Chihayafuru 2 - 15

"No Matter Where I Stand"

Oh dear goddess, the suspense!

It's kind of ridiculous to think that ten episodes or so ago I was awestruck at how quickly things seemed to be moving in Chihayafuru 2, whereas now I'm lamenting how excruciatingly slow this tournament is moving. There's nothing wrong about the way this is being paced, but it's such an abrupt change that it feels as if we've been watching the same day unfold for an eternity (which, in fact, we have) compared to the huge time skips in the first few episodes. It makes for some horribly tense suspense in episodes like this one, which sets up the atmosphere for one of the biggest showdowns in karuta anime history, and it's literally stressful to have it drag out certain aspects, like the Arata-Chihaya-Taichi meeting, as much as it has. Still, the fact that the series manages to be this gripping even when essentially nothing happens is a good indication that the quality has not dropped, regardless of stylistic differences between this and the first season. We're tense because we care, and we care because Chihayafuru is still damned amazing after 40 episodes.

Somehow I can't help but grieve for poor Kana-chan this week when she takes herself out of the game for injury purposes. Nothing hurts more in a competition than getting hurt and being unable to support your teammates, though I can also relate to the pain of the Fujisaki senior who is subbed out for the final in the name of bettering younger generations of the team. While Kana feels terrible at having let her team down at the last second and having all her hard work go to waste because of her swollen finger, the Fujisaki senior feels awful at having been removed for no real reason at all. Unfortunately this is just the way it is in a team sport with a limited number of players; not everyone gets to participate, and if you do, you might not be allowed to stick it through the whole run. Still, despite the new team lineups, things are building up to one heck of a showdown. Chihaya is up against Yamashiro Kyouko's (the legendary reader chosen for the finale) granddaughter, Yamashiro Rion, while Taichi finds himself squaring off against Fujisaki's captain, the Arata-lookalike (but far more perverted) Emeru Ryouga. Both matches should provide some interesting looks at Taichi and Chihaya's growth, and this is especially true for Taichi, whom seems to be taking this match as a way to confront his demons.

As for Arata himself (I never picked up how thick his accent is until this season; I hope that's a good sign about my Japanese...), he still refuses to break the rules and sneak out to see Mizusawa's performance, but he does urge Shinobu to go for her own sake. Though she still can't see what makes team matches so special, Arata certainly understands better that same feeling he'd lost after losing his grandfather, and he seems to believe that it would do Shinobu some good to appreciate how powerful the team experience really is. Though she sneers at him for it (and boldly changes in front of the boys without giving a hoot), she eventually does show up for the finale, and I'm sure her presence there is bound to affect both the players and herself.