Chihayafuru 2

This review cover Chihayafuru Season 1 and 2 cos its almost the same in every aspect Story => 8 This anime have pure original story if im not mistaken, as far as i know, there is no other anime that tells about karuta, so this anime is good. At early, im sure i never imagined that i would had enjoyed this anime so much, at earlier i can only see poor anime art, horrible chara design, but as i keep continue to watch, really its story makeup for all of it, its really nice. These are the reasons why its story is a top notch: 1. Its not exaggerated at all for considered sport anime, not just other out there with godlike shot, tiger shot, ping pong ball, etc 2. Its really very realistic, the protagonist and her team often lose and we can see their progress to get better and overcome their weakness. Hello, this is not anime with godlike char who always win 100% without any defect 3. Its story so detail and tightly packed, no jumping and easy to follow 4. Telling about karuta? this anime is the best, i think im getting to like karuta now after i wathed this anime even im not japanese and know nothing of karuta!!Passion of karuta, meaning of each card, every tech, strategy nicely pictured here 5. So deep character story depth and their relationship Art => 6 Well its the weakness, so sad to see that this anime have very poor art, its almost the same like manga art but animated, thats all, so many defect like char not proportional, etc Sound => 7 Well i can say that this is so so, op ed have deep meaning but not too pleasant to hear, backsound got some nice one if i might add and good enough Character => 7 As told earlier, poor chara design art and not satisfying to see but as explained earlier too, its nicely backup by strong chara depth story, soo good enough Enjoyment => 8 Well, i can say even there are many minus aspect, i cant lie that i really enjoyed watching and follow this anime from the start till the end because of its magnificent story stated above Overall => 8 Good good simply good O yea, i read some info that this anime is actually an official Japan government program to raise popularity of karuta in Japan itself because in this modern era karuta gradually drowning and vanished. So nice one from Japan Government and Go Karuta!!

So if Im good at snap Ill probably be good at karuta right? Haha nah mate your bloody dreaming wake up!! Ohh how impassionate... Alright guys another short n sweet spoiler free review, jump on the boat as we head to our destination Chihayafuru 2. Lets unwrap this bad boy wait girl? ahh who cares... Story: 9 Everything you know and love about the first season makes an epic return here whether it be the karuta, friendship, unrequited love, or even old people, its all here folks the whole shebang. The story premise hasn't changed that much either. We still follow our beloved Mizusawa karuta club as they aim to be number 1 in Japan. This time around the anime tends to focus on the individual goals of our main characters and the struggles it takes to achieving them. Great story pacing and amazing action packed karuta keeps you thoroughly entertained. Word Rating: Yep go Taichi go! Art: 9 Like in my review of season 1 I thought the artwork was stunning and a treat to look at. Crisp character design and excellent use of colour really emphasises the overall experience. I watched in 720p resolution, I thought it looked great. Word Rating: Yep call me Da Vinci! Music: 9 Music by Kousuke Yamashita also returns to season 2 with subtle grace. Great music tracks that complement the anime and leave your ears wanting more. A combination of slow pace and fast energetic tunes make light work of setting the mood. Word Rating: Yep wanna music degree! Overall: 9 A pleasant journey filled with excitement, fun, laughter and will leave you satisfied by the end of the ride. An anime 25 episodes long with great story pacing and excellent character development never leaving you bored in the process. If you haven't seen it yet go watch it and hope you enjoy. Peace out ZEUS!

So, this is my first review. I never planned to make any but i wanted to share my views on this show. I hope i help at least one of you. I started watching this show out of lack of anime to watch. I never expected myself to fall hopelessly in love with this show. This show is mainly about a game called karuta and it follows the karuta playing adventures of three people who grew up playing it and their friends who they have met along the way. I did not honestly think that i would like a show about a game that i never heard about so much. But i did. From the quirky, fun, determined characters to the artwork to the story line. I loved it all. And the thing about this show is that its so very realistic. That's one the things i admired most. Yeah, there were points in time when i wished things were more unrealistic and easier for the karuta players, but everything that they went through, including their loses helped them grow. I loved watching them grow and hope you will too. The characters were all so very unique. None of them were alike and that helped them to grow together. Some people might get turned off by an anime about a game, but i hope you guys give it a shot, because if i hadn't i wouldn't have known there was a great anime like this one out there.

A fantastic follow up to an already fantastic first season. All in all it manages to accomplish everything a sequel should set out to do. If season 1 was a show about karuta its players, season 2 is a show about the people who play karuta. It’s not to say that season 1 is lacing in significant characterization but they typically ended up being defined by what karuta means to them and how they each grow to love an interact with the game itself. Season 2 uses this pretext as a means to truly expand on the relationships between the characters and allow each, even the least important ones, to truly grow through its runtime. Chihaya herself actually manages to take a small step back from the limelight and makes room for the supporting cast to work their way in which is highly appreciated. Characters like Nikuman (Nishida), despite having the occasional strong moment, felt a little neglected in the cast during season 1 but they’re allowed the proper amount of time to be fleshed out. Additionally you gain much more of a glimpse into the opponents that they face as the show provides you with more than enough context and glimpses into each of their specific trains of thought to allow them to become their own characters. They end up playing more karuta in this season than in season 1 and yet I couldn’t help but feel the focus is placed on the characters themselves. This intention is made fairly clear from the very start of the season, in which the club members each have to identify their goals for the coming season (and thus how to handle the new members). Each of the characters identify something wholly different about karuta that they think the club should focus on and this conflict is actually a driving force for the remainder of the season. Chihaya can be put aside because she wants to do everything, that is win both the team and solo tournaments and support the new members, but the remainder of the goals are thoroughly worked on and fleshed out as they progress through the season. Nikuman and Tsukue only want to win the team tournament, they doesn’t see the point in wasting time on the new members so long as the core 5 second years are able to play and carry them to victory. This leads to deeper self reflection about their own relationship with karuta. Taichi only wants to focus on the solo tournament and on making Chihaya the best she can possibly be. This is somewhat an extension of the struggles he faces in season 1 with his inferiority complex and signifies his incapability of ranking up to class A with Chihaya and Arata. Ooe wants to focus on the new members, fostering their relationship with karuta and enhancing their love for the 100 poets. She actually ends up taking a bit of a backseat in this season but she’s the one that interacts with and supports the new members most. These philosophies aren’t referred to after the first episode but it’s important to pay attention to throughout this season as it enhances the kind of growth that each of the core 5 members experience. As mentioned earlier, Nikuman and Tsukue are each expanded on far more than they were in season 1. Nikuman in particular as the most aloof member ends up causing his fair share of drama as he realizes he’s surrounded by people who care far more about the game than he does. While he does want to win, each of the players he encounters are guided by a far stronger interior force which he’s gradually lost sight of after he initially quit karuta. Tsukue’s obsession with research displays a kind of unconventional, and yet entirely valid, relationship with the game. The interactions between Tsukue and Nikuman in the middle of the season bring to light the difference in their relationship to karuta. Similarly to season 1 Taichi ends up grappling with his inferiority complex far more, especially now that Arata has rejoined his and Chihaya’s lives. Taichi ends up experiencing the most growth throughout this season and is probably the most distinctly satisfying character to watch come into fruition. Despite his best attempts he displays the most emotion out of any character in the cast and watching his grapple with a purely interior battle allows for much more distinct growth, especially since we already know how overly capable he is outside of karuta. As mentioned earlier we’re shown far more than just the main cast, each of the side characters and challengers are allowed more than sufficient screen time. Thankfully we’re finally shown more of the kinds of people Arata and Shinobu are, and while their arcs occur in a different space than the main cast this doesn’t prevent them from being as meaningful. Unlike the main cast, Arata and Shinobu are isolated people. If each of the main cast represented their own distinct karuta philosophy, Arata and Shinobu both represent the philosophy of independence. Karuta is a single player game, especially for Shinobu, and both of these people grew up practicing entirely on their own in isolated spaces. This acts in distinct opposition to the main storyline which is dominated by the team tournament and allows for a proper glimpse into what exactly makes the two of them so strong. While Arata doesn’t actually need much convincing that team based karuta is just as valid as solo play, introducing Shinobu into the mix allows for a more proper exploration of her character than season 1 allowed. As eccentric as she is, Shinobu is all in all just another girl. The sole difference between Shinobu and any other person is that her friends are the cards which make up the field rather than any person. Her interactions with Arata and especially Chihaya bring out more of her real personality and are a real treat to watch once she drops the cold sarcastic shield she typically hides behind. Her skills at the game may put her at the top of the world, but it’s these little cracks in her philosophy that make her the final boss of Chihayafuru. This entire write up has been focused on the characters but season 2 is just as, if not more, beautiful than season 1. Given that the overwhelming bulk of the season takes place in a tournament you might think that the setting would grow old, but it’s very difficult to not find yourself immersed in each poem which is being read. I especially like how you can tell the differences between each of the different readers, in which you’re subjected to both the very best and very worst of the field. The soundtrack itself is highly emotive and full of life and adds to the immersion. The visual representations of karuta are also immensely beautiful and make you forget that the bulk of the show takes place in essentially one room. Arata’s karuta is defined by this serenely calm water as his hand cuts through it with pinpoint speed and precision. Shinobu never makes a sound, cutting solely through air and making the minimum contact possible with each card. Chihaya achieves a somewhat synesthetic state of mind as she plays, listening to each and every sound in the room as she becomes one with the poems. They’ve truly mastered the aesthetics of season 1 and created a game which is just as beautiful as the poems which are being read. Of course, not all the ideas in season 2 work out as well as you’d hope. While I could easily write thousands of words about any of the characters coming over from season 1, the same cannot be said about the new members of the club. To be fair, I will say that Tsukuba isn’t that bad, he mostly just comes across as someone who is extremely determined to prove himself as an asset but as a consequence he doesn’t do much more than that. His personality isn’t notable, which is a bit of a problem when the majority of the cast is eccentric, and his motivations are short and simple. This grants him an opportunity to take part in the story but never really stake his place in it. Hanano on the other hand is a terrible, yet somewhat logical, addition. Her entire shtick is that she’s trying to seduce Taichi, which is …

250 WORDS OR LESS REVIEW: Chihayafuru 2 only covers about half of what season one did. This was the right idea to fix its “sometimes too fast” pacing, but the execution had a lot to be desired. There was too much padding this season; the start to most episodes would be the last minute or two of the previous one. There were also multiple times where a character would reflect on their ENTIRE journey after a victory or defeat, which would take a few minutes to do. The games are drawn out more, which adds to the tension and gives the audience a chance to reflect on the characters during their matches. The national tournament was so exciting and I never wanted the characters to win more. The romance is still not at the forefront yet, but it is bubbling more than in season one. The characters are still endearing. I love how Arata has an accent, as many anime wouldn’t care to have a detail like that. More typical sports themes, and basically forgetting the theme of how the West is influencing Japan to stray away from its roots that the previous season opened the door to. I probably overanalyzed anyway. Season two improves upon multiple aspects from season one, but doesn’t really expand upon those opened doors from the previous installment as much as I would have liked. Still a solid addition to the franchise.

Chihayafuru season 1 and 2 are a rather strange phenomena for me. When I read the show description back in my pubescent days I was disgusted. What a silly sounding show I thought. I'd seen the good reviews and knew people liked it, but it celebrated such a bizarre piece of Japanese culture that I found my British mind struggling to grasp at the idea of a competitive game involving poems being enjoyable. But colour me as pink as Taichi's hair I was an immediate convert! This show is a shoujo claymore, cleaving you with it's girly aesthetic till you are but paste on the ground. It's lavish and gorgeously romantic and the main character is a pretty girl with a rock for a brain. What a mysterious female fantasy... This show definitely wasn't a favourite on first watch - some of the matches can feel like they drag, and actually understanding the game they are playing is nigh on impossible due to it's reliance on kanji. But if someone could sample those poems being sung out in this anime and put it on their mix tape, I'd be your first buyer. I've watched both seasons of this anime enough that each climactic moment makes me tear up and the shows run time just breezes past because it's familiar and homely. This is never a story that you would see outside of anime/manga and it's outstanding. I love it deeply.

First off if you are at all interested in watching this anime, please do yourself a favor and watch the first season first. This second season picks off directly after the first. ***This is a spoiler free review*** Chihayafuru completely blindsided me when I first watched it last year. No matter how I looked at it, it looked like a Josei anime which is usually a turn off for me. After much consideration though I ended up watching it and I never regretted doing so. Now that the second season has completed, I find myself pretty much with the same feelings; pure awesomeness. Story: 6.5/10 Let’s get the formalities out of the way; this is a sports anime. If you do not like sports anime then I am 98% sure you will not like this anime at all. Chihayafuru follows the main character Chihaya as she tries to become better at the Japanese poetry card game Karuta. In the second season, the show focuses more on the Karuta club at Chihaya’s school as they prepare to compete in the district and regional tournament. Now for the second formality; like I posted in my opening statement this looks like and pretty much is a Josei anime. Josei shows usually shoots for the young to older teen girl audience and a unique characteristic that the Josei genre usually brings is its art style (read more about this in the animation section). So since this show is directed to young Japanese girls, you have to deal with the typical female lead that usually has two or three boys after her affection. This is somewhat true in Chihayafuru but the romance thankfully takes a back seat compared to the other things such as character development and the card game scenes. It also helps that Chihaya is a very strong willed and overall great lead character (more of this in the character section). The most important thing about grading the story section is how the plot flows. While the two main arcs flow nicely into each other, I feel as if some of the match scenes dragged on a little too much (I call it the Bleach syndrome). That being said, some of the matches actually had me on the edge of my seat. I will not spoil the results but there is a team match where it literally comes down to the last card and I could not believe the result. My overall feelings are if you want a flowing story with tons of character development then stay away from this anime. While it does have the stuff you want in between the tournaments, once they start it is all about the matches. This is a sports anime. Animation: 9.7/10 If you look at any number of Josei anime you will see that they all pretty much have very light and bright colors and this is no exception for Chihayafuru 2. In the scenes where there is sunlight peering through the windows, there is beautiful and well down lighting. Also the character models (AND THE EYES) are so well done that even the talking scenes are beautiful (OMG THE EYES). Since this a sports anime, you would hope that the action oriented scenes flow well with great quality. I am happy to say that even the most intense matches have great quality and look extremely smooth. I honestly love the animation of this anime; all the characters (even the side ones) look unique and beautiful/handsome. Like or hate the Josei art style, this is one beautiful anime. Sound: 9.6/10 Another great asset this anime has is the overall sound design. The music that plays in the background for both the dialogue and match scenes is so spot on. In an intense match you will find that the music caters perfectly to what is going on and I also love how they included so many orchestral arrangements. The voice actors also did an awesome job reprising their roles. The new characters also sounded great as each one meshed quite well with their virtual counterpart. It has been quite some time since I have experienced an anime with such a great acoustic qualities. Characters: 8/10 I feel that this season did a much better job with the character interactions (since they added new people to the club) but at the same time it detracted from the characters I really like. The screen time for Chihaya and Taichi was more limited since we had to learn about the new members but this is not really a valid complaint since they still had screen time. Chihaya is a very strong female lead with an unfathomable amount of resolve to become better and better at Karuta. She wants to one day play a match against Arata like she did as a child. She is to my limited memory the strongest female anime character I can think of which is great because I am so tired of the weak willed and whiny females we usually get. Taichi in the first season made it quite clear he was crushin’ on Chihaya; I won’t spoil if he was man enough to make a confession this season but the time they had together in the second season was pretty nice. He also grew very much as a player in this season. There is a particular team match where he pretty much was the sole reason the team won. The other characters (boob girl, porky, glasses, and the two new members) really did help bring in some great moments for the team especially in the first tournament. It added a new element since the team now had people they could cycle in instead of always relying on the same people. Overall: 8.5/10 This show is really, really good. The continuing story of Chihaya and the Karuta club is so enjoyable to watch unfold. If you somehow missed or just decided to skip the first season of Chihayafuru then please do yourself a favor and at least give it a try. While the show covers a sport you have most likely never heard of, the anime does a superb job pulling you in which other great sport anime have done in the past (Capeta, Prince of Tennis, Major, ext). Enjoyment: 9/10 Thanks for reading my review! If you liked my writing style, would like to see some other reviews, or just want to talk, please stop by my page! Sincerely, Awesome Drummer

Damn, that was damn good. Despite being a show about cards 'n' shit, it's damn intense. There's suspense in just about every match and it's awesome when you're shown all the different angles and factors of karuta, the game in question of this "sports anime". The characters are awesome. Taichi's my personal favorite. He's a total ass in the first episode and afterwards becomes the sweetest guy in the series. Despite him being good-looking and good at everything, he's a self-proclaimed coward with a crush on the main character, Chihaya. I hear some people give Chihaya shit for being annoying, but she's not. I find her to be the most endearing of the entire cast. She's the one who most strongly pushes forward the theme of growing stronger, which is one of my favorite themes in anime. The progression of strength really makes you feel proud of what she and the other characters have worked hard at to perfect. There's also Ooe, Nishida, and Desk-kun. All of which have moments that made me admire them, but other that, not too interesting or worth the screen time. There is, however, Arata and Shinobu, the "antagonist" and the antagonist. Arata was childhood friends with Taichi and Chihaya and came to fall deeply in love with the group they had formed, but had to leave soon after solidifying their bonds. After several years, they see each other again, but this time he acts as more of a mysterious obstacle, for both Chihaya and Taichi in different ways. Chihaya wants to overcome his power in karuta and Taichi wants to overcome the emotional hold he has on Chihaya. We got some sad love triangle stuff going on. Shinobu is a beautiful girl who dominates in karuta, which is why she's given the title of Queen, the strongest female player. She's a lonely girl, who spends all her time perfecting her art and growing stronger. A child who grew up isolated, as she was made to be good at karuta, so no friends... This is where you can sympathize with her, which makes her a good antagonist in my book. The art is very nice, but did take me an episode or two to get used to. It reminds me of Your Lie in April's art style, where actual lips are drawn on certain characters. Oh, and the OP is amazing. Basically, it's a good-ass show and should be viewed.

Chihayafuru 2: Impassioned Series After the groundbreaking success that was Chihayafuru, an anime that introduced us to the world of karuta, it was only natural that we would see a second season. Personally, while I found the original series to be unique, it suffered from two major problems...character focus and pacing. While the second season still suffered from pacing problems, I really feel like the writers got things going in the right direction with its character focus. As an end result, I would without a doubt say that the second season is by far better than its first season...and that's not a slight at the first season. The strength of this series revolves around its animation in regards to the characters. When I say "impassioned" in the headline, what I mean is the writers, the animators, and the seiyuu do a wonderful job of capturing the passion that this series has to offer. We can certainly feel the emotions each player from Mizusawa has for karuta, as well as the other important characters to this series like Arata and Shinobu. The best way of putting it is that everything about this series had such great chemistry. The story set the tone, the seiyuu put their heart and soul into each character's performance, and the artwork of this series carried that passion. Where this series significantly improved over its predecessor was in the aforementioned character focus. This series focused much more on the three protagonists, Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata, as well as the rest of the members of Mizusawa's karuta team. In the previous season, it seemed like the writing staff put more focus on the other karuta players and there were times where it felt like supporting characters were getting more screen time and development than the series leads. This series also put a lot more focus into Arata and Shinobu, which I found to be important since they are much more important characters to this series than, let's say Yumin from season 1. Not saying Yumin isn't an important character, but when she's getting more development than Chihaya, the series lead, then we have a problem. Speaking of problems, this series does still have a few and they are pretty much carryovers from the first season. The anime's pacing is horrifically slow. Well, I will say this...it isn't nearly as slow as the first season. The first half of the series seemed pretty well paced, but the second half tends to drag at times, with some matches lasting as long as three episodes. While I do find the players thought processes during these matches interesting, it had me saying "would you please just advance the plot? I get it already." Another problem I have with this series and this was also a problem with the last season...it has a recap episode. I am going to come out and say that for both seasons of Chihayafuru, they can be deemed the most pointless recap episodes of all-time. The way the series is paced, it isn't necessary. Everything that happened in the first half of the series is still fresh in the viewer's minds. It's a major beef for me as a viewer because I'm also considering that this is practically a waste of the viewer's time and the producer's money. At the end of the day, I will say this about Madhouse's Chihayfuru 2. The first season caught my attention, the second season completely immersed me into the characters and story. I went from barely wanting a 2nd season to completely looking forward to a 3rd season. As far as a recommendation, I would recommend this series if you do like slower paced anime with more of a character focus much like Spice + Wolf, or sports themed but not really anime like Capeta. I would also recommend watching the first season before taking this one on. While I know there are some anime you can pick up on and I'm sure Chihayafuru 2 is a series you can pick up on if you skip the first season, this series is strongly connected with events that happened in the first season and ends up being a driving force throughout the series. Even if the first season becomes tiring and mundane at times, I recommend you stick with it because it starts paying off in season 2. Overall, I will say Chihayafuru 2 is so far one of the best anime I've seen in 2013 and I'd give it my highest recommendation.

Isome minor spoilers n S2 C really hits its stride. They need new club members or they'll have to give up their space. Fortunately, Chihaya is a force for recruitment. Taochi's mother would prefer him to only focus on school, but he refuses to leave the club. We meet a family member or two of some club members. A LOL moment in S2 is when they have to face off with a team of foreigners in a competition. They're so taken aback that they can't even function, at first. It's surprising to see foreigners play a traditional Japanese game! They don't have any idea how good this foreign team will be, and they work themselves up and out of sorts. One of the foreigners happens to be a lovely milk chocolate color with the speed and grace to match. When he swipes a card out from under one player’s fingertips, that team member practically breaks out in tears of despair. As for Chihaya, when she sees that Karuta has gone international, she breaks into tears. Her teammates wonder why, but I knew why immediately. Can you guess? We see personal journeys and a team journey. In S2 they are told “The team round is an individual round; the individual round is a team round.” In a team round, believe in your teammates and play your own game! In an individual round, you lift your team with your play. A retired player tries to make a comeback: "...every time I lost, I thought: I can be even better next time. If people never lose, they never change. They never grow stronger. By losing, you can change. You can become stronger." We'll hear men from the other team make comments about a girl's breast size in an attempt to agitate her. There are occasional references to breast size when we hear various teens talk. There's also one F💣, when there hadn't been nothing but G-rated talk up until then. I loved S2, even more than S1. S3 is just as good.

This review applies to the entire Chihayafuru series. In my humble opinion, Chihayafuru does a few things very very well. The first thing that comes to mind is pacing. The pacing in this series was not necessarily perfect, but not far from it. Starting from the very first episode, the hook pulled me right into the world of Karuta. Even while Chihaya's karuta addiction might start tasting metallic due to its constant repetitive nature, the series still remains interesting due to the constant character development. Every episode is developing character(s) and the way it is done almost lets you relate on a personal level. The end of each episode is either a perfectly timed cliffhanger, or a victory which just leaves you feeling immensely satisfied. Think of it as having the excitement of watching sport, but with rehearsed narration and looking like art. The two aspects of Chihayafuru which could perhaps be improved are sound and art. Firstly, the soundtracks themselves are very good, and despite the repetitive usage of certain soundtracks during intense moments, they still create the desired atmosphere. The only problem is variation. The lack of variation causes you to realise just how repetitive the soundtracks can become, and like any other type of music, listening to it too much takes away the enjoyment. The art could be better. However, it doesn't have to be. The art is only there to support the story, and the scenery, especially when paired with kana-chan poetry reading, is already very good. It is surprising how quickly you can get used to the uncommon art style. All in all, very good series, came from ProZD, stayed for smiling glasses boy from Fukui, Karuta Addict and handsome unlucky guy who is actually about my height.

Ok I have to admit, the first season of Chihayafuru got me hooked, I knew that season 3 was coming and I wanted to wait until it came out to start season 2. I really like the dub voice actors so I wanted to make sure the dub for S3 was going to be soon but it's not even confirmed at this point, here's to hoping but I am willing to go through and see the sub instead if that's what it takes. I eventually got to the point of having dreams about Chihaya and I ended up just saying "Y'know, I've been really wanting this, enough holding myself back, it's time." And here we are, season 2. How does this season stack up against how highly I held the first season? Let's find out. (btw, this will include spoilers for season 1 because I assume you've watched it if you're on this page, but won't include spoilers for season 2) First off, we have a new character, Hanano, she seems to be joining because of Taichi but ends up staying for more. You see we have Kanade who cares about the poems and their meaning but Hanano kind of builds off of that and "feels" what these poems have to offer, she can relate to what they say making them more memorable. In a way it helps Kanade see her downfalls and helps her character try to improve. Tsukuba is another new character and brings on the new technicalities and detail oriented sides of karuta. He knows another form of the game called "second verse" which is pretty much a whole different story because it's wooden cards, he has to work backwards (an interesting way to learn) and also it has different rules and such. So what's his motivation? To be the best? We've heard that all before but here's the thing, he has siblings and they look up to him. Seeing a pattern? The opposite of Chihaya. For a team match, you need 5, but now there are 7 so you can imagine they explore what brings them together as a team and what splits them apart, what lineup works best and what order they should play in. It's a very interesting formula because they make a point of "I don't want to leave you behind." They make every single member feel welcome to every match and not just for tactical gain. It is interesting to note how each character take effect on each other's presence, it's very noticeable with Arata, Chihaya, and the Queen and how they affect each other in that triangle. It goes to show that it doesn't take much to have an effect on people so make it worth it. They even have these photographers that are pretty funny, they speak in synth like the 'Delightful Children From Down The Lane' from Codename: Kids Next Door. So I'll rate the character category on the way the characters have grown, the new characters, and the way they've worked as a team. I'll give it an 8. I like to see various backgrounds for the characters and how they add to the overall plot, how they work off of each other, and how they relate to karuta as a game. (Karuta or Caruta? I've never figured it out, I look it up and it's a 'K', but on their shirts it's a 'C') Also I wanted to mention that it's clearer to me now that everything in this series happens for a reason, a loss isn't just a loss, there's a reason behind it, for either when they win later, go up against them again or what, it all seems relevant while last season it wasn't too clear of a future. Speaking of, I still can't decide which ship I'll sail. How do I talk about music when I already watched the first season and said that it complimented it and prevented it from being cringy? Well there are some new tracks that I've heard and I'm sorry because this is practically a crime but when those violins kick in...I just-I hear Randy Newman, there I said it, it reminds me of Toy Story at times. It's really good even without the violins though, other than one regular sang song late in the series that I didn't like so I'm giving it a 9. They make a lot of reference to the last season like "Remember this event?" but in a way I think it's deserved because they use it to try and learn and do things differently. Some are obvious and they just blatantly tell you but to be honest as soon as I started watching the season, everything started flowing back to me on its own, no references needed. Another thing they bring up is team matches vs individual matches, it's more pronounced this time and in a way might amount to something even greater for next season. I'll tell you what, these episodes just go by, like each one could be an hour and I wouldn't mind, I get into it that much, it's one to binge. In some ways I think this season builds and improves on the last season but there were some big and more memorable moments last season, so enjoyment? 8 I'm not sure if it's just been that long since the last season but they go hard on the opponents in this season, they show all the different types of people who play karuta and I really love seeing that explored, I don't feel like it's even pandering, it just adds depth to these opponents who would be faceless otherwise. The story just follows the last season, it's all continuous so I'll rate it about an 8 (just like last season) though I forgot how inspiring it is and determined it makes me feel, I love it. Same with Art/Animation, it was about the same so an 8. Looking forward to season 3!

Cihayafuru, one of the anime that makes me want to keep watching anime. Honestly, it’s even better in my memory than it is while I watching it, so although I’ll stick with my initial impression as an 8, it’s getting closer to a 9 for me right now. Like many other anime, there is a duality between the premise, karuta, and the relationships between the characters. I will address the former first. Karuta, although it seems relatively pointless to an American person like me, is portrayed in this anime to be more intense and complex than any other sport. The matches contain some of the most suspenseful moments in anything I watched, with superpowers being replaced by unique skills shown by each of the members in Chihaya’s karuta club. When matches between two skilled players or teams or shown, it might as well be a fight to the death with the fast arm swinging and calculated precision. The grueling tension during a match is emphasized through the character’s inner thoughts, worries, and analyzing. If there was one complaint to be had, it’s that sometimes the matches drag on for an excessively long time. For example, in season 2 the last two matches of the team tournament took up a whole nine episodes. I’m pretty sure that’s longer than what it would take in real life. However, the length is not too bad that it brings down the show. On the flip side, there is a myriad of unique and meaningful characters. One of the most important aspects of this show is about growth. The karuta club brings together misfit high school students into a competitive, tight-knit group where each person has changed since they first joined. However, the magnifying lens are focused on three key characters: Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata. Underlying the karuta, there is a heavily implied love triangle throughout the entire series. But rather than being cliche, seeing the situation through different perspectives is intriguing and effective. Arata is the least expounded upon, as unlike the other two he is miles away and really gets the most attention during the past in elementary school. Taichi is on the other side of the spectrum, with his crush on Chihaya being painfully obvious to the viewer even though Chihaya herself is oblivious. In a way his unrequited love serves to balance his otherwise perfect character (popular, good-looking, athletic, intelligent) by showing his jealousy of Arata whenever Chihaya mentions him and his own insecurities that causes him to keep silent to Chihaya. Meanwhile Chihaya is someone that immediately stands out as being exaggerated when the other characters seem more realistic. She devotes her whole life to karuta and nothing else. After ever match, win or lose, she starts crying a bucket of tears. Additionally I found the where she repeated Taichi’s name several times when they first reunited a bit awkward, but looking back her quirkiness was not a mistake-- it was an intentional decision. Chihaya, rather than just being about karuta, actually embodies the joys of youth. Whether it being committed to a goal, or having fun with friends, Chihaya is a vibrant character in a colorful world. The visuals were very nice (although I found Kana-chan’s forehead was distractingly large), and the colors really brought out the mood in each scene. Especially beautiful were the depictions of the different poems, which gave me some insight on why Kana-chan appreciates poetry so much. I have no faults with the soundtrack either. Whether it be the tension in an important match or the bonding between the group, the music says it all. The main theme might have been a bit overused, but it’s now one of my favorite anime music anyways so I don’t mind. I can’t really say much for the OP and ED, since those are not my specialty by any means, but I did enjoy both season’s ED. Overall this show was very enjoyable, and I recommend to anyone who wants to see a group of friends learning to grow closer together, a highly competitive sports game, or a little bit of both. For me this was a good refresher, and a reminder of why I think anime stands out from other medium.

Karuta? What's that? At first, I thought this was going to be boring, but I was wrong. Although I still don't get Karuta that well. This anime is still amazing. I found myself cheering for the characters, yelling, crying, and laughing with them. Their pain and struggles became mine. I even learned from the teacher who is watching over the karuta club. The characters are amazing as well. A lot of character development. They're very relatable even if you don't play karuta. The only thing is that this season has a lot of minutes going over past episodes even two episodes reflect back to what happened.

This season was much better, in my opinion. All of my little issues that I pointed out in the last season were pretty much swept away in this season. My number one point of annoyance was that the anime wasn't very balanced to me. Last season, it felt like you didn't know whether the main focus was supposed to be on the matches or the characters. This season managed to pull off a nice medium between the two. The matches actually had weight and suspense, and the anime let you focus in on more than just one match per tournament. I'm very pleased the karuta matches were paid the proper attention this season. I actually got to experience the losses and wins with the Mizusawa team. The characters didn't have such a heavy focus this season since their setup was all finished last season, but that wasn't a bad thing to me. You got to see the characters develop both through their matches and outside of their matches without it taking too much attention away from the competitive aspect of the anime. On top of that, the overall storyline this season flowed a lot better. The first season was about Arata, then the club, then the character relationships, then karuta. It was kind of a mess. This season, every aspect of the story-- whether it be the new club members, the team competitions, or Chihaya's solo development-- it all flowed really nicely to be one, cohesive story. This season really reignited my interest in the series that I gained from the first few flashback episodes in the first season. I also really enjoyed that Arata was an actual character in this season rather than this ambiguous figure that the first season made you care about only to ignore the rest of the time. Seeing Arata finally be fleshed out really helped me understand Chihaya and Taichi's feelings and developments. Overall, this season is definitely an improvement upon the last. The last season, while good, was obviously meant to lay groundwork for these characters' entering into their second year as a team. I'm glad that I gave this anime a shot because it's only gonna go up from here.

I think this season was honestly a bit of a let down after the first. It's not even so much that much has changed, but that there's a distinct lack of change on an interpersonal level. Personally, I think a lot of them have shown individual and distinct changes. Arata's really come into his own, gaining back all of his confidence and actually facing Chi and co. for the first time. Sumire and Tsukuba have certainly shown some development, though they are also new to this season. Nishida and Kana have had their moments, and Chi herself has developed mainly as a player, though I'd say Taichi and Tsutomu were the most interesting characters this season for their development. What's remained almost entirely unchanged are the romantic elements, and while this show certainly doesn't have to go hard in the romance department, it feels like it's going out of its way to stay almost entirely still. I wouldn’t mind that if they were entirely absent from the series, but they’re clearly telegraphed from early in S1, so this series can’t just coast as a slice of life at this point. Arata has spent scant few episodes interacting with the main cast, so any love polygon feels like his corner is just barely there. Taichi's relationship with Chi has gotten more interesting, but he steadfastly refuses to even suggest at something more, which is starting to get ridiculous this far into the series. And Chi herself seems almost entirely shut off from romance to the point that it’s a wonder this character is a 16 year old girl. She may be aromantic, but it’s just amazing how little she even considers it. It feels like the writing deliberately drags out what could be something far more interesting if there was a relationship shift and some progression in how they perceive each other that isn't karuta-related. I don't so much mind the series going into great detail about karuta and analyzing each match, but it does feel like there's only so much time you can spend digging into how its played and how to excel at it before it becomes stale, and this season seemed to push that as well. The interpersonal elements make this series, as does the character development. Making them better at karuta just doesn't have the same oomph to it. Overall, while there's still a lot of what I like about this series (it still looks great and the OST is even better this season), it just doesn't do as well narratively. Still a good series, but it's losing steam and S3 will have to find a way to pick that up in order to make this continue to be a strong watch.

I don't really use this word for a series but this is anime is a 'Masterpiece' for me in the Slice of Life genre. The storyline, the way the games are done, the foreshadowing, everything points towards a great vision by the creators. It starts off slow, by the time the tournaments starts it's picked enough momentum to draw the viewer in. Moreover, the characters are planned so perfectly that you actually see everything from the creators perspective. It's really amazing. It's amazing when you actually connect previous episodes, words phrases said by the characters with the current frame that is screening and then predict what is going to happen. This doesn't sound very cool for a Slice of Life anime but still it' s always amazing when you are able to really connect with the characters. I really like Taichi but still couldn't help but fall for Arata (though he is given very less screen time). The one thing that reached me very late (not until it was specifically mentioned in the anime) was the Queen. I regret not looking at her more carefully and treating her like the side character, which she is but still slides sharply in and out just like her playing style. The part that is really well done in season 2 are the side characters. Each and everyone one of them was developed beautifully and satisfactorily. Especially Midori, Miyauchi (Empress), Tsutomu are really well done. Anyone reading this, do try this anime out.

The second season of Chihayafuru builds squarely on the first, fleshing out characters and their dynamics while retaining the same gooey, feel-good atmosphere of the first season. It continues to work magic in depicting scenes of life outside the matches, and its ability to evoke emotion on a dime still amazes me. It also sticks to its themes well, continuing to explore the idiosyncrasies that live at the intersection of youth, friendship, passion, and competition. Though still a top-ranker in the sports genre for its style, I found the second season a little less engaging than the first; its novelty wore out a bit for me, and I found the writing in some of the karuta matches repetitive and even random at times. That said, with the increasing character development and higher stakes, the second season's peak moments and matches are at the top of the series overall so far. Given my enjoyment of the first season, I am definitely glad I watched this one, and I am definitely going on to watch the next one!