Chihayafuru: The Love Game Continues

A year and a half ago, when Chihayafuru Season One had just rolled out, I wrote a post about the sort of Love Triangle playing out between Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata. Now, ten episodes into the second season, I’m taking another look to see how things have – or haven’t – developed.

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.