Chihayafuru Season Two

I confused myself a little bit by both watching and reading Chihayafuru; as per the usual, the anime is no where near where the manga is, thus the confusion. But I suppose it says something good about Chihayafuru the anime if its story compels me to be so impatient that I seek its progress out in other forms. The only danger in this is that I lose interest in the anime and rely solely on the manga for entertainment.

But there is something about the magic of television and animation that’s enchanting. I mean, yes, sometimes a live action or animated adaptation can ruin the original, written work, but sometimes, it doesn’t. In the case of Chihayafuru, the animation of this series provides a clearer understanding of what Karuta is to those who aren’t familiar with the game, nor its traditions. Had I not watched the anime, I would never have been able to animate the images (or translate the sounds) of the manga in my head accurately; as a result, I’m sure a lot of the impact would be have been lost.

And I probably would’ve stopped reading. After all, no one reads – or even watches – something that’s boring. Unless you have to for some reason.

a slow restart

Hmm. I’m not sure how to begin after such a long and unexplained break that left the site somewhere between nearly and completely inactive. But rather than wasting time and words on apologies, let’s just pretend it never happened.

The only two shows I’d watched from the Fall Season were Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun and Initial D Fifth Stage. I was following Robotics;Notes but stopped somewhere around the 12th or 13th episode; I still haven’t taken the time to catch-up. Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun was enjoyable for me; sometimes light-hearted, somewhat comedic (okay: I admit this show made me laugh) romances are enjoyable. Plus there was something about the simplicity (often overshadowed by the complexities) of Shizuku and Haru’s relationship that was very endearing to me. I suppose it was a success in my eyes, especially since I’m now completely caught up with the manga. Initial D Fifth Stage was a bit of a “must watch” because I had marathoned the first four stages (or acts) sometime within the last 12 months and this Fifth Stage caught me off guard; I didn’t know they were making anymore of these! I enjoy it purely because I enjoy driving, and watch with a former street racer who I constantly grill with questions about driving technique and car performance (“Can the 86 really beat a 4WD?” “Isn’t it cheating if the engine has swapped?” “What purpose does a tachometer serve?”).

Now, for this current season, I’m watching Tamako Market and the second season of Chihayafuru.