Chihayafuru 2 - 22 & 23

"Long Last We Meet" and "To See the Beautiful Cherry Blossoms"

Why in the heck did I put this off til the end?

Episode 22

I doubt anyone really thought Chihaya was going to be able to win her match against Shinobu this episode. Though she's improved immensely, I don't really think she's quite up to snuff to be able to bump toes with the Queen herself just yet, and on top of that she's been injured from the team matches. No matter how much better she plays with her right hand, the injury just isn't going to magically disappear, and in some way's Chihaya's choice to use her right hand is downright irresponsible, though still passionate as expected. In reality her over-doing it could have permanently damaged her finger, but instead of thinking it over and saving the fight for another day, Chihaya isn't the type to back down from a challenge, especially not when Shinobu-chan is around.

As for Shinobu herself, this is a rather interesting look into a psychology we've already seen from her. Apparently her experiences with her coach and Karuta Society have had a doubly negative effect on her; not only was she taught to stay away from others for the sake of improving her karuta, but she actually believes such an approach is for the best. Her hesitancy at the end of her match, where she wonders how many cards she should have let Chihaya win, is only quickly shut down by her own belief that that makes her weak. However, Chihaya's own reluctance to let Shinobu take it easy on her sets her off in a way I've never seen another player affect her, not even Arata. Perhaps Chihaya really will become that rival Shinobu needs after all.

In the meantime the rest of the team is facing their own challenges. Sumire falls victim to hubris early on and is defeated in the third round, whereas Tsukuba makes it to semifinals (with no one to cheer him on). Taichi too is poised to fight through his semifinal match, though this time against Hyoro. I have no idea who might win this one; on the one hand, it seems cruel to let Taichi fail here again and wallow in B class for another tournament, but Hyoro is such an established character than I can easily see him winning here regardless. Either way this is a far more interesting match up, and it really could go either way at this point.

Episode 23

Excuse me while I go sob hysterically in a corner.

Though I've thought for some time that it was about time Taichi finally overcome his long-running limits, I never really believed this would be it so soon after that glorious team win by Mizusawa. Somehow I just saw luck holding him back, and I wasn't entirely wrong to think so. The moment Chihaya shows up to watch his match, his cool and calm demeanor is destroyed, and it's kind of horribly sad to see that this is the case. Taichi obviously loves Chihaya, but the depth of his devotion to her is really rather unhealthy by this point. Not only does he want her to watch Arata's match the most (because he understands how much it means to her), but he also almost botches his own match by trying to hurry so she has time to leave and watch it conclude.

That's pretty selfless, especially considering how long and hard he's worked to get to this point. In fact, it's really rather horrible to think about if you think about Taichi's character from the start. It almost feels like he's given up on Chihaya looking his way; he's going through the motions but acting like he can't win anymore, like all he can really do is back her up in other ways. I think that's incredibly sad, which is why when she does come to watch him, and when she does care that he's made class A, the emotional impact is quite tremendous. It's everything Taichi ever wanted, to walk the path of becoming a real rival to Arata, but even that motivation, his love for Chihaya, seems almost exhausted by this point. Watching him cry, finally letting himself feel good about what he's accomplished, is those far more satisfying than any of his earlier selflessness toward Chihaya.

Meanwhile Arata and Shinobu are going at it, with only Nishida to pay witness to the clash. I like that in the end, Chihaya chose her precious team to cheer on rather than to watch Arata's match; though it's important to pay attention to oneself, it's also rather cruel to abandon Taichi and the others in the moment of truth after all they're been through together. This is a less extreme sort of selflessness than Taichi's; it's not about giving everything up, but being there to wholeheartedly support the people one cares about. I like that Chihaya has matured enough to this point and become able to ignore her impulsive whims; it's that sort of characterization we haven't been getting a whole lot of lately, between all the Karuta matches this season.