Hello all, and welcome back to Chihayafuru’s pre-Masters tournament! We return in the midst of the top eight, to a field that serves as the ultimate validation of Harada’s teaching style. While this tournament opened with all of the karuta societies’ various leaders bragging about their students, at this point, Harada has emerged as the clear victor. All four quarterfinal matches feature a member of his Shiranami Society, and even Harada himself is still in the running. After years of serving as Chihaya and Taichi’s most reliable ally and confidante, it’s wonderful to see his dedication to karuta and his students pay off in such stunning fashion.

This is no time to sit and celebrate, though! All four of Shiranami’s contenders are facing down tough opponents here, as Taichi squares off against long-time rival and admitted sadist Sudo, while Chihaya battles the actual former queen for a spot in the semis. Here in the third season, Chihaya’s ultimate dream no longer feels all that far away; Haruka might be rusty, but she’s still one of the best karuta players in the world. In a tournament that could very well serve as the ascension of a new karuta generation, Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata are all battling for themselves, for their friends, and for the dreams that have carried them this far. Let’s get to it!

Episode 5

An imposing title this time: “Mount Amanokagu.” Does that imply Chihaya will once again by chastened by learning how far she still has to go? Haruka seemed to imply something like that last episode, when she praised Chihaya’s new talents while simultaneously emphasizing that there’s far more to learn from a reader’s sound than just relative pitch

Alright, so we’re down to just a few cards left, and Chihaya’s actually closed the gap to a couple cards as well. She’s pretty much on Haruka’s level, then

Chihayafuru loves to do this particular time jump during its matches. The early stages of a match, where characters are feeling out each other’s strategies and demonstrating countermeasures, are rich in strategic intrigue. The final minutes, when it’s down to just a few cards on each side, are tactically parsable and tense, since you know everything’s on the line. But the middle stages of a match are the most formulaic, and thus they tend to get skipped. A critical skill in writing drama is knowing what precisely you can skip; less-experienced writers often tell too much, following the character or the clock rather than the thread of the drama

Sakurazawa points out that this match is close because Haruka was rattled by losing “impassionate.” A personal observation that only she could make, but we believe it coming from her four-time challenger

Meanwhile, Haruka is desperately trying to keep Chihaya off her rhythm. That’s how it goes with Chihaya – she can run hot or cold based on her mental state, a believable character trait that just so happens to facilitate consistently close karuta matches

But Haruka’s son Aki is already having a great time watching the game

Oh my god, Aki has the same fashion sense as Chihaya. Amazing

Haruka reflecting on her path here. She’s a perfect opponent for embodying this tournament’s central theme: the process of karuta’s newest titans ascending to the highest level of play, and theoretically replacing their elders. But at the same time, she’s an individual person, and her own passion for karuta is emphasizing that this need not be a literal replacement

Her life story also embodies the hope for karuta’s future that Arata once articulated. She was inspired to play by her parents, and her kids were inspired by her in turn

“The realization that parents can have something they treasure as much as their kids set me free.” In a show that’s predominantly focused on high school-age characters, I really appreciate how much complexity and thoughtfulness this show brings to its adult cast. Even if this is an arc about succession, the older players aren’t framed as grey-bearded elders awaiting retirement; they’re passionate and opinionated and still brimming with love for this sport. Haruka’s whole trajectory here is a refutation of the idea that you need “grow out” of karuta

Nishida and Sakurazawa engage in some mild telepathy as they share the commentary booth

Haruka and Chihaya actually seem like they’d have very good personal chemistry. They’re both natural talents, both driven by an intense personal love of karuta, and both upbeat, somewhat unserious people. Some very nice backgrounds as they share a smile over a perceived fault

“Maybe in Ayase’s mind, the only queen is Wakamiya Shinobu.” That would make sense. Chihaya barely reacted to learning Haruka was a former queen

This season is using a lot more curving shots that zoom in on the board state. I assume they’ve developed more convincing CG photography in the gap between seasons, letting them vary up their shots with dynamic pans over a CG tatami mat

Oh damn, Hiroshi beat Arata

And Murao beats Harada. Harada is tough, but five straight rounds of this must wear on him

But as with Nishida, even a personal loss can be a team victory. It was a close match, and he weakened Murao for Chihaya and Taichi

Excellent soft focus closeups on all the competitors. This season has felt like an overall visual step up for the franchise – not a reinvention of its core aesthetic tools, but a refinement

Oh man, beautiful shot of Chihaya and Taichi’s Shiranami tutors urging them onwards. They look like they’re at the starting blocks of a race, reading to surge forward

And again, smart use of the tatami mat as they pan past Haruka’s hands. This new focus on panning closeups is really helps make the audience feel closer to the action, or directly involved in the match

Even some impact frames as Chihaya seizes the win!

Goddamnit, Taichi once again ends up in a luck of the draw situation. I love Hanano’s expression

And once again, Taichi says I DON’T NEED LUCK, and actually steals his opponent’s card. Oh god, is this going to become his signature technique

Taichi overtly says he’s done with hoping his card will be read. A very reasonable stance at this point, and also one that seems intended to echo his shifting relationship with Chihaya

And now we get a brief, charming interlude with Chihaya’s mom, who’s working very hard for both her daughters

Oh wow, Hiroshi just straight-up forfeits his semifinals match, in order to let Chihaya rest. What a bro he has turned out to be

Hiroshi to Taichi: “The members of our society know that you have no luck or momentum. What brought you here was skill!” HIROSHIIII

What a great framing. Take pride in your lack of luck, Taichi – that itself is a mark of your skill

In narrative terms, Hiroshi might have forfeited here simply because there aren’t really any stakes for this match. Meanwhile, Taichi versus Murao is a natural highlight, as Taichi squares off against his rival’s own sparring partner

Haruka and Sakurazawa are going to practice together!

Ooh, I love these geometric patterns dividing their two paths. Sakurazawa rarely shows vulnerability, but it must have been devastating to experience losing your main competitive weapon, and realizing you no longer have a chance at the top

Sakurazawa’s sorrow is echoed by Harada, who can’t share Hiroshi’s carefree attitude towards this tournament. With his body physically failing on him, he knows he can only fight for the Master’s throne for so long, and must take every opportunity to learn what he can

Arata’s a good dude. Thinking back on Taichi’s petulant childhood promise to “be better than you in no time,” he can only laugh at seeing that promised fulfilled, with Taichi still in the tournament a round after he’s fallen

Chihaya of course dreams about karuta, and reuniting with Shinobu. More great visual embellishment here, as she sinks through vines and the playing field

Oh my god, Kana’s smile is so powerful. As someone so dedicated to her family’s business, she’s happy to see Chihaya showing so much concern for her own mom

Meanwhile, Taichi is up by five cards, and stunning everyone with his play. He has really leveled up for this tournament

“Should I test it?” Aw shit, Taichi’s about to unleash “that”

The conditions are perfect for Taichi – he’s performing for Arata, Chihaya’s elsewhere, and Murao just got beaten down by Harada. DO IT!

“Maybe the best way for Taichi to improve is through defensive karuta?” OF COURSE IT IS! HOW WAS THAT NOT OBVIOUS!? Taichi’s extremely cerebral play means he specializes in minimizing mistakes, and seizing on mistakes by his enemies. Harada, how did you not figure this out already

And Done

Oh shit, it’s on. It is SO on. It is possibly more on than it has ever before been in the entire history of Chihayafuru. The finals of the pre-Masters tournament will at last pit Chihayafuru’s two central protagonists against each other, as Chihaya and Taichi finally face off in an actual competitive match. And not just any competitive match – the two of them are each at the top of their game, playing in the finals of a Class A tournament that has emphatically demonstrated both of them are now stars of a new karuta generation. Chihayafuru has been building towards this confrontation since the very beginning, and the show has never looked better than its beautiful and visually inventive recent episodes. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT A WEEK FOR THIS.

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