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EP. REVIEW: Chihayafuru 3

Not even about Taichi, really, but about her not realizing that he had ambitions to be a Master.

I want Chihaya to be in Kyoto even less than she does.

This decision to remove her from the tournament completely fractures this season, and almost grinds it to a halt.

Even Taichi's matches are breezed through, because the stakes are just too low.

And of course, the moment Taichi realizes that in karuta—and in life—sometimes there are cards that are just never picked. It's a clunky metaphor for whatever heartache he's feeling right now, especially if you stop to think about Harada's nonsensical and statistically improbable declaration, but what matters most is the pang of sadness in his eyes.

Suo showing up at Shinobu's doorstep ended up being a big bag of nothing, and their presence didn't really add much to the tournament, either.

We don't even know most of the players in the tournament, so his peacocking just chews up screen time that could better be used in other ways.

Character development lurches forward with starts and stops, while numerous strands are picked up but never quite followed to completion.

But nothing really comes to fruition.

After three seasons of metaphors and veiled comments, it's out in the open. Truly, I don't even care who gets the girl, or if anyone does at all. I just wanted one of the characters to use their words and actually communicate, and it was a relief to finally see it.

(Nothing can be worse than living a moment longer)
When I cannot bear growing any weaker than I already have.

For what it's worth, the McMillan translation of that line is, “If I live longer, I cannot bear to hide this secret love.”

Quote:

I want Chihaya to be in Kyoto even less than she does. This decision to remove her from the tournament completely fractures this season, and almost grinds it to a halt.

For you.
A lesser quality Chihayafuru would have her skipping the trip, but this higher quality Chihayafuru can't let the characters forget that Karuta isn't a way of life, don't put food on the table.

Panino Manino wrote:

Quote: I want Chihaya to be in Kyoto even less than she does. This decision to remove her from the tournament completely fractures this season, and almost grinds it to a halt. For you. A lesser quality Chihayafuru would have her skipping the trip, but this higher quality Chihayafuru can't let the characters forget that Karuta isn't a way of life, don't put food on the table.

In what world is a class trip about recreational activities and tourism have anything to do with becoming a teacher or getting a job later on? I could understand if Chihaya chose to miss the qualifications if she was doing something like a prep course, but a class trip? No, that decision made no sense and felt completely out of the blue.

As for Karuta not being a way of life or putting food on the table? Well just wait for the show to catch up to the manga and then we'll see. Wheels start turning in that regard.

This is probably one of my favorite moments from the manga. Shinobu has been teased to us forever as this lonely, but prideful girl and now we see her peeled away a bit. When she crushed that cookie, I had to read ahead in the manga because I couldn't wait to see how she handles all of this. Chihaya broke her promise, yes, but I loved that she fixed Shinobu's sleeves for her and gave a supporting push on the back. Just some good wholesome competitive spirit going on that I think Shinobu desperately needs.