Chihayafuru: Episode 24 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2025-09-04 13:00:05 +0000 UTC*QUEENLY HEADPHONE WARNINGS*
WHAT a semifinal! The matchup between the two female contenders for the title of Queen and what an odd twist they gave us for this one! Despite the "surface level"..."issues," it was good to see characters defy stereotypes and expectations and it proved to make for an engaging match!
Of course, let's adjust ourselves now, and settle in...as the "REAL" match is yet to unfold, that may have more for Chihaya to pay attention to than first expected...I have a lot to say about this episode, surprising no one!
LINK TO REACTION: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/g3fW1JHFwJuh3mA4BxGwVo
Thank you for watching with me and for all the support!
Comments
Every episode of Chihayafuru is nothing like I expect, but in the best way! I like seeing Chihaya work through other players’ styles, but I’m hoping in Season 2, she hones in on what makes “her, HER” and figures out what works for her as a competitor! It’s good that she’s not perfect, yet! I also love the contrast of Yumi gaining back her love of Karuta playing against Shinobu versus the other guy losing his passion playing Suo…interesting stuff! And are you getting me to crack ship Murao with Yumi? 😛 I’m here for it! And the transition with Shinobu into becoming someone warmer and calmer is so FASCINATING! I love that Chihaya clocks it as well! I really want to see them both eventually play one another, but we’ll see what season 2 gives us after this coming week! Yeah, of all the parents that are not…great…in this series, at least Arata’s have a reason they’re not as around, which is their socioeconomic status. And YES, I love Nishida, but he really just says whatever he’s thinking in the moment! Thank you for the comment! I’m so excited for the season finale!
Romaniablack
2025-09-11 13:10:32 +0000 UTCAh, thank you for pointing that out as a translation issue! I appreciate it and the comment!
Romaniablack
2025-09-11 13:03:52 +0000 UTCYou know, this is not what I was expecting for this penultimate episode... but I like it. I agree that Chihaya needs to find her own style and not try to copy others. I've really liked seeing her studying her opponents and understanding their strengths and their way of playing Karuta, I think that's very important, but she needs to be able to take all these lessons that she has seen and adapted and make them her own, see what works for her and get rid of what doesn't and make her own Karuta. I think she's well on the way there, but still needs a few nudges before she can properly start building on that. Seeing Yumi actually want to get back and fight Shinobu again made me happy. Up to this point, it seemed that she had lost her passion for Karuta, but losing actually made her appreciate it more again and want to get back into it. In a sense, I think she is a bit similar to Arata's childhood idol (the guy from his society that stopped trying to beat the Suo and become Master); in the sense that she was someone fighting for the Queen/Master title who had lost her inspiration for the game. Except, of course, that Yumi finds herself wanting again to reach that spot, and that's not something we have seen with Arata's senpai yet. When we first met Shinobu she seemed so cold and calculating, but in this new episode she seems a lot more calm and warm. I think a lot of what we saw at first was colored by Chihaya's intimidation of playing the Queen; and I wonder if this side of Shinobu is closer to who she really is and now Chihaya can see it more clearly because she is more of an outsider looking in. Or, maybe Shinobu is just that warm to her Karuta cards and Chihaya saw it and connected to it xD Either way, I really want to see where her character will go. Most of the time I do think Arata's parents are really okay; it's just that one instance of them putting too much pressure of taking care of his grandpa alone that never can let me get them of the hook. Gosh, Nishida really does not quit the trend of just saying what's in his mind, does he? I love him, but boy does he not think the things he wants to say too much before they're out of his mouth.
Alexandra Q
2025-09-07 04:17:25 +0000 UTCI don't think Takemura walked in hating the game he specifically said I worked hard but I'm about to hate karuta. I think the way the Master plays karuta has made him hate the match more and more. The winning point differential being the same in the Masters match as the Queen for two matches in a row doesn't feel like coincidence. It feels very intentional giving the uncomfortable feeling that the Master is in complete control of the match. I get why Takemura would be freaking out.
sanime
2025-09-05 21:28:19 +0000 UTCOh I didn't realize you addressed this in the episode
sanime
2025-09-05 21:18:11 +0000 UTCWith both stuff that Taichi and Nishida say in this episo I think seeing it as dated or insensitive depends on perspective I think personally due to how I interact with media I have less sensitivity compared to others of whether something is patriarchal or not. I agree that Taichi frustratingly so makes assumptions of what Chihaya wants or feels and then overthinks how he can be of help to her. I think however his assumption isn't far off that watching this match has fired her up and so she is going to want to practice and release that restlessness. In the manga his thought of I should help her is more framed as a question to himself which he realizes no I can't always be at Chihayas beck and call I'm also a karuta player who needs to consider where I am at and start taking things seriously. If he could have communicated that properly it wouldn't have been so frustrating but Taichi has a long way to go. With Nishida again the male agenda has to really slap me in the face for me to see it as such in this case I think Nishida enjoyed the Queens match and sees it as important but his excitement saying this is the real show for the guys is because they are all trying to be Master and so for them they really need to soak in every minute of the Masters playing style since it's a rare opportunity. One thing to note is that because Shinobu is in high school she will play in the individual high school tournaments alongside the Queen qualifiers. The Master is in college so there are less opportunities to watch him play.
sanime
2025-09-05 21:16:25 +0000 UTCTaichi's mom probably believes that he is only in the Karuta club because of Chihaya. So she sees her as someone who is keeping her son playing a silly game that has no future, instead of achieving his full potential. So even if he were to make it to the top of Karuta, his mom would probably not approve of it. Taichi is humble because Arata called him a coward and made him realize his own faults. That was a life changing moment for him. I love Shinobu's backstory. She is also a rich girl like Taichi, but had an upbringing closer to Arata because her grandmother is more traditional. The weight gain joke is weird. I think it's meant to show how she can overfixate on things to the deteiment of her own self. But her backstory shows that so ultimately it really feels like a punch line or at best as a minor obstacle because Yumin is not. When the first season of Chihayafuru ended in 2012, the second season was shortly announced for 2013. But when season 2 ended there was no announcement. By 2017 or so we all kinda lost hope that we would get a season 3, so I started reading the Manga and kept up until season 3 was announced in 2019. Once season 3 ended, I decided not to read further, so I don't know how it ends. I'm still hopeful that we will get a final season 4. From what I hear, the only thing holding it back is the VAs being available.
Will
2025-09-04 18:44:30 +0000 UTC
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