Early in Chihayafuru’s first season, a young Arata told his new friend, “If you become the best in Japan, you become the best in the world!” He was speaking, of course, about karuta – the obsession of nearly every character in the series. There’s no money or fame to be gained from playing it, but an obscure sort of glory awaits two winners at Omi Jingu each year. Their victory places them atop a list of seven billion people, most of whom will never hear of karuta, much less sit down to play a game. Nevertheless, the allure of being the world’s best is sufficient to attract a small but devoted crowd of competitors. These two episodes are dedicated to four of them, each of whom play the game for different reasons, but all of whom fiercely desire to stand at the summit of the karuta world. Let’s go through them one by one, shall we?
First is Inokuma, who has slipped from the show’s focus in recent weeks. I had thought that the show blatantly foreshadowed her loss in episode 17 when she said, “This will probably be my last Queen match.” It turns out that her prediction was leading up to a different sort of absence, however: she’s pregnant with child number three! Her nausea impacts her performance throughout the day, leading to a double fault that ends her bid for the Queen title, but I really appreciate what Chihayafuru has done with her character. Sure, she was eliminated in anticlimactic fashion, but Inokuma has been a strong presence since the start, representing both her generation and her gender with grace. She made a comment in episode 18 about her desire to inspire female karuta lovers, and despite her loss, I think she succeeded. Sakurazawa’s star pupil Rion is certainly taken with her, and Chihaya marveled at her speed during their match. Inokuma isn’t the type to settle for second place, but once she reflects on her tournament run, I hope she’ll be proud of her performance, and the life balance she found in order to achieve it.
Shinobu was the one to eliminate her, claiming the Queen title for the third straight year, though it wasn’t an easy task. She wrestled with loneliness and insecurity between games, brought on by her mother’s thoughtless comments and a “betrayal” by one of her few friends. The show went as far as giving her a panic attack, for Pete’s sake. I can’t think of a better way to describe her behavior in the green room after losing the second game: erratic breathing, tugging off her kimono, and standing across the room from the fabric after removal. While it’s true that she had time to compose herself during the third Meijin game, I thought her recovery was too swift. Calling back to her path down the middle of the shrine steps (a space reserved for the gods) so quickly after her loss of control wasn’t a natural blend. Chihaya’s gift of tasuki to support Shinobu’s heavy sleeves had strong metaphorical roots, though. Functioning as both a physical aid and an emotional pillar, they were just the thing Shinobu needed to fend off a surging Inokuma and stick around as the Queen until next year’s fated showdown.
If episode 18 focused more on the female characters, episode 19 concerned itself mostly with the men. Harada-sensei achieved maximum coolness during game four with his lines about “performing Suo’s last rites” and saving karuta from his reign of ambivalence. The aura behind him was an impressive shade of red, too, considering that massive defeat that he suffered in the previous game. Harada has a few things working against him: his age and associated lack of stamina, his comparatively poor hearing, his underdog status. With Chihaya’s help, though, he developed a strategy to prey on Suo’s fading vision, which she noticed after studying his play for so long. Right now his gambit seems to be paying off, meaning he’s received valuable support from both his strongest student and his oldest rival (Kitano, who chucked that floor pillow at him mid-match). I’d rather see Suo win, to be honest – Harada’s methods are too devious for me – but the doctor’s drive to usurp him can’t be disputed.
The Meijin was the star of the most recent episode, as his extensive backstory filled in a lot of blanks. His closeness with Shinobu, for instance, might stem from the overlap between their personal histories. Both experienced a major shakeup early in their lives (Shinobu’s parents divorced; Suo was taken from his “likely deadbeat parents”), and experimented with different arts and activities to find one at which they excelled. Both settled on karuta, but the key point of divergence is their level of attachment to the game. Shinobu truly and honestly loves karuta – more than she loves any human being, probably. Suo, on the other hand, plays in order to make something of himself, a promise he made to his aunt Yukiko. Getting to know her via the cutaways to Omura was a treat – her influence was so strong that even a weirdo like Suo benefitted immensely under her care. His repeated insistence that he’s “hollow” wouldn’t be to her liking, though. If Suo still claims not to love karuta, he risks not only the Eternal Meijin title slipping through his fingers, but also the disapproval of the woman who raised him. Let’s hope we get to see them interact in the flesh after this tournament comes to a close.
