We return to Chihayafuru in the midst of the challenger matches, with both Haruka and Harada having fought through difficult first rounds to arrive at luck-of-the-draw conclusions. Harada actually succeeded in beating Suo in that faceoff, but it remains an open question whether Suo is merely letting Harada win in order to prolong his final match as Master. While we’ve gotten a closer look into Suo’s psychology over the past several episodes, basically none of that context has made him more likable in any way – he’s proven himself to be not just selfish, but genuinely invigorated by toying with his opponents. And given how much of a physical toll just two rounds with Arata wrought on Harada, defeating an even stronger opponent who’s determined to drag this out across five rounds seems next to impossible.

Meanwhile, Haruka lost her own first round, but given the emotionally turbulent nature of Shinobu’s post-match experiences, it’s hard to say how future rounds will play out. Shinobu entered this match on an emotional high, energized by the knowledge that her grandmother actually supports her decisions – but after the first round, her mother stole that energy, by cruelly stating that her grandmother was just using her as an advertising prop. That blow was followed by a second, accidental jab courtesy of Chihaya, who unthinkingly admitted she’d prioritized her class trip over karuta, thereby proving in Shinobu’s mind that they don’t actually share the same passion. Will all this betrayal rattle Shinobu, or will it actually clarify her self-image, and return her to an unmatchable kinship with the cards themselves? I mean, I don’t know, but I’m guessing this episode will probably clarify that pretty soon. LET’S GET TO IT!

Episode 18

Incredible pre-OP gag here, as Shinobu’s grandmother flicks between channels, perplexed by the lack of the karuta finals. That seems like a good sign in terms of her concern for Shinobu – and also might explain Suo’s phone calls, where he’s attempting to explain signing up for the streaming service to someone who’s clearly unfamiliar with streaming video. Suo is a very callous person on the whole, but it’s clear he genuinely cares about Shinobu, who he likely personally relates to

That thread is carried into the episode proper by the introduction of Coach Ise, the head of Shinobu’s first karuta society. Apparently it was also Shinobu’s grandmother who brought her to him

“I’m not even disappointed,” Shinobu tells herself, as a spiderweb of jagged black lines demonstrate her actual searing frustration

“I want to make a miracle happen. For the girls who want to love karuta all their lives.” Haruka makes her thematic significance explicit, while also revealing the reason this is likely her final match – she has a third child on the way

Haruka’s commentary and circumstances make it hard to imagine how this story will play out if she actually becomes Queen. Chihayafuru in general puts a great deal of emphasis on “destined matchups,” and no matchup has been more consistently foreshadowed than Chihaya and Shinobu’s ultimate battle for the Queen seat. It’d be very interesting to see how Shinobu handles losing her crown before then, but I’m not sure the combination of Chihayafuru’s destiny-driven drama and the approaching end of Chihaya and Shinobu’s high school experience will allow for an outcome like that

The broken Daddy Bear cookie is a very amusing sad motif

Shinobu claims she doesn’t need friends, but she clearly doesn’t have her head in the game

“The more isolated she becomes, the stronger she’ll be.” “Coach Ise, you’re such a liar.”

Gorgeous shots of Shinobu sinking into inky darkness, as her mental focus is lost and she concedes the second match. It’s much easier to embrace being alone when it’s your only option, and it’s all you’re accustomed to. But having been given hope of support or friendship by both her grandmother and Chihaya, Shinobu now feels freshly abandoned by both, and is consumed by the powerful loneliness that can only come when your support is actively taken away

And Harada takes a second win!

Wait, why are the announcers saying both defending champions are down two games? Last episode definitely implied Shinobu won her first game – I guess they mean they’ve each lost one here, thus combining for a collective two losses

Sakurazawa calls Haruka the “strongest she’s ever faced,” not just in terms of play, but also in terms of her bond with karuta. And given Shinobu has entirely lost her focus, that seems accurate

Shinobu’s behavior really demolishes her own argument regarding a healthy relationship with karuta. Shinobu’s love of karuta is fierce, but brittle – when she’s genuinely rattled, she loses her focus entirely. In contrast, Shinobu’s rivals are all given greater strength by the people who support them; when they have doubts while playing, there are people to lift them up. Shinobu’s poise has obviously always been a defensive rationalization, but it’s really starting to bite her now

Apparently Suo’s phone calls have been to his own family, who he’s failing to convince to watch his match. What a sad pair these two make

Suo finally gets aggressive in his third match

Abandoned by everyone, Shinobu can only retreat to the shrine itself, the emblem of professional karuta. Fortunately, Chihaya knows she needs a friend

Oh my god they dramatically trade off a Snowmaru scarf, these ridiculous dorks

It’s an important moment, though. Shinobu recognized that Chihaya came out to check on her, and offered her a gesture of friendship in return. She’s terrible at expressing herself, or even really recognizing her own emotions, but this act demonstrates she still values Chihaya’s friendship

Suo crushes round three with a seventeen card lead

And Shinobu and Chihaya share one more honest moment of friendship, as Chihaya helps tie Shinobu’s sleeves back. I like how Shinobu just adopts this dull, unfocused expression when she’s being doted over – a lot of people treat her like a weird pet they have to take care of, and she’s happy to play into that impression

Three matches in, Harada actually seems in much better shape than during the Arata match. Frankly, his condition here kinda undercuts the drama there – having his physical weakness be entirely mitigated by better pillows and apparel allows this match to center itself on different dramatic stakes, but feels like a bit of a dramatic betrayal nonetheless. Drama needs a certain consistency of stakes and consequences to remain impactful

Ah, here’s the explanation – Harada actually threw the third match, in order to rest up for the following matches. That actually makes sense, and builds on the strategies he was already using during the Arata match. Glad to see it

Yeah, this is great. Only now, at the fourth game, does Harada dramatically shift his card layout. As with Arata, he’s hoping to continuously shift up his style and debut just enough tricks to secure a win over the Master. Throughout his entire path to this moment, Harada has not been hoping to secure total domination over his opponents, or confirm that he could maintain a winning percentage against them over a long series of matches – he is trying to win precisely these games by precisely the margin necessary, because he does not have the physical strength or speed to just rely on his talent

Oof, it’s painful to watch Harada slowly, laboriously rise to pick up his card

Taichi sees Harada’s play as a living testament to his lessons as a teacher. Preparation, memorization, an aggressive style and strong use of your physical presence – Harada cannot possibly win on pure talent, and so every card he takes is a validation of his faith in hard work and intelligent play, and an encouragement to all of his students

More nice use of dramatic split screens, keeping the visual energy high without relying on fluid animation

Sakurazawa makes a keen discovery – that Shinobu sends cards based on how she feels about the relationships of the characters depicted, rather than for any larger strategic purpose. This obviously doesn’t make standard tactical sense, but for Shinobu, it is far more important for her to remain in a flow state where she feels she is directly, emotionally connected with the cards than for her to make consistently pragmatic strategic choices. She’s a bit like Chihaya, in that her level of play is acutely tuned to her shifting mental state

And Sakurazawa, who has always approached karuta with a tactician’s blunt and emotionless precision, realizes she could never play like a Queen. She’s an incredible teacher, but she doesn’t have that emotional connection, or that hunger

All of the cards have their own voices in Shinobu’s head. When she’s in her zone, play is utterly joyous for her, as she’s spending time with all of her closest friends

“Attack. Confuse. Attack. Confuse.” I suppose Harada’s strategy isn’t that complicated

Oh wow, Chihaya’s information really was crucial. She actually realized Suo’s vision is seriously limited, and that he likely only has a vague idea of the cards in his peripheral vision. A cruel weakness to take advantage of, but it’s not like Suo himself is going easy on Harada for being old

And Done

God damn, what a brutal episode that was. Shinobu hit a darker low point than we’ve ever seen from her, as her genuine connections with her grandmother and Chihaya only became clear when she believed she’d lost them both. Fortunately, Chihaya’s support was able to draw her back into her flow state, while Harada did every possible thing he could to disrupt Suo’s own flow. Both Harada and Haruka are using everything they can to battle genuine monsters of karuta, characters whose immense natural talents and lonely personal lives have turned them into beings fueled entirely by karuta competition. Will strong family and community ties finally triumph over the clarity of solitude, or will karuta’s reigning champions maintain their thrones? GIVE ME THE NEXT EPISODE.

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