I already suspected that the music in this series would be awesome when I realized that this show would have the same composer as Shion no Ou, but I’m really glad that in the end, this show did end up with an amazing and very strong soundtrack. This show is very emotional, and this soundtrack fits it perfectly.
Now, I have no idea why, but for some reason anime around board games in generally turn out to be amazing, so it took a lot of balls for Chihayafuru to try and challenge them. Overall, compared to Shion no Ou’s first four episodes it’s more exciting. However, Shion no Ou eventually turned into one of my favourite series thanks to its fantastic characterization. Compared to Hikaru no Go’s first four episodes, Hikaru no Go was better, but then again, Hikaru no Go did have some of its best episodes there, and became a bit stale in its middle part. Let’s see how this show managed to evolve once it enters its second half.
And god dammit that cliff-hanger! It wasn’t that it came from out of nowhere: you could see this twist coming based on the first episode. We don’t all stick with our childhood hobbies. That was a strong point it made here. In this episode, Taichi got pulled back in by Chihaya’s spirit. Arata however had something happen to him that made him lose interest. This episode gave no hints as to what that was, however. We’re going to have to wait a week for that?!
The big challenge for this show will still be to keep all of its matches interesting, and the relationship between the three main characters will be a key in this. This episode was still wonderful because of how it showed how Chihaya has grown. This series still needs to convince me what’s so great about Karuta. This isn’t a prerequisite: while watching Shion no Ou, Giant Killing and Hikaru no Go awakened my interest in Shougi, Football and Go, Touch, Ookiku Furikabutte and Cross Game didn’t really make me want to learn more about baseball. It would be a nice side-effect, though.
Rating: ** (Excellent)]]>
Chihayafuru – 04
Personally, I think I would get bored if I watch a real-life match of Karuta. But the anime just made it looks so interesting, but I still don’t know how it works. Why does the player keep returning the card to the opponent? It is a rule?
I knew Arata would quit it because of the spoilers, but I’m more interested in how the series plan to make Arata plays and when 🙂
Hehe, watched the episode then came back to see you’d posted.
I knew this would happen since I spoilt myself with the manga, although I have no idea about the reasons for Arata’s change.
I like the romance aspect of it as well, I guess even from the start I felt sorry for Taichi, who so obviously has a thing for Chihaya, and Chihaya keeps going back to him, but only as a friend, and that frowny face he makes every time she mentions Arata. >.
@kurini
yeah, I would also like to know the rule that leads to opponents moving the card.
They should have an explanation bit just like in HnG
I know why they kept moving that card in this episode though. It’s Chi’s best card, so by putting it near her opponent she’s showing her confidence in being able to get that card, despite the it’s location being an advantage for the opponent.
Anyone else noticed that the opening changed a little??
@kero. Notice that Chihaya was pretty pissed that Taichi had a gf so I don’t think that if he was single that it would be out of the question. It’s a nice touch that the show starts with him having a gf as it makes the potential love triangle more interesting.
Really though I think that if it comes to Taichi vs Arata that Taichi has the edge (apart from his current status!). Chihaya only knew Arata for a short time before he had to move.
Personally I think she associates Arata with an important event in her life .. when she chose to have her own dream rather than follow someone else’s. But Taichi it’s something different.
@nandab: I knew something was different, it’s a scene where the three of them appear as kids and teenagers on the stairs, isn’t it?
I really enjoy watching Chihayafuru, but only for the characters. I couldn’t care less about karuta, it seems the most boring game on earth (they could at least put a pleasant voice saying the verses, instead of that male nasal sound).
I’m looking forward to watch the trio’s relationship and how it will evolve. This is supposed to be a josei, so I guess that mature dialogue and some feelings getting revealed won’t be expecting too much of this series.
The voice actors are great, by the way. I love their teenager voices, specially Taichi’s.
@scruffy
Yes there’s still a bit of hope! Although it came across as an innocent bit of jealousy, like wow he has one, but I don’t have a bf yet, rather than, wishing she was the one dating Taichi.
What I’m hoping for (and please don’t any spoil me), is that she comes to realise his feeling and doesn’t remain naive up until the very end.
I’d like there to be a resolution to the romantic side.
This is Josei, so it should play it a bit better. A cheesy out would be a fourth party coming along and declaring they liked Chihaya forcing Taichi to confess.
_
I think they mentioned the giving the card to your opponent in an earlier episode. I think it has something to do with when you touch a wrong card you have to give one of yours to the opponent. But as long as the right card is knocked out of the area, you win that card.
So perhaps they purposely touched two when they knocked the card out of the play area? I could be wrong though.
Based on what we’ve seen already, maybe arata’s grandfather died, so that made him want to quit Karuta?
This has got to be one of the most boring games ever created. There’s no variation and no strategy to it (apart from how they schemed the division of labor in the team matches). It barely even qualifies as a game, to be honest, and only because you need good hearing, reflexes, and memory. The anime is all serious business about it and makes it look like it’s played professionally in Japan but I’m not convinced that that’s actually the case.
I hope the focus will not be too much on the game itself from here on out, since that is this anime/manga’s weak point. The strong point is definitely the characters.
I hope Taichi is forever friend-zoned. I just don’t like him. I imagine that I will be disappointed about this though. My pairings rarely work out…
The thing is, Taichi did not just lose interest in karuta, he actually came to detest it. Many people lose interest in childhood sports and likes as they grow older, but if they talk to someone about it, they would look back in positive reflection or would at least want to say something about the sport. In Taichi’s case, however, he just does NOT want to hear about anything related to karuta, and ignores someone he knew so well in middle school over that. That is hate right there, not just loss of interest.
@meta
You mean Arata? Taichi is the one who played but was considering giving it up because He figured he’d never beat Arata. Arata is the one on the phone.
Also, they knew each other in elementary not middle school.
@nandab: I totally noticed the opening change! It doesn’t show the childhood/older counterpart scene on the steps anymore. Sad, because I really liked that part.
“This episode gave no hints as to what that was, however. We’re going to have to wait a week for that?!”
You can make a fairly good guess at why he quit from what happened in the previous episodes.
Inspired by his grandfather that taught him everything about the game + grandfather suffers a massive stroke, add in the possibility of years of post stroke complications, an inability to play karuta any more and likely death = arata not playing karuta any more because it brings up bad memories.
I was under the impression that after the death of the karuta-master/grandfather, Arata’s parents banned him from playing Karuta for some reason e.g. because they hated Karuta, always being forced to play it and not very good at it?
Or something along those lines.
I’m actually in awe. In only 3/4 episodes they’ve made sense out of having a gorgeous girl breaking the stereotype and playing a card game. I’m actually surprised how much depth these characters have.
I am a little worried as to what direction the story might take. But I refuse to spoil myself.
@Anon
Maybe this might convince you on how this game is really played.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiID7_0aqsc
@ranrea haha that video probably highlight how ‘boring’ it can look.
However it has reminded me that one of my favourite songs by Suga Shikao, August Serenade, shows two women playing karuta in the music video.
The visuals are very pretty (I think), esp if you like the traditional Japanese looking things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gXhDLkdVg0
Oofuri Made me interested in baseball. Imo, you need to understand baseball first to watch Oofuri. In fact, Oofuri is the only sport anime that made me want to learn the rules of baseball.
Yeah,Oofuri make me want to know about baseball too.And I rather loved baseball nowadays thanks to oofuri a lot.
About Karuta,it is somewhat like literature game.But well.. it’s make me want to learn some of japanese language more.Ok I can read Hiragana and Katakana but I didn’t know its meaning too much.This maybe can sparks my interested too.
About this ep,I really glad to see the character still like themselves,Yeah they change here and there because they grew up but they’re not lost the charming that I fear it’ll be happened at first.But Arata..Well I want to see what happened to him.Can’t wait for the next ep!
I LOVE this anime. *_*
another video of high level tournament – goes right into the action! wow they are fast..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUSWwEB2T6U&feature=related
I guess people really do play it in tournaments, thanks for the videos :-). My previous comments about the game still stand though, in fact I feel more convinced after watching those links – if the characters weren’t so interesting so far, I would’ve long dropped this already.