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May 23, 2020 3:42 AM
#1
Facts, translations, notes, noteworthy quotes & kinda analysis? ... We believe that these ↓ are worth a read... |
May 23, 2020 3:44 AM
#2
Chapter1 "Introduction", Pages "16/20": Wataya Arata's character was again introduced by the author of Chihayafuru, he is the SECOND character be it the child or the current Arata. (the 4th is Hyoru) More info about Arata according to Suetsugu sensei:
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May 23, 2020 6:21 AM
#3
May 23, 2020 6:22 AM
#4
𝓘𝓷 𝓭𝓮𝓯𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓚𝓪𝓻𝓾𝓽𝓪 𝓖𝓸𝓭 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - By @khaleesirin on tumblr I love Arata. I know other folks who love Arata as much as I do. I know he isn’t that loved in the larger fandom. When Arata was young, he was treated an “outcast”, and even now some remnants of this “being-out-there-but-not-here” still play both in-universe and among fans. What is, then, the difference between an “outcast” and a “god”, when at the end of the day no one seems to touch the person casted for this role? No one seems to want to reach out for them because they are located in the different world? Arata is there but *also* not there; embodying a “deathspace” that seems to obscure our image of him. “Where is Arata?” is both an illuminating and heartbreaking question—first, because Arata is struggling in a world that already rendered his life fixed, and second, this seems to be something Chihaya has forgotten in her desire to be *seen* by Arata as well. The introduction of Arata is also “fixed”; he provided a ground for the rest of the characters who are fluctuating on their desire. Yet, his story is about “being left out,” as if his story is already complete the moment he first opened his mouth. While the entire Karuta world welcomed him as the new Meijin, prefiguring his position, the story also “doesn’t support him.” There is a different sort of loneliness in a life prefigured for you. His story is “set aside” the moment he circulated the central theme of the story, and I still consider this the *very* strength of Chihayafuru. How do you encounter a figure like Arata who is made both an “outcast” and a “god” in a story that is about belonging and being seen as *equal*? If this story is about circularity, Chihaya’s insistence to be acknowledged by Arata *is* the wrong path. To find Arata is to make “Arata” disappear—for us to remember that Chihaya is the first person to “include” Arata in her world before she prefigured him a “karuta god.” Chihaya made Arata *appear* in a world that do not know him, or knew him as someone else’s. Here, then, Chihaya was right in her “struggle” to see Arata as the karuta god—and a continuing mistake on her part to still see him this way even after years of reconnecting with him. Their disconnection, the loud static noise, this distance they have, is also because this acceptance of “I am far away from you.” In Chihaya’s case, it’s always this insistence that Arata is “too far ahead,” that she’s the one being left out. Ditto for Arata. If the story is about finding the “balance”—it’s this “becoming balance” that is the nucleus of Chihaya and Arata’s story. Ok, this seems to be a Chiharata post than an Arata-centrict one, but this is exactly where I locate their “problem” which Suetsugu is not glossing over, but is deliberately doing to tell a different love story—one in which, I want to believe—that gives more “centrality” to the characterization that will lend itself to a connection in a series of “failed attempt” to complete one’s sentence. To desire, to wish for something or someone you don’t have is a romantic gesture—something blatantly articulated in Chihaya’s story (from Karuta to Arata) but always something withheld from Arata. Gods cannot desire, and when he does it’s always “to come” (“let’s play Karuta again” to “I will wait, we still have more time”) as if part of him is already *dead* in the present. What comes after winning the Meijin title for Arata? Is his *win* his rebirth? Is winning the death of the karuta god, so we can meet Arata again, so Chihaya can meet Arata again? The person who worked so hard, remembering that at a young age he was already doing “labor” as a newspaper delivery boy, while practicing memorization. That he was, and never is, talented. That his existence is born out of his own struggle to be someone, and to consider him “god” is to render all his struggles null. Arata’s story is about “unfixing” him—I still think Chihaya is there to do that. I love Arata, because I tend to love characters who are always admired, but never loved. |
May 23, 2020 6:33 AM
#5
Seeing this picture (that was taken from an exhibition in Kyoto), I feel like these two official illustrations show exactly the way I see Chihaya's feelings for both Arata & Taichi.
and in my opinion, if anyone ever asked her if she wants her relationship with Taichi to develop further in a better way, she will answer that there is no better way because her bond with Taichi is just perfect, she sees it that way (maybe she will want him to explain things to her more as she often finds it hard to understand him) but the way Taichi is is enough for her she doesn't wish for more... (This reminded me of when she cried over his smile when she was preparing chocolates for him, her feelings then were the clearest and the strongest (and the most precious in my eyes), and soon 2 chapters after, she rejects the idea of "boyfriend Taichi" ) Taichi the close friend is the perfect thing.... it's enough for her But in Arata's case, she is restless around him, there are lots of things she doesn't know, she feels weird feelings she doesn't understand ... she admires Harada sensei for his greatness in karuta (and more), she knows what admiration is, but the way she looks at Arata is different and it's uncomfortable... when he is around she acts a bit awkward...she might treat him very normally when she is focused on something urgent but when she is her normal relaxed self, she will hesitate and feel a bit lost, she isn't like that with anyone else even if they are people she meets and speaks to as little as she speaks with and meets Arata but Arata's case is really different.. she would hug Hyoro very casually when she is emotional, and Nishida, and Taichi but Arata? she won't be as bold, she would only tug at his shirt or briefly touch his shoulder .. because She is conscious of him as a man. If she was asked that same question about whether she wants her relationship with Arata to change to something better I bet she will blush and she won't even know why, she will only feel restless again and she will say "I want to play more Karuta with him" 😆😆 This is the way I see it, but sharing it on Facebook made me realize that it's actually what's meant to be felt by fans because most those who read it said that they, too, see it the same way, even Taichi fans. |
May 23, 2020 7:21 AM
#6
Regarding Suetsugu sensei's latest Interview (HERE) ... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - specifically this part:
I get where Taichi fans are coming from because when you are a shipper in a love triangle specifically, you'd still prefer an open ending to an ending where the other ship wins even if yours doesn't happen either .. But for me, this very reaction says it louder: The manga before the interview was heading towards a "Chiharata" ending !! It's true that it isn't intense and aggressive like Taichi's feelings, not cliche like those relationships where the two characters need to meet frequently and experience things together to fall in love, And surely not one of those love stories where the guy should be a bodyguard or a shadow or even a guardian angel of the girl where she will be engulfed in his endless care and favors to fall for him ... Still, even Taichi fans could feel it, Chihaya and Arata are drawn and tied to each-other by "some things" which are the most important things in chihayafuru: "making something big of yourself" & "Karuta"!! It was an unusual story where Arata didn't bat an eyelash when he witnessed her immense beauty ... he didn't need anything aside from "her passion, karuta and what it revealed of her personality" ... Where Chihaya didn't bat an eyelash either when Taichi's perfect self and kindness was all over the place, she rejected the idea of her being in any romantic connection with him while she couldn't say "sorry" to Arata even though she couldn't form a final decision regarding his "proposal" either ...she couldn't let go of him! because, unlike Taichi, she still can see herself in a romantic relationship with him.. She doesn't let go of him even though she has something else she wants so badly to concentrate on (the 1st Important theme of Chihayafuru: Achieving the goal and becoming something important!), But she doesn't say yes either and this isn't a bad thing imo because there is an issue not with Arata's confession she was happy with it... the issue is with that pure boy's rushed Proposal !!! and this is what Suetsugu sensei was talking about in the interview so for me, it didn't feel wrong at all! 1) Love in Chihayafuru is hard to write about: Sensei says the reason is the presence of the main idea of chihayafuru (passion for karuta) so I believe she means the fact that Love should be an intense emotion whereas she wants the strongest feelings in Chihayafuru to be about Karuta the main theme of the manga so how should she make love for Karuta stand out next to romantic love? She can it (I believe) but looks like she doesn't want to make the effort? 2) Romance in Chihayafuru is “Chihaya’s feelings for Arata”: Again, sensei speaks (like in a previous interview with Umino Chika) about romance only from Chihaya’s side: |
May 24, 2020 5:04 AM
#7
Theory 41 - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Fans have been analyzing this since the chapter was out, and reading some of the theories, we thought we should write about the way we see it and what we think makes better sense according to what we know. First, Chihaya's look. While some say it's melancholic, I, and for the lack of a convenient word in my limited vocabulary, think that this look is rather that of someone who wants something but cannot have it because of something else, a pleasant wish in a harsh reality; another example coming to my memory for now is this panel where Chihaya learnt that the pleasant wish of having Kana in her club is blocked by Kana's persistent refusal because of Chihaya's failure in understanding her karuta-liking. This look is not pure sadness or melancholy, if we want to see how her sad face features look like and see the difference, we can look at page 5 from the same chapter (145). Two, The number: 41 is the number of the poem (Koisu cho) It is true I love, But the rumor of my love Had gone far and wide, When people should not have known That I had begun to love. A possible scenario was: Chihaya drops a set, card 41 falls separately and Chihaya stares at it distinctively. BUT this and nothing similar happened, the card wasn't shown, only the number. This might be because this card isn't wanted to be seen as a karuta card and for the focus to only be on the poem. Some fans thought that the poem is about Taichi (because the second verse in Japanese starts with "TACHI") and that Chihaya started to develop feelings for him which I love because it means BUT I still have to disagree because the poems in chihayafuru are used for two purposes: 41 is a love poem. In this case, it is used for its MEANING but before I say what I think it hints to, let’s go back and see what happened in the chapter: (40: Shinoburedo) ------------------------ Though I would hide it, In my face it still appears-- My fond, secret love. And now he questions me: "Is something bothering you?" & (41: Koisu cho) ---------------------------- It is true I love, But the rumor of my love Had gone far and wide, When people should not have known That I had begun to love. the retweeted post said that these two poems represent a) Taichi’s hidden love by the use of 40:Shinoburedo. b) Arata’s rumored love which poem 41 tells about + also the overlapped wins and losses in the battles of fate hundreds of years ago with now referring to the contest held in the past where these two poems were recited at the same time but 40 won the contest even though 41 was sees as a wonderful poem too. In other words: Arata even though he is so great Taichi won (this idea is the one used in the live action not in the original work but Suetsugu still acknowledges it because it sets another possibility for the plot but doesn't contradict the facts about the characters: The poem about hidden love suits Taichi, and the poem about rumored love is about Arata.) If 40 was also shown in this scene, we could have though of Taichi's possibility to win but only 41 was hinted to, so it's definitely Arata, either his own feelings for Chihaya or even Chihaya's feelings for him. |
May 24, 2020 11:27 AM
#8
Seeing Taichi's illusion means having romantic feelings for him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I read this a lot lately because Chihaya saw Taichi's illusion in the shrine, and Taichi hers. it reminded me of another time Chihaya saw Taichi's illusion and how Mr. Tarareba explained it, the explanation and commentary were retweeted by the author herself and she more than once urged her fans to read his comments (Mr.Tarareba being Suetsugu's friend/acquaintance who is very knowledgeable in hykunin Isshu /and is also a Taichi enthusiast/ ) The scene in question is from chapter 154 p5/6 and was reproduced in "MUSUBI" where apparently the director decided to -unlike the manga- associate a poem with it and Mr.Tarareba spoke about why it was a very good choice. This is another scene fans took for a hint about Chihaya being unconsciously in love with Taichi and the ultimate realization they all wait for or another step in the path of developing romantic feelings for him but Suetsugu says to read Tarareba san's deep comment, it's about the live action not the manga but why would she urge readers to read if it's not related? or worse, contradicts her work? I believe it's because it's exactly what this scene means in the manga too. So here is what Tarareba says (warning: a rough translation!) Tarareba said: 4th tweet: The poem Chihaya finds in the club room is "81: Hototogisu" (he writes the poem) & the big point about it is that this is NOT a love poem. 5th tweet: In the club room, we see Chihaya say "Eh, Taichi?", she thought she heard his voice but when she turned, he wasn't there, it was but an illusion, this poem was there instead: Looked for it, couldn't find it, it's painful, and it's the same (with Chihaya at that moment), but this screenplay allows a further deeper consideration. 6th tweet: Hyakunin Isshu has many love poems (43 ones), "Chihayafuru Musubi" is a youth movie, and that scene is also a scene related to romance, so we could easily expect a love poem, "Se o hayami" or "Aimite no" would have been a good choice. However, it was not like that. 7th tweet: What Chihaya found that made her burst into tears is "Hototogisu" which is about "early summer", "change of seasons" and Hototogisu is a bird that calls "I want to go home". That scene, for Taichi, was unmistakably "love" (maybe he means that Taichi being the cuckoo who calls I want to return, his wish to come back is because he is in love). But it was different for Chihaya. 8th tweet: For Chihaya in that scene, the poem to find there couldn't have been about "love". end of spring, I want to go home cry, and feeling lonely with the moon of dawn.. it had to be a song about loneliness because there is not a companion to tell “oh the moon is beautiful” 9th tweet: ...Chihaya's tears in that scene are because of her loneliness in addition to her dream of "having the trio reunite again" collapsed and also Taichi's call that sounded like "never come back".... Summary: In short, seeing Taichi's illusion in the shrine proves nothing, and remembering Mizusawa after that THEN crying means that seeing Taichi there, even though she cares about him so much, meant he was only a part of a whole, a group of people who supported her in her journey to this holy place, Taichi was probably no more than what he was in chapter 135 when she cried while thinking of him and reciting "That kind strong and hard worker ...I want him to smile" I say this while having in mind that this scene comes after what fans thought is a hint to Chihaya's love in Chapter 145 (see post above) which means that neither at that point nor at this point, Chihaya still doesn't love Taichi romantically so anything that can be used to prove otherwise shouldn't be taken from chapters prior to 155 at least. |
May 27, 2020 6:17 AM
#9
❝ The Kiss & What I think about it.❞ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Chihayafuru (vol26/chap138): Taichi placed his lips on Chihaya's. " Taichi was very hurt and Chihaya didn't seem to try to understand just how intense his pain was at that moment, she kept pushing and ignoring his wound so he did it, he punished her, it wasn't to satisfy his desire of kissing her, it was a punishment that Chihaya deserved..." "He wasn't punishing her, he was just making her realize what she refused to see, that he is serious and his pain is real!" "It is not a big deal, it was Chihaya's idea to begin with, she told him he will kiss the winner on the Taichi cup and Chihaya "won" so he kissed her."
*sighs* Chihayafuru for me is a SLICE-OF-LIFE manga so I will always go back and forth between it and REALITY. And Taichi for me is not just a "whatever character in some story"; He is ME, a "personality", a set of virtues & convictions, a bunch of "expected" & "desired" steps towards growth & maturity.. That's why the way I look at it isn't as careless, or is simply different... Maybe I even look at it from two angles: 1) Taichi's point of view: I keep saying that I relate to Taichi and I do, so my feelings about the kiss are similar to (or worse than) what Taichi felt when Arata kicked the cards in the face of the caring Chihaya who was trying to lighten the mood. Or what he felt when some guy (Suo) wrapped a scarf around naive Chihaya (that he directly judged as a wrong romantic gesture). Either because it's generally wrong, or because Chihaya is his "DO_NOT_TOUCH_HER" girl that he loves, in both cases Taichi refused the way she was treated and hated it because: My point is, Taichi felt that Chihaya was taken advantage of or was disrespected by those two so he got angry ... I too, hate Taichi's kiss so much because Chihaya was disrespected at that moment (Arata too by the way). 2) Taichi's general ethical principles: First of all, characters in Chihayafuru represent US and we are human beings so we will certainly get hurt or angry, feel desperate, depressed... We all go through such things so Taichi getting upset is nothing to object to, but what makes us different is what we do when we go through these unsettling emotions or as I prefer to call it: what we ALLOW ourselves to do in those situations ... "If Arata was in a tight spot during a game", Taichi concluded, "Arata will never SWEAR" , because that's who he is, it's a part of Arata's "integrity" as a person! If someone wrote a fanfiction where Kana-chan got angry and "spat on someone", would anyone think this is "In Character" for her? It's not! There are limits to how people react to their strong negative (& sometimes even positive) emotions and that's what makes them different and makes some reactions classify as better or worse ... And these reactions take their "possibilities, shapes or limits" from everyone's ethical depths. So for me, what Taichi allowed himself to do when he was hurt reflects his integrity and how deep is his respect for people's rights and dignity, for Chihaya's specifically, how deep is his disapproval of explicitly non-consensual sexual contact (or simply "assaults") in all their forms... If Taichi witnessed the same act but Arata (for example) was the one doing it he would have surely punched him in the face because he theoretically knows how wrong it is and refuses it but not deep enough to still include it on the list of IMPOSSIBLE-TO-FALL-DOWN-TO reactions that he will never resign to when agitated. My point is: Taichi (to whom I relate) showed a very ugly side when he was troubled, I wait for his apology, I still do, I wait for him to also mention this kiss when he thinks of himself as "Not much of a person" besides of what he confessed about "feeling good knowing that Chihaya suffers because of him" Taichi is a vengeful person, he regrets it sometimes but when the damage is done, he needs to learn how to atone for it, and what I care more about is that he should revise and adjust his convictions and deepen the sense of respect of others in himself (by the way, when he said at the east qualifiers that he came to mess with everyone, that too, shows how lightly he considers people's value & respect.) I included Arata in the list of people disrespected by that kiss because: Another thing I want to mention about the kiss scene that I find very interesting is that Thinking about it, I even dare make this impression: If the boys want Chihaya to always smile: 1) Arata needs to keep loving Karuta 2) Taichi needs to stay the friend he always was. |
Jul 24, 2020 6:41 AM
#10
Explaining ❝ Chihaya's Bitter STRONG tears❞ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
On page 7, she described those tears with these words: "千早ちゃんの強い涙" TDX translation: "Chihaya chan's BITTER tears" Accepting this translation, the fandom got a strong belief that Chihaya felt "bitter" because Taichi lost (or even as some said: because Arata won, aka: she didn't want Arata to win!), some fans made "conclusions" about Chihaya's change of heart concerning her feelings towards Taichi & Arata & by consequence "assumptions" about the end of the manga. However, the most valuable reaction was from the fans who felt a disconnection between Chihaya being "dissatisfied" with Arata's win/Taichi's loss & the fact that the author wrote the entire chapter 207 to make "the bitter tears" about Kana & real life. So what really happened? Asking another translator, a native person or making a quick search on the net, you'll find out that "苦い涙" is what Japanese people use to express "BITTER tears" while Suetsugu Yuki used the word: "強い" instead which doesn't translate to "bitter" in any case (unless it's used in a more suggesting contest which is not the case in chapter 207), Kana's words were a simple description & the words used are rather "STRONG TEARS" Taking this into consideration now, we encourage anyone to go reread the chapter & see for oneself how it makes better sense. Personally, I believe that the "Strong tears" wasn't meant to be Taichi centric in any way, nor Chihaya's, it's just what happens in real life, when we walk towards a dear goal, we end up liking other things along the way, and when farewell comes, we feel sad, but we never slow down our pace, Chihaya too, after she shed those strong tears, she didn't seem reluctant to move forward, she didn't seem like she wanted to go back and stay behind with what she had to miss now, she rather doubled her efforts and started to walk faster to where she always wanted to be. Like Kana chan, even if we leave something "dear" we still have great amount of courage to still move forward BECAUSE WHAT LIES AHEAD is worth it, maybe even "DEARER"!! |
Aug 1, 2020 10:08 AM
#11
Chihaya's shocked face from chapter 205. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This: Trying to understand this reaction (and how it is connected to what came after to make a coherent scene), we consider two things: 1) This face wasn't originally in the author’s plan : What she planned was rather what she drew in her NAME (which she SPECIFICALLY singled out of all the other chapters to include in her official Comic Book for some reason) Her NAME presents her "complete" idea of what should happen, she left some panels empty for when she draws the chapter itself but those would be for panels that are just connecting other scenes not relevant to the content of the chapter (because anything relevant should be included in the NAME and the editor will have to accept or refuse it before the mangaka draws the final form). Also before posting the part in question from the NAME, it’d probably be useful to mention how this chapter is special for Suetsugu sensei, and why we think that if “the shocked face of Chihaya” was of any relevance to her plot then she wouldn’t have forgotten it in the NAME. Suetsugu worked so hard on this chapter, even broke the deadline and went to think so hard about it, she drew 5 additional pages & she begged not to remove them beside her not meeting the deadline + 3 double pages (6 pages) are mostly the same hug drawn with small differences, If Suetsugu meant to tell us that Chihaya didn't want Arata to win (or that she preffered if Taichi won instead), she had enough room to draw it and do what she did with the real shocked face Chihaya made when Suo won against Harada: Suetsugu meant that scene, she drew a follow up, she explained it & used it for the next events of the story.) As for Arata winning, we were already shown that Chihaya wanted it, she wanted Arata to be there when she competes for the Queen title, he was a part of her dream. She still didn't draw that shocked face: So Chihaya was coherently keeping the same face she was making throughout all the time she was watching the match: she was analyzing, wondering, even a bit concerned about Taichi (I wouldn't be surprised to see a sister worried for her brother -who worked so hard under her watch- be crushed by her genius boyfriend for example, a different example but same feeling!) And for any Karuta expert (including herself), according to the analysis Chihaya made, Taichi's loss was highly expected unless a miracle happens. So a shocked face at an expected loss wouldn't make sense either. 2) It was still approved by the author : It was drawn by her, even if it was suggested by someone else, she still added it so we can safely conclude that a certain feeling is wanted to be conveyed but what is it? Here is what happened: The shocked face wasn't only drawn in the empty panel originally left by Suetsugu to fill later, she even removed Arata and replaced it with the same panel of Chihaya's face, the second is a closer look at the first. And then Arata started speaking, he pulled Chihaya out of her "preoccupying thought" so she looked at him then when his words sunk in, she cried. We aren't told more than this, so what feeling should we expect Chihaya felt then? A worrying feeling that was lifted OR exposed by Arata's words making her tears fall. No one can really say except the author herself but what that scene made us think (which doesn't contradict anything else + supports everything else) is what I trust is the meant feeling. These are no "facts" but what we believe are reasonable possibilities: Last remark: Fans who consider this a sign of Chihaya favoring Taichi over Arata aren't to blame actually. You need to be very attentive to see it otherwise and imo, it is wanted by the author. Lately, there is a persistent focus on the existence of a rift between Chihaya & Arata, it is INTENTIONALLY drawn, it is set as a problem and problems in Chihayafuru get solutions later, we believe that this might be Taichi's "final" role. So let's be patient and see. |
Sep 12, 2020 10:53 AM
#12
Oct 14, 2020 5:43 AM
#13
❝ Tai/Chihaya, Yoshinokai, Wind & support ...❞ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
So what happened in Yoshinokai? And what did the poems say ? And who-was & what-was-the-role-of the "updraft"? The finals of the Yoshino tournament for class A players was between Chihaya & Taichi. After Taichi placed his cards, Chihaya realized that he did his best (in coming up with that different placement) to defeat her! She realized his intentions, and she felt like a blast of wind was about to hit her (Although, the Japanese text wasn’t as elaborate as the English translation, because in Japanese, Chihaya’s monologue was: “so painful/hard (repetition of this same expression 3 times), a formation made specifically for me, it's blowing.”) --------------------------------------------
The Yoshino finals made Chihaya see Taichi somewhat as a "strong karuta player" who was also her companion, When she chased him and told him he can't leave, she might not have known what she learned LATER about him. Yoshino was not where Chihaya was the closest to who Taichi was or at least "his relevance to the reality she lived in right then". When she felt that Mizusawa moved with a difficulty she didn't sense before, she realized how the way of the team was paved thanks to other people's efforts and skills, lot of "winds" pushed their backs and maybe more than anyone else, Taichi's. |
Nov 21, 2020 10:01 AM
#14
Suetsugu Yuki's Interview on Sep 17, 2020 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
!! This is not an official translation !! it's only listing the points spoken about in the interview (a bit detailed but not a literal translation) + a fan translation of some chosen parts that I personally found very interesting. Again, this is only my own efforts with my unsophisticated knowledge in translating so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or missing thing. |
Nov 21, 2020 10:58 AM
#15
Arata, Chihaya & the history of poem 6 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
When I see that bridge Spanned by flights of magpies In my feeling making it As white as hoar-frost, Then the night is at its end. Seeing it again on chapter 226 made me go back to check the history of its use (I ignored the moments where I couldn't see any symbolism but anyone curious to know them, you can contact me.) So here are those I found meaningful AMONG THEM, MOMENTS WHERE THE CARD ITSELF WASN'T MENTIONED BUT THE SUMMER TRIANGLE IS HINTED TO: |
Nov 24, 2020 12:41 PM
#16
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "What goes through minds & hearts while we read is what we read.." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - So, this is an index to save my kind of DETAILED CHAPTER REVIEWS that I post in "C.O.M.M.E.N.T.S". Please feel free to discuss and add anything in the said thread. 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 225 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 226 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 227 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 228 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 229 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 230 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 231 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 232 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 233 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 234 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 235 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 236 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 237 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 238 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 239 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 240 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 241 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 242 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 243 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 244 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 245 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 246 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 247 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 248 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 249 || 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 250 || |
MashimaTaichi_Jun 17, 2022 11:39 AM
Dec 25, 2020 3:49 AM
#17
The history of poem "77" in Chihayafuru - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - So swift is the flow of a cascading stream against an obstructing rock, I know that its parted waters must meet again in the end. The rushing stream, of course, is a metaphor for the passion of two lovers, which can only be temporarily interrupted by any obstruction. Rhetorically, the first three lines constitute a descriptive jokotoba preface that leads up to the word warete (“divide”), where the superimposition of human concerns begins. The poet's own determination to meet his lover again is then reflected in the emphatic last line, which also corresponds to the logical outcome of the cause adduced in the first line ("because the rapids are swift, its waters will surely meet again"). Translation & comment by Mark Jewel(77: Se o hayami) is one of the poems holding the greatest roles & meaning in Chihayafuru; When included in the Comic book, the author dedicated two pages for it (she did the same with only Chiha & Tago). The history of the poet is more than the small introduction made by Mark Jewel and Suetsugu sensei seems to have been using this cards for the poet itself too (contrary to even Chiha) but this is not a post for the poet's background, this will be a mere history of its use in Chihayafuru (anyone who notices a forgotten scene/moment, i'll appreciate it so much to be told about it, I'll make sure to add it):
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Dec 25, 2020 3:50 AM
#18
❝ Arata is NOT popular with girls [PART I]❞ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
so clumsy, physically unattractive (I mean he doesn't wear glasses out of fashion right? he is almost blind!) & he doesn't make efforts to look good either, he is inexperienced in most areas, so naive and even though his frequent "tomato moments" are funny, he is just too shy & awkward, he stutters when he talks, he isn't even there in sport events where most interesting boys are, he can't, he is no good at that, a mere karuta idiot ... STILL!! Risa Yamamoto got a chance to be close to him and found in him what to be fascinated with. On her 1st year, she still didn't belong to a club for some reason but Arata created the one she would change that for. She learnt to work hard for someone and something, she got to experience walking with a team alongside a passionate leader towards a dream that should have been impossible for a team of beginners but this clumsy captain's honest and clear emotions were an admirable push. He made her desire to become a better person alongside him. the straightforward & daring "Yamamoto san" found herself asking Arata out after less than 3 months of knowing him. Wakamiya Shinobu, the lonely but sarcastic Queen with a dishonest character who most of the time puts up a strong face while being angry inside or at least having given up on most desires people her age had because she was always told that it's the only way to "exist"... With such complicated character and despite being "NOT" a love interest for Arata in canon, fans still found a good base to ship Arata and Shinobu. They found them in the unique way Arata could enter Shinobu's guarded & out of reach world and the way the uninterested Queen found herself unable to ignore him.. She even set goals and made enemies for Arata, She wondered about "what he felt & why" when he showed interest in something ... Fans saw a special bond between these two very different people In how they understood each other, how they care and how they hide it .. and how they show it when we least expect it ... more surprising when Shinobu shows that unusual honest kindness reserved only for him. Ashino Yuu is another exception.. the girl who saw Arata's every side, the beautiful & the ugly... the perfect and the most imperfect.. Yuu was described in the manga as Arata's sibling (with Murao's words which Arata didn't react to in any way suggesting otherwise) but Yuu's reactions to lot of Arata's actions/reactions/emotions/decisions etc suggests that she sees in him more than the clumsy guy or even the perfect god everyone sees and some fans found in this another 'solid' base to ship them. I don't but I can clearly see how Yuu treasures Arata and why he gained that feeling ... Yuu could see Arata from so close too and he certainly isn't uninteresting for a girl like her. |
Apr 22, 2021 6:30 AM
#19
Arata is an unfortunate character. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - No, he is NOT!
Again, all we need is a good writer (we have it) & the intention to make it that way which isn't there. Suetsugu decided instead to put double the effort to make Taichi the "sorrowful/anguished" one because Arata is not a character written to feel sorry for or to commiserate. He is rather written for the most part of the manga as an inspiring one, an aspiration, to be a drive & a goal. So despite having all the above circumstances, he is instead written as a character who keeps to himself, doesn't complain, hides his hardships, makes it seem that he fine when he notices that someone is watching, tries to focus on what he has & be happy with it however little or simple. That's why it's easy for him to forget & forgive, easy for him to recover & stand up again because there are other characters who need him there as an example, who think that he is perfectly fine so they should only focus on themselves and thus, Bildungsroman can be used for them. And finally- wait, what were Taichi's problems again? |
Apr 22, 2021 12:52 PM
#20
Why fans can still hope for Arachiha: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This can be also said about when Chihaya chose to go watch & cheer for Taichi over watching Arata's match vs Shinobu. Fans back then thought that it was a clear indication of who was truly in Chihaya's heart but few chapters later Chihaya rejected Taichi & while thinking of Arata too. 2) Arata was the reason Chihaya stopped worshiping Chitose. Chitose will come & see her & he will be there playing in the same time as her. Chitose was told by Taichi that he was rejected & she didn't tell him to have hope as Chihaya is stupid & might realize her feelings like Kana said before. What she told him instead is to stop wasting his time because Chihaya's strongest desire lies within karuta & we all know that Taichi is not as invested in the sport as her. 3) Arata being written till now to give up Chiha (vs blunderer & Shinobu, Chihaya even witnessed that & was worried) & to avoid thinking about her when he is in his grandpa mode - Now Arata is being developed into a person different than Wataya hajime, a person who wants to fight for his seat & desires. to stop being "selfless" & to become Taichi's serious rival who takes action for what he really wants. (& we learned that he really wants to hug Chihaya & before that to become someone she deserves to be hugged by) 4) Arata "wanting to be himself" which was linked to "i'm not my grandpa" & "love love love" out of the blue (which is not out of the blue if we think about it carefully), we saw how he defied his grandpa's illusion for Chihaya's sake for example in 226. 5) "Chiha" that both Arata & Chihaya keep losing (while Taichi won it), Chiha "hating" both (coz both lost their initial passion i'd say). Is it not natural to think that winning it will be after fixing something probably shared by both? 6) Again Chiha being there when Chihaya said "I will always love Arata & karuta" (which I believe isn't a forgotten/meaningless confession" + being there in Arata's confession (practically being the starting point of the confession while it was absent in Taichi's confession.) 7) Chihaya saying that Tare is Taichi's card for her & Tare being NOT a love poem but a poem about the friend who knows what's in her heart which is the perfect description for Taichi in Chihaya's heart & journey. 8) Arata's unanswered confession left for the end where Chihaya did NOT ask for time to be more experienced and stuff like that which can suggest asking for years, but she asked him to wait until she defeats the queen + Chihaya's feelings about not being able to love & be loved until it's someone she can sit across in karuta + her wanting to return the passion she got from Arata + how would Suetsugu write Arata's rejection at the end of the manga, bc if he wins the title, that'd crush his happiness with his win, & if he loses the title, that'd be even worse. How many chapters are still left to write him getting over it? 9) Also Arata coming to tokyo that was explicitly linked to being "near Chihaya", he said that to her twice, in his confession & when she asked him to wait. He wouldn't come to become a 3rd wheel in Taichi's & Chihaya's relationship would he? Arata is already written as a guy who would keep his distance from Chihaya not to interfere between her & her boyfriend (when he though she was dating Taichi). 10) Taichi's rejection being given plenty of time, now he seems to have accepted it better (I believe he still has feelings for her but he can live with it healthily now unlike few months ago & it's easier to write him getting over it bit by bit that, all this, Arata won't get.) 11) Arata's place in Chihaya's life after he no longer is a love interest. Taichi is well set as the closest friend. Arata WAS written as a childhood friend, a love interest, an admired karuta figure & a rival. Now the rival seat is fully taken by Shinobu chan, the childhood friend doesn't have much effect for a main character after Chihaya got closer friends who are constantly pushing her back now; the admired karuta figure is also gone after she defeated him (or maybe even clearer after she witnessed him losing to her final rival: Shinobu). If Arata is no longer a love interest, what then? He would be better off the title of a main character which Suetsugu is not giving up. She will balance the trio somehow & Arata will be given an important place in Chihaya's world as important as Taichi's & I can't think of anything without "romance" at least not in the short remaining time of the manga. 12) Poem6, is also still telling an incomplete story of two lovers who can't meet without the bridge of magpies. 13) Arata's attachment to card 77 "Se o hayami" which is clearly between only him & Chihaya (for him), this is another story I believe is incomplete and it is related to only the bond between Chihaya & Arata. 14) The rematch that will most likely be in the Oe Cup. while it can be an ordinary re match, it can also be one to end the manga by going back to it's very end which is the subject of Chihaya transforming from an empty fan girl to someone with overwhelming PASSION and that, she got it from Arata. Also the 1st volume has lot about what changed in Chihaya's feelings that was brought not by having Taichi around but by meeting Arata, him not going easy on her, him taking her seriously & being straightforward with her & him being a source of passion too. Suetsugu said that she will link the end with this volume. (This makes me expect a good closure between Taichi & his mother too). |
May 2, 2021 10:12 AM
#21
iNameless_May 27, 2021 9:52 AM
Jun 13, 2021 1:43 PM
#22
"The disappearance of Chiha"- An interesting theory. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (By @timshel_11 on Twitter) timshel_11 said: The absence of the Chiha card for Chihaya has been a long running theme in Chihayafuru. My current theory is that the Chiha card represents to Chihaya her first dream to become queen. I believe this connects best with the various motifs that have been brought up with the card. I think the hardest aspect to answer in any theory with the Chiha card is why does it reappear in Game 1 vs. Shinobu? My first focus was on the card’s role within this chapter. When Shinobu takes the Chiha card, her precious card, it’s used to demonstrate her complete dominance. She’s the strongest queen, and this is her stage. It’s almost as if this capture was taunting Chihaya- her dream is within reach, but Shinobu asserts that it will always be her title. This panel from early makes the connection of the card to her journey to queen quite explicit. The time window of the disappearance of the Chiha card is large. The last time we saw the Chiha card in play before game 1 was in her match vs. Suo. This is when he said “You won’t” to her. While that may have contributed to the disappearance, I don’t think it’s the main factor. I believe the primary factor was Chihaya seeing Shinobu break down and lose one of her queen games in part because of Chihaya’s broken promise to her. This is the first moment that Chihaya sees the depths of Shinobu’s loneliness, and she understands what her role/duty is. I think we can pinpoint this as the moment when Chihaya began to start playing to “save” Shinobu, rather than fulfilling her personal dream to become queen. Chihaya realizes this herself explicitly later, and also refers to not leaving Shinobu alone as her duty. The concept of one’s duty when introduced by Kana is contrasted with one’s passion, shown by her decision to go with economics over literature. While it’s clear that saving Shinobu is important to her, it is not the same type of bright red passion described by the Chiha card. This change in her was added to by Taichi leaving the club. Chihaya had to become the captain and leader that Mizusawa needs, rather than playing a more egotistical style as herself. However, even when Taichi’s back the first time, she’s still shown to be missing the Chiha card. Taichi has a deep understanding of Chihaya’s motivations. He said that the answer of how to win laid with Chihaya, how she tried to win not for herself. Him saying it’s her key to winning echoes Watari’s idea that maybe Chihaya has been winning BECAUSE the Chiha card isn’t there. Another connection between the Chiha card and her dream to become queen is how when she first saw Omi Jingu she connected the bright red of Omi Jingu and the bright red of the Chiha card. This place she’s longed for has the same imagery in her mind as the card. So why does it reappear in game 1? I think there’s several factors. I think that Chihaya was very starstruck by the environment. She’s nervous and stiff throughout a lot of the game because she’s finally at the place she has dreamed of and longed for. There are several moments prior to this match where she recalls her first dream with Arata and reiterates that sentiment of achieving it together. I think in the first game she’s thinking about how she’s finally reached this place of her first dream and is overwhelmed by it. One of the most significant descriptions of the Chiha card is that it’s “the source of passion”. For the Mizusawa members, it began when Chihaya put up the flyer to start the club. For Chihaya, it was that day with Arata that she learned of his passion and discovered her dream. Her passion has, of course, grown far beyond this now in scope, and she has dreams of making Mizusawa a powerhouse and becoming a teacher. But I think her returned focus on her very first dream, rather than her duty to Shinobu, is likely what brings it back in the first game. There is a significant line in this game where Shinobu refers to the Chihaya’s focus on the Chiha card as being a weakness of hers. The magnetizing imagery. Similar language has been used with this panel that showed the Chiha card and then Arata, as well as the imagery of Tago. Showing Arata here with the Chiha card is consistent with it being about her dream because at this time Chihaya’s dream still had not become “tangible” and to her the pinnacle was Arata. The title of “queen” is enticing and distracting and will always draw you to it. It’s echoed in a similar theme about how the thought running through Arata’s head of “One more game and I’ll become the Meijin” becomes his downfall and he faults on Chiha. I believe getting caught up in capturing the title of queen is the same, which is why Shinobu says this. I think there will be several factors to the Chiha card coming back in game 5. One is the “Taichi has always been here” realization. We’ve seen at Nationals that Chihaya was unable to play as herself when she was preoccupied with absence of Taichi and trying to fill that gap. But, now she’s realized that no matter if he’s physically there or not, he will always be a part of her and source of strength. I believe feeling secure in that aspect and no longer feeling the weight of his absence will allow her to play fully as herself. Additionally, Arata and her will be on the same level. Chiha is back in game one when they’re both at 0-0 and ready to achieve their dream together. After their losses, they both are embarrassed and cannot face the other, but now they’re both at equal footing of being 2-2. This is significant given that one of Chihaya’s goals has been to reach Arata and match his passion. Considering the narrative from a meta perspective, we already know that the Chiha take prompts Chihaya to flashback to 6 years ago, when she didn’t know anything about passion. She said that day what she learned was not Karuta, but about Arata’s passion. Given that it’s extremely likely Arata will also be on the stage taking the Chiha card at the same time, I think this will be the moment where they’re truly equal in their strength and passion. Other reasons Chihaya may reach this state of playing fully for herself require some speculation. She may have a significant conversation with Shinobu between game 4 and 5. Seeing Chihaya go all out against her despite her injury could ultimately disprove Ise-sensei’s words. If she already has achieved her goal of saving Shinobu, this would allow her to play game 5 for herself. It’s also possible Shinobu realizes Chihaya sees it as her duty and disproves of that mindset. It could happen many ways but they will likely have a significant interaction. Overall, there are multiple things that could lead Chihaya regaining this passion, but I believe that it’s clear that the return of the Chiha card and Chihaya successfully taking it will be made possible because of her fighting passionately for herself and her very first dream. |
Nov 18, 2021 11:21 AM
#23
Expecting a special mention of Wata No Hara Ya in the 5th match: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Many could understand the heaviness of this card's theme (the close friend who knows what's in her heart) in defining how Chihaya sees Taichi and how remembering that position pushed her back greatly. Later, she tried to take "60/Oe" (which is Kana's card) but failed (and Kana was purposefully drawn with a strong reaction about it with the two other Mizusawa members clearly disappointed), then later, she won her second match by taking "13/Tsukuba" after a clear display of the three remaining cards forming two groups: Two cards taking Shinobu's side (shown in the form of their poets) and one that wasn't which was later shown to represent Chihaya's supporter Desktomu (Was this a special display of Desktomu's individual importance which should mean that Nishida & Sumire for example will also have their chance to be referenced? or, was it rather a reference to Mizusawa as a whole? I think it's the second to say that Chihaya's supporters from her surrounding are more real than Shinobu's & that's why the karuta box was shown in the next panel and Chihaya wondered about this: she has supporters so what about Shinobu? Please pay attention at the fact that Shinobu saw the card as a poet but ut transformed into Desktomu & this transformation means that the way Chihaya sees the cards is more helpful- Something similar happens in chap239 about how Chihaya was seeing Chiha &nd how it's fixed.) But if you look closely, you'll find "11/Wata-Ya" also drawn clearly and I believe it's a hint at its turn coming next (or being one among the cards coming next). There is also this key visual that sensei drew initially for her 1st ever Art exhibition which she also used since as her Twitter account cover: Tare, Tsuku, Oe are all there. and there is also: "Chihayaburu" which is currently being focused on in episodes.. and lastly, there is "Wata-ya" I believe that this was always a hint about the last poems that will play a significant role in Chihaya's most important moments in her tournament. |
Dec 10, 2021 5:26 AM
#24
Jan 2, 2022 7:48 AM
#25
A closer look at what sensei thinks about "LOVE" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
This is about ❝ Chihayafuru & Little Women (2019) ❞ and about Suetsugu sensei who wrote a thread of tweets after she was recommended to watch the movie. The person who recommended the movie to sensei is a chihayafuru fan and the insisted she watches it because she is the author who created "Ayase Chihaya" I understood that there is some similarity so I watched the movie and i actually found some interesting similarities! (I guess the fan meant the feminist touch contained in the movie & sensei is considered to some degree a feminist too) but for me personally, there are more similarities than just that. The heroine "Jo March" is an ambitious tomboy girl (a bit like Chihaya), she is a writer, passionate about women's freedom, she wrote a novel about herself. She had a rich handsome neighbor "Laurie" who was madly in love with her but kept it a secret. Everyone around them expected them to marry because of how close they were, Jo always acted very comfortable around Laurie, she had almost no sense of boundary with him, she treasured him so much and he was her most precious person outside of her family. He confessed and she rejected him. I find the rejection so wholesome and it reminded me A LOT of Taichi's confession: Laurie: I have loved you ever since I’ve known you, Jo. I couldn’t help it. And I tried to show it, and you wouldn’t let me, which is fine. But I must make you hear now, and give me an answer, because I cannot go on like this any longer! Jo: Teddy, please don’t. Laurie: I gave up billiards. I gave up everything you didn’t like. I’m happy I did. It’s fine, and I waited, and I never complained, because I figured you’d love me, Jo. And I realize I’m not half good enough, and I’m not this great man. Jo: Yes, you are. You’re a great deal too good for me. And I’m so grateful to you, and I’m so proud of you. And I just ,I don’t see why I can’t love you as you want me to. I don’t know why. ... Laurie: I can’t love anyone else, Jo. I only love you. Jo: Teddy, it would be a disaster if we married. Okay? Laurie: It wouldn’t be a disaster. Jo: We’d be miserable! Laurie: Jo, I’d be a perfect saint! Jo: I can’t! I can’t! I’ve tried it, and I failed! I can’t. Laurie: Why does everyone expect it then? Why does your family and my Grandpa expect it? Why are you saying this? Say yes, and let’s be happy together, Jo. Jo: I can’t say yes truly. So I’m not going to say it at all. And you’ll see that I’m right, eventually, and you’ll thank me for it. Laurie: I’d rather hanged myself than realize this, Jo. ... Jo: Listen, you’ll find some lovely accomplished girl, who will love you and adore you. And she’s going to make a fine mistress for your fine house. But I wouldn’t, alright? Laurie: Yes, you would, Jo. Jo: Look at me, I’m homely, and I’m awkward, and I’m odd. Laurie: But I love you, Jo. Jo: And you’d be ashamed of me. Laurie: I love you, Jo. Jo: And we would quarrel, because we can’t help it, even now. I’d hate elegant society, you’d hate my scribbling. And we would be unhappy, and we’d wish we hadn’t done it, and everything would be horrid. ... Jo: Teddy, I don’t believe I will ever marry. I’m happy as I am. And I love my liberty too well to be in any hurry to give it up. Laurie: I think you’re wrong about that, Jo. Jo: No. Laurie: I think you will marry, Jo. I think you’ll find someone, and love them, and you will live and die for them, because that’s your way, and you will. And I’ll watch. [he turns and walks away] There is this part from the original novel that I find so good too, it's part of what Jo said to him. I find it satisfying. On the other hand, there is Friedrich Bhaer (who is my personal favorite xD), the awkward but quiet, smart & poised professor. The person who was the most honest with Jo, who knew her for a lesser amount of time but who could break her belief that she will never fall in love or marry.. Friedrich Bhaer: Do you have anyone to take you seriously, Jo, to talk about your work? Doesn't this remind you a bit of Chihaya's and Arata's first conversation in the old apartment? :)... Jo : Friedrich, this is what I write. My apologies if it fails to live up to your high standards. Friedrich Bhaer : Jo, there is more to you than this. If you have the courage to write it. Fans were raged because of the ending, they all shipped Jo with Laurie and couldn't apprehend the other ship. But for now, what I wanted to comment on is this: Suetsugu commented a bit on this movie, and concerning the romance she tried to explain the pairings, she said something along the lines of: "You cannot decide your partner as long as you cannot answer this question with a clear YES or NO: "Do you love him?" (this is the question that Jo's mother asked her when she regretted not accepting Laurie's confession.) Suetsugu says that for her, love is like falling for the other person's DNA, I think she means that it's not about how caring and good the other person is or how hard they work for their love, love comes just like that, it sinks in your heart at some point when you face that person, you either are ready to welcome their DNA or not, you either love them or Not!! She says, love is one element of fate. I think, if this is how she sees love then she does not think of Taichi's love as one that "DESERVES" to come to fruition because love doesn't come to fruition to begin with, Chihaya didn't fall for Taichi's DNA despite how long they were together and sensei wouldn't use the trope of "suddenly realizing that he was always there for her so she will start loving him" or anything like that. Chihaya didn't accept him despite the fact that everything around them saw them as a couple made in heaven, her fate with him was decided the moment his DNA didn't succeed in reaching hers. (I feel weird about using this scientific term lol but talk about being a creative writer with an unpredictable mind, Suetsugu Yuki is really something!!) |
Jan 2, 2022 9:46 AM
#26
Chihaya has feelings for Arata: Another confirmation! + other! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Before I post them, please know that Suetsugu sensei supervised this exhibition: Sensei said in her latest NOTE that she visited it for a last check and mentioned that a certain illustration wasn't horizontal like she drew it -or something like that- and she mentioned it to the person in charge and they fixed it immediately WHICH MEANS that sensei approves of everything in the exhibition as it is now She even said about her last visit to the venue before the launch of the exhibition: "そうか、最終チェックってこういう「原作者の違和感を消して、最終的なGOに練り上げる」場なのだな、といまさらそんなことをフワッと思っている作者を導いて、" which means: "So, the final check is a place to "erase the original author's sense of discomfort and refine it into the final GO".") The poems are: 1) "17/Chihayaburu" + the scene where Kana explained it to Chihaya and told her that it's a poem about a bright red love" This poem however did not have a commentary, I believe that it's both because Kana's explanation was good enough for its meaning and this card's role is being explained little by little in the remaining part of the manga so it's saved for the end. 2) Next to Chiha, we find "57/Meguri aite" + the scene where Chihaya was studying in a train next to Kana and then mentioning this poem, she compares its story to her & Arata's relationship. The commentary is another & RECENT confirmation of Chihaya's romantic feelings for Arata (I asked a Japanese friend to make sure native fans also get the same meaning, and she confirmed it to me!) It makes perfect sense: Chihaya's feelings of "friendship" are not "unconscious", her admiration too, so this was a reference to other feelings she has for him that she didn't realize yet at that stage which can only be her romantic love that she discovered a bit more in the hospital scene. 3) "77/Se O Hayami' + the scene where Taichi receives Chihaya's message telling him that the last card read in her match was "SE" and Taichi recalled someone's words about asking fate for a chance to meet again (nothing indicates that they were Chihaya's words, so for me, it's either Taichi's thoughts according to what he already knows about the meaning or, they are Kana's words, I believe it's the latter, she explained it to them and all Mizusawa members know this meaning) This scene didn't mean to me more that what I saw in it, but with the new scene from chapter 234 (which felt so out of nowhere), I was waiting for a clarification, maybe something indicating that this is a card that Chihaya associates exclusively with Taichi for a meaningful reason? but this commentary clearly explains that: 1) Se is about the "TRIO", so every time two of them feel a distance , SE is used to remind us that they will meet again as part of the trio that promised to always meet (thanks to karuta). 2) in Taichi's scene, the meaning of SE is explored better as it highlights specifically the determination in the second verse of the poet's words to meet again (which seems to have caught sensei's interest) and making use of it to show Chihaya's determination too which is very "IN character" for her. This determination was drawn differently when Arata was the one who drifted away as Chihaya immediately decided to travel to Fukui and see Arata personally, and "SE" was not used then because it was saved for another scene where SE between them was hinted to have implications more than being "friends who are determined to meet again" and that was when Kana recited it as a love song when she saw Chihaya texting Arata before one of their early matches. 4) "40/Shinoburedo" + the scene where Kana compared Taichi's hidden love to the poet's. Clear as it is, like the commentary like the manga itself, this is a scene completely unrelated with Chihaya's feelings. 5) "43/Ai mite no" + the scene where Kana finds Chihaya seeing everything glowing after Arata's confession. I have no better words to show how this is about Chihaya's pure love for Arata than how the commentary itself said it. 6) "48/ KazeO Itami" + the scene where Chihaya cried telling Fukasaku sensei how she is the rock that crushed Taichi's feelings and Fukasaku sensei told her that she too looked like she could break. As we can see, this poem is about an unrequited love, exactly like Taichi's. And Chihaya is despairing because she sincerely does NOT have what the waves wanted from her, what Taichi desired, she DID NOT LOVE HIM back and even though she was the rock, but the waves hit her too and she was also under pressure that none maybe cared about but Fukasaku sensei highlighted it. Chihaya was also hurt by Taichi's feelings and how they couldn't be another chance for her to show her known care for him. she can't fake a love that is not there. |
iNameless_Jan 18, 2022 8:51 AM
Jan 18, 2022 8:49 AM
#27
Jan 19, 2022 12:27 PM
#28
Jan 29, 2022 4:59 AM
#29
Further to the previous post and to this one: Shinobu sees the poets, Chihaya sees her friends. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
for Chihaya, it's: "Every single one of them is given to me by someone else". In a recent interview on Twitter spaces, Suetsugu said that: "Chiha" for Chihaya is different from "Chiha" for Shinobu. The most important card for each character is different, so how to find the "Chiha" for Chihaya in an important game is a very important theme. Seeing the lost Chihaya, Arata advised her to leave Shinobu's arena and play her own karuta (Because Chihaya went deep into Shinobu's world and even started to see the cards the same way as her); Arata also mirrored Taichi and did the "MI-zusawa" call to remind Chihaya of her team which he learnt from few encounters gives her a great stability and strength. The next match Chihaya plays, there is a great focus on her friends' cards: 228: a reminder of how much Chihaya cares about Mizusawa. 229: - starts with this comment: "The path that led us here shines brightly now" (Chihaya's path is bright after what Arata did & the thought of her friends is again vivid in her mind) - Kana hoped that her card (60/Oeyama) gets read to help Chihaya (but it wasn't), - instead 34/Tare was read and she won by taking it after she told us that for her, Tare (and 16/Tachi) is Taichi (But 16/Tachi wasn't used instead because 34/Tare describes Taichi's place in Chihaya's mind better: a friend not a lover like 16/Tachi says) - Chihaya was clearly thinking that every card is given to her by someone else. (i.e. the cards are not only poems left by great poets (like Shinobu sees them) but they are gifts from friends, ways of being always connected with her friends because the cards for her are a way of making bonds.) 233: Shinobu was wining, Chihaya was considering her possibilities but placing 77 next to 24 to provoke Shinobu was no longer a choice because she decided not to upset Shinobu or the cards (which she made into friends like Harada told her in the past). She was in a pinch, she needed to do something and SE was attracting her attention and it was placed next to 20/Wabi Nureba - 71/Yu sareba. (Wabi expresses Chihaya's dire distress, she wants to meet "the salvation" at any cost and Yu Sareba tells about gentle knocks and autumn breeze coming in-in reference to the arrival of "the salvation". And ofc, while Chihaya remembers some of the teachings Taichi helped her with, he arrived at Omi Jingu. 234: - Chihaya noticed Taichi and thought "Taichi is here" then remembered when he said that his feelings might fade away and she was confused why she remembered that the moment she saw him there and we got again the panel with 20-71-77 while Chihaya was thinking "that's not it". Like in the TARE vs TACHI in 229, Taichi's arrival and Chihaya's happiness with it is NOT related to "romance". Chihaya was unconsciously worried that Taichi won't care anymore and won't come to watch her after his feelings fade away. and seeing him there made her realize that it's not true: She was in dire, she wanted to meet the other friend (who is very special yes but is also a part of mizusawa that she regained dedication to fight for, the "gentle knocks" were heard (Taichi's scent play nicely the role of these), and then he came in & the reunion in poem 77 happened!). Chihaya kept repeating: "That's not it" though, to keep this all about her connecting with Mizusawa, her friends who pushed her during her karuta path and Taichi for now is exactly that. We also notice that "34/Tare" is also there above the 3 cards to reinforce the meaning. - After sending "18/SU", splitting the s cards on her field, Chihaya moved "77/SE" into the middle of her upper row where it serves as a distraction to Shinobu which she succeeded in provoking because Shinobu lost her calm & started to wonder about poets (while Chihaya was seeing her bonds with her friends, Shinobu was looking for anything connecting her with these very ancient beings that are no longer in this life). Shinobu was troubled wondering about the cards’ voices and specifically Sotoku In’s whom she doesn’t know whether he is happy or angry, blessing or cursing them after everything she read about him/them since a very young age. While on the opposite side, Chihaya was having nice thoughts about SE, when she spoke about it with Taichi as they cleaned the club, She said that SE is one of Taichi’s best cards despite her wining it more than him, simply because as Taichi said, he likes it. - The reading of cards continues, the "S" sound was heard and Chihaya knew the right one & took "18/SU". This is an answer to Taichi's "message" from chapter 200: "Don't lose any S cards". That was also after Taichi said that his feelings might fade away and Chihaya realized that even if it's true, Taichi was always there, even her take just now was related to how he always supported her. Chihaya finally made peace with Taichi remaining on her side despite all distances. - She sent "SE". Shinobu was triggered and decided to "treat the cards as cards" instead of waiting for what they want and for them to call out to her and she took SE. Chihaya still couldn't take SE apparently because there is another meeting that should happen. That, we will have to wait and see about it. 236: - Chiha was a dead card, Chihaya thought that it won't help her or Arata and thinking about Chiha automatically led her to think about "Narihira" which never happened since Kana told her about its backstory. Then we see her breath and more hatching was used on Narihira's figure as if to say that it's pushed back This is important because it says that the image of the poets isn't persistent for Chihaya, when she breaths (i.e relaxes) that's not what the cards are about for her. - 60/Oe was read later, determined Shinobu took it and the three Mizusawa main members are shown, Kana more than the two others shocked that Chihaya lost her card (a hint that Kana's support will take another form later) - Another important moment is when Shinobu focused , for a split second, on Sei Shonagon's promise to go to her and grunt her the win if she can only take all the other cards before it's read, Chihaya snatched "13/Tsukuba" before Shinobu even realizes that Yamashio started reading it. Chihaya started to explicitly talk about the cards as symbols of her bonds/friends, that Oe is Kana, Tsukuba isn't Tsukuba's but Tsukue's. When Shinobu collected the fallen card (13) it was in the form of its poet but suddenly transformed into Komano setting the difference in the way the two girls see them clearer than ever and even showing that Shinobu herself is influenced by Chihaya's strength and started to see what she sees the cards as. - We also notice "11/Wata-ya" falling down with 13/Tsuku in reference to Arata's role to be referenced through the cards. - Chihaya later remembers Mizusawa while holding the cards thinking: "Two wins for mizusawa". Then she started to wonder about Shinobu's supporters. The cards for Chihaya are her friends and her friends are real but it's not the case for Shinobu. 239: - Kana takes her new role for Chihaya (board-girl), the blush on Chihaya's face few panels later says that she is definitely moved by seeing her that close to her during these tough times. - While Shinobu & Chihaya were exchanging their thoughts about how to make the future better, Kana is shown holding her card (60/Oe) while doing her best to perform her role efficiently (Maybe this is saying that Kana and her card are the same, whoever helps is fine) 240: - Shinobu's focus on the "poets" started to falter, She started to look more at Chihaya herself and think of both of them as "us". There is -again- a comparison between the support CHihaya has and Shinobu's involvement with the poets (which are once more ditching her and looking at her opponent instead). At that moment, Chihaya took Murasaki Shikibu's 57/Meguriaite and it was something she couldn't do before. She even sent her Sei Shonagon's "62/Yo o komete" as if to say that even this one isn't a real friend of Shinobu. and Indeed, the poets told her that she isn't special, they go to whoever looks interesting to them. - Here, Chihaya sends "CHIHA". I find it interesting that we are back to talking about Chihaya's goal as being: "To become Queen". Chihaya is totally engrossed in her goal to win as Mizusawa & to turn her club into a powerhouse right? Her being "particular" about wining this title was kind of denied by Kana in chapter 228, but now, it's brought up again with "CHIHA". This -I believe- is because becoming Queen is a personal/selfish desire of Chihaya which comes from meeting Arata the same as the Chiha card. 241: - Chihaya was too stressed that she can't forget the placement of the cards from her previous match, but hearing the "CHI" sound she directly went for the chiha she sent to Shinobu chan. Thankfully Arata's speed at sending 42/Chigi -na flying made her stop at the last second. (Arata's speed again confirms his ability to tell Chiha apart from the other Chi cards). And ofc there is a silent exchange between Arata & Chihaya, then watching him calmed her & organized her thoughts, the next card read is "69/Arashi" and she took it (it starts with Ara, i believe, in reference to Arata) with a cross-sweep too. The link to Arata is well clear that Taichi noticed it. As we can see, now Chihaya's vision of Narihira where Chiha is concerned is being corrected to replace it with the next "bond" Chihaya created through the hyakunin Isshu. Arata & Chiha. (In parallel, Arata's link with CHiha is also being explored bit by bit. I'll try to collect the data about it in the recent chapters in the next post.) |
MashimaTaichi_Jan 29, 2022 9:38 AM
Feb 14, 2022 6:33 AM
#30
Apr 6, 2022 7:36 AM
#31
MashimaTaichi_Apr 6, 2022 7:41 AM
May 9, 2022 2:28 PM
#32
Further to the previous post: I just wanted to add to your point, that it's not the first time that this happens - pretty much every time that Chihaya tries to put Taichi above her own needs, she thinks it's fine, but it's not, really.
• In the second year high-school tournament (chapters 88-91), Chihaya decides not to watch the Class A final between Arata and Shinobu in order to watch Taichi's match against Rion in Class B. She says to herself that seeing Taichi achieve class A is her priority, and there is no doubt she is very happy when this happens, but when it's finished and they go to the Class A match, something else emerges: Chihaya is actually scared to watch the match between Arata and Shinobu. She needs a little push from Sakurazawa-sensei to do so, and when she finally watches Arata play, she is blown away by the match, and she likens Arata's karuta to a spinning top like it's mentioned her namesake card - Chihayaburu. It was obvious that, in the end, watching Arata and Shinobu play was what she truly wanted to do (and Taichi knew this). • In chapter 200, in the Meijin/Queen qualifiers, she says 'I'm not good with Makino-san's reading. But it's fine as long as Taichi can pick up cards. It's fine.' - but her face looked nothing like she was fine. A few pages later, we see Chihaya taking the Wata-ya card, that's when she thinks she's starting to find her rhythm. • In chapter 234, Chihaya uses Se as an ukifuda against Shinobu, thinking it's one of Taichi's best cards, a card that he likes. Yet, she can't take the card from Shinobu - is it because she forgot the meaning of Se in her own journey? As Arata pointed out, Se was the card that started everything for Chihaya back in chapter 1, the first card she took from Arata, so maybe she needs to think about Se in the context of her own journey, like she did with Chiha? Se is still in the playing field in the 5th match, and it has already featured quite prominently in the 5th Meijin match, being passed from Arata to Suou, and now back to Arata. The build-up is there to be a big dual take, and I'm really curious to see how sensei is going to play it out. |
MashimaTaichi_May 26, 2022 9:26 AM
May 16, 2022 1:30 PM
#33
MashimaTaichi_May 26, 2022 9:26 AM
The desire to be loved is the last illusion. Give it up and you will be free. |
Jun 17, 2022 11:38 AM
#34
WHAT WENT THROUGH MY MIND WHILE I WAS READING CH245!! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The climax is the result of the matches? it’s the smile of what sensei calls the “Goddess of Victory”, right? Chihaya seems to be making the Victory sign with her hands so is this a hint that she will win? This is another beautiful illustration that will most likely be used for the back-cover of volume 49 in which this chapter is the last. The Lotus flowers in Chihaya’s hair might be a proof, Lotus flowers’ season in Japan is around mid-July to mid-August, almost the same time the volume will be released. It is said that Lotus flowers are also summer flowers, so sensei might have chosen them for this reason as she did before. Also, looking at the symbolism of this flower in Japan, I found: "purity of heart," "rest," "holiness," "eloquence," "serenity," "detached love," and "salvation." All of them seem very suitable for Taichi so what about Chihaya? or maybe I shouldn’t focus on symbolism for her because it’s only an aesthetic addition to fit the volume cover? And I can see the two butterflies on Chihaya’s obi. I personally react every time I see them & I wonder if sensei will continue their story in the remaining chapters: • Chihaya wore this obi first on 220, • in 221 Arata asked her about the HAKAMA and she cheerfully said that her sister brought it to her. • In 222, Chihaya we are reminded of when Chihaya said that she will fight in Urayasu only in her mother’s Kimono to remind us again how much it means to Chihaya that her sister brought her the Kimono. • in 225, Chitose woke up & decided to leave while Chihaya fell again to distress after she lost her 2nd match. • In 231, Chihaya was nervous after she got her 1st win against Shinobu she didn’t know how to contain herself, but then her mother pulled her hair and decided to redo it, Chihaya felt some ease at the touch, and when her mother mentioned that Chitose must be watching her on the net, Chihaya started caressing her obi where the butterflies were like a symbol of the 2 sisters on the kimono brought by the elder and worn by the younger one. • And finally on 232, the chapter starts with telling us that Chitose realized that she lost her pillow again then we are shown the players ready for their next game, Chihaya still touching the obi with butterflies… So will we get a ChihayaxChitose moment in the future? This time, “Chihayaburu” took Taichi back in time! while watching this fateful take, he was easily reminded of when Arata & Chihaya both said with faith that the other will become Meijin/Queen! Maybe back then, they sounded like childish words, and when Chihaya cried in frustration after losing to Shinobu for the first time, maybe that frustration proved to Taichi how much Chihaya was serious about her dream and how much it was real & tangible to her and for him too, it took a real shape. And now, now Taichi could see it with the same faith his two friends had when they said it back then about each other. The God knows who will win and at that moment, Taichi felt so close to that knowledge too which again felt so much like the faith of those two small children. They knew nothing back then but they still said it with such passion that felt like strong faith, like an unwavering belief, and that passion kept pushing them from that point to this very day, they lost sight of it sometimes but it’s finally back and once again, Chiha was the symbol! It was snowing outside just a few hours ago, but the cherry blossoms sensei used made this moment feel like spring maybe symbolizing how short is the life that fleeted from back then to now felt to Taichi or the trio, or maybe the “renewal” of Taichi’s feelings from that past too, the feelings he had when Arata told him “Nice one, Taichi!”: Harada sensei asked him if he will play Karuta, he said that he was busy but that acknowledgement from Arata gave him some self esteem he craved so much and he wanted to feel more of it, maybe now, while watching his two friends arrive where they wanted to be, he started to have that wish again, him too, he started to want to win what he craved back then! “FINALLY”! They both had this thought, both are drawn in the same page with this same phrase because they BOTH wanted to take chiha for a long time now, we know it clearly for Chihaya but we tend to forget that Arata who isn’t vocal or open about his deep feelings, told us in his match vs Harada that he obsessed over Chiha, and in his match vs Koishikawa that he also wanted to take “Chiha” but because “his” Karuta is not meant to change fate, he gave it up all together, he said that while in truth, everything around him was explaining that he was burying himself to revive the persona of Hajime Wataya but being around Chihaya started to crack that wall (and Taichi to some extent too) and he finally took it. He took it not prior to Chihaya’s take but alongside her and Sensei drew him with child Arata to remind us of when this particular passion started for him, this one that created a separate world for him, separate from Hajime sensei. Arata was always happy around his grandfather, but that was a very limited world that was bound to end once Hajime disappears and there is only so much Arata could have experienced around him, he needed a friend his age to enrich his world and Chihaya appeared, passionate and ready to play Karuta. And of course, the effect was mutual and as I said before, that passion of their younger selves was noticed/ appreciated/ encouraged/ pushed to grow mutually. This reminds me of how Hajime sensei was telling Arata to come play Karuta with him every time he finds him dejected after being rejected by his peers, Hajime didn’t tell him to go back & try again, while, when Chihaya told her classmates that none can defeat him in Karuta, Taichi was objecting and Chihaya argued, Arata was trying to ease the tension and end the incident with no fight, it seemed to me like what he learnt from his grandpa, to give up & leave but Chihaya’s strong personality pulled him in and made him step up for himself and he made that challenge that bewildered Chihaya in return. And the path that challenge set her foot on brought her here where she was smiling this wonderful smile now. Chiha is the 79th card! was there a countdown of cards like this before? or is it only because Arata said that he can keep taking until the 99th one? And once again, it’s so good to see Mizusawa’s reactions. Tamaru more than anyone for me, the girl with so much pride is now giving in to her admiration and happiness for Chihaya & Mizusawa. I’m also very glad to see Nishida’s attention and joy involving Arata, Nishida is my favorite male character in Chihayafuru after Arata and I’m really glad that he cares a lot about Arata that I wish for them to meet & interact more in the future. Meanwhile Taichi is reacting in a promising way. Taichi seems deep in thoughts and he doesn’t want his thoughts to be cut by the excited shouts in the room so he went outside under Sumire’s always caring & watchful eyes. Taichi thought that Omi Jingu is no longer his destination, but Omi Jingu seems to be making him dive deep inside himself to see what it really wants and not just to feel depressed when it feels hard to achieve, Taichi’s silent movements look very positive to me it’s strange, it makes me remember again how I always saw him & Arata different in the fact that Taichi was overly explained, his thoughts and dark feelings so loud, we could hear him tell himself again and again how miserable he is and it always felt too much to me, while on the opposite, Arata’s panels were mostly monologue-free, there were lot of deep staring & empty speech bubbles with only ellipses points, and at the end, Arata gets better on his own keeping the process kind of a mystery or a clear fact we fill in for ourselves based on his general traits and / or the details of his actions. I loved every bit of his panels and I love how Taichi is having some now too where I don’t feel like some complaining or painful thoughts are coming… And Shinobu chan seems angry, anger is also better for me than sadness, an angry person is motivated and is going to keep fighting! As for suo.. I don’t know, I hope he loses but as a legend with his head high and while having learnt a good lesson too! On the Meijin board, Chiha isn’t taken down yet. And aren’t TACHI & TAGO written in bold letters compared to the rest of the cards? TACHI is with Suo & TAGO is with Arata. Sudo is still worried. Suo reacted in time to Chiha, but his eyes are in the way, he missed because it was on the edge of Arata’s formation but the problem is not really only that because even 90/Misebayana then "80/Nagakaran" was read and Arata took it and from the edge of Suo’s formation too, Suo was distracted and unsure… Arata is really amazing I don’t know if everyone can see it? A year ago, Suo was literally “toying” with Harada sensei. Few months ago, Taichi & Sudo kept losing to him in their training sessions despite every progress they made, and few hours ago, Murao thought that everyone was wrong in assuming that Arata might survive Suo’s destructive effect on his opponents simply because until then and despite his eyes’ condition, Suo was still very strong and a Karuta genius. but now, he is a total mess! Arata is the real champion of Karuta in Chihayafuru! he plays such “monotone” Karuta as some see it but a “steady” one that grows sturdily, Arata really has a strong core in Karuta, Again, some of the genius words said in Chihayafuru is Suo’s words from chapter 150: “Although it’s called talent, I think of it as simply your speed of starting a fire until you have it burning, those with talent make the fire catch real quick but that alone doesn’t guarantee how strong your flame will be or how long it can keep burning” Arata started his fire not very quick still quick yes (because he wasn't very good from the start like Shinobu for example), but worked hard to keep it burning and with care! He never slacked and he did it with so much passion! now he is seeing the results and Suo too is seeing the results of not looking for new ways to keep burning his own fire other than using his eyes. “96/Hanasasou” is read, Arata took it too and is leading now, a 3 syllables card which Suo was supposed to be good at taking. And exactly, Suo’s problem is that he couldn’t use one of his “usual” methods in this match, he couldn’t shake his opponents focus. Arata is super focused because he knows what he wants to achieve, which cards he wants to take or give up, he is playing seriously and planned his game! Suo should be more careful since Arata told him he is ready for the 99th card, he is cooking something and Suo seems to be completely focusing on his eyes now and thus playing seems to him tough all together now! I ..probably don’t understand Karuta all that well but Hajime sensei said something that I find so good and in the short experience where I personally tried Karuta, I think Suo could have done something with that idea. On chapter 223 Arata remembered what his grandpa taught him: “The matter of having good or bad Karuta sense (which Arata is supposedly very disadvantaged in compared to Suo) is not how good your ears are, it’s MEMORIZATION! Having a card firmly in your sight and COMMITTING IT TO YOUR MEMORY” Back then Arata also took Hanasasou from Suo to prove that even if he doesn’t have the best hearing he can use other things, Suo too, if Suo prepared well, if he didn’t feel the “uncalled for” need to look down on Arata & to say it to his face and to take him seriously instead and prepare, Suo could have learnt how to commit the cards to his memory to take them from there without needing to see them at the time of the take like Kitazawa sensei (Or even like Taichi! does anyone else remember that Taichi took cards without seeing them and thanks to that he won 5 consecutive times against Chihaya? yes, it happened in chapter 12 when Komano asked them to play with the cards facing down, Taichi used his super memorization and beat Chihaya’s talent!) I’m not trying to take Suo’s eye condition lightly, I feel for him but the manga builds my feelings in several ways and the manga itself told me with many other facts that things would have been way different for him if he worked harder and more seriously because there is still hope for him, he can see a good part of what he needs to see from the field, he is good at manipulation, he is fast, he has super hearing, with a bit of training, he can use techniques that can improve his game greatly like “covering cards” (that he awkwardly tried in a previous match which help him) etc. Sudo took a sweat towel from Suo to wipe his tears, this guy is watching with his heart not eyes, Sudo is so loyal (though I laughed at Hokyou’s reaction + the referee too lol) I find these two pages heartwarming, I find Sudo who doesn’t fear to look embarrassing very nice and Sudo who doesn’t give up on Suo even nicer. Oh, and I find Kitazawa sensei even better! I always appreciate people who look at thing positively, those who focus on the bright side of things. Suo can still be really good, I wonder if the only thing he needs is some passion for Karuta and the will to keep playing. I hope the way Suo stares at Sudo is a sign that he will get his message and embrace the hope Sudo has for him and this much of faith & trust, Sudo’s feelings deserve to be cherished and turned into strength he can use to become someone who can smile as beautifully as Kitazawa sensei despite his illness. Sumire still being caring & supportive of Taichi … hm... the 1st thing that came to my mind after reading her words is when Taichi left Mizusawa due to Chihaya’s rejection. I personally wanted him to stay for the team to prove that he had in him something as strong for people other than his love for Chihaya, to come for his friends DESPITE his wound, that would have made him like a hero to me. But I concluded that he wasn’t as strong as I wanted him to be and Sumire just now wanted him to act on this fragile self. So which is better? Running away from what’s tough? or keep trying? But also, Sumire wanting Taichi to turn his head away is kind of hint that she -too- believes that Taichi has no chance in what he always wanted at least where he was looking at, Chihaya & Arata. Sumire used to encourage Taichi to try again and had some moments where she thought things like: “Chihaya likes Mashima senpai too” but now, it feels like after watching the matches till now, she thinks that it’s better for him to give up. KiraraChin said: Sorry for the double-post, just had another thought that I wanted to share too, about chapter 245. (sorry, I have a lot of thoughts!) Sumire's inner monologue: I know it's getting harder and harder to watch the stream. And I get how it's hard to continue being supportive. It's OK for you to look the other way, senpai I feel a lot of people are overlooking this: Sumire is very perceptive, and very good at reading between the lines and understanding the romantic undertones in a situation. E.g. she picked up on Taichi's feelings for Chihaya very quickly, she wasn't surprised at all when Komano confessed to Kana, etc. Sumire knows that, in many ways, Taichi is like that too, and one of the reasons he suffered so much is because he understood the romantic undertones in the way Chihaya spoke/thought about Arata. Hence, the line 'I don't like who you become when you think about Arata' in his confession. So, when Sumire thinks: 'It's getting harder and harder to watch', I think it's fair to understand like the Chiharata connection is becoming more and more obvious for those who are watching, are least for those who are perceptive like herself and Taichi. She goes after Taichi because she knows the old Taichi would notice this, and suffer. Instead, she finds the new Taichi, no longer dwelling on the Chiharata relationship, and instead focusing on the karuta aspect of it, doing practice swings because he feels inspired by the skill they are displaying. That's why she feels so relieved! Therefore, in my view, Taichi's development in this chapter is directly related to the deepening of Chiharata's connection, that is now so obvious that can't be ignored (but we know some readers will ignore it anyway lol) MashimaTaichi_ said: ...Taichi is no longer told to try harder contrary to the beginning (Kana urged him to get closer to Chihaya, Tsuboguchi told him he is mistaken when he said that Chihaya only cares for Arata implying maybe that she has deeper feelings that some maybe considered as romantic, even Haruka complimented him when he said he was CHihaya's boyfriend), now it feels that Taichi is told to let go, like for example when he said his feelings are fading away (or going to fade away), if Kana was still believing what she believed in the past she would have told him not to give up, but she only cried in defeat like she knows that's the only thing that could be done. Sumire too used to encourage and support him before like when she told him to confess after she saw Chihaya crying for him, and recently she accepted to go to the shrine with Chihaya per Taichi's request as if to help him keep making efforts for her, but as you said, watching the matches and the harmony in Chihaya's & Arata's takes that she might not know the meaning but she could see a bit of it through Taichi's envy, she thought that he can stop trying now.. it's close to what Chitose told him too, or close to what she advised him to focus on instead of what he is focusing on rn .... And the previous page had a theme that was cut to talk about Taichi and in a sense, I feel like Sumire wanted him to “close his eyes so that he stops seeing what hurts him”, it’s a bit like what Sudo seems to think Suo is doing: “giving up” and maybe a message will be sent by sensei to both Taichi & Suo in the next pages because I think Sumire & until a few moments ago, was like me, she had this image of a not very strong Taichi who shouldn’t confront what is hurting him and while she was always capable of understanding him & his deep pain, she might be wrong this time, hopefully!! because just now, Taichi didn’t look in pain! Definitely not in pain! Taichi’s mind seems to be filled with positive determination (look at his eyes!) or at least “reflecting” and Sumire is stunned, I love! I DO love these monologue-free pages!! Sumire’s face trying to take in the view of this kinda « new » Taichi. A Taichi brought by the Chiha take just now, He wanted to defend Chiha like Arata did, he wanted to attack for Chiha like Chihaya did, he watched the match as if he was really playing keeping track of the unread cards like “Chigi”! Taichi is really affected but this take and I think it’s an amazing way for sensei to highlight it’s importance. She did not describe the take itself through Chihaya & Arata but even a better way, she used Taichi who has been going in circles for years, tiuphing sometimes and falling other times, the Chiha take now summarized for him the path of “winning”, it’s the path Chihaya & Arata took where they embraced the passion they felt for Karuta, they embraced each other as factors that ignited this passion more & encouraged it, they embraced the hardships of training and trying all sorts of things for the sake of arriving here. What made Arata & Chihaya arrive here, Taichi wants it too. Such a beautiful face Sumire is making! for me, it’s full of relief. Taichi is not in pain, he is fine! and a not-miserable Taichi is such a beautiful Taichi right? I personally always wanted him to act like this after defeat, not to cry in despair but to think far ahead to when he comes back again after dealing with the reasons of his loss, more hope more determination and a shining goal ahead of him - just like ma guy Arata XD Cards are being taken in Omi Kangakukan and Taichi is « taking them” with the players, It is a clear parallel with Chihaya’s moment from chapter 27 after her defeat against Shinobu like a declaration that Taichi too found a dream that took a shape today. And here we go, the message sensei wants to send to both Suo & Taichi is being continued through Kitazawa sensei’s words: “as long as there is a tiny light towards what can be achieved, grasp it and fight!” While the message is conveyed, Hisakatano is read and ofc, he took it from Arata, 33 is one of the 2 syllable-cards that are 1 syllables for Suo, it was used in the 2nd match to prove Suo’s superiority, in the 3rd match too, Arata was using Hajime sensei’s strategy to stop Suo, but Suo defeated that by taking Hisakatano, in the 5th game, Arata thought that Suo was scary when he sent him this card, he soon sent it back to him but ended up losing it anyway and Suo proved once again that he is a very strong player. Suo can take Hisakatano after its 1st syllable thanks to his super hearing, and Chihaya is also blessed with the same hearing which made the take hers ofc! Sudo rushed to pick the card for Suo to officially take the role of “the person who will pick the cards for him to keep playing”, the person who will support him, and Sumire collapsed in relief, however I look at it, it looks to me like parallelism too, Sudo for Suo & Sumire for Taichi, both these people are the ones who want the most to keep the other two simultaneously blessed with what they are blessed with… And as much as Suo is surprised with Sudo’s behavior, Taichi is also surprised with Sumire’s strong tears.. but before he says anything, 9/Hanano, is read. Hanano, is Sumire’s poem, a poem about “watching in vain” like Sumire’s care for Taichi which is mostly from the sideline, it almost feels useless but is it? Taichi wondered if Chihaya took it and it felt like he said it without that deep sadness of the rejected lover that always accompanied him words about Chihaya, now he said it with a calm face, almost “healed” Sumire kept watching his side face and he looked really fine and I personally like this “fine” Taichi. Sumire answered to let us know that she too is watching the match closely, she also knew about the read & not-yet-read cards and how Chihaya would play, like a real teammate of Chihaya, Taichi’s face seems to be saying that he too is thinking this, Hanano is an irreplaceable Mizusawa member so “Thank you for joining the club”. Someone said the verb form used in Japanese kind of implied that Taichi is thanking Sumire for joining the club “for him” which is true, he was the reason she came in the first place and despite that he couldn’t reciprocate her feelings, she is still gained his respect and gratitude and he says it to her with this nice smile, Sumire should be over the clouds for just that, right? Yes, Sumire is seeing flowers now lol. I’m glad for her. (What kind of flowers are these I wonder.. they were used before somewhere, was it for Haruka? … hmmm…) “79/Akikaze” is read, Chihaya seems to have taken it under Tsukuba’s cheering, he insists that all A cards are his, his name is Akihito after all and Chihaya got closer to him when he first joined Mizusawa by helpin him take the A cards that he had difficulty with. Taichi heard the card read and also thought of Tsukuba, he is grateful for him joining too Taichi’s side face again, calm & looks content. The last paneling makes it seem that he shares these Mizusawa-related feelings with Chihaya.. makes sense, the president & the captain of the club, their sun & moon. And here is Chihaya after taking both their cards, seeing them both join her mental image of the room she feels stronger at, where she had the most fun playing Karuta. Chihaya is having such nice thoughts about these two, thoughts proving how observant and understanding she was of her team, how caring too. This page feels like goodbye to Mizusawa to me, as if Chihaya is entrusting this club to her juniors, trusting their ability to keep Mizusawa alive or even make it better. “60/Oe yama” is read, Kana’s card that Chihaya never took before from Shinobu chan (Shinobu is so attached to this poem by the genius female poet Koshikibu) Shinobu seems to have suffered befre she got the card! And Kana is upset, she has been reacting the same way every time Oe is read because Shinobu always took it. The other Mizusawa members also feel the same lol. But I’ll keep note that Kana says that Oto isn’t read either. Now only 2 cards left for Shinobu chan, Arata is leading and Chihaya is behind by 1 card. Harada sensei noticed that Chihaya isn’t making faults now, is it because she followed his teaching not to rely on her speed? or this is about how watching Arata calmed her and she remembered to do like him: to double check the remaining card with their new positions & the dead cards. Everyone is amazed with this 5th game too despite the fact that the players are very exhausted; the takes are still accurate proving the strength of these players- wait! did Shinobu just whisper to remind Chihaya to drink water? Wow! she definitely did, Chihaya heard and drunk despite what everyone might say (Even Sakurazawa sensei’s husband seems surprised that someone might act that “ungraciously” lol) Chihaya is refreshed after drinking and Shinobu seems satisfied with just that, really such bond made through Karuta, how can Karuta be uninteresting? how can “bonding through Karuta” be taken lightly? And Shinobu noticed a card that reminded her of her grandmother, a shining line she saw already, the reader read it right away! “6/Kasassagi” is read and Shinobu took it like a shooting star, a straight line to the card just like her grandma showed her before. Lady Wakamiya saw the take that Chihaya couldn’t follow! Chihaya is really wanted to take it she said, hn? she just lost Oe AGAIN, Kana’s card and she didn’t clearly say that she wanted to take it… I wonder what Chihaya feels about Kasassagi… Kokoro is loyal too, and it’s nice to see her celebrate these moments of pure strength that Shinobu the Queen shows, always associated with her title of a Queen, I wonder how stronger than “now” she will need to become to take back the title from Chihaya next year? Because I still want Chihaya to win this year! So Kasassagi is the grandma’s favorite poem and Shinobu kind of “gifted” her this take in the way she has shown her before to make this shiny line that looks like the kasassagi bridge in the sky of July. A bridge, such a nice choice sensei made because Shinobu & her grandmother are a bit far away physically and even as members of the same family they are really distant, but the take just now feels like it’s connecting them, just how can anyone say that bonding &communicating through Karuta cannot be done wonderfully? The commentators are shallowly jumping to conclusions aren’t they tsk, but good, their shock will make Chihaya’s win even better when she does… wow, I feel guilty every time I write this like Shinobu too should win, like I have no right to even imply her loss …. Only 1 card left, this is supposed to be a good thing for Shinobu but why is the background in Momo’s and Ise sensei’s panels that black hatching thing? is it worry, or just nervousness? Is Chihaya’s good game making them unsure of being as confident as the commentators? “46/Yura no to o” is read, Suo took it, seems that he could “defend it” to confirm Sudo’s words, it’s not over for him yet, he still can be very strong and Arata is already a champion of Karuta for holding his grounds against him. if Yura is a dead card in the Queen match, then the score remains, as for here, Arata has 3 remaining cards, Suo has one! Very close to the final result, I also think that the loss of a reigning Meijin /Queen might be heavier than the loss of a new challenger because of the heaviness of expectations going with the title But it should be less heavy if the challengers prove their worth right? Again with the countdown thing, Yura is the 91th card, Arata said that he can keep taking until the 99th, a 99th card is a card from the luck of the draw, did Arata calculate the takes and predict that the game will reach that stage? Yuu used to watch Arata’s matches more calmly, she used to see him do very good from the start and maybe never doubted his ability to win , now she seems very nervous, Fujioka east members are holding their breath! and everyone is cheering for Arata who is sharing these intense and very important chapters with the heroine! Arata is just so suited to be drawn for a climax! look at this beautiful & calm & face. the background behind him is light and expresses positivity, and his deep eyes are so focused, Arata is not worried, he seems like he knows perfectly what he is doing! And in contrast, the background in Suo’s panel shows uncertainty and /or worry. I know, the angle from which Arata is drawn is Suo’s perspective, Suo IS watching him & doesn’t like the way Arata is carrying himself since he discovered that his take of Chiha was planned. Sudo also noticed how desperate Suo is, how Arata made him desperate, now by moving Tago maybe the furthest possible from Arata, he hopes to stop him, (Tago is the only non-1 syllable card in play apparently because Tachi isn’t read yet too) Oooh, while Suo was worrying about Tago, “49/Mikaki” was read and Arata defended it in a splendid way! I can already see Fujioka members’ reaction nimated and I feel excited with them, and Murao & Kuriyama’s faces are priceless! well, they have all the right to feel so proud! Just look at Suo finally taking back his words from chapter 107, or rather, Arata made him swallow his words! The background behind Suo disappeared, acknowledging Arata’s amazing Karuta kind of dissipated his worry, Maybe, it’s what I hoped for before, that Suo found a worthy rival who will make him enjoy his time playing so that even if he loses, he will know that it’s not because he is an unfortunate or an unlucky sick person, but because his opponent, Arata, came prepared for him and played a top game this strong Meijin deserved. Meanwhile, Chihaya kept her top game too thanks to her source of strength, Mizusawa, 13/Tsukuba was read and Chihaya took it while relishing the fun of always having Komano & Nishida in the club, none wants this time to end, neither Chihaya, nor her friends. And again, I feel like this is a goodbye to Mizusawa, the original Mizusawa at least, starting from Taichi thanking the new members to these panels here.... It really feels like goodbye ... And now only Taichi & Kana didn’t join Chihaya’s image of the club room, Taichi left Mizusawa and Chihaya kept her distance as f respecting his decision, but he came for the Karaoki battle because he was still a mizusawa member right? So Chihaya will call him somehow? But for now, she is solely focused on Kana! The score for both games is 1-2 which means that Arata also took 13. We kniw that Chihaya defended it leaving “SE” in her formation. Kana took “tsuku” while shaking, it’s cute to think that in a way, she is holding on to her boyfriend Komano xD, though, I believe that for sensei, Tsukuba isn’t Komano’s card alone, it’s always about Nishida with him So Kana seems to feel that she is the only one whose card didn’t help Chihaya yet. Chihaya also seems hearing Kana’s thoughts & feelings and she wants to reassure her somehow, she learnt so much from her, it’s not only a card, all the cards light have a part of Kana for Chihaya because she taught her something about them, still for Kana’s sake, Chihaya kept chanting her name as if to call her card & she took 4/Tago, Chihaya gravitated towards it, like Kana explained it to her before, the concept of gravitation towards big things like mount Fuji What about Arata? after Suo put it so far away to protect it? Ooooooh, Arata took it! and I love this quiet but scary take!! Isn’t this exactly the way Suo took Ogurayama from him in chapter 242? Arata is returning the blow yosh! Chihaya’s thought about what she learnt from Kana about mount Fuji being a wasteland was continued here in this page as if to say that both Arata & Chihaya accepted mount Fuji the way it is and challenged its nature and decided to go for it no matter what. NICE! Even if these were Chihaya’s thoughts only, Suetsugu sensei is telling us in this page that Chihaya will not be there alone because Arata will go with her! And here I add the details @possession1981 collected because this has been written in episodes too and she could catch them: - In chapter 217, Chihaya was calling Arata in her mind to go together with her to the lofty peak of mount Fuji. - In 220, Chihaya lost her 1st match, she was reflecting on her loss and her thoughts were cut when she said: “The place I always longed for” in a spread were Arata was the reason she stopped thinking, and Arata won, she felt embarrassed, averted her eyes when he looked at her and felt like she was left behind, she felt a pain for betraying her own wish to go together with Arata to the top, Arata who seems already walking there. - In 231, Chihaya won her 1st match, but Arata lost so when she imagined herself ahead of Shinobu and walking on the wasteland, it felt scary and lonely. - In ch235, Arata took Tago fiercely as if to say that he will go to the top for sure, in 245, Suo took extra measures to prevent him from taking it, still Arata did as if he is really committed to go and Chihaya took it with that monologue that included both her and Arata to make the image again like she wished at first: To go to the lofty peak of mount Fuji TOGETHER WITH him! Aaaaaaaand, the 99th card!! Arata predicted a luck of the draw and we got a luck of the draw, a rarity in the Queen/Meijin series it seems, even Yamashiro Kyoko tan stopped in her tracks due to the surprise! But some readers also wondered if Suetsugu sensei won’t go for this possibility after current Meijin Kawase won his title with the luck of the draw! Now both Arata & Chihaya have two cards left, but they have to send one first, Se vs Tachi, Se has a long story going on for both Arata and Chihaya/Shinobu and Taichi who didn’t yet come to Chihaya’s mental club-room can be behind the Tachi card, many possibilities but we can only wait to see what sensei will do. whatever it is, I personally look forward to see how sensei will conclude the story of SE in Chihayafuru and to see what’s the deal with Sotoku In & Shinobu. |
Jun 26, 2022 4:27 AM
#35
My thoughts on why Chiha disappeared for Arata and Chihaya and why it came back - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I just wanted to share my thoughts regarding Arata and Chihaya’s emotional processes around the Chiha card, and what their recent dual Chiha take means in terms of their relationship. I know that a different analysis re: the disappearance of the Chiha card has already been posted in this thread, but I wanted to share my own view, from a slightly different angle: while I agree that Chiha represents Chihaya’s first dream of becoming Queen, I think there is also another layer to it, which relates to Arata and Chihaya’s love for each other and their desire to be together. I was re-reading chapter 26 and it’s interesting to look at it knowing what we know now. Chihaya was facing Shinobu for the first time in the high school individual tournament, and really struggling and thinking there is no way she can take even one card. Then, she remembers it’s not the first time she faced someone so strong, she had faced Arata before and was able to take a card from him, ’Se’. She then recovers and manages to take her first card against Shinobu, ‘Fu’, and then subsequently takes ‘Chiha’. We can see, then, very clearly, the connection between Arata -> her 12yo self > Chiha. It’s interesting to note how, just in the previous day, Arata had come to the Omi Jingu, and despite the fact that she wasn’t feeling well, they had shared a moment and he had left the box of sweets saying they would meet in a match. She was, therefore, feeling connected to Arata through his presence and promise that he was coming back to the karuta world. Why, then, Chiha disappears later? We can find a clue on chapter 114, when Chihaya watches the Meijin qualifiers between Arata and Harada-sensei. We can see how she recognises that her elementary school self - that we now know is Chiha - would be fully backing Arata. However, she can’t forget her middle school and high school self who got so much support and guidance from Harada-sensei. That’s just life and, as we grow, things become more complex: we form new relationships and alliances, the web of our lives become more intricate and that can take us in different directions. It’s like the exhibition said: sometimes life becomes so busy that we don’t have time to catch up with an old friend. As for Arata, he blames his defeat on being obsessed about the Chiha and Fu cards, thinking that his grandpa wouldn’t approve of it. At this point, we can see he’s still under his grandpa’s shadow, and not allowing himself to be his own person. It’s interesting to note how he confesses to Chihaya soon after that: talking to Chihaya brings him back to himself, to his own memories of the time they spent together, and his love for her emerges and finally gets voiced. It’s when he realises he needs ‘love, love, love’, he needs to feel his feelings. This makes it clear there is a dichotomy inside Arata: on one hand, the desire to honour his grandfather’s legacy. On the other hand, the desire to be himself, which is closely linked to his desire to be with Chihaya. Fast forward to the third year high school tournament, and what could have been a great occasion for Arata and Chihaya’s relationship (finally able to play each other as a team), is overshadowed by the pain of Taichi’s absence, which affects both of them. Arata had formed his team so he could finally play Mizusawa, but what he finds is an incomplete Mizusawa, with Chihaya undertaking both the roles of leader and ace at a huge personal cost. They do play each other, but it isn’t a satisfying game for neither of them: Chihaya is only focused on the team, while Arata ‘plays as usual’, fixating on the past - they played but they couldn’t reach each other emotionally because they were carrying too much emotional baggage. It’s not a coincidence what brings Chihaya back is the acknowledgement of ‘Chiha’ as a dead card. Again, we see how she goes back to her 12yo self after Chiha gets read (happy to see both Taichi and Arata there), but it’s a fleeting moment, leaving a sense of dissatisfaction which leads her to ask for a rematch the following day. The rematch ends up not happening, and it’s interesting to note her face when she realises that Chiha had helped Kana and Sumire, but not Arata: In the Eastern Representative tournament, Chihaya sees that Chiha helped Taichi, and she thinks she’s glad but her face doesn’t seem glad: Chiha continues to be a dead card for her, and that makes her suffer. In the Western representative tournament, Arata had received back Chiha from Koishikawa, but he had decided not to target it, and Koishikawa committed a fault reaching for Chiha instead of ‘Chigiri’. We see, then, the establishment of a pattern: Chiha helps Taichi, but not Arata and Chihaya. Why? I will not go into what Chiha represents for Taichi now, but to me this shows that Taichi’s Chiha is different from Arata and Chihaya’s, his struggles are different and for him Chiha is part of his own, separate emotional process. This is even clearer in the Western/Eastern qualifiers, when once again Chiha helps Taichi, but not Arata and Chihaya. Taichi’s Chiha’s take, while very beautiful, wasn’t enough to reconnect Chihaya to ‘Chiha’, as she points out when she’s training with the former Queens: Then the Queen and Meijin matches come around, and once again Chihaya and Arata face their own struggles: Chihaya is hyper-focused on understanding Shinobu, and still not sure where her friendship with Taichi stood, feeling like her team was incomplete. Arata was still borrowing strength from his grandfather. Neither of them was connected to their inner selves, and they both acknowledge that Chiha wasn’t helping them: So, what made Chiha come back? In my opinion, the fact they finally managed to come to terms with their own emotional issues during the first four matches helped a lot, but the turning point was this: Arata wearing Chihaya’s tasuki, the visual confirmation that, after a long road in which they both battled their own demons, they are finally together, they are finally re-connected through their shared passion and the dream they established as children. It’s not a coincidence that Chiha re-appears soon after, and the view from Arata’s back wearing her tasuki is a prominent feature: As for Arata, wearing and touching her tasuki means the reassurance he is finally free to be himself: Therefore, connecting to each other is also connecting to their inner selves, because that’s the very basis of their relationship: as kids, they shaped each other lives and saw each other in a way nobody had seen before. Arata gave Chihaya the passion for karuta, a place where she could shine and show her talents away from her sister. Chihaya gave Arata the space to be himself, and not the Meijin’s grandson. Their connection is such that, the more they are connected to each other, they more they are connected to their innermost selves, and their own passion and strength. Because of this, they were able to finally take Chiha together. |
MashimaTaichi_Jun 26, 2022 11:07 AM
Jul 12, 2022 6:39 AM
#36
Things sensei said (1) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"People were very impressed with the scene where Arata’s father was struggling with his emotions, and to that Suetsugu-sensei responded “Maybe he was trying to give up, maybe he was serious. Some people will get ignored completely, and you will be kicked out if you don’t have what it takes. You can’t half-ass it, you need all or nothing. It’s tough.”
You can’t be together unless you are somewhat at an insane level. Can’t say for sure if it was a good thing that Arata was at that insane level.
Harada sensei is based on a real person, Maeda-sensei who is the chairperson of the Fuchu Shirotaekai and even though Maeda-sensei has three kids, none of them played karuta.
His feelings were way too strong, in his mind “let’s play karuta because it’s fun!” was not good enough, if you were going to play karuta you had to become a professional. You had to share the same level of passion if you want to be with him, Arata’s grandfather is like that.
Chihaya and Taichi are much easier to draw/write. Suo and Sudo-san are hard. I don’t want to add too many lines but I make sure they are good-looking. In the case of Sudo-san, you can see the character’s improvement over time, you see them changing slowly. You fail to see their changes and depth unless you pay attention. They are pure. I’d love to draw a purely evil character someday. I also tried drawing Arata’s grandfather when he was young, but then I drew his eyes too dark and I changed him to Sudo-san halfway through. I ended up not writing about the grandfather in the end. I think I’ll be too nervous to draw Hajime’s younger-years episode." Credits to @possession1981 for the help in translating this. |
Jul 12, 2022 6:40 AM
#37
Jul 12, 2022 9:01 AM
#38
What would Chihaya talk about with Arata if he was close? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
According to Japanese fans, Suetsugu sensei commented on this scene Saying that in fact, the last words are Chihaya's and not Arata's. Chihaya is the one who says that she doesn't want Arata to be this distant god but a close friend. Later, we learnt that she did not stop writing to Arata like she always did despite feeling the distance as if she wanted to erase it. So what was Chihaya telling Arata in her mails? Everything! in Chapter 18, Arata checked his e-mail and found a bunch of emails from her where Chihaya told him all sorts of things that happened with her: starting with what we all expected: "karuta" to her tests, to her mood, Harada sensei's mood (aka how she spends her days at Shiranami), she told him about leaks in her room, SHE EVEN SENT HIM PICTURES OF HER ROOM! She talked to him about her Hakama too (maybe that's why Arata always paid her hakamas a special attention) In many occasions, Arata proved to be someone who is good at reading people (Like sensing Taichi's cowardice as a real problem and not as a one time thing bc he mentioned it again after they met in Fukui, knowing directly that Taichi was lying about his height, knowing that Taichi won his A class title without hearing a word from him & just from his expression, Knowing what Shinobu waned to say when she gave him the tasuki even when she couldn't speak her mind, feeling Chihaya's need to sense Taichi's presence and doing the "MI" call etc), so with everything Chihaya shared about herself, we can only deduce that Arata is not ignorant about Chihaya's personality and life in general. |
Jul 18, 2022 11:29 PM
#39
Hey everyone, I hope it's OK to post this awesome analysis from Haley @aWorthyRival on Twitter. Here's the original link of the thread, which has been liked by Yuki Suetsugu herself, as well as her good friend Tarareba. #chihayafuru 246 analysis: The visual language's love letter to the trio. A thread. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1) MIRRORING Sensei created unity between Arata & Chihaya's panels by drawing them w/ the same framing & expressions. This adds tension, as we wonder if they'll be able to stay on the same wavelength & win together. Later on, a key moment about Taichi is what keeps this pattern. 2) A RULE OF THREE Sensei put an emphasis on a pattern of thirds: we got three sections of SE memories, three callbacks of their name cards, and two key instances of splitting the panels into three main sections. All of it keeps three in our minds and further symbolizes the trio. 3) BLURRING + THE FOCAL POINT In the establishing-the-dream memory, Sensei blurred the two of them out while keeping Taichi in focus and centered. This shows that they're reframing the memory by remembering his presence in it. The focus is solely on him & his importance to both 4) A COMBINED THOUGHT In the third section of the page, Sensei put the thought bubble over the line. It takes up space in both Chihaya and Arata's similarly framed panels. This manga convention shows they're thinking the same thing: "since the beginning, he's been by my side" 5) A CHILD RETURNS HOME What makes the key visual so satisfying is that sensei set up Chihaya & Arata connecting to their child selves. It is Taichi who's been disconnected from his child self. His inner child joins theirs, in touch with his passion for karuta and his friends. It is through Taichi's love for them that he's able to return & through their love for him that they're able to win. Taichi keeps them connected in one thought and one final key action. With these beautiful visual details, the love letter to the trio & their bond is complete. |
MashimaTaichi_Jul 19, 2022 1:56 AM
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