CHIHAYAFURU Season 2: Episode 9 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2025-11-20 14:00:08 +0000 UTC*DRIZZLY HEADPHONE WARNINGS*
This episode should be relabeled "Anxiety" because I was stressed for everyone throughout it! Stressed for Chihaya for being chided, stressed for Taichi for being in his own head way too much (again), and stressed for Arata ESPECIALLY for the shenanigans he gets involved in this episode! Getting character development in this series is so stressful! I felt so chaotic this week, but let's get into it.
LINK TO REACTION: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/KpfPw4zG4SzVXdyyb9tRXg
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
I definitely agree that Arata not remembering Shinobu like she does him is so fitting for his character! Shinobu does tend to have these one-sided interests in folks, whether it’s Arata or Chihaya – at least Chihaya is reciprocating her interest in a way! XD I felt for Arata missing the team matches and playing with others like he did with Chihaya and Taichi! Let him have that again, show! I love the team vs. solo Karuta conversation! I loved that convo in this as well! I hope Arata gets to see Chihaya and Taichi play, but who knows at this point, since he’s broken the rules. At least we know that Chihaya and Taichi and the others have grown so much since last year, so hopefully this year goes better for them! Thank you for the comment!!
Romaniablack
2025-11-26 14:22:34 +0000 UTCA very high tension episode, indeed! Yeah, I guess right now with the Taichi and Chihaya and Arata and Shinobu ships - I just don’t see it yet, and I can’t stand when people “push” ships onto me, so I’m hoping people will let it breathe and let my views naturally develop – if folks push me towards ships, I will get mad and either push back or just drop the show so hopefully that is not what happens! Shinobu’s expressiveness with Arata to me is just her wanting to face him in Karuta as a rival because she wants to beat him and get revenge. I talk about that with Episode 10, though, so I’ll leave it for there. I’m definitely protective of Chihaya because I relate to her and love her as a character! It makes me more frustrated because we clearly see Chihaya has this - she doesn’t need her teammates chiding her. I’m GLAD she put Taichi in his place…more on that next episode *sigh* Because he needs to listen better, in my opinion, haha! I don’t blame Taichi for being jealous, but yeah, don’t take it out on Chihaya. Is it resolved this episode, though? Ehhhh, come back to episode 10, haha! Arata is a precious bean! I really love him! Thanks for the comment! Such a great episode, despite the tension!
Romaniablack
2025-11-26 14:14:57 +0000 UTCWelp, that went better than I expected it to go, to be honest. Seeing that, in fact, Arata didn't quite remeber Shinobu the same way that she did him is perfect xD I think we already had the inkling that Shinobu's interest was mostly onesided, but it was nice to see this unfold. It makes sense that she would fixate in who is probably one of the only people that she has lost to. I can't wait to see how they move forward from here. I was not expecting, however, how this episode went into this deep pondering about team karuta vrs. solo karuta. And I really like the way that you view it. It's interesting, because I think that for Murao team karuta might be fun but it doesn't allow the players to really show their skill, as you can lose your own match but still win if your teammates win, and thus fosterin a sense that you don't need to really try hard in team matches because of this - at least based on his "it's in individual matches where players can really shine" comment. And I can see that point, we sort of see it with how Hokuo was playing their final match against Misuzawa; but if there is something that Chihaya teaches us is how wrong that view is, and even Dr. Harada challenges this view by teaching his students to view team matches as individual matches, where you give your all and do your best because of how much you love the sport. It was a really fun conversation that I wasn't expecting to happen. And I thought it was made even better by the realization Arata has, that he used to like team matches because of the fun he had playing with Chihaya and Taichi, and that maybe he misses that now. Look, Taichi and Chihaya's reaction to the thought of Arata being there, because neither of them really knows that he is in fact there, really doesn't make me feel better to how they will perform when he is actually watching them. Poor Arata getting in trouble at the end.... but it is fair that he got into trouble. As great of a plot for character development as that match was, I really wish that Arata hadn't participated if now he has to miss being able to play against Chihaya T_T That being said, that little animation of the observer from his karuta society figuring eye he was, in fact, that Arata, with the slight eye twitch and mouth glitch, was so good.
Alexandra Q
2025-11-21 19:55:10 +0000 UTCWhen I saw anxiety in the description I was like what happens in this episode again and then I was like oh yeah this is a high tension episode 😅 In the flashback Arata was in a tournament so he kept getting Shinobu as his first opponent by chance. It wasn't his grandfather deliberately putting them together. Now is that fate who knows? I do ship Arata and Shinobu but I'll keep that discussion for later. I will say one thing that Shinobu is alot more expressive around Arata than anyone else in the show besides Chihaya so I find that interesting. Makoto is simply a guy shouting out his female teammates and similar to Rei of Free he likes beauty I'm looking forward to more of him. Now Kana has made a lot of speeches to Chihaya about how a lady should act so I'm surprised that this is one that got to you but Kana is always like this so it never really bothers me and I think one comment I have to say in general about your Chihayafuru nitpick is that while yes I agree the team should let Chihaya be Chihaya and have more faith in her I would be alot more upset if the show made it a point that Chihaya is bothered or smothered in her personality because of what the team says to her including Taichi. I think if the episode had Taichi or any of these characters say what they said to Chihaya and then it led to Chihaya being in her own head I would be upset about it but the episode has Chihaya put Taichi in his place and Taichi himself recognizes that he was wrong to chide Chihaya when he isn't focused. I think that's why especially in this season none of these moments are super infuriating to me season 1 Chihaya would have wavered and gotten in her own head but season 2 Chihaya has a strong will. Now as for Taichi yes he was hard to watch this episode but I don't blame Taichi for being jealous of Arata while he has come a long way in adjusting his mindset to defeat and karuta etc he hasn't really had alot of time and reason to be fair with things constantly happening with the team to process his jealousy towards Arata but yes he shouldn't take it out on Chihaya and be dishonest in how he feels so I'm glad that aspect of it was resolved in this episode . Arata is so precious this episode and I'm glad he got to fall in love again with team matches but at what cost 🤦🏽♀️ Don't get me wrong even if my main ship is Taichi and Chihaya Taichi has a lot of growing to do but I love Arata as well and I still swoon over Arata and Chihaya and find them adorable together but they're not my preferred ship that's all. What a great episode as anxiety inducing it was
sanime
2025-11-20 21:05:13 +0000 UTC
