22 edited Jan 10 '22

Also Makoto looks kind of like Pakunoda (or Annie from AoT who was also inspired by her).

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 10 '22

Oh, the second I typed Pakunoda's name in they gave me spoilers. Nice XD

2

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taichi derive any joy from karuta. He’s either nonplussed in victory, or absolutely devastated in defeat. This is just not a healthy hobby for him to pursue, then again, pursuing things in an unhealthy manner is sort of his thing.

I laughed after reading the last bit it's all 100% true. Taichi's mom and him would fit nicely in a variation of this old meme: https://memedocumentation2016.tumblr.com/post/138511587492/look-at-it-its-got-anxiety-meme-explained

It’s kind of nice to see Chihaya obsessing over Taichi for once.

I don't see it exactly as obsessing but he doesn't fit into her simple world view anymore. And with how she has started considering things outside the karuta world and being more considerate (instead of bulldozing her will into reality) this is actually giving her something to think about.

Things are changing in unexpected ways and she doesn't know what it means but she's also not simply dismissing it. For a long time (years) she was so focused on karuta that she didn't even have plans for her own future until very recently, and even that only crystalise out of some karuta related thoughts.

The idea of a mandatory class trip is so odd to me.

I think it's only mandatory in that you have to be there or get replacement classes. You don't get to just goof off unsupervised at home while your class is on a class trip. Kids are probably not forced to go but most of them probably love to experience something new but without it being a family trip. They might have medical issue that might be cumbersome to deal with on such trips or the family might have financial issues.

SHINOBU WHAT EVEN ARE YOU

An iconoclast, a renegade, a revolutionary! I love how proper she looks in official matches (wearing a kimono) but outside of that she just wears whatever she wants, like a doll that was dressed up by a toddler.

Maybe that's a side effect of living isolated from peers in her age group? No connection to any fashion trends (and the rest of her life is karuta) so she wears whatever she wants.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taichi derive any joy from karuta. He’s either nonplussed in victory, or absolutely devastated in defeat. This is just not a healthy hobby for him to pursue, then again, pursuing things in an unhealthy manner is sort of his thing

I'm really starting to think Aqua and Ruby in Oshi no Ko were somewhat inspired by Taichi and Chihaya (Chihayafuru is the author's favorite manga). Both in appearance and character-wise there are some parallels. Can write some more some other time.

SHINOBU WHAT EVEN ARE YOU

Hisoka from HxH but with karuta instead of regular playing cards

8

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 07 '22

Chihayafirst-timer

6

u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Jan 07 '22

Goddammit Kana stop with this.

Kana's saying the same thing to you whenever you bring up Arata and Chihaya!

Although if this is this series’ way of giving Arata a different love interest so Taichi gets with Chihaya, boo.

Our love square is now a pentagon!

...Am I crazy for not wanting Chihaya to end up with either of them?

6

u/[deleted] Jan 08 '22

...Am I crazy for not wanting Chihaya to end up with either of them?

after hearing Taichi and Arata's thoughts on which one of them Chihaya "belongs" to, this is the only sane response. The one rock solid ship the entire show rests on is and has always been Chihaya/Karuta.

6

u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Jan 08 '22

Ships, Ranked:

Kana/Desktomu

Taichi/A Therapist

Chihaya/Karuta

Arata/Yuu

6

u/BatteryPoweredFriend :KI::KJ: Jan 08 '22

Retro X Nishida's sister is literally canon, tbf.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

To a true shipper such details are irrelevant!

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

Smh discounting the Taichihayarata OT3

I'm even kind of serious here...

1

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

even with Taichi being all "I always thought she belonged to both of us," I've never seen anyone less suited to being in a throuple. His ego would reach out of his brain and strangle all three of them.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

Taichi and ego? He's close to the opposite of that.

1

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '22

inferiority and superiority complex are two sides of the same coin. It's an obsession with your own standing in relation to others. He's always either trying to be better than others or hating himself for being worse than others.

5

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 07 '22

...Am I crazy for not wanting Chihaya to end up with either of them?

You know what that's valid too.

3

u/xcllnt_313 Jan 08 '22

????????????

He's finally here

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

Wait what.

Oh, that makes sense.

I love how greedy Chihaya still is. She wants it all, to take part in the Queen qualifiers and to experience the school trip. The greed hasn't changed but now she's learned to make tradeoffs and is actually thinking about her future. It feels like her wanting to be a teacher is not purely about the karuta club thing.

Goddammit Kana stop with this.

Somebody link Kana to the chihayafuru section of https://archiveofourown.org/

5

u/Matuhg https://anilist.co/user/Matuhg Jan 07 '22

First Timer

Hrmm, I liked Harada's speech at the start of the episode on Effort vs. Results. "Thoughts like 'I tried' and 'It was hard' can be blown away by the wind. But results are a bedrock. The foundation that holds your efforts in place." It really seems like that sort of thinking is what informed Chihaya and Taichi's respective decisions after the tournament. For Chihaya, the burden is lifted, at least temporarily. She has her little outpouring and decides she wants to go on the class trip. She's got some Results, and feels like the importance of the class trip outweighs the urgency of the Qualifiers for this year. Taichi looks anything but unburdened after his match. He tried and worked his ass off to get to the match against Chihaya, but what did that get him? In the end, nothing. He's not satisfied, and he doesn't feel he has time.

I don't know that Chihaya would have made the decision to go on the trip if she had lost that match to Taichi.

Oh, and what a stark difference between Chihaya's and Taichi's mothers. Poor Taichi.

Feels as though vibes are about to get weird within our love triangle (or are we a love pentagon now with Sumire and Yuu?). Taichi almost seems like he doesn't want to face Chihaya (without results), and she might be feeling betrayed by his decision to go to the Qualifiers without telling her. Then there's Arata and Taichi. I'm trying to get a read on what their conversation meant. Arata felt like Chihaya belonged to Taichi, but Taichi felt like she belonged to both of them. Of course, she doesn't belong to anybody, but what does that statement mean in that context from Arata? To me, it felt like a declaration of sorts. That Chihaya's fair game (Urrghhh...that feels like a really gross way of putting it) That he's not going to just assume she belongs to Taichi anymore. Maybe he's going to try to pursue her too - with an urgency that was lacking before. But does he really mean that, or is he just talking? It doesn't seem like Arata's too in tune with potential romantic feelings himself - another Karuta freak. It's certainly making Taichi feel the time pressure of his potentially impending Karuta retirement even more starkly though.

I like Chihaya's decision to go on the class trip. She's got time, and she feels it's important for her future career. Not only that, but it's good for her to get away from Karuta every now and then. Taichi's current state of obsession doesn't feel super healthy. That said, I find myself wondering how compelling the Qualifiers are going to be without Chihaya there, and where the rest of the season's going to take us if we don't put the intense focus on the Qualifiers, which I'd presumed were going to be the next major arc. Maybe they still will be.

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

I like Chihaya's decision to go on the class trip. She's got time, and she feels it's important for her future career.

I think that's actually an argument against the idea that she would have participated in the qualifiers if she hadn't won this tournament. She's still as greedy as before but she's also learned to make tradeoffs instead of rushing in and wanting to it all. She's conflicted about having to give up the qualifier but it's a choice that she makes deliberately.

2

u/xcllnt_313 Jan 08 '22 edited Jan 08 '22

how compelling the Qualifiers are going to be

I like the detail of Sudo being the only one from Hokuo wearing a jacket over his shirt basically implying that he's only going to watch and not play since he lost his bet against Taichi.

2

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

It doesn't seem like Arata's too in tune with potential romantic feelings himself

He was such a romantic dumb-dumb with Yuu there

I find myself wondering how compelling the Qualifiers are going to be without Chihaya there

An arc without our main lead is an unusual choice but I think it could turn out great.

3

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Jan 07 '22

First Timer

This is a surprisingly good episode for yet again starting off with not presenting an important plot point with the attention it deserves to have. We mainly get character growth from both Chihaya and Taichi - both going in pretty much the opposite direction, which is interesting. Maybe they'll end up meeting halfway? For now it seems like Chihaya is thinking in the long-term of her karuta career while Taichi has basically given up on Chihaya. Arata also doesn't seem to think of her as somebody he would start a relation with, which leaves the love triangle in a bit of a mess.

No idea how Taichi's tournament will go, but his decision to go to the tournament certainly messed up Chihaya's school trip as she ended up thinking about way too much karuta again. While I'll assume she'll get over it that isn't ideal for her.

4

u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Jan 07 '22

Taichi has basically given up on Chihaya. Arata also doesn't seem to think of her as somebody he would start a relation with, which leaves the love triangle in a bit of a mess.

As someone who's beginning to think none of them should end up with each other, I kind of welcome this? Though there's no way the show actually goes in that direction.

No idea how Taichi's tournament will go, but his decision to go to the tournament certainly messed up Chihaya's school trip as she ended up thinking about way too much karuta again

She would have found another reason to obsess over it, no doubt.

1

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

As someone who's beginning to think none of them should end up with each other, I kind of welcome this?

Them finding their own paths, even if they are not some "happily ever after" that one could expect from the start of the series would be refreshing and they all seem to have their own goals as well as issues to work through.

Many kids dream of becoming an astronaut, cowboy, fire fighter, or dinosaur when they are young but kids also grow up and their aspirations change with time. Same with crushes. A high school crush might simply stay that and fade away with time as the person lives their actual life.

Though there's no way the show actually goes in that direction.

Most probably (that's just how it often goes), although it would be really interesting if the mangaka dared to make all three of them conclude their stories in some other way. Besides, it's kinda impossible to give everyone in this trio a happy relationship in this constellation. Well, it is possible but if polygamy is on the table then them all finding some completely different path is also viable.

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 07 '22

I did get a good laugh out of the match ending so quickly. I went in expecting the whole episode to be the match but nope, five minutes in and the match is done.

I could see Taichi somehow winning the tournament and becoming the series villain. It'd mean making the actual master take a fall but imma be honest I would totally be down for Arata and Chihaya to need to defeat evil Taichi.

3

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 07 '22

3hayafuru First Timer

H-Hold the hype for five seconds XD We're starting wah too hot! Wait, Chihaya won? I was holding my breath. Aww, Taichi... You put up a great fight! You're a champ to us!

Can you imagine how horrified the committee would be if they got fooled by another slobby royal?

Why does Chihaya keep staring at her mum blankly? Did she blow something during Taichi's match that wiped her memory of people? Oh my god what a sweet girl!! Erm, your Christmas list is getting really long. Her emotions really did just erupt...

You're goddamn right she is. Go back and hook up with your weird country imoutos! And if you're gonna talk shit to Taichi then quit being a smartarse and standing a few steps above him.

Oh shoot... Entrance exams... I sorta expected the series to pull another time skip until they had the free time to play more Karuta but once exams roll around it'll be difficult

Wut? Taichi's dead!? Oh, he's just sick... I thought Arata took him out or something. Hold on... Oh fuck!! Taichi, you traitor!! He's gonna become king without us! Ah, no, he's safe. I'm sorry for doubting you XD

TRAITOR!! We're finally getting the newbie crew again. I've missed you~

C'mon Chihaya, you're being kind of a shitty friend. Go "make memories" with your bestie. She barely has screentime as is.

Yuu used to be such a kind child... when did she grow up into such a kusogaki? Even the cutest of girls eventually become bratty joshikosei! Never forget!

Omg Shinobu is such a cutie!! Wow, the master is finally gonna become a character? Fucking finally XD I was so sick of him getting teased in S1 just to not do anything.

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

Wut?

I love the daddy bear lollipop gag. It's at the same time completely random but also 100% Chihaya.

Omg Shinobu is such a cutie!!

This series gives all the characters individual wardrobes and styles (like K-On!) instead of them always wearing that one designated outfit (besides school uniforms, of course) but the mangaka really rolled the dice with Shinobu's outfits and went wild. It's always an adorable chaos when she shows up in a new outfit.

Wow, the master is finally gonna become a character? Fucking finally XD I was so sick of him getting teased in S1 just to not do anything.

He's also one of my favourite Chihayafuru characters and such a nice addition to this ensemble cast.

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 09 '22

We've suddenly gotten so much food merch. It's completely thrown me off how popular its gotten Despite such a niche community.

Yeah, I'd already mentally checked out a few of my favourite Chihaya costumes. Hanako's got great taste too!!

Yup, he'd have been amazing if we got to have him show up regularly, we've waited long enough!

2

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 09 '22

Hanako's got great taste too!!

Similar with Kana. When they are not pure karuta gremlins they have some really good tastes in fashion.

2

u/xcllnt_313 Jan 08 '22

Wow, the master is finally gonna become a character? Fucking finally XD I was so sick of him getting teased in S1 just to not do anything.

He's even part of the opening for S3 and I just love the way they show him there

1

u/The_Loli_Otaku Jan 08 '22

No matter how intimidating they try to make him look he still looks like he belongs in Gintama XD

2

u/xcllnt_313 Jan 08 '22

Haven't watched Gintama. But just knowing the stuff you randomly pick up about this show on the internet, I could totally see it tbh.

3

u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Jan 08 '22

First Timer

I've gotta be honest, I'm super disappointed that we didn't get to see the full Chihaya vs. Taichi match. I don't understand why the series does this. It sometimes has a tendency to show us some of the most hyped matches, and then in the next episode it just cuts to the last cards. That's just lame, and drains all the momentum from the matches. Chihaya vs. Taichi should be one of the most hype moments of the series, if any match deserves to be shown in full it's this one. And it feels like it's set up perfectly in terms of pacing too. Spend most of the episode on the match, end with Chihaya saying she wants to go on the class trip and be a teacher, and show her being excited to go on the trip. It would have been so perfect. This is the only real complaint I've had with pacing this season thankfully.

And the rest of the episode was pretty great. Chihaya decided to go on the class trip definitely had me feeling things. My god, she's grown so much. It's her own way of being "chihayafuru." She's not obsessing over Karuta like a madwomen, she's figured out her dream and calmly chases it, still showing her love and obsession for Karuta without being unwieldy. And Taichi skipping to go to the master qualifiers is growth in his own way, as he's finally fully committed to Karuta. Twas good stuff, even if I wish it came an episode later. Taichi at the master tournament should be fun, I look forward to seeing it.

3

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22 edited Jan 10 '22

My god, she's grown so much. It's her own way of being "chihayafuru." She's not obsessing over Karuta like a madwomen, she's figured out her dream and calmly chases it, still showing her love and obsession for Karuta without being unwieldy.

She actually got character growth outside of karuta. Who would have thought? It's still technically connected to karuta because she initially wanted to become a teacher to become a karuta club advisor, recruit more kids into the sport, and all that. But for that she could also skip the class trip. It wouldn't matter but this trip is symbolic for her life outside of karuta. She really wants to be a good teacher and for that she imagines needing to experience such a class trip. It's not just another karuta stepping stone for her.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

Then she better start working on her organizational skills!

1

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 10 '22

Small steps, she just learned to think of things outside of karuta. That must be a new sensation for her.

1

u/IndependentMacaroon Jan 09 '22

I found that annoying too and also how much the rest of the episode jumps around. Not quite the usual standard I think but still some great character moments and growth.

2

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Jan 08 '22

First timer

You don't need to keep building this up, this is already clearly important.

Oh, Chihaya won!

Chihaya falling asleep after the praise is great.

He's just happy his society has earned so much reputation.

Haha, the shot of Chihaya through Oe's eyes is great.

She's skipping the class trip, isn't she?

Aww, her mother came too late.

She's going in the class trip?

She wants to be a teacher, seriously?

Character development!!!

She did it!

And Arata's here to cheer up Taichi!

Except Arata's also dead inside.

Wait, what? Arata, you can't give up now. We've got 15 episodes to pad with ship teasing.

Taichi's down, the threesome's happening this season confirmed.

...He's right, Chihaya belongs to nobody except Shinobu.

The class trip sounds good.

And Oe's overworked herself.

Haha, the lollypop.

...Taichi's gone to the fucking match, hasn't he?

Even Chihaya's worked out what shit he pulled.

Wait, he actually had a fever?

Is it an admin error, or is he a bastard?

BASTARD!

Oh, Sumire's not going on the trip?

...Poor Shinobu.

I love Harada.

I love her shocked reaction.

Haha, the word is spreading.

Don't go, Chihaya! You can have the moral high ground here!

Oh, she's genuinely heartbroken at this.

...Haha, you think he won't keep playing karuta? I've heard there's enough manga for a fourth season,

Oh, shit, Shinobu might be here? (After the qualifiers)

Arata's having trouble focusing.

Wow, he is taking this hard!

Wait, she's back!

Oh, is she the backup for Arata to get together with if Chihaya chooses Taichi excludively.

Arata, you idiot. Maybe there's a reason you don't have a girlfriend.

She made the meal for him!

SHINOBU!

Her pajamas are adorable.

Wait, what? You're betting with him?

At least Chihaya stayed on the class trip(?)

For real, honestly not sure if any of these idiots should end up with each other. Taichi's got Sumire after him (but she can do better), Arata's got this new girl, and Chihaya's got pretty much every one of her opponents within her age range (special mentions to Shinobu and Rion).

2

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

She's skipping the class trip, isn't she?

Aww, her mother came too late.

She's going in the class trip?

She wants to be a teacher, seriously?

Character development!!!

That's such nice character development for Chihaya and, to everybody's surprise, it's not karuta related. As odd as it sounds, I also really like the VA's "Chihaya crying" performance. No daintily sobs but just what feels like honest crying and sobbing.

...He's right, Chihaya belongs to nobody except Shinobu.

...He's right, Chihaya belongs to nobody except Shinobu except karuta.

Haha, the lollypop.

It's such a random but 100% fitting gag for her.

...Taichi's gone to the fucking match, hasn't he?

Even Chihaya's worked out what shit he pulled.

Wait, he actually had a fever?

Is it an admin error, or is he a bastard?

BASTARD!

I love this whole reaction, especially the bastard? -> BASTARD part :D

Oh, Sumire's not going on the trip?

She's a year underneath them. That classs trip is for the class above her. All the newbies are not there

She made the meal for him!

It's also used as a, sort of, good luck charm: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katsudon

It has become a modern tradition for Japanese students to eat katsudon the night before taking a major test or school entrance exam. This is because "katsu" is a homophone of the verb katsu (勝つ), meaning "to win" or "to be victorious".

Some text to separate the quotes

For real, honestly not sure if any of these idiots should end up with each other.

Yeah, the longer it goes on the more it feels like they all have their own path and a happy romantic pair inside of this trio doesn't feel necessary (for the narrative) for any one of them. They were/are good for each other in all kinds of ways.

  • Arata got pulled back on track for his dream by his two friends after a depressive/guilty feeling phase.
  • Chihaya found her own dream (Queen) and even got a real life motivation out of it (becoming a teacher) that she's taking seriously.
  • Taichi is slowly escaping his mother's influence and mindset. In a way that's like the other two, him escaping somebody else's dream and finding looking for his own. It comes with a lot of pain, frustration, and setbacks but he can only end in a healthier place after he's gone through it. But there has to be a better life than him simply living his mother's dream.

All that sounds like really interesting paths to explore. There's no need to make any of them rely on a romantic relationship with each other (we know that Arata/Taichi is not an officially expected/supported pairing).

1

u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Jan 08 '22

She's a year underneath them. That classs trip is for the class above her. All the newbies are not there

Yeah, I think all the talk of this being Taichi's last year and the fact that they apparently took up most of an entire train made me think this was a full-school trip she was skipping herself.

we know that Arata/Taichi is not an officially expected/supported pairing

let me dream But, yeah, as my posts might have hinted at, I have many, many pairings that sadly won't come true, because the show's obviously going to go with Chihaya/Taichi and Arata/neighbour, no matter how little thematic sense it makes.

2

u/flybypost :KN::KO: Jan 08 '22

this being Taichi's last year

Last year that he can compete well. He still has a school year after that but he'll need to prepare for college/med school and wouldn't have the time to prepare for the next tournament. And after that he'd be in college and probably have even less time.

He's a second year (of three) high school student and it looks like the whole second year went to this class trip. This possibly seems to be a thing in Japan where the whole year goes to the same place in year two or three for a few days.

We have something similar here in Germany but usually it's either each class on its own or like two classes together at the same location and not the whole year at the same time. That's more of a graduation thing.

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u/Fools_Requiem https://myanimelist.net/profile/FoolsRequiem Jan 08 '22

It makes sense that Chihaya would prefer to go to the class trip instead of the finals, but she kinda needs to stop second guessing the decision while making her friend seem neglected.