Well shit, guys. We’re really in the depths of it now, aren’t we? Taichi at last confessed, was rejected, and responded in the most dramatic possible way: by dropping out of the karuta club completely, and not even telling anyone. Chihaya had to actively chase him down to get any answers out of him, and even then, nothing was fixed or resolved; the club has suffered a dramatic splinter, and it’s questionable whether it can even recover.

This schism was certainly dramatic, but it’s a conflict that’s been brewing since the very start of the series. Taichi’s present relationship with karuta has almost nothing to do with karuta itself; though he also shares fond memories of playing with Arata and Chihaya, neither those memories nor a genuine, personal love of the sport are what drive him to compete. Taichi competes for Chihaya’s sake, making for a situation that is both consistently painful and unfulfilling for him personally, and also utterly unfair to Chihaya herself.

Chihaya does not owe Taichi anything; he has persistently been the one to make personal sacrifices in pursuit of an entirely theoretical romantic relationship, placing selfish expectations on Chihaya that would likely already have destroyed their relationship, if Chihaya weren’t so romantically oblivious. And now that he’s finally admitted the truth, and Chihaya has responded, he is taking back all the support he has provided to Chihaya’s entire team, even though he’s the team captain. It’s a very selfish act, but also an understandably human one, and a decision likely necessitated by the unhealthy attitude and romantic expectations he’s brought to this team all along. Taichi’s self-destructive behavior, overwhelming insecurities, and tendency to bottle up his unhappiness are all parts of him we’ve come to know; it’s painful to see them result in such a negative end, but that’s the pain of seeing a convincingly human character take a convincingly human fall.

Of course, “Taichi falls into despair and quits karuta forever and that’s the last we see of him” wouldn’t make for a particularly satisfying drama, so the question now is, where does Taichi go from here? I doubt he even wants to look at Chihaya right now, but one of his other rivals or clubmates might be able to reach him – or even Suo, who could likely relate to his current bleak perspective. Wherever Chihayafuru goes from here, I’m thrilled to at last be excavating the thorny relationship at the heart of this series, and eager to see what this shattered team do next. Let’s get to it!

Episode 24

“When winds send waves crashing against the rocks in vain, I recall how my own efforts were in vain.” On-the-nose scorcher of a title quote

Ooh, beautiful shot of Chihaya’s tears transposed over Taichi walking away. I was particularly impressed by the evocative fluidity of Chihaya’s flowing air animation from last episode, and that remains vital here

Smart use of blur, too; we feel closer to Chihaya, as if we also can’t see through the tears in our eyes

Also a clever smash cut as this pen comes down on the frame, dragging Chihaya back to the present moment and implying how she’s likely been replaying Taichi’s exit for days

It’s hard for Chihaya to consider her future when her present is such a mess

Aw shit, Taichi’s mom found out about his grades

Taichi’s mom says “you’re the type to hold everything in, so you need to breathe out.” That’s… actually very true. She might be a domineering mother, but she knows her son

Unexpectedly, Hanano has actually stepped up and taken a leadership role in guiding the new additions to their club. Perhaps this is what she thinks she can do for Taichi – she can’t help him personally, but she can protect his club, until he’s ready to return

Damn, they’ve actually got a fair number of new additions to the team. I guess being national champions kinda helps prove that you’re a real club

Oh no, Chihaya’s blaming herself. It’s not surprising in the slightest, as she cares so much about Taichi’s feelings, but it’s still painful to see. Taichi placed the weight of unspoken expectations on Chihaya for years, and now she’s feeling responsible for not living up to those expectations. Yet another “damnit Taichi” moment

I just noticed Chihaya’s wearing a goddamn Daddy Bear shirt during this whole heart-to-heart with her teacher

Fukusaku articulates one of the great powers of literature: they can give us the words and metaphors needed to articulate our feelings, and thereby perhaps understand them

“Learn something. It doesn’t matter what. Just learn something.” More great advice from Fukusaku. At a moment like this, you can’t really “fix” the pain that someone like Chihaya is feeling. It’s a natural pain, born of close love and incompatible desires, and it will run its course as all things do. Rather than focus on resolve it, it’s better to simply continue living – to study, to grow, to occupy yourself with the many other trials and joys of life. Every human being experiences unbearable emotional pain sometimes, but the next day still comes, and if you keep walking forward, there are brighter days ahead

Taichi throws himself into cram school studies, only to discover the cram school teacher is friggin’ Suo. Well, I guess that answers one question

Meanwhile, Arata’s getting his own school team established. Kinda fun hearing whole scenes full of people all speaking with Arata’s distinctive accent

Arata really committed to this, announcing the formation of his club to each class in turn during lunch. Given Arata is so uncomfortable being the center of attention, this is a real show of dedication from him

Yuu arrives, the childhood friend with the poisonous cooking talents

Yuu’s got a tough road. It’s hard being the doomed childhood friend love interest even at the best of times, but Arata is so consumed by destiny that he barely even notices her attempting to get closer to him

Holy shit, Arata’s team immediately earn some intensive practice sessions with Coach Sakurazawa, of all people. It feels like the whole karuta world has essentially been holding its breath, waiting for the former master’s successor to at last embrace his destiny

It’s interesting in general to be actively following Arata through standard karuta training, rather than the emotionally-driven material he’s normally associated with. Arata is still essentially defined as a player without real weaknesses; he has been a rival or a destination, but not a fully developed competitor. Chihayafuru is going to have to do some rapid catching up if it wants us to invest in this team the way we can already invest in Chihaya’s; and with both Chihaya and Taichi likely taking some time away from karuta in order to heal their emotional scars, this is indeed a perfect time to focus on Arata’s play. In fact, considering Chihayafuru likely wants to maintain a certain balance of emotional and sports drama throughout, shifting to Arata’s side is likely one of the best ways to maintain that dramatic balance, as well

Sakurazawa has the unfortunate duty of telling Arata that both Taichi and Chihaya have quit their club

Arata squares off against Rion in a team match. He immediately sinks into his calculating, solitary mode of play, but is distracted by the aggressive congratulations the opposing captain is offering his players. The message is clear: Arata’s current style of karuta isn’t necessarily compatible with the requirements of being a team captain, where keeping your whole team confident and upbeat is critical. Arata is going to have to once again push past his natural shyness to be a strong leader

As his team reflects on their first set of matches, Arata is once again unavailable, focusing on Chihaya and Taichi. The reasons he built this team are gone, but he still built this team, and they need him in the present

Trust Sakurazawa to perfectly break down the demands of leadership. You need both a strong, inspiring player and also someone who can manage and cheer up the rest of the team. Mizusawa has just lost both their ringer and their motivator; it’s hard to currently imagine how they’d compete as a group of five

Arata’s inexperience as a leader makes it easy to relate to and root for him here. It seems like Chihayafuru might try to humanize him as a player not through revealing the weaknesses of his own play (since he doesn’t really seem to have any), but rather exploring his attempts to become an effective leader for his teammates. It’s a smart idea; we generally come to understand and sympathize with fictional characters through their failings, not their strengths, and speaking up and managing a team are things that Arata is naturally bad at

In a way, Taichi had it easier: he naturally cannot help but stress about every single match, and so calling for team rallies was never a “distraction” for him, since he’s always distracted by his teammates. But Arata tends to hyper-focus on his match, which is actually part of his strength, meaning becoming an effective team leader demands a natural tradeoff in his own performance

Also nice to see how much Rion has developed as a team player through these matches

This is adorable. There’s no member of Arata’s team who’s actually used to being in a team, so they’re all kind of awkwardly trying to cheer each other on

“I have to return what Chihaya and Taichi gave to me.” That seems to be the narrative crux of it. Creating an arc of symmetry with the show’s first act, Arata must now return the passion to Chihaya and Taichi that they once restored for him

“Taichi will come back to us for sure. Let’s wait for him.” God, I hope so

Oh no, that’s the show theme. OH WAIT, IS THIS THE END OF THE SEASON? NOOOOOOOO

And Done

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s over. Is it over? Jeez, it’s really over, isn’t it? Well, that’s devastating, and I desperately hope we don’t have to wait six years for the next season. But the pain of parting aside, that was a wonderful episode to end on, as Arata’s fumbling attempts to invigorate his team returned us to the scrappy start of Chihayafuru’s adventures.

I wasn’t really sure how Taichi and Chihaya might repair their relationship, but this episode assured me that they’re going to be okay, while also revealing the full, cohesive arc of Chihayafuru’s overarching character drama. Just as Arata was once saved from despair by his friends, so will his own renewed passion reinvigorate his friends – and with Taichi seemingly already engaging in secret practice with Suo, it seems like he might finally be willing to admit that he just plain loves karuta, and not only Chihaya.

From the extended reflections on aging and competitive passion courtesy of Harada and Haruka, to the brutal and long-awaited revelations among the main cast, to the absurd buffet of thrilling match sequences and generally beautiful moments, this was a wonderful season of Chihayafuru, and a show I feel privileged to have shared with all of you. Thank you all for watching along with me, and I hope to share more Chihayafuru with you all again soon!

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