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-------> What attracts you most to Wataya Arata?
Apr 24, 2020 10:02 AM
#1
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - โ Does Wataya Arata have a fanbase? โ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - is what we wanted the answer to be explored in this topic: What is it like? what kind of fans does he have? how do they feel about him? and how did he affect them? |
Apr 24, 2020 10:03 AM
#2
Apr 24, 2020 10:08 AM
#3
One Mashima Taichi - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “He always let his actions speak for him. He's careful and has a lot of pride. He's always thinking about what happens when he loses.” – Komano, Chihayafuru 2 episode 19 Among his so many fans and self-inserts, I am one Mashima Taichi... I watched him so closely... from my own angle... « I am Mashima Taichi »
When he bullied a child I felt stupid… so I did! When he didn’t want to “share” Chihaya … when he was afraid of disappointing his close people’s expectations … when he felt jealous of the not-very-impressive-Arata who threatened his position on the top… when he was intimidating and manipulative of his classmates although he wasn’t even any violent… So many moments … when he was seen as “the best out there…”, when people pointed fingers at him in envy and appreciation and called him “Perfect”, the little bit more profound ones called him flawed “Perfect" !! when they all by themselves would sit to analyze him and find excuses to everything he does … when he was, in the meantime, drowning in his inner sea of self criticism … I saw “me” in Mashima Taichi when he didn’t deny it as he was told he was a coward, who saw himself as one... and when he wanted to become someone who doesn’t run away … it hurt … when he actually thought of himself as someone who runs away, when he actually WAS someone who runs away!! it wasn’t because Arata told him that, it was a truth about himself that Arata happened to be the one to state it out loud, and I saw me in him when he then decided that Arata is “an enemy” … when he lived for MORE THAN SIX YEARS "fighting" / over-analyzing his flaw WITHOUT FEELING BETTER after any effort he did against it.. six whole years!! Always going back to his original self, NEVER feeling better ... when he was such a deep over-thinking person who wouldn’t be satisfied with less than perfection!! when the list of his scores indicates he won 32 official matches out of 39 (82%), and reaches at least round 3 or mostly the finals YET could never be thankful! Was it because 2nd place is the most frustrating place to be, not far from 1st place but unable to arrive there? IT IS! Until a certain point in my life, I have never been second! But that "one time…", it finally happened; people treated the person who beat me as if they weren’t there, as if the classification didn’t even happen, they only waited for the next one when I reclaim my NATURAL SPOT… I too, felt like dying… second place felt so horrible I wasn’t used to it …it was horrible and people agreed ... people wouldn't stop expecting better results ... where classification is concerned, there is only ME to be placed as first ... we are not allowed to be thankful for what most people get ...we are not like others ... screw it! and we couldn’t be thankful for things far more than just the rankings in school or sports … I felt it as Taichi learned his lesson and -at the end of almost every battle- never told himself again: "I did well..." I thought I resembled him in being seen as someone who valued friendship while he didn’t rely on it when he was in agony … when he was there for most but kept to himself if things were about "Taichi"! Where his best efforts to reach out were shyly talking about it as a laughing matter with his two club-mates … “He is really like me” is what I smiled sadly at when he chose the strong Arata to ask about what can be done to win even though he wasn’t all that fan of him, he didn’t rely on his friends, they were there but he let them go without telling them a word about how serious he was concerned … Arata had more answers …logic says he is the one to be asked … logic … When instead of “Mom, we need to talk about your behavior where i’m concerned” that he can never "say", he told her she was annoying and still got away with it leaving a speechless her behind him, when in all those details he knew exactly the best thing to do/say to have the strongest impact and move forward (in MOST areas), when he offered the sweets to Suo just after he rejected his request to get it answered right away and more… when he knew how to play the right cards to climb firmly the stairs of society .... when his opponents find themselves all lost and frustrated with the least of his movements… when in that small detail he responded to Sudou with ten folds of his medicine and made a bet so like him!!! when he seemed vengeful … Even that probably unnoticed order in reactions I related to him, When Suou-meijin hurt Chihaya but instead of caring FIRST to make her feel better, he addressed Suou’s wrong behavior instead... Or even that time when Chihaya got distracted by hearing Arata's voice, in the Mayer Briggs theory this was a difference between the “feeler” Taichi wasn’t and the "thinker" he was, his feelings always come after his thoughts ... When he was called a “MOON” not a “SUN”, a moon unable to find a light within itself … We were alike, I thought, when he was chosen to lead and was expected to be chosen even though he looked far from wanting it… when he analyzed, planned, strategized, mind-tricked, argued and was the one who "usually" set order and harmony in the team without showing any authoritative side … when he was an extreme leader.. when he was coldly-calm-not-even-seeing-his-opponents during those few matches he was playing as HIS REAL SELF, when he didn’t pretend to be in some way or another for anyone… I related to him when he actually was someone who “PRETENDS” in order to fit in places with people he finds himself helplessly wanting to be there with but also hopeless in working “normally” to reach … When he cannot openly reach out or speak about his feelings … because it’s embarrassing… when he bottled them up and watched while others could easily and freely express themselves... it looked easy and liberating … yet near impossible to only him!! When it was easy for him to indulge in the fake because he can't get the real ... easy to date and easier to break up ...totally detached ...they weren't Chihaya... I related to him so much when he refused to do body swings because he didn’t want to look “UNCOOL” He has an image to keep and “uncool is not allowed!” not even to show his frustrations with normal facial expressions to be on the same page with his special friends .. he is destined to be a cool beauty even when troubled, not his choice but he has so many expectant watchers, he pays them attention and I understand ... I relate to him when his sub-consciousness dictates on him rules he hates so much but can’t escape so easily … I am Mashima Taichi and he is the perfectionist trapped in his perfectionism unwillingly submitting to fears of failure, disappointment and REJECTION …. him getting the impact of these three ten folds compared to normal people… gets devastated ! I always related to Taichi ... Every time he felt miserable when he didn’t get what he desired, every time he got depressed when people couldn’t understand what he wouldn’t explain …. Every time he was a real coward! And.... every time someone else was blamed when he is unhappy... the shame! And .... every time I remembered that I too, have that special someone whose success makes me look at myself and feel miserable ! … I could go on forever because I kept saying the same things whenever he showed up: “relatable” ; “ I do that” ; “As expected ..” ... Was it not natural that I failed to feel surprised or impressed by what impressed fans in him? he was so ordinary & familiar it was PAINFUL … At first I was waiting eagerly for him to show me how he will CHANGE, how he will stop being “me” and turn into the better version I aspire and would work to become… I related so much to Mashima Taichi but what tied me to him was rather EXPECTATIONS! Yet, at the end, I have never been inspired by his anything …at all! And sadly, the way he lead his issues was nowhere near where I wanted to be … with chapter 179 and after we came so far in the story I was disappointed to start reading about another face of mine that I'll be ashamed to show (ever again) in front of anyone who is not an enemy ... Sometimes, we can't help but see people as unimportant, unnecessary ... but wanting to mess with them needs a good reason or else, it's only a sign of a forever inferior and sad soul... I have been fighting it long enough to feel really fed up with Taichi's mess at that point... I started to say instead “I would have done better …” Going again and again in the same circle, I can no longer follow his development or have any hope to see a better “me” in him … I found myself gradually letting go … now I know… Mashima Taichi for me, is a "disappointment"… I let go, although -for both of us- It isn’t an easy thing to let go, because when I get attached to something, it's nothing short than "insanely intense!" Taichi should have been the best character at everything, I wanted him to be because well, he is Me? And both of us wanted to become people who don’t run away.. But those who don’t run away are those who have great amounts of courage in their hearts, strength in their hopes and clearness in their eyes … Taichi wasn’t and didn't become the one in Chihayafuru … it was rather him … โ Wataya Arata โ
A child involved with his parents’ responsibilities while Taichi was just another child playing… it didn’t go unnoticed by me … The pouring rain he was riding under in the cold morning, the guarded posture he had when he was at school, the dirt on him after he was pushed to the ground…the moment he appeared, it looked like his days were "a struggle” no, “a fight" ... about who he was? Taichi was another child having fun … Someone was gonna grow up slower … Damn! “Bullying was supposed to be a sign of superiority”, child Taichi & my younger self thought so, but Arata survived it, never “exhibited” distress [while the insides remain a mystery…] That “child” rather ended up fine, telling his back-then-bully-but-now-friend: “I understand you...” … Taichi had to swallow his jealousy to be a part of that friendship, was this “brave” not “desperate”? Arata … Arata had to keep in mind that he is still the boy whose existence was seen as “lame” by Taichi & Co. and being friends didn’t change that; He was made fun of and heard horrible things this could never be undone (and in front of HIS TEACHER who didn't say anything???)… And if apologies are supposed to ease things in situations like these, he got none! But no, Arata was really fine… so cool!! and Taichi lost “1st place” to him in that “unpopular” battle … And in other things … When Taichi sat “idly” learning "No Buts!!", Arata was forcing himself on the Karuta players and learning Hiragana using the cards… a life sprouting on its own and another needing to be pulled out… A root and an extension: I am someone who sees an aesthetic difference. When Taichi was being ordered around to do this & that to shine and was proud of the results, Arata -at his young age- chose something for himself and worked hard for it with the force of the will coming from within himself! Supported AND not, he was an unspoken battle between his father and grandfather… unspoken but he knew it! The former pressured him to go outside to play more with children (and stay away from Karuta), never paying attention to the anxiety he caused him as he tried to obey while being physically inapt in addition to his shyness & awkwardness that came from SOMEWHERE… The latter, while busy with karuta himself, supported him to stray away from his father and create an identity without guidance… In the midst of it and instead of focusing on the drama & conflict between his two 1st male examples or his ACTUAL and REAL flaws & incompetence, Arata chose to set his eyes on something else he KNEW HE COULD DO and he filled himself with the positivity coming with it… that one thing was enough for him.. Did he lack everything else? it didn’t matter to him ... Arata wasn’t a moon, he was able to find a light for himself inside himself…. ... Taichi borrowed strength from the orders and expectations set on him while he himself was empty inside: He had no “Goal” of his own nor eyes for anything outside what his parents guided him towards, he didn’t have anything else to fight for so he simply embraced what was dictated on him…It was making him a better-than-Arata type of guy anyway, so yeah ... ... Taichi was growing up slower … Chihaya didn’t know that “1ST IN JAPAN” could be about herself, Taichi didn’t know either or didn’t bother to think about it, that's why he rather fueled her -mostly- fruitless support for her sister... but Arata knew, had a mature definition of “a dream” at the age of 12 and was already miles away from the starting line… He came then to teach them: “Chitose is amazing and she can still be without all the promoting done by Chihaya, she is worth the trust: She can work for her own dream” “Chihaya too can be just as great, or greater, she is a complete separate human being...she has abilities of her own” And along the lines, Taichi got the message too and started to look differently at himself: “he was behind …” Arata, in different ways, pushed the two of them ahead … so gently, so quietly … The quiet Arata was hard to ignore even in the middle of the loud everything… I don't know how Taichi really felt about his mother's "NO BUTS" rule, but after many life lessons, it became one I set for my own self for the sake of my growth ... So for me, “complaining” is rarely not-ugly, Arata had absolutely ZERO amount of it... his way of dealing with unpleasant things is rather cool! And working hard in silence was something I always found FASCINATING, Arata was someone who always worked hard in silence, there is almost no noise around his efforts... Totally Unlike Taichi! Sometimes it even makes the fandom interesting to observe: fans who deny his hard work altogether, Reviewers who acknowledge it but can’t put their hands on the details, And others who amaze you with their analysis of his usually overlooked but existing GREAT efforts… They are there but people are NOT forced to reconsider when they choose to look the other way … In silence, Not every fan is meant to "Apprehend" him! Arata … is Unusual ... … Characters in Chihayafuru are like a one big transparent group, everyone is in everyone’s eyes? hearts? Consciousness? Still, a lot escapes their field of realization … The “Different” does! requiring more than ordinary eyes to see, different souls are hidden from the surfaces reachable to ordinary senses … far from touch, beyond understanding, POWERLESS to affect or change … Suo Hisashi is one of the different ones… The lonely & sad Suo and people wouldn’t even know … he is different and he wouldn’t have gotten better if he merely met his aunt …because he is not only what he expresses! and Not after he played against Harada sensei and actually tasted "Karuta is fun" maybe for the first time ... NOT ENOUGH! He needs something to light his passion for life, to give him reasons to fight for his happiness and something he might offer his aunt “PROUDLY”, He needs something to shake him and that wouldn’t be any usual “something” After his 5th win, he was going to “die” … to be forgotten …the “Meijin” whose day of retirement was a blessing to the world of Karuta, Meijin that “none” liked. Arata brought him back!! Arata is the “unusual” needed to shake the Meijin… because Arata is the idiot who loves Karuta just as much as Suo “doesn’t”, and who wouldn’t waste time thinking how strong & scary Suo is or how awkward he will feel after he embarrasses himself to cut him off before he utters the word “retire” and challenge him while everyone is watching … The “different” needs the “unusual” to fill the emptiness within him! Taichi has every pair of eyes in Chihayafuru on him … full of care, concern and respect… but none could really reach deep in him to push him ahead… Taichi cannot really move when sympathy reaches out to him, or gentleness, or care…or even love … They say: “what doesn’t challenge you cannot change you” …Taichi is like that, but he doesn’t acknowledge just any challenge either.. he was also different, and he needed the unusual… So Arata was always there to be what experienced Harada or strong Suo or caring Chihaya or persistent rival Hyoro or any other “typical” friend-or-rival character couldn’t be to someone who wanted what Taichi wants… Because “typical experienced or strong or caring or rival” is not what Arata is… Unusual… In a world revolving around Karuta, he is that "holy" Karuta existence that will smile shyly with the happiness of playing you even if you thought so little of yourself like Hyoru, Or will make you look forward to play with someone even though you are that strong player who kills everyone’s will to play after just few minutes of the match… Arata, has always given the different Shinobu a desire to come out of her fake heaven and seek a real person who can make her advance for real… When things where about the growing up children, Harada was always the good/giving “teacher”, but when his different identity was exposed, when his own more private and different self was there, Arata is the one invoked to embrace him… Arata disappears for so long, but when he appears, I know that the fate of the different ones will blossom; BUT WHY? he only has simple qualities ... or are they only thought-to-be "simple”? because when they are summoned, something refreshing will happen!!! and emotional end and an uplifting beginning ! He will advance and things will move along with him! While Taichi mostly makes hearts ache, eyes tear .. Arata is somehow ... a source of life… Definitely not a moon!! A “CORE”, he is … Chihaya too, was always been an active girl striving to advance, a girl who wanted to become something big, who needed just a very small push! did anyone notice? She would rush to act but the somehow pessimistic & cautious Taichi would often tell her to wait & reconsider because it’s difficult or even impossible (if he encourages her in his thoughts he keeps it inside and tells her to rethink), I would notice it, and I would also notice that the mere thought Arata will rather inflame her fighting spirit with his known passion, defying attitude and his unending desire to advance too … “Arata wouldn’t go easy on a 5 years old girl” is what Chihaya remembers of him and is what made her strong … Arata said he wanted to play in a team, Chihaya obsessed over & made teams! "Don't say you are not interested in teams" she cried !!! “Alone” wouldn’t stop Arata from playing Karuta in Tokyo and “Alone” wouldn’t stop Chihaya from playing in middle school! The loss of his glasses made Arata use “imagination” to keep his tie with Karuta and the inexistence of a Karuta klub in middle school made Chihaya join track & field for a similar reason … Arata wouldn’t stop and she will follow suit!! He is always in Chihaya’s actions, in the center of what’s making her move .. her CORE … Taichi will do things for Chihaya, and Arata will cause Chihaya to look forward, dream far ahead and do things for herself ... Taichi would hesitate and Arata would venture … Being cautious isn’t wrong unless it makes you feel miserable!! Taichi would feel coward, become depressed and (if left alone) will quit!! while Arata would take more & firmer steps towards his dream, he would advance! Taichi would get really depressed after losing, his depression all over his voice, movements and features ... Even though failing in karuta, he would still have been the best in dozens of other areas while Arata would have been no longer special .. Taichi is the one who is more fragile ... his depression would feel like it needs urgent intervention, everyone is concerned ... Handled like a piece of glass that can break at any moment, the girls/friends around him would feel the need to throw him parties or make him sleep in a futon of one million yen to cheer him up … only him! Arata on the other hand loses, gets angry at himself, reflects on his own mistakes/weaknesses and his opponent’s moves/strategies then cheers himself up…all by himself and so healthily … The next day (maybe a bit later for Taichi), both boys are fine, but Arata is the one who could take care of himself better and didn’t burden anyone with anything…he is the one who could survive on his own… ... with Taichi’s reactions you’d think he will crumble if he was left alone… he is the one who should always remember that he is indebted to more of other people’s kindness and caring … the one who should always show more gratefulness because he IS VERY BLESSED !! One time! Taichi sat beside an upset Arata repeating his inner monologue about “understanding the feeling”, his perfectionist self telling him again not to bother because he doesn’t have the perfect thing to say to make a sure difference … It was annoying… I wanted to see him do the comforting, to see Arata indebted to him somehow… “No need, he has no use for my words”, Taichi was right… Arata didn’t even know he was there until he saw his present… Taichi's presence and his absence were the same apparently and Arata came out of his inner turmoil all by himself, Taichi’s sympathy suddenly seemed more about "his own self AGAIN"… ”RELATING” to others is never about the other person unless an action is followed up… Arata was always the strongest in his core … and Taich? so frail… Wanting to become someone who doesn’t run away? I would never choose to wish for Taichi’s ways (more than I have anyway); I would certainly wish to be more positive & self-sufficient … Like Arata, not Taichi, Not like in those moments he would aggressively try to get Chihaya’s attention helpless as he tries to keep her from looking away from him… And she would often do as she keeps sensing/missing “other things” that make her happy!! Enslaved to his desire & obsession with her … his way of loving makes him (and later, even her) miserable! Arata lets go!! “I have lost a match to the girl I love.” โคธ “I want to become stronger …” In the same chapter!! From one feeling to the other, Arata wouldn’t sit there and look gloomy! when the girl he loves is not with him on the same page and he feels the pain, he too will move on, will let go of what ties him down and rush ahead towards where she is!! And he will apply what he learns from HER … He will leave the lonely room she already left where he waits but none is coming… Will make a team that will fill him with the strength she is full of because of her team, And will let go to get what he wants so badly… like she told him she would do!! His way of loving wouldn’t consume him, would fire him up instead, he will still be himself, have faith in who he likes and go fix things … The most independent of the two … how much “being dependent & obsessed” can be an Ok thing? I don’t know, I just know that I don’t like it … Inokuma saw Taichi as cool when he stood up to the man who made a move on "his girlfriend" … Taking actions is always cooler… if only he wasn’t lying … I too find Arata who "cuts to the chase and takes actions instead of over-thinking things" way cooler! Cooler with REAL flaws and “imperfections” (according to the culture in Chihayafuru at least) “poor” they said… shy, stuttering, almost blind if he loses his glasses, nonathletic, socially awkward, unattractive, unpopular and with the lamest of interests, a Karuta baka of all things! These were supposed to hold him back, or make him a bitter lacking envious guy in a way at least? Yet … “Someone else” is the one who looks like a bitter lacking envious piece of glass person … Arata HAS NO INFERIORITY COMPLEX!! He is rather a ball of focused bright passion.. and, " Passion is energy, feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." (Oprah Winfrey) just that... if he envies anyone or feels insecure or hurt by anything, he shows nothing of it, he burdens none with it… and we would need to wait for 206 chapters to know that he actually have those kinds of human emotions… And until then? all we got from him were those deep stares and those bubbles with repeated ellipses that he soon turns his head away from to go do what should be done.. “Stares & ellipses” … in those moments, NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE WHAT HIS EYES EMBRACE…You easily get lost in them ~ I feel incomplete every time he does it! “I want to know!” “I need to see more of him soon!!” Not Taichi .... How many panels of the manga were about Taichi? All of them? Almost? I don't know ... I only know that there is NOT A SINGLE Panel of him that is not "explained" and usually very soon after it’s drawn … OVERLY and REPEATEDLY explained.. Do fans really enjoy Taichi’s repeated logical-set-of-emotional-actions-&-reactions kind of a story and find Arata boring? I know nothing about that… I’m only thankful cause Arata and Chihaya are handled in a different way (somehow reserved only to them?) Fans will often wonder: "Just what is he/she thinking/feeling..." and the answer (usually) takes forever to come .. sometimes even in unexpected timings and ways ... And I? I stay on the edge of my seat all that time! Taichi… and Arata… How can I not compare when the manga itself encourages it? When jealous of another guy approaching the girl he has feelings for, Taichi says she is his girlfriend and chases the rival away with a lie and Arata says she doesn’t belong to anyone and sets a fresh start for both to work for her affection… they say: Arata had impure reasons to say that! I say: all I saw was a guy who, when his dark NATURAL feelings were provoked, couldn’t say a lie!! What am I supposed to think of Arata & Taichi when the one time Arata wanted Taichi’s (athletic) skills it was TO BE FRIENDS WITH HIM AND PLAY TOGETHER while Taichi wanted Arata’s (Karuta) skills to CRUSH him… Thankfully he could never!!! Can’t help but compare… In some chapter Taichi was “nice”, he let Harada sensei take his seat in a Taxi, the fandom celebrated! It sucks!! When Arata stopped picking Harada sensei’s cards, people got angry at him, when he went back to picking them up, they went back to ignoring the whole thing and it didn’t matter that he was literally picking cards he loses for his opponent in a very important tournament! Still, I understand “people”… It’s simply because they all know that Arata’s kindness is real & well rooted in him, so showing more of it isn’t new, but in Taichi’s case, it’s not, he is more of a diplomat person, tactful when dealing with people for well defined reasons… “Showing” Kindness in Taichi's case needs efforts, and to make the effort he needs courage, and Taichi is a coward... it's just natural for people to celebrate when he overcomes it sometimes... Being especially kind is not cool, old-fashioned, attracts only old people … showing kindness makes the young ones laugh at you and at anything that looks like "NOT hiding your vulnerabilities and not trying to look as perfect as possible", it scares Taichi so he tries his best to stay cool and I just love how Arata doesn’t stop for any of it and how he always IS himself … Arata really looks stupid to me , but deep inside I’m completely aware how much his stupidity is loaded with precious courage, strength and honesty that I & Taichi can’t even wish to have … ... I wrote already this lot but... I feel like i didn’t say even half of what I admire in Arata… His screentime is very limited but did he ever appear without throwing me in a whirlpool of self-reevaluation and heart-searching? Shipping him with anyone isn’t my concern (even though when I allow myself to consider it, I want what he wants), his appearance and glasses, I couldn't care less about them; His Karuta, although thrilling, isn’t the main thread he pulls me by to him .. I admire Arata because he simply IS ARATA. I am one Mashima Taichi yes, but all the qualities I lack and aspire to have are in Wataya Arata … |
Apr 24, 2020 11:14 AM
#4
Apr 24, 2020 11:25 AM
#5
Here is their very nice way to introduce Arata's character: (please click on the links to read more about the tropes, it's very interesting i promise!!!!) Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hisoya, Yuka Terasaki (young) |
Apr 25, 2020 4:17 AM
#6
May 17, 2020 1:42 PM
#7
Surely for us honest fans, in Arata’s matches the results are the least of our worries because we are excited enough not to care about how the match will end, we don't even want it to end but saying this doesn’t convince “haters”. Looking at these charts made on Reddit when passionate fans decided to re-watch Chihayafuru 1 & 2 before season 3 (about the best match in the two seasons), we clearly see that Arata’s match is the most enjoyed. Someone might argue that first timers enjoyed it because they watched it for the first time, but the chart about re-watchers shows an even greater percentage of fans who enjoyed Arata’s match even though all of them already know the results and the details. Arata’s Karuta is not boring, he is badass and his matches are exciting, a taste of shounen thrill in a shoujo manga, but this is what hate is, just hate. |
Jun 11, 2020 9:45 AM
#8
We were sweet crazy Chihayafuru fans ^^ We wrote poems For Chihayafuru ~ For Shinobu chan ~ For Arata ~ For Chihaya ~ For Love & For Taichi ~ |
Jun 27, 2020 2:06 PM
#9
An said: When I first watched Chihayafuru, I fell right away in love with Wataya Arata... it was like an obsession! a very sweet obsession... I remember how my heart would start beating like drums whenever he shows up, more than any time, when he plays karuta. I was literally infatuated with his 3-directions-sweep I was dying to do that too, but there was no way i could get even a semblance of karuta cards... I had to give up... BUT COULD ANYONE JUST GIVE UP WHEN ARATA KEPT APPEARING IN THEIR IMAGINATION EVERY TWO SECONDS?? So I made my own cards, primitive & modest cards... not karuta cards I knew nothing about Japanese yet, so I took it as a chance to even learn Hiragana with it (yes, years before we were told that Arata did the same in the manga), I created only 30 ones and I chose all one syllable cards plus few other Multi syllables ones, the two Watanohara cards were among the first I "drew", I literally drew them cause I couldn't read or write Japanese. Now years have passed, I'm still very much in love with Arata and I still keep those cards as a memory given to me by him.. Yes I played a stupid game and I swept the two Wata cards after coming back from a wrong direction, I did it!! And it was an amazing feeling! And I will treasure that simple happiness I felt then for the rest of my life.. After all, what's a person other than the positive feelings they accumulate inside them throughout years? We grow up thanks to the energy we are given by these happy moments however simple or stupid they might be, they construct us in a way or another ^^ |
Jun 28, 2020 9:37 AM
#10
Oct 14, 2020 10:58 AM
#11
Hi hee hoo fellow Arata fans, wanna tell you about this ...ufufufuuuu You know, I've heard a lot of "dress-up games" but I never played them or did I even google them to have at least an idea what they were. but having a Chihayafuru obsession can change lot of things xD I discovered an Android game app "myidol" by TinyTouch and I found myself addicted to it trying to make Chihayafuru characters... And then later I discovered THIS WEBSITE, And I also obsessed over it for some other days lol This one offers you the possibility to mix the features of the characters from the amazing manga "Kimitsu no yaiba" to construct your own character; The website later uses your character as a protagonist in one of 4 short visual stories (a manga but animated ..euh..kind of) it's sooo fun! being a Chihayafuru enthusiast doesn't mean you can't enjoy lot of other things while keeping your passion for CHihayafuru believe me lol I posted what I made in the Gallery in these two posts: WITH MYIDOL || KNY WEBSITE Feel free to check them out if you feel like it ^^ and I'd love to know anyone stories too ^^ |
Jan 6, 2021 10:45 AM
#12
I decided to quote fans who expressed their feelings about Arata elsewhere โก - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (1) BurningPassion said: Honestly, I fell for his character from the very start. I tend to like mature children/smart characters, so Arata's excellent memory for his age really impressed me. You guys have already mentioned his good looks, sweet personality, and overwhelming talent, so I'm going to be more specific. (Sorry. This might get pretty long since he is one of my favorite characters of all time. And, I just tend to ramble in general. :P) First of all, as a fellow victim of bullying, I empathized with Arata instantly. Also, I respected him for not fighting/causing more trouble like most children would at that age. His maturity is also shown when he tells Chihaya about his dream. It’s not unusual for kids to dream big, but Arata had already taken major steps to achieve his dream (winning national championships/constantly practicing). Arata is also very understanding, as shown when he forgave and befriended Taichi, the source of a lot of his hardship. Later in the series, it’s shown that he’s considerate as well. He didn’t contact Chihaya directly because he didn’t want to get between her and Taichi if they were already in a relationship (which was probably painful for him b/c of his feelings for Chihaya). Adding on to him being understanding, I believe he has a good grasp on the personalities of the people around him. For example, even after years of not seeing Taichi, Arata was able to tell when he was lying (about being the same height as him). Another example is when he reunites with Shinobu. She feigns humbleness, stating that she might lose to him even though he’s been out of practice; when in reality, she had complete confidence. Arata, seeing right through her act, simply laughed. His confidence/competitive nature is another thing that I never get tired of seeing. While he’s confident in his abilities, he isn’t arrogant. He goes into every match with the intention of winning, but he doesn’t boast or talk down to his opponent like Suo does. And when he does lose, he gets fired up and reflects on his loss. Although his matches are usually predictable, they’re always exciting and a pleasure to see. Plus, his karuta style is simply beautiful. Arata’s past is something that never fails to break my heart. When he acted uncharacteristically rude to his childhood friends, I knew something big had to have happened. How he acted still made me upset, but learning what happened between him and his grandfather made me completely understand where he was coming from. How could you not sympathize with this poor boy!? ;^; The way he was able to overcome his trauma with the help of his friends, mainly Chihaya, was also wonderfully done character development. In addition, I love how Arata isn’t perfect. He makes mistakes both in karuta and his social life. The moment that really stood out to me was (spoilers for the manga from here on) when he realized that he was subconsciously looking down on Taichi. Upon learning this, he felt guilty and knew he had to stop because Taichi is his dear friend. And that’s what he always does when he makes a mistake; he learns from it and moves forward. (On a side note, I really loved when Arata declared that Chihaya doesn’t belong to anyone. She is her own person; not a prize to be won. I’m so glad he acknowledged that.) Lastly, even though Arata has the least amount of screen time out of the main characters, he still had the biggest impact on me (and Chihaya). Every time he shows up, it’s a “Yes, finally!!” moment, and I believe that’s the sign of an amazing character. I could go on and on about his lovely accent, his heartfelt confession, his importance to the series, etc., but this post is already way too long and I think I got my point across. Thank you so much to anyone that read through this monstrosity; I really appreciate it~ ^^ I know this is a relatively small club, but I would love if more people joined the discussion. It would be really fun, and this character deserves it. |
Jan 7, 2021 10:02 AM
#13
I decided to quote fans who expressed their feelings about Arata elsewhere โก - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (2) Trulyash_On_Reddit said: [...] this whole anti-Arata, pro-Taichi movement has really been getting to me, so here I go: Contrary to a lot of arguments, Arata is a realistically flawed person: He's displayed on several occasions how he's a bit socially awkward and shy, and he's also beaten himself up over "looking down on Taichi in karuta." Another prime example of Arata's imperfections is his whole "I'm-aloof-and-quit-karuta" character arc. There's definitely more, but those are just a few for now. This doesn't mean he's not likable. Arata is still extremely pure, morally upright, and considerate of others' feelings Such as when he sent messages to Taichi instead of Chihaya in consideration of the fact that they might be a couple Despite them being considered rivals, he also offered both of them advice on his strategies for playing karuta (A person like Taichi would probably be hard-pressed to do this- I understand his internal conflict, but it's something worth noting) The "Arata-is-just-blessed-and-not-very-relatable" argument: For starters, Taichi is talented as well Even though Taichi'd been playing for about three years less than Chihaya (and had only recently started practicing as hard as her), Taichi very nearly beat Chihaya at the beginning of season 3 - this is the girl that's literally eaten, slept, and breathed karuta for years now. Arata has been practicing karuta much harder, for much longer than Taichi - as I think he mentions at some point, he had consistently practiced hundreds of strikes daily (which Taichi was formerly too embarrassed to do) and had been toiling away at the sport since he was like a toddler Arata's not a bad person for or undeserving of Chihaya One thing before I actually get into this: just because Taichi's her friend, Chihaya's not obligated to love him back - if she likes Arata, that doesn't make her a bad person For Arata, Chihaya's the one who basically made his whole childhood. I mean, he was a pretty miserable child: bullied, poor to the point of (I think) working illegally, and entirely alone in all of these struggles When Arata's ripped away from his sole salvation, karuta, it's Chihaya who once again gives him his livelihood Just because he worked up the courage to be forthcoming about his feelings, that doesn't make him bad - he word-for-word says "let's play karuta together" - Chihaya's interpretation is entirely up to her Bonus points for having the best accent in the show (XD) |
Jan 27, 2021 10:49 PM
#14
I'd like to comment. "Enemy" is how Taichi chose to describe Arata (which I believe rather means: "the person who is in my way that I wish to defeat in love, karta & even personality because i am a coward and Arata seems to me fearless") it makes Arata more important to the story because he is giving these dimentions to Taichi and making him have more depths & angles which lot of fans also find attractive (for some reason). |
Mar 10, 2021 11:30 AM
#15
At first I was taken aback but then I realized that this is not nonsense..it might happen right? -Warning: might contain some spoilers about mentioned series- I admit that Inoue Orihime from Bleach for example was a character that bothered me because I shipped Ichiruki and though Inoue wasn't the perfect of female characters, I don't remember I ever criticized her because I simply didn't find lot to criticize about her, she simply was in the way of my ship and I admit it, this fact never made her look bad to me. Years ago, I loved this guy named "Snake eyes" from "G.I. Joe: Renegades" (he still is one of my most entertaining fictional characters) and because the other guy (Conrad Hauser) was in his way to shine sometimes, he also bothered me so much but could I ever accuse him of anything? Conrad is a perfect male lead and I can't lie to myself about it and my "hate" for him could never change that. The idea of EmmaxNorman from Yakusoku no neverland annoys me too because I feel like if it happens (and I say thankfully it didn't happen), Ray will be separated from Emma who seemed like his closest family and (I don't know if I can call that shipping but I wanted them to always stay together and the closest they could be) But Norman is a wonderful character whether I like it or not, facts are fact and the other fact I KNOW is that Taichi Mashima isn't a great character and me shipping Chiharata has nothing to do with it. I actually started shipping them long after I let go of Taichi who didn't meet my expectations and didn't change to a better character through time. I'm not saying that those who like him are wrong, but we simply don't have the same taste for "great characters", not the same definition for the word. I'm not gonna reply to the message i got nor will I elaborate about what I don't like about Taichi here (though I did in other places..I guess), but whoever wants to know how "one Mashima Taichi" thinks, i'm leaving this here and it is only about ME. |
MashimaTaichi_Feb 24, 2022 3:29 AM
Mar 12, 2021 10:07 AM
#16
Rambling about Arata's popularity. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Arata is less popular than Taichi; - He is hated by lot of Taichi fans which means he is hated a lot! - and he usually switches places with Chihaya in official popularity polls: second or third. What else do we know about Arata's popularity? I, for one, did not join this fandom a "very" long time ago so I didn't participate in any official popularity poll. The only one I knew about was the latest one but learning about it in a Facebook group where fans called each other openly to vote with multiple accounts for character X, I didn't take it seriously and I didn't vote. ok, that wasn't the only reason. I also didn't really decide which character I was more interested in: Arata was getting my attention more and more but back then I still had a lingering attachment to Taichi whom I always related to. The results of that official popularity poll soon came out and Taichi won Overwhelmingly.. Apparently so many fans were happy with it (Personally, i was more concerned about why Taichi's girlfriend who had a total of 4 panels of appearance in the whole manga scored more than Miyauchi sensei with all her touching moments in Mizusawa's journey -I read somewhere that some Arata fans did that as an anti taichiha move which I don't get cause isn't it stupid to vote for the GF & leave Arata if they were really his fans? Because as far as I heard, you had to vote for the same character for a certain number of days? Also didn't the fact that Chihaya the heroine scored about only 6% of Taichi's votes make anyone else take this poll less seriously?) Today, Suetsugu sensei retweeted a fan's tweet saying that during the unfortunate earthquake of 2011 in Japan, they were fine dying because they were reading Chihayafuru at the time & "it was fine to die because I was with Taichi". I was like: Why doesn't this feel unexpected from a Taichi fan? I don't know if anyone else noticed but more sentimental people tend to gravitate to Taichi (& they are the masses), Taichi the handsome+sad shoujo hero who suffers from an unrequited love is also more appealing to female readers (who are the majority of Chihayafuru readers).. In short, I believe, Taichi's popularity shouldn't surprise anyone. What can be more interesting to analyse is Arata's popularity (or even Chihaya's), they are "different"+"Taichi exists" so who are these people who wouldn't chose Taichi & will chose Arata instead? (or Chihaya) ? How many of them are there out there? What do they think? How do they think? That's how I found myself fascinated with this subject: What's everything about Arata's popularity? Sadly, I can't find enough trustworthy data about it, I'd love to be guided to where I can learn more- Well, someone tagged me some time ago in something else I'd like to talk about, a certain conversation on twitter: I find this short convo very informing: - So some fans believe that Arata is boring unless he is interacting with Chihaya & Taichi - in the same time they agree that Arata's background is interesting and it would have been interesting if that was explored more I don't know how to understand that because when Arata doesn't interact with Chihaya & Taichi, it's his background which is being extended & explained.. - They think that Taichi & CHIHAYA are better written than Arata which should mean that Chihaya is more interesting (But Arata still scored more than 7 times Chihaya's result if the poll was really worth taking seriously?) - And lastly about the screen-time which should have fixed some fans' problem with Arata I say.. I wonder about it... There were some old polls (which I'm ready to believe more because the wars in this fandom weren't serious back then (at least that's what I felt after investigating a bit) In these polls, and checking the content of the manga at the time, we can see that Arata STILL LACKED Screen time + Tacihi was very active, hard working, most his "exceptional quotes" where said back then & he was so in love with Chihaya never clearer in any of the recent chapters. And yet, Arata won lot of those polls. This is not a comparison between him & Taichi. This is merely about Arata the character with "little" screen-time who made fans select him among other popular characters with greater presence. - Arata won second place in Yahoo Japan's Manga Valentine Crushes Poll (1st place was Levi Ackerman from AOT, & 3rd place went to my other fave character Yato from Noragami.) So people wanted to have Arata as their Valentine (Again this is not a comparison with Taichi because Kodansha might not have included him to begin with, maybe they just chose one character from each of their ongoing manga series to promote the manga & they chose Arata from Chihayafuru for some reason so fans didn't have the choice But they still have voted for Arata among many other very popular characters which is telling me how a fact is: he really is eye catching for many people too. - Arata also placed 2nd in Kodansha's Guys-In-Glasses Poll among 20 guys with Glasses, Arata was chosen by fans & Kลsei Arima from Your Lie in April wasn't for example even though he is the main hero of his manga & his story was super emotional but Arata still had something that caught fans' attention better. - Chihayafuru's Best Couple poll, with a total of 68,000+ votes, Arata is chosen to be Chihaya's lover (I was sent a screenshot of the source page but unfortunately, the link is taken down) Again, these examples say that the character who is Wataya Arata is attractive despite his lack of screen time. and he is not good looking, and neither the manga nor the anime beautify his scenes the Taichi way, and his love story with Chihaya wasn't openly written And his feelings and inner thought were mostly hidden/concealed so what is it that attracts fans? I'm seriously curious AND WHAT IF HE IS GIVEN MORE SCREEN TIME? Unfortunately, no recent data now that the story reached its climax and he got more focus. I wish for more polls because now I know that I will vote for him passionately and I'll cherish the numbers he will get a lot. Oh, a friend invited me to vote in this one poll months (June 2020) ago and though only 137 people voted, more than half of them preferred Arata. Also, there is this cute trivia about his popularity as Suetsugu sensei, while she was replying to letters she received, mentioned in a tweet that Arata is overwhelmingly popular among elementary school students (considering the child who told her that Chihyafuru is born in the same year as them (2007), it means that the children are between 7 and 14 years old now. wow, this got super long.. I wanted to also talk about the best selling volumes of Chihayafuru & to analyse Arata's presence in them or at least the most important moments in them and how "Unrelated or related" are they to him. Also whether the volumes where he is absent are better selling then where he is present (if he is boring then those should be less popular) but maybe another time? |
Apr 26, 2021 12:35 PM
#17
Jun 13, 2021 10:30 AM
#18
On Arata's popularity (2) ... I guess? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Even though I said in my answer that I don't really care, I still got curious a bit so I checked Pixiv, the very popular Japanese online community for artists/writers with more than 50 million members, over 100 million submissions receiving over 3.7 billion page views monthly. Pixiv offers a flexible tagging system and based on that, you can know the number of works submitted under any tag, be it an illustration, a comic (manga) or a novel. I checked these tags: ็ถพ็ฌๅๆฉ (Ayase Chihaya) ็ถฟ่ฐทๆฐ (Wataya Arata) ็ๅณถๅคชไธ (Mashima Taichi) ใใใกใฏ (Arachiha/Chiharata) ใใใกใฏ (Tai/chiha) This is what I found: (results are relative to today, June 14 2021 (in Japan) & they can change later)
But whatever this says, I guess it's not more surprising than the fact that Chihayafuru is so unpopular on Pixiv, a community with more than 100 million submissions!! |
Nov 9, 2021 7:08 AM
#19
I feel so tired, work is getting hectic and I ... cannot stop myself from being consumed by Chihayafuru.. no ..not like this.. When things get tough with my personal life and a chapter is about to come out, I get this strong feeling that I need to stop reading this manga, I get some determination to let it go, this wonderful manga about the interesting characters, journeys and lessons.. And then Arata comes to my mind and I lose all determination and I give in to my attachment to Chihayafuru.. I remember again that things would have been way easier if Chihayafuru did not have "Arata".. I want to say a proper goodbye to this character when time comes and I feel stupid for thinking this he is but an incomplete idea of another human being ..but no.. it's not .. I WILL say a proper goodbye when time comes, I'll also say thank you ... or thank me for letting my eyes wonder his way and paying the right attention. |
Nov 19, 2021 3:56 AM
#20
NOVEMBER! November is an Arata month We fans see it that way because it's the 11th month, the "Watanohara-ya" month I will say my goodbye one November...... But for now, many new fan arts were made this month (gonna share some later in the gallery thread) some for a dear event & some for an amusing one. Japanese fans celebrated chihayafuru on 11/13 but a big focus was on Arata ! TaichixArata shipper invented the TaiArata day on November 16, the 16/Tachiwakare-11/Wata-ya day. And we all celebrated the 17/11, the Chiha-Wataya day, the CHIHARATA day! (a day celebrated every year by the way) Please check this hashtag #ChiharataDay on twitter to see fans' contributions |
Dec 10, 2021 1:34 AM
#21
Dec 10, 2021 11:11 AM
#22
Jan 3, 2022 6:10 AM
#23
Say hi to "Arata" Do you know this guy? he is Suetsugu sensei's favorite Japanese actor "Arata Iura / ไบๆตฆๆฐ " A friend inform me that she said in a commentary on four-zero-studio that she named our "Arata Wataya" after him! Yep, this is the origin of Wataya Arata's name. (and ofc, "Wataya"comes from the first verse of the 11 poem "Wata no hara ya") Most of the follwing pictures are taken from his movie "Ping Pong" (2002) and am I not right in assuming that sensei was very influenced by him while drawing Arata? |
Feb 23, 2022 10:01 AM
#24
"Who do you like better: Arata or Taichi?" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Found this Interesting article about Suzu Hirose, Mone Kamishiraishi and the three girls of the Japanese pop girls group Perfum. They were asked the question above and they answered: |
May 26, 2022 11:42 AM
#25
decided to quote fans who expressed their feelings about Arata elsewhere โก - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (3) KiraraChin2_On_Reddit said: [...] As most of you know by now, I am an Arata fan and I have been for years. But recently something changed that shifted my perception of him and made me re-evaluate his whole story: I lost someone who was really close to me, a very dear family member. A lot of Arata scenes hit me different now, on a deeper level, and I realise how Suetsugu-sensei depiction of the grief process is just so accurate, including: • The anger: you feel angry at yourself the things you've done or haven't done, you run scenarios in your head thinking of ways you could have helped the situation or saved the person, you blame the the universe or others for taking the loved person away from you. I cannot even begin to imagine the level of pain and guilt in a situation like Arata's in which he felt directly responsible for his grandpa's death, his reaction when Chihaya first reaches out to him/goes to Fukui is so relatable to me now. • You become stuck in time: I've read a lot of people complaining that Arata is the one who's most 'stuck in his ways' out of the main trio, and now I completely understand why. For a long time, Arata was attached to the image of him playing Chihaya in that run-down room, for a long time he was attached to the idea that his only real team was his original team with Chihaya and Taichi. That was the time when he was happy, the time when his grandpa was still alive and before he became really sick. It's really not a coincidence that, when Arata communicates to his parents the decision to move to Tokyo, he does it in front of his grandpa's grave. It's one of the most beautiful scenes of the manga to me, in which he finally takes a step into getting out of the past and moving into the future. • You want to honour their legacy: You don't want the person you lost to disappear, you want to honour their memory, because you want to keep them alive inside you somehow. You find yourself doing things in the way you think the person would like, even if it's not the best way for you. When Arata thinks 'I don't care about my own karuta', he's putting the memory of his grandfather above his own wellbeing, because he doesn't want his grandfather to disappear, he wants to keep his grandfather's karuta alive, even at the expense of himself. • It takes a long time: It's just such a painful, slow, non-linear process, and we really have no control over it. It's been a couple of months for me and still feels fresh like if it was yesterday. For Arata, it's been a few years and he's still processing it, which is actually very realistic. Arata is very lucky he was such wonderful friends: Chihaya, who kickstarted his healing process by drawing him back to the sports he loves. Taichi, who stuck to karuta and worked really hard as a rival and friend. Arata has been saved by both of them, and his decision regarding where he wants to be in the future really doesn't surprise me at all. Ultimately, I'm really proud of Arata, for being able to move ahead, despite all the pain. I hope one day I can do the same. |
May 27, 2022 10:19 AM
#26
Jun 2, 2022 1:27 PM
#27
A power Arata holds! - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I just read this page from manga "Skip To Loafer" and I directly thought of Taichi & Arata. Someone like Arata keeps moving forward and probably misses a lot around him but he goes far & wide, he is not afraid to come back and go again whenever he learns that he "missed" something, he is full of energy and is always ready to move..no fears of embarrassing himself, no fear of being imperfect, no fear of disappointing anyone. But for someone like me, the real power someone like Arata holds is the little to no pressure he exerts on anything on his path while he advances which naturally pulls people like me to start moving, to advance in a similar way with a feeling that it was OUR choice to move! |
Jun 3, 2022 6:20 AM
#28
The Biggest Asset In The World Is Your Mindset ! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I know that so many people prefer a character who can make their hearts melt or a character they relate to or a character they want to support I like characters that I feel don't really need help and manage on their own, who learnt to take care of themselves, those who INSPIRE! The character above is Yatora Yaguchi from manga Blue Period, a manga i'm not very interested in but Yatora is a character I would read a manga that doesn't interest me just to see! I recommend it. |
Jun 7, 2022 9:23 AM
#29
Arata in a new polpularity poll - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
It is currently conducting a popularity poll for Chihayafuru characters, launched on Jun 4th, the poll will remain open for votes until Jun 11th 00:00 Japan time. Most Chihayafuru characters are present in the poll and there is also an option to request a forgotten character in case there is one. And until today (for 4 days), Arata is voted as the most favored character among 1992 fans who voted for now with 32.3% of votes, the rest are divided on 31 other characters, our beloved Chihaya is in 4th place. Some Arata fans also took the opportunity to express their thoughts after voting: He has a strong core and a cool attitude as he never slacks off in his efforts. Arata is the only choice as Chihaya's partner. I love Arata! Straightforward, hardworking and kind hero. Arata is strong and kind. I think he is the one who started the story "Chihayafuru". I voted for Wataya Arata. I can feel the strength of his passion for competitive karuta. I also feel some [of his passion] for Chihaya. I hope that he will carry through these feelings. I love Arata, who is Karuta genius but never neglects working hard. Arata. I wish I had met someone like Arata when I was a kid. Maybe it would have changed my life. I love Arata! No matter what others think, Arata does what what he loves. เซฎโ หถ•โค•หถ โแ ./ใฅ~ ๐ Pss: there is someone who commented saying: As the Taichi vote grows and the gap closes, the Arata vote appears to be growing. I am not sure, but it seems as if foreigners are manipulating these votes. Please double check. ๐. I AM ALL FOR DOUBLE CHECKING!Shame I can't tell this person that if "foreigners" voted, Arata wouldn't have taken the lead to begin with, he is not the most popular overseas, we already know this (or think at least) and that's not what the itMedia service is trying to investigate here. Also I wonder how many people requested a "double-check" when "oveseas" fans really voted and really cheated! โแต.ห.แตโ UPDATE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It's June 11 in Japan, the poll closed and Arata kept his spot on top. He won with 839 votes vs 727 votes for the second character in the list. A last comment was added to remind everyone why Arata won and why fans voted for him: Arata! Honest, kind and cool! This is what Japanese fans said about this poll, it's a tested "One vote per IP this time" contrary to the previous one that required an email and it's super easy to vote with multiple emails! but to be fair, it's not impossible to cheat but it is hard and consuming and nothing points to a bot behavior, the results changed moderately & normally. |
MashimaTaichi_Jun 10, 2022 9:46 AM
Jul 13, 2022 6:21 AM
#30
but this comment resonates with me so well I'm going to just leave it here ... ๅคชไธใฎๅ่กใฏใชใใฆใใใใใปใฃใจใใชใใใฃใฆๆงๅใชใใ ใจๆใใ ไธ่ฉฑ็ผใใฃใฆใใใฎ๏ผ ๆฐใซใใใไผๆขใใฆใใใใฎใจใใใใใ้จไฝใใฎๅๅใใใ ใใฎ่ก็บใๆฐใซๅฉใใใใใใใชใใใฉใใปใฃใจใใชใ ใใใฏๅคชไธใฎ็พๅพณใ ใใใใงๅจใใซๆ ใใใฆใใใใใใ ใใใฏใใใใไบใจ่ฆ่ฟใใฎ้ฃใๅใใจใใฆใใใ ๅๆฏใช่ก็บใจใฒใญใใใๆ ๅบฆใๆ ็ฑใฎ่ใใงๅๆฉใซๆฏใใใจใใใใใ ใใใใพใ้ฃใๅใใจใใฆใ But also, comparing Taichi not expecting anything in return to his efforts with Sumire not expecting anything either from her care, I find a difference. I can only think of Sumire's feelings as more selfless and out of pure love and longing to make her loved one happy and comfortable even by doing what takes him away from her.. it's not the case for Taichi ... wow, am I back to how I initially saw Taichi? |
Jul 30, 2022 7:09 AM
#31
wow! the roller-coaster of news, discussions, emotions and reactions outside in the fandom only few hours before the last, the very last chapter of Chihayafuru ... and the peace of this place ... How do I feel? I feel like ... I feel like ... *deep inhale, deeper exhale* I really love Wataya Arata and "Mashima Taichi" ended as the same "disappointment"... what a shame ... waiting for the end ... |
Aug 14, 2022 8:59 AM
#32
The end came and i feel like it's also long gone lol - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I was supposed to keep working on my current project but a notification about a certain "ASK" on tumblr pulled me out of my business back to Chihayafuru; I read the "question", I answered then I wondered about how many times was I provoked in the 4 years I knew this fandom? and how many times did I give in to provocation? The question I received was:
Anonymous said: Lol, I came to drink your tears D Arachiha will be endgame? how do you feel after losing miserably admin Mashima Taichi? did you finally realize your delusions and saw how everything was clear from the very start? And my answer was: Oh hey, admin Mashima with you and well, I’m afraid I’ll be disappointing my friend, I didn’t cry (surprisingly) & I won’t (most probably) because you are right, the ending is a real mess so I should? … it’s funny as I was just told that because the ending is a mess, many “fans” will feel “not enough” and won’t be able to focus on it so they’ll try to derive some more satisfaction from bullying Arachiha shippers and I guess, I see it with my own eyes. I am sorry, I probably won’t be of much use to you, that ending, please have as much fun as you can with it (if you can ^^ ). I already made peace with the reality of the situation: and your messages are welcome, I’ll entertain you as much as I can. Also, sorry no, I still i’m repulsed by this end, it still has nothing to do with everything written in Chihayafuru til ch246 but you need not to worry, nothing will change because of my pov and Suetsugu will probably try to fix things here & there by adding stuff, maybe she’ll elaborate Taichiha for you guys so it makes better sense, so don’t be impatient alright? Maybe she will even write AraYuu so make up for the “28 years old years” comment which scared some as I heard ¯\_(-_-)_/¯ As for me, I guess, to acknowledge the ending, I’ll need something else from outside the manga, because the manga does not justify it, not convincingly for sure! but alas, I’m not going near Suetsugu’s stories ever again… most probably haha - sorry. I never wished to "argue" with other readers of opposite opinions (I guess, I tried to communicate with some Taichi fans when I was still interested in Taichi and wanted to discuss his unchanging flaws" but I found it impossible) so I just focused on what I started to enjoy more & more as I focus on the story itself, I wanted to enjoy Arata & Chihayafuru and I think that despite sensei's mess, I'm ready to consume more stuff as long as it is coherent with the story I understood from the start and I am more than ready & capable of dismissing whatever doesn't make sense to me now or doesn't go inline with "Chihayafuru"... I am more than ready & capable of dismissing contradictory &/or low-quality Taichifuru yes. |
Aug 14, 2022 10:04 AM
#33
Aug 14, 2022 10:53 AM
#34
Another character like Arata in other media (manga, anime, movie, novel etc)? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I asked about it on Aratafuru, I wasn't looking for something to read, I was just curious about characters Arata fans think are "like Arata" because for me, Arata is extremely UNIQUE. Ofc, I needed to define what I meant by "a character like Arata" I didn't mean the appearance and i was not sure how to define it but at least I wanted someone who "reminds us of Arata" even if we can't pinpoint the reason. the stronger the feeling, the greater the resemblance i guess? Some other fans said before "Yuri" from Yuri on Ice" I felt offended xD Ok he has black hair, wears glasses, he is awkward and shy and has passion for the sport he plays and also has someone he wants to play with/impress/surpass someone to whom he made a promise but I dislike Yuri with Passion :D and I like Arata with passion โค so I personally can't see them as alike. (My pov ofc.) I got some answers, there were characters I heard about and others I didn't and some I was curious to read more about... We finally agreed that yes, Arata is very unique, like yes he is black-haired blue-eyed like many, shy & awkward like many, badass in the sport like many, mysterious in a way like many in their own stories like many, calm & gentle like SO many, enthusiastic and has a child-like soul like also many, but when all this is combined harmoniously in one character he becomes unique! It was sill interesting to know the characters who have elements of his combination and how they look to Arata fans. In my case, I have a character who is for maybe unknown reason so close to Arata in my mind (but who is more developed and more dark & complicated) but I still get easily reminded of Arata in some important moments. He is Emperor Xuanjue from Chinese masterpiece: "The spirit Queen" or "Generations' Queen Ling" I think, I get a close feeling when I witness the Emperor's passion for his people, his character is like a combination of a god & a naive human being, he is badass when he goes to fight his fights .. I dunno, I really want many people to check the manhua (This is the exact same sentence Rawaa told me when she recommended it to me lol) (please don't hate him because of the snow king, give him a chance, he won't disappoint I promise ๐ ) The female lead is also badass! I give her 9.5/10, The art is 9.5/10, The plot is also 9.5/10 (I want to give everything 10/10 but would that be realistic?) |
MashimaTaichi_Aug 15, 2022 7:00 AM
Nov 4, 2023 6:44 AM
#35
I heard the news about Chihayafuru.. I see that Karuta keeps it alive, Karuta & hyakunin Isshu.... nothing else really .... ... I should have moved on right? I didn’t.. ... Just a few weeks after the end of the manga, mom was diagnosed with “dementia” and suddenly, I didn't know how to live anymore.. “dementia”… A word I never cared about until I read it in Chihayafuru, it was an interesting “idea” in a fictional story, Later I realized that it’s “utter hell” and Suetsugu did a very...not good job in using the “interesting idea” with one of her main characters. sad, because she seemed to me more..brilliant. I shared this with my therapist and he made me -among other things- look at some pages from Chihayafuru a lot (mainly from chapter 22), he told me to talk about it and face it because they are horrifying & traumatizing to me now ... it's not just about karuta... dementia ...is slow torture for both patients and caregivers.. I didn’t realize it’s another November already November, the "WatanoharaYa" month of the year, I call it like that, it’s Arata’s month for me .. I always said that I didn't relate to Arata, now he is more then relatable, he became a hero in my eyes ... I can't move on & I don't want to... And I definitely did not move on from Arachiha/chiharata either ... Although my sentiment about Chihayafuru remains the same as before but I kept loving what I could love, I made some new edits which I want to share during this month ... but maybe later ... I hope I can make something happy for his birthday too.... |
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