I don’t know if I can do it, you guys. I just don’t know if I have the strength in me. After roughly six straight months of always having more Chihayafuru waiting in the wings, we’ve finally arrived – season two, episode twenty-five, the final existing episode. Chihayafuru has been a genuine emotional rock for me in a very turbulent year, and watching this episode will mean it’s actually over. I’ll have to go back to a Chihayafuru-less existence.

It’s certainly been a wonderful journey. Over these fifty episodes we’ve met dozens of compelling characters, watched scores of thrilling matches, and seen our core team develop into a skilled and unified group strong enough to legitimately call themselves the best team in Japan. Chihaya herself has grown from a wildly imbalanced and emotionally fragile competitor to a thoughtful and well-rounded champion, consistently acknowledging her own weaknesses and working hard to balance her play. Taichi has gained self-confidence and finally risen to Class A, Tsutomu and Kana have proven themselves both indispensable resources and genuinely strong competitors, and even Hanano has… shown up to all her matches. And beyond our own team, we’ve come to know and care for coaches, players, and friendships from across Japan, a wide array of diversely skilled and personally charming karuta contenders.

I’m very sad to say goodbye to this crowd, but fortunately, it’s only temporary – Chihayafuru’s third season is already on the way, and so we’ll all be reunited soon. In the meantime, let’s send off this wonderful show with joy, and appreciate the time we still have left. It’s time to settle down for one more episode of Chihayafuru!

Episode 25

We pick up right where we left off, with the crowd aghast at Arata’s victory. He’s not a dark horse anymore – he may even already be the top contender for Sai’s throne

Haha goddamnit, of course a character immediately says “he’s no dark horse” after I type that

“I don’t look forward to being alone in the house with you.” What is the deal with Arata’s parents

Well, his mom seems supportive, at least

So will Arata actually be living in the immediate proximity of the other characters now? They’ve just been talking about how he’ll attend university in Tokyo, but our cast are all still second years in high school

Arata congratulates Taichi on his own victory, and offers a more genuine smile than I think we’ve ever seen from him. It’s almost unsettling seeing this character who’s been so consistently framed as a distant goal now acting proud, or awkward, or happy

Alright good, here’s Chihaya to make things dramatically lofty and strange again. “How do you stay smiling even when you’re up against an opponent as strong as Shinobu?”

Of course, this is a thread we’ve been following for a while. Arata embodies “impassionate” play – while Chihaya is all passionate intensity, he is like a still pool at all times. Even this question reflects Chihaya’s growth – she no longer simply marvels at the strength of those around her, she now directly asks them how she can work to capture their strengths

“I’m working very hard, but something’s wrong.” This is an entirely new thread, but with only one episode left, I can’t imagine it’ll take that long to resolve. Granted, this is a partial adaptation of an ongoing manga, so we could very well be ending this season on the introduction of an emotional conflict we can’t possibly conclude – but that seems fairly unlikely. Even in an ongoing story you intend to eventually return to, there are ways to make temporary stopping points feel conclusive; only seed the conflicts that build anticipation for the next season, heavily emphasize the arcs you’ve most recently concluded, and present an overarching focus on the existing camaraderie and neutral tone of the show at its current point. All that doesn’t necessarily make for the most pulse-pounding drama, but it makes for a conclusive episode, at least

That said, another way to make a halfway point conclusive is to center that final episode on one minor conflict with its own natural resolution that hopefully gestures towards the larger story still to come, which seems like what they’re most likely doing here

Haha Shinobu’s scowl. Don’t worry Shinobu, I’m sure you’ll kick plenty of ass next time

Hot damn, Mizusawa also cleaned up classes C and D – both Tsutomu and Tsukuba took first place. Yeah, no more hiding this school’s talent

And of course we get a little crowd murmuring to that effect, emphasizing how they’re now a known property

Chihaya unsurprisingly beating herself up over not beating Shinobu and Arata with a broken finger somehow

Coach Sakurazawa comes through one more time, with the video for the Class A finals. Bless this woman

“Only two players went through the entire tournament without a loss – Arata and Taichi.” HELL YEAH. As a parting gift, Sakurazawa sets up a genuine rivalry between our two special boys

This sequence of Chihaya going to progressively more serious doctors is great. After so many episodes of straight tournament material, I forgot what a charming dork Chihaya is when it comes to every other aspect of her life

“Does that mean your bones are going to turn to mush?” Thanks, Hanano

We’re getting some great expressions out of this little emergency, even if they’re coming at Chihaya’s expense. But “I have a rare disorder and so can’t play karuta anymore” is such an unsatisfying turn that there’s no true drama here. Regardless of how the show plays them up, some choices would just make so little sense dramatically that it’s basically impossible to instill them with real weight. Particularly in a show as preoccupied with destiny as this one

Hah, and so it looks like for the second season in a row, we’ll be concluding by watching a video of a tense Shinobu match

Oh my god I love these two gossiping old ladies peering over from the next bed

I really like the composition of this shot of Chihaya in the hallway. The vast open space beside her, window to the other side, and fact that she’s facing away all create a sense of personal space and quiet distance, making her call to Arata feel that much more intimate

Unsurprisingly for a season-ending episode, we’re getting a fair amount of subtler character acting than usual. Lots of half-sighs and fiddling with hands and all the other visual stuff that lends conversations emotional undertones

Nishida’s shirt is just one of those One Piece-style chunks of meat on a bone. Damnit Nishida

Yeah, it looks like Chihaya’s frustration with her inability to mirror Arata’s style will be our final conflict here. I assume the resolution will be “so what, play your own style of karuta” – Chihaya may see her intensity as weakness, but it’s always been her style

“I always go back to that room when I’m playing.” Oh damn, this actually is turning out to be a very solid finale conflict. Frustrated by her inability to match Arata’s calm demeanor, Chihaya learns that Arata’s source of calm is his memories of playing with her as a child. The resolution to this conflict brings us full circle, tying a bow on the series so far

Some really gorgeous shots in this episode. Chihayafuru’s visual strengths are kinda limited, but they’re giving this conversation a lovely mix of intimate perspective shots and fanciful background patterns

“The time we spent there is making Arata stronger?” He couldn’t have picked a more flattering thing to say

“For the rest of my life I’ll always love karuta, and I’ll always love Arata.” Welp Arata, you’ve won her unconditional, undying love. Please handle that burden responsibly

“No practice swings until the cast is off.” Damnit Chihaya. This episode’s relative visual fluidity matches nicely with the manga’s comedic material – the gags are very snappy and visually clear

Now we’re getting some goofy Chihaya and Kana homework-focused material. The pacing’s a bit choppy this episode, and it’s a little unfocused, which is likely inevitable – we’re ending on transition material, not the outright conclusion to an arc

But again, the wealth of animation means this iffy material is livened through plenty of expressive character acting. Chihaya avoiding homework becomes its own visual reward

We’re leaning heavily on Chihaya’s feelings for Arata here, which seems questionable to me. Presenting her passion for karuta as merely an extension of her love for Arata would be a terrible betrayal of her own agency

Okay good, hopefully Taichi can pull her out of this funk

On the other hand, Chihaya expressing her feelings for Arata in the form of a classical poem is wonderful. The forms of karuta give voice to her deepest feelings

Ultimate Bro Kana recognizes Chihaya’s feelings, and tells Taichi he needs to try harder

Every shot of Sakurazawa makes her look like such a friggin’ badass

Ahahaha. Chihaya asks Sakurazawa what she thought of the match, and is subsequently buried in Sakurazawa’s incredibly precise, endless analysis

And then Sakurazawa invites both her and Taichi to her own team’s training camp. This woman is utterly taking over this show, and I couldn’t be happier

Matchmaker Kana kicking all kinds of ass this episode

OH GOD IT’S THE ORIGINAL OP FOR THE CREDITS THEY’RE KILLING ME

And Done

Wheeew, that was such a journey. My god. What a wonderful time this has been. This particular episode was mostly just cooldown and transition stuff, but who the heck cares. It’s been so fun spending all this time with these characters, and as the seasons have gone on, we’ve only gotten more and more rich characters to follow and fall in love with. I’m eager to see Chihaya training under Sakurazawa, can’t wait to see how the team’s secondary members improve at the fall tournament, and am absolutely rooting for Taichi in this hopeless love polygon. Chihayafuru, you have been a wonderful gift of a show, full of thrilling battles and charming characters and an overarching, inescapable sense of joy in everything you do. Goodbye for now, and see you again soon.

This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.