Yay, time for another series review. Chihayafuru began airing in Fall 2011, and it’s a very shoujo-y type of series, but it does have a rather unconventional protagonist considering the genre. The eponymous heroine, Chihaya, looks really pretty and graceful…
… ‘as long as she doesn’t move or talk’.
Making the skirt + sweats look work since 2011.
It’s hard to show Chihaya’s quirks with just a screenshot, but suffice to say I find her really adorable and endearing.
This series review is perhaps a bit different from the other ones I’ve written, in that Chihayafuru is a) still ongoing (which reminds me, I should probably write one for Mawaru PenguinDrum; it’s a series I’m in love with, probably more than SKU), and b) it has no yuri whatsoever.
Not that it’s particularly surprising, since I’ve yet to see a non-villain (or really, even a villain) yuri character in shoujo… uh, apart from Haruka and Michiru, of course. And, uh, Seiya? I never watched the later seasons so I’m not entirely sure. BUT I DIGRESS.
Anyway. So this series is about karuta, this Japanese card game that Chihaya was introduced to in her childhood, and she becomes deeply interested in playing it competitively, and it’s basically about the trials and tribulations she has to face in getting her childhood friends to play again, to get enough members to form a karuta club, to win the prefectural qualifiers, and for her club to test their mettle against other top players in both a team and individual tournament. (It seriously sounded like Saki for a moment there.)
If I had to describe it, I would probably say Chihayafuru‘s this blend of tournament style series that you usually see in shounen series, but with a rather shoujo focus on it. It might be fair to say it’s like the shoujo version of Hikaru no Go rather than, say, Yugioh, Saki, or Shion no Ou (this was a really, really crappy series — the only redeeming point was Paku Romi), for example.
I’m also really pleased that it’s a 26 episode adaptation instead of being rushed or given a lame non-ending.
And now, back to the ‘rather shoujo focus’. What does that mean exactly, you say? Well, hello, Two Guys and a Girl TV trope! What are you doing here? A love triangle with an oblivious protagonist being the object of both guys’ affections (sort of)? Why, yes! Oh, and it also means there’s less action, less yelling, and more pretty art for me to look at.
I love pretty animations. (Which was why I was in incoherent speechlessness when I first saw the quality Aoi Hana was animated at.) And who are they trying to market this to, having it air at 1 am? I’m confuzzled.
Oh, and note to anyone who cares — if you’re allergic to defensive fangirls, you should probably not look up Chihayafuru episode synposes since I just wasted five minutes of my life reading defensive comments why Arata is better than Taichi, and why Taichi should burn in a fire and die, just because I was looking for screenshots of my faaavourite character in Chihayafuru. <3
For those of you who’ve been following the series, can you guess who it is?
Wakamiya Shinobu, of course!
IMAGE SPAM, GO!
The first time we see her. She just leaves a wonderful first impression.
A thousand times yes.
She’s so mysterious and refined, right?
Well, prepare yourself for some GAP MOE!
Did I mention she speaks in a lilting Kyouto-ben? It automatically makes me think of Shizuru, and it’s probably a real Kyouto-ben (like with Shindou Naomi) as both seiyuu are from Kyouto Prefecture.
Hm, I’m sure everyone’s used to my posts devolving into personal fangirlingness, but let’s return back to the series review part of the post.
While I wouldn’t say Chihayafuru is an exercise in amazing masterpieceness, it’s a series that I find very enjoyable. The story is not as contrived as your average anime series (totally normal, plain, bland dude surrounded by a bunch of really attractive or moe girls who are all drastically different and fit into different archetypes for a various number of reasons) and I feel invested in what’ll happen to Chihaya and the rest of the gang next.
It also makes two very distinct genres blend and work together quite well — the tournament style and shoujo blend I mentioned earlier. The first several episodes (maybe 5 – 8 of them? Wild guess.) are on building the relationships between the various characters and on forming the karuta club, and there’s a marked absence of showing the grueling training or anything non-karuta (noticeable and huge time skips from one place of interest to the next — e.g. they’ll say they start training for a tournament a week away, and ten seconds later they’re at the tournament), so you should probably take that into account if you’re considering or toying with the idea of watching it.
The yuri goggler in me is also seeing potential shippability between Chihaya and Shinobu as well. I guess it’s not too much of a spoiler to say that Shinobu’s the Queen — in other words, the best female karuta player in Japan. And since this is only really a game that’s played in Japan, you could say Shinobu’s the best female karuta player, period. Chihaya is aiming to become the Queen, so there’s the competitiveness going on (the most recent shot of Shinobu, you know, the one of her being all Shizuru, is Shinobu’s reaction when Chihaya takes a really hard-to-take card from her).
Of course, any shippability is purely imagined, since there is, I repeat, no yuri in this show. But it’s still fun. And I so ship Chihaya x Shinobu now. Or should it be Shinobu x Chihaya? I can’t decide! I definitely like this ship more than Chihaya x Kanade though. Give me more Kyouto-ben already! (屮゜Д゜)屮
The yuri goggler in me is also seeing potential shippability between Chihaya and Shinobu as well.
This is relevant to my interests.
=P Seriously, how integral to the story is the love triangle between Chihaya and the two guys mentioned previously? Is it necessary to divorce the fic from canon completely to make it work? Or could Chihaya’s obliviousness to them be shown to be a symptom of her rampant lesbianism?
Well, you see, <obviously detailed spoilers> Chihaya is so completely Oblivious to Love. Taichi (Dude #1) is outright canonically interested in her, while Arata (Dude #2)’s feelings are a lot more wishy washy and open to interpretation. Dude #2 is really srs bsns about karuta (he was the one who taught Chihaya to love the game), so you can either interpret Dude #2′s feelings as some sort of interest in Chihaya or just him being really into karuta. Regardless, due to Chihaya’s obliviousness, she is not aware she has two potential love interests vying for her affections, as all she cares about is karuta. (Of course, there is mild ship teasing between Chihaya and Dude #1 — you know, accidental closeness and the two of them blushing, maybe twice in total so far, which really feels out of place since Chihaya’s so bloody oblivious the rest of the time.)
And since Shinobu is *the* best female karuta player, Chihaya is naturally interested in Shinobu (in a karuta capacity) and wants to defeat her etc. etc. Chihaya alternately fears, is in awe of, and wishes to best Shinobu. So, in short, current (anime) canon would not rule out Chihaya x Shinobu at all, but the genre itself kills any chance of official affirmation.
As to Chihaya’s obliviousness to be a sign of her gayness, I would rather say Chihaya’s Oblivious to Love to the point of being asexual. Or she’d be karuta-sexual, if she could. (Which is the only reason why I even ship Chihaya x Shinobu, since it could be Foe Yay with crack yuri goggling.) Oh, and the cute thing is, other than karuta linking the two together, they’ve both got the fashion sense of a rock (or, that of a five-year-old girl). Shinobu’s *just* discovered Chihaya likes the same sort of ‘fashion’ that she does.
To explain: Shinobu is extremely upset that Chihaya took five cards from her when they played each other, and vows that she won’t let her take a single card next time. (To put it in context: Chihaya lost by twenty cards.) But Shinobu pretends to be all ^_^ when Chihaya shows up, and to break the silence Chihaya mentions how she thinks the shirt Shinobu’s wearing is cute. Shinobu reacts that way because everyone *else* just talks behind her back and says she has the fashion sense of a rock.
Oh, and we just stay on the third panel for several moments while Chihaya is all flustered, seeing Shinobu. Clearly, that sort of thing sets of my crack goggling.
(Note that current interpretations are only valid up to and including ep 15.)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! Full on Love Bubbles in panel 6?! That sequence seems a bit more than just crack yuri goggle time. But… I get ya. The chances of the show taking the third way are extremely remote but if the interaction between Chihaya and Shinobu is interesting and possibly sometimes diverges away from being all about karuta then that can only be a good thing. Also, moe!Shinobu is definitely cute without being OTT saccharine.
Well, it’s kind of like seeing Pete x Myka in WH13. I think Chihaya x Shinobu is similarly cracky in that respect — you know, like how there’s “material to work with” but it’s actually characterising a completely different type of relationship, far removed from the Will They Or Won’t They BST type of thing.
They would be good for one another though, you know. Chihaya and Shinobu, I mean. Chihaya’s already shown us how Defeat Means Friendship is done (with Dude #2), and there really isn’t any animosity (from Chihaya toward Shinobu, at least). More like honest, straightforward determination and a good dose of frustration at the skill level difference between them.
P.S. I am rather slow, so I *just* realised what you meant by saying ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’…
Well, it’s kind of like seeing Pete x Myka in WH13. I think Chihaya x Shinobu is similarly cracky in that respect — you know, like how there’s “material to work with” but it’s actually characterising a completely different type of relationship, far removed from the Will They Or Won’t They BST type of thing.
Right. Whereas Pete and Myka’s snarky banter has always been sort of… how do I put it? Just on the surface? It’s not… meaningful. Unlike Myka and HG where there is a frisson there. The constant eyesex has a lot to do with that.
They would be good for one another though, you know. Chihaya and Shinobu, I mean.
That seems to be a staple of a lot of shows, both western and Japanese. They never go with the pairing that would actually be good for each other. They always go for the one with DRAMA! potential. I suppose that’s to be expected. The girl will always go with the bad boy first and a lot of times won’t even end up with the other guy either because the new guy in town will show up halfway through the season. =P Switch pronouns as appropriate.
P.S. I am rather slow, so I *just* realised what you meant by saying ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’…
Well now you know. =]
Right. Whereas Pete and Myka’s snarky banter has always been sort of… how do I put it? Just on the surface? It’s not… meaningful.
A lack of romantic chemistry, I guess? I never really understood the promos that took the misleading footage from Alice and Pete’s kiss as evidence of Myka and Pete’s “chemistry” with one another. (Why mould a unique show back into one that’s as trite and unoriginal as hell?)
Oh, and if you’re interested: the newest episode, episode 16 of Chihayafuru, is a filler/recap episode, and there’s this part where one of Chihaya’s classmates asks her, “If you had to pick someone from the karuta club, who would you go with?” (The Japanese verb used was 付き合う, which can be used to mean both a) someone spending time with someone else in a way far removed from romantic, and also b) dating someone.)
Chihaya presumably assumes it’s meaning A since she’s (karut)asexual, and answers by naming a girl in the club.
Being a shoujo (and therefore heterosexist) series, the classmate frustratedly asks, “Which of the guys would you pick? You can pick outside of the karuta club if you want!”
Then Chihaya’s all “…” before she says, “Do you want a serious answer?”
Classmate: Yes!
Chihaya’s face brightens to a :D!!
Classmate: NEVER MIND. I DON’T WANT TO KNOW.
It’s heavily implied Chihaya was about to name her karuta mentor — a married dude in his 40s or 50s. It’s also heavily implied that Chihaya doesn’t even think about romance, since when asked directly if there’s anyone she likes (好き suki), she answers with the aforementioned karuta mentor.
Oooh we could have a whole discussion about heterosexism and heteronormativity and why I never assume anyone’s sexuality unless it’s directly stated and even then I allow for things such as being in the closet or lying to spare themselves the bother or any number of things.
You should see some of the “evidence” folks on the BioWare Mass Effect boards use for why certain characters can’t possibly be made available for same-sex romancing in the third game… ridiculously illogical…
Yeah, I’ve learnt not to try and argue with people who’re prejudiced/bigoted/homophobic and aren’t comfortable enough to admit they’re prejudiced/bigoted/homophobic. All those justifications and reasons why they’re right and why they can’t possibly be P/B/H.
And it’s refreshing, that you don’t assume anything about anyone’s sexuality. I try to avoid heterosexism with kids, especially small children. But it’s kind of hard when the language one usually uses is more along the lines of “mommy” and “daddy” instead of “parents” or other possible gender neutral words.
And it’s refreshing, that you don’t assume anything about anyone’s sexuality.
Well, the way I figure it there’s no real point in assuming anything. Firstly, it’s not really any of my business unless I find the lady appealing and intend to make that known. Secondly, it makes no difference to me personally or socially what anyone’s sexuality actually is. It wouldn’t change my opinion of them or how I interact with them besides the aforementioned intent to proposition or response to being propositioned. Thirdly, even unbidden, such information comes up in conversation whenever you spend a sufficient length of time with someone, given the first point above etc, and if it doesn’t it’s likely because there are other reasons making it irrelevant anyway such as neither party being interested in the other anyway.
As for kids and interacting with them, you are either in a position to know beforehand, i.e. you are in some position of trust with respect to care of the child, or one or more of their parents are in attendance, or when that’s not the case it’s simpler saying “your parents” as opposed to “your mom and dad”. Although you run into occasions with single parents where the plural is an issue.
Shion no Ou did have some annoying characters, but I thought the show was pretty good overall. I really liked Ayumi, and thought Ayako Kawasumi was fine as Shion too.
Oh, Paku Romi voiced Ayumi, so we agree on that front, I should say. :D
And since Kawasumi’s a veteran, and a solid technical seiyuu at that, it kind of takes more to wow me than average (or even slightly above par) performances. It’s not like she got to say much either, though, since, you know.
I thought the backstory behind the whole game was rather lacklustre, to be honest. I would prefer a series actually about shougi rather than one that feels like it has to rely on having some traumatic memory or mystery to make it ‘more interesting’, but of course, YMMV.
I’d have to disagree on the lacklustre premise; I thought the murder mystery element was an interesting addition to the usual shounen “sports”, ala Hikaru no Go/Slam Dunk, formula. Or perhaps it could be seen as adding a sports element to a mystery show. I also really liked the Yasuoka family scenes. In most anime series, the protagonist’s family barely rate a mention or are an afterthought, whereas Shion’s family scenes are genuinely heartwarming. Her shougi match with her adoptive father was really good too.
While I would prefer a straight-up ‘sports’ series to be sports-only in general, I’m not against the idea of adding something else to it if done well. (Case in point: Chihayafuru‘s shoujo slant.)
But the idea of having both your parents brutally murdered in front of you when you were a child, leaving you psychologically traumatised and mute is… cliché, at best. And having a shougi piece left at the scene and that being the only clue to finding the murderer, you know. Don’t know how many mystery/detective stories you watch/read/consume in other manners, but since I’m a mystery buff, Agatha Christie fangirl, and have watched about 97% of all of the Detective Conan episodes + movies, and am up to date on the manga… I’ve seen my fair share of mysteries. Not, unfortunately, all of which were necessarily original.
Though honestly, it’s been so long since I watched Shion no Ou (I marathoned it in the span of a few days back in 2008) that I can’t say I remember Shion’s family scenes or her shougi match with her adoptive father that well. I do agree that protagonists’ families rarely factor into the story for a lot of anime series (often they’re done away with either as working abroad, abusive through negligence, passed away, or simply not mentioned) that it is refreshing to see them part of protagonists’ lives in certain cases.
I mentioned the family angle not only because it was rare in anime, but also because the series used Shion’s close relationship to her father to great effect in their shougi match. Yasuoka’s tension between his love as a father and pride as a professional shougi player in their first official match added extra drama and nuance to that arc.
All of this is getting way off topic from Chihayafuru though, lol!
Aw, no worries, I’m the queen of tangential digressions and non sequiturs myself, so I can hardly expect commenters to “stay on topic”. And your thought was sparked by something in the post in any case (my throwaway comment on Shion no Ou)!