Anime Review: Chihayafuru (not a pro review so go away)

((May contain spoiler so go away))

((disclaimer: I don't own the pictures))

(((I'm just a fan okay so shut it)))

I feel bad being this rude not to write more detailed information about this anime (too bad this is not goodreads hiksu). I mean you can always find them in Wikipedia right. But I will do give brief (the super subjective ones) information due to my respect towards the authors. orz　

• Title: Chihayafuru (ちはやふる). It has no literal meaning so you have to watch it til the very end to understand it hahaa.
• Author + Illustrator [manga]: Yuki Suetsugu. You can check out the rest writers and directors of the anime on Wiki-san.
• Genre: Drama, romance, and sports (karuta)---says the Wiki-san (which I don't quite agree). As for me, Chihayafuru has sports (kaaaruta bakkari lol), slight drama especially on the karuta match (I mean a sport anime without drama is like watching a regular match right), and friendship genre. Chihaya makes this anime becomes notso romance after all lol. Basically it's all about karuta.
• Err what else
• C-can we go down on the review?
• Thank you very much.

So! I don't feel obligated to write you the summary so just read it on Wiki-san OR watch it instead! Yay.

Okay where should I start,

You'll see the heroine is a dumb-honest and cheerful high-schooler who has a model-like body posture but notso good at academic thingy. A typical shoujo manga heroine. No wonder they put 'drama' in its genre. BUT, I can tell that Ayase Chihaya is different. Because she loves karuta! And no girl in shoujo manga in their right mind would love karuta! HO HO! They'll consider karuta as a lame sport since you'll have to memorize one hundred traditional japanese poems (百人一首) to be able to play this game. It's not like Chihaya is a literature lover (that'll go on Oe Kana-chan), she had no dream and nothing particular to interest to when she was just a sixth grader. Instead, her first motivation on playing is quite simple and naive; Wataya Arata. Shyuu shyuuu~ I can tell that you just smell some romance. But, it's not like what you're thinking (even when I don't know what you're thinking) (anyway, I don't even know whom I am talking to right now. Geh.). Arata introduces her to karuta and encourages her to become a Queen (of karuta of course). But that's all. Her love to karuta grows stronger with or without Arata. She is a very lovely character, I must remark. I wish I could be that passionate on reaching my goals like Chihaya does. I wish I could be a dumb-honest chocolate eater whose spirit is impassioned. For me, people who put such passion on something they really like are the most beautiful kind of people. Chihaya makes me want to try a little harder on whatever I'm fighting now. I had my planned subjects for the next semester done while watching her. Te-he I show off already. Sorry not sorry.

Speaking of the heroes (yeah, there are two of them), we have Wataya Arata, a megane-kyun who has freaking incredible skill on karuta, and Mashima Taichi, the hottest guy in school who masters any academical subjects and any sports. Have I mentioned that Chihaya, Arata and Taichi are childhood friends? Yea, and they make the best love triangle I've ever seen but since our heroine is clueless about almost everything but karuta, so the love thingy is not a big thing. It is easy to determine that Chihaya likes Arata better (woopsspoiler!), but Taichi is a super great character. I can see myself in him especially the way he thinks and manages the match. Here I claim Mashima Taichi as my fictional twin after Katniss Everdeen huohoho!. He has awesome skill that frightens me, yet the author wisely puts him in B class (of karuta of course) until the latest episodes. He is perfect but his weakness plays a bigger role. That's what I really like about this character out of so many ikemen out there.

But still............I also like Arata slightly better than Taichi. I mean you can't just ignore a megane-kyun character right? RIGHT? As I've always recognized in most of anime patterns, between heroes and heroines who encounter love-like story, there will be one of them who has family/ social issue that developes the conflict. I slightly compared Arata with Kou from 'Ao Haru Ride' because both of them left the heroine. What shocked me later is apparently Arata's family is super normal and he has good social life too (this makes me SO strangely happy well basically everything that is out of the mainstream makes me happy). It shows me that Arata is special because he IS special. He doesn't need drama to be special. (Well, his grandfather who was an eternal Master of karuta plays a big role too). OH I'm also mad in love with Arata's Fukui accent. Totally an awesome feature for an awesome character. Basically this might be one of the few animes where I don't dislike ANY character (Well I only got Chiahayafuru and Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun so far *brbthinking*).

What I regret from this anime is the fact that I need more episodes *cries over laptop*. Basically I don't want this anime ends even if Chihaya ended up become a Queen and Arata become a Master *cries over laptop*. I need to see how Kana-chan becomes a certified reader, or how Tsukue-kun continues his karuta, or how Chihaya's college life goes later with Arata in Tokyo, or how the Queen, Shinobu-chan, loses another match and becomes Chihaya's best friend and best rival. I would prolly never find another cluelessly cute antagonist again *cries over laptop*.

*cries over laptop*

*cries over laptop*

To conclude, Chihayafuru is (for me) an inspiring anime that I directly put in my favorite anime list (check out my MyAnimeList account but don't add me as a friend because it's useless and it's not a beneficial action :3), we might share common favorite anime. Chihayafuru has awesome characterization, not that kind of witty characters but they're inspiring by their action. Here is the biggest spoiler; Chihayafuru is not Chihaya. Chihayafuru is Arata. But it doesn't mean that Chihaya cannot become one.

OH I ALMOST FORGOT.

They make a live action for Chihayafuru THIS VERY YEAR. I am SO excited to see it even when I know I'll have to wait a thousand years to get it available on torrents (DIE you foul loathsome evil little cockcroach). I'm also relieved that Yamaken doesn't get involved (lol). I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Yamaken but he has dominated enough live actions so yeah ehehe. Instead, they have Nomura Shuhei-kun playing Taichi's role (I didn't recognize him at all with that hakama and long brown hair!!) and a super kawaii actor I haven't known before named Mackenyu. I'm also excited to see who takes Shinobu-chan's role (because she's a special character!) and turns out she has this cold aura (like Shinobu-chan does) but notso cluelessly cute due to her mature elegant look. Anyway don't believe what I said, I only watched the trailer *cries over laptop*. I hope this one turns out good like Chibi Maruko-chan's live action (Geh.).

Now since I have finished both seasons, I don't know what to do. I don't think I want to move on to another anime. Yet. I'm planning to continue 'Sakamoto desu ga?' but I dont want to move oooon *cries over laptop*. Anyway I've just downloaded the ova, I'll watch it right away kthxbye.