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!

Continue reading →