Chihayafuru Chapter 247 Discussion

Banadjie27 said:


How ironic, the same "new" fake account flaming and blaming sensei in this forum. Lmao.

Just as the other pointed out, even in reddit many other fans already warn other Arata die-hard hooligan fans not to get above it. When things doesnt fall out as what they expected instead this happens.

Dont tell other people when you are the only one who didnt read then story properly.

FLAME2352352 said:




This website is not a website like Reddit that blocks other opinions.

You think Reddit's all the opinion in the world? Did you know that in the last two months she made a mistake on Twitter and then deleted the tweet? Not once or twice, but many times. Or what about her posting a small spin-off manga on her Japanese Social media a week ago? Did you see her interview? Did you know that her past interviews and current interviews keep talking in Japanese websites? Did you know that her social media comments and interviews correspond a lot to the contents of the manga? This isn't on Reddit. And Reddit is an administrator-censored site, and there can be no other opinion.

I've already seen what you call hooligans on Reddit slapping Arata's final quote. They say they know well because they are fluent in Japanese. Several people pointed that out but responded with down votes like a Reddit. It's a silly thing to do in an era where translators are doing well.

There is no lie in what I say. It's true that she actually does a lot of social media and criticizes other mangas. There are a lot of opinions that I said in Japan.

Even if you combine Reddit and this site's posts for two months, it is only a day or two of them from Japanese websites.

I know you're angry with negative opinions of this manga, but there are people who like it and people who don't about any mangas.

The fact that you spread what sensei has done just because you didnt agree with how the ending developed just shown how childish you are kiddo,imagine if the Chihayafuru ending different with Arata ends up with Chihaya, you definitely wont make up a fake account and tried to suggest other fans for flaming the author. All of that because you didnt read the story properly and unsatisfied with the romance ending.

Already misinteprets my arguments?, I dont hate critique as long as its building, but childish behaviour like this is intolerateable. No matter what you said, no matter how many fans you tried to subdue, no matter how many fake accounts you made.. the ending wont change.

A lot of people, already predict many hooligan fans will flame sensei because of their own delusional story about Chihayafuru. Some fans already warned not to jump to conclusion early, while some keep hotheadded with their own delusional view of their perspectives which is stupid.

Btw i already guess you are one of the active forummer Chihayafuru here, might as well use your original account or just move on with the story instead behaving like an elementary school kids.

FLAME2352352 said:




I remember that you left a similar comment in my comment last time. it's fun for you to talk about other people. You left a sarcastic comment last time. I don't know why you claim to be a fake account. This is my only account. I just found a place to talk about Chihayafuru. I don't even have to make another ID on this site. There are a lot of places to talk about other mangas, even if it's not here. Chihayafuru has an overwhelming number of articles written on the Japanese side. If I speak Japanese better and Japanese sites didn't block overseas ip, I wouldn't be here. Reddit and this website are the only places to talk about this manga on English-speaking sites, but only one or two comments are posted a month.

Many people have to know what the mangaka did. The key to solving those hasty conclusions you say is her interviews and Twitter. Knowing this will solve your questions about Chihayafuru.

Some Reddit fans you mentioned are rather interpreting it on their own. They are interpreting themselves without thinking about looking for any Japanese articles. Just by looking at the mangaka’s interview and opinions on Twitter's threshing, You can interpret why the last episode ended like that. Not what you mean by some Reddit users.

If you're a real fan of this manga, I hope you look it up. It is not the interpretation of the Reddit people's will, but it is understandable why the writer ended like this and wrote the lines like that. It is purely my point of view that the author caused an accident on Twitter. It may have been a kind explanation of the work to others. You're probably the latter, so look it up. These days, the translator has a good performance.

I have seen this manga since 13 years ago and I have been to Omi Jingu. I watched all the movies in the theater and bought all the DVDs in Akihabara. (I don't live in Japan.) In the early days, I used to be a writer because I was a fan even when I was exposed to training. You seem to be driving me with a simple hooligan, but I loved this manga more than you and the Reddit people.

I was just angry that I ended 15 years like this in the last 10 pages. I can't believe there are 10 15-year-old mangas. Looking at the mangaka’s writing on Twitter, I think she is conscious of this Japanese opinion. I really hope she picks up the pieces in the spinoff coming out in November.

You are angry because the author didnt grant your favourite pairing in the end, its as simple as that.

If you misinteprets the story because deliberaltely ignoring other characters development, the faults is on you not the author.

Yes, its on you.

I've seen enough many fans warned other die-hard fans not to jump the boat early, yet they still kept with their own narrowed perspective. You are just one of them.

FLAME2352352 said:




Yes, I'll say the same thing.

You're angry at the critics of the manga because it went the way you wanted it to. Even Taichi fans in Japan are calling for a more accurate development in the spin-off. But you're just telling someone who has a different opinion to shut up.

Do you think you're a different person? You're no different than any other die-hard fan of Reddit who keeps a narrow view.

Banadjie27 said:


Angry at critics? I think you dont know the difference between critics and hate speech, what do you expect from someone whose also misntepret the story itself lmao. Even middle school students have better reading comprehension skill.

What you did its not critique,but hate speech and its very childish. LMAO

See how your narrowed view disrupt your judgement capability? If I angry at critique i would reply to anyone in this forum which have counter arguments with mine.
Supposedly it is not, isnt it?

You are behaving like an elementary school here, making ruckus just because something doesnt go the way you wanted and on top of it suggetsing people its fine to flame the author while justifying any reason you could find.

Just use your original MAL account btw.

FLAME2352352 said:




If you knew exactly what criticism and hate speech was, you wouldn't have posted such a comment last time, would you? You did the same thing last time. Yes, you have left a sarcastic comment to me who is against your argument as you say. Are you a different person than you were then? It's a lot of fun.

I'm not free enough to create multiple accounts on these sites. Why do I make multiple accounts here when there are not many posts a month? I wonder if you're doing that.

I'm talking to only you and I don't know what the fuss is about where there's not even five posts a month.

It seems that you are making a ruckus about commenting on a long time ago.

If you want to lecture a person, look back on yourself first.

"Look back on yourself first", this one should be pointed to yourself not other person while suggesting other people to hate the author using fake account. But what can I say to a delusional fans? Pffft...

As i expected you cannot deny the fact that you spread hate to the author due to your delusional favourite pairing not granted. Your comment speak a thousand word you know?
Instead of attacking one persona, please put your ad hominem in check. Such logical fallacy

FLAME2352352 said:





It comes out the same way as a month ago. You still haven't grown up. The delusion in your head still lingers.

You may have grown a little this time because you don't claim to be a neutral fan like last time.

In your delusion, I may have a lot of accounts, but I'm not a person with as much time as you are. At least I don't foam at the mouth into old comments like you.

chiakimagoto said:
It's true these accounts created just a month ago to come critisize here are always a bit sus, lol

The writer gave fans many hints in her interviews and Notes to which kind of love she valued. Most of all in the story she gave such big red flags with other established couples like Harada Sensei and his wife, her saying she didn't need him to win the title, as long as he would smile. This parallel with Chihaya wanting Taichi to smile so badly

Another couple is most certainly the Inokuma family, her husband being a TV producer but fully "supporting" his wife's passion. And ofcourse the Kuzuryuu parallel of her husband "supporting" her passion for years ..poem 56, longing to meet one more time hits so hard, especially when you think about both Chihaya's and Taichi's yearning, the focus on Chihaya when she took that poem.

It was a beautiful journey for Chihaya, who started out as a child learning about a passion but during the path also learning about the Hyakunin Isshu....it's not the same as reading q poem, knowing what it is about, than reading it and simultaneously understanding the feelings to it's core in your heart....that was the journey Chihaya made while maturing.

I feel the first time she truly understood a poem in her skin and bones, was the Kaze poem...she exactly felt the pain that was written in that poem.... everything before wasn't a clear to her yet and she admitted herself, she didn't understand her feelings yet nor Arata, nor Taichi.

The shock of Taichi's departure reset her. The pain made her lucid and from then on the poems won't ever be the same anymore....she had to digest, compare, search for what was truly "hidden" in her heart while ofcourse becoming a formidable Karuta player. The layers in the story are of the genius kind, the hints, parallels....the crazy little jokes that already pointed to only 1 endgame from long before. Even the fact that Arata would become Meijin was already hinted in in the childhood arc with number 4 on his T-Shirt, the Tago poem but also a number announcing a death. (Shi), his grandfather's passing....it was all there from the start.

The writer asked several times blatantly in the story to look deeper, the study, the connect the poems, the background stories of the poets, the parallels, the symbols up to even using flowers with Hanakotoba symbolism to represent her storytelling.... it's kind of dramatic some never came to see it, the path she had ingeniously laid out for us to follow.....

I sometimes feel a reread with an explanation of the poems, the various hints and parallels should be done. It's vast, so vast, impossible to explain in 1 comment....it took years and pages and research of many fans to see them all. Tbh I'm mindblown in how she did it. Not all arcs were equally strong but an overal view of the story, makes you understand it's exceptional and rare are the stories like this out there....

All in all the romance plotline was very important for Chihaya's character development arc. The boys had other issues to handle....even if ofcourse the romance for Taichi was a big part of his arc as well, his self acceptance was probably more imminent as for Arata the whole arc about his grandfather and Karuta..

You just proved by yourself that your reading comprehension is terrible lmao. Delusional just like how you falsely read how the Chihayafuru story is written.

-"you claim to be a neutral fan" lmao, neutral in which aspect of the story? The fact that Chihayafuru is mainly a sport manga with romances as second?

Again showing how delusional you are indeed with your flawed reading skill. Truly only read chapter that you want to read. Lmaoo


-"Not a person with as much time as you are" still have time consistently provoking and suggesting other fan to keep flaming the author.

LMAOO.

It's true these accounts created just a month ago to come critisize here are always a bit sus, lol

The writer gave fans many hints in her interviews and Notes to which kind of love she valued. Most of all in the story she gave such big red flags with other established couples like Harada Sensei and his wife, her saying she didn't need him to win the title, as long as he would smile. This parallel with Chihaya wanting Taichi to smile so badly

Another couple is most certainly the Inokuma family, her husband being a TV producer but fully "supporting" his wife's passion. And ofcourse the Kuzuryuu parallel of her husband "supporting" her passion for years ..poem 56, longing to meet one more time hits so hard, especially when you think about both Chihaya's and Taichi's yearning, the focus on Chihaya when she took that poem.

It was a beautiful journey for Chihaya, who started out as a child learning about a passion but during the path also learning about the Hyakunin Isshu....it's not the same as reading q poem, knowing what it is about, than reading it and simultaneously understanding the feelings to it's core in your heart....that was the journey Chihaya made while maturing.

I feel the first time she truly understood a poem in her skin and bones, was the Kaze poem...she exactly felt the pain that was written in that poem.... everything before wasn't a clear to her yet and she admitted herself, she didn't understand her feelings yet nor Arata, nor Taichi.

The shock of Taichi's departure reset her. The pain made her lucid and from then on the poems won't ever be the same anymore....she had to digest, compare, search for what was truly "hidden" in her heart while ofcourse becoming a formidable Karuta player. The layers in the story are of the genius kind, the hints, parallels....the crazy little jokes that already pointed to only 1 endgame from long before. Even the fact that Arata would become Meijin was already hinted in in the childhood arc with number 4 on his T-Shirt, the Tago poem but also a number announcing a death. (Shi), his grandfather's passing....it was all there from the start.

The writer asked several times blatantly in the story to look deeper, the study, the connect the poems, the background stories of the poets, the parallels, the symbols up to even using flowers with Hanakotoba symbolism to represent her storytelling.... it's kind of dramatic some never came to see it, the path she had ingeniously laid out for us to follow.....

I sometimes feel a reread with an explanation of the poems, the various hints and parallels should be done. It's vast, so vast, impossible to explain in 1 comment....it took years and pages and research of many fans to see them all. Tbh I'm mindblown in how she did it. Not all arcs were equally strong but an overal view of the story, makes you understand it's exceptional and rare are the stories like this out there....

All in all the romance plotline was very important for Chihaya's character development arc. The boys had other issues to handle....even if ofcourse the romance for Taichi was a big part of his arc as well, his self acceptance was probably more imminent as for Arata the whole arc about his grandfather and Karuta..

I don't know which poem you are referring to @FLAME2352352. As for your account I don't know about you....but for sure on twitter some fans resorted to making these ephemeral accounts to criticize Sensei because their too scared to show who they are. I can't take them serious.

I understand the Arata fans are sad their ship didn't sail. I most certainly would have been in the same place if Taichihaya didn't happen. So yeah, but it's clear the story was suddenly ruined for them because of the endgame. While Arata's arc is actually resolved in a beautiful way. It always was about his grandfather and him as a priority. Tbh I can understand the disappointed reactions, I would feel the same if I had been in that situation.

I feel Sensei played it a bit too tight. The neck on neck race for the romance was very intense and she most certainly baited till the end(that's how love triangles work). There was a way of weighing out the feelings though....very subtly.... but the endgame needed to be confirmed to be sure what was thought by Chihaya was truly the core of it. Actually the *he has always been here* trope is one of the biggest used in romance, even Pride and Prejudice uses it, so tbh for me chapter 234 was the bomb. Even so, the confirmation was needed to be sure. Tbh for me the deal was done in the challenger: Chihaya's reactions to Taichi were those of more than just friends and her strange reactions to his "fading feelings" were just another confirmation of how flustered she got about him.

I think Sensei had a strong help by her side when it comes to the Hyankunin Isshu, in the form of her good friend Tarereba San who is a specialist in the matter. So I'm not sure we can say she misinterpreted anything tbh. Some of these poems can be interpreted in several ways in the ends, they were written so long ago, the context and meaning if them sometimes has changed over time.

It looks like the spinoff isn't going to focus on the main characters in the end.

As for the last episode being *hurried*....I do think she was limited in space because that's how it works in the manga world....you can go over the amount of pages imposed by the editor/publisher.....it would have been nice if she had 10 more pages to finish.

I don't feel the confession was rushed or shorter than the other ones...for me it was beautiful and poetic. The focus on their hands, finally holding eachother was very touching.

Anyway for me the most beautiful confession in this manga was Taichi's....

I don't think Sensei thought about the romance till the end, it was probably about what would happen to Taichi in the future, about him going to Kyoto. In that interview by no means she explicitly says she is talking about the romance. She also corrected the people saying that she had said it was a story about Chihaya and Arata, thus their romance and clarified it was about Karuta, not romance.

I remember clearly she said in and interview Taichi was the one carrying a huge love.... so that was always the case from the start.

She never explicitly said love doesn't last forever or anything. She said something about 18 being young....but contradicts her own words by having couples in her manga that do meet in highschool, like Taichi's parents, Kana and Komano, Hyoro and Nishida's sister, Makoto and Rion so I don't see why Taichi and Chihaya are any different? This is fiction, not real life. And in this fiction, with the Hyankunin Isshu as guide line, 16 and 17 have been together a 1000 years.

Sensei most definitely has the most romantic heart ever and the way she pictured all couples in her manga was definitely not one of *love doesn't last forever*. Kuzuryuu 's story is most certainly one proving that deep companionship can last a lifetime. Even the subtle hints of the flowers in her calendar for Taichi and Chihaya are pointing out to two people who will most certainly go through life together, "futari" as a couple. Like Chihaya always saw them herself.

She said nothing about the difference in love at 28.... she just said 18 was young to find the love of your life. You should also remember the context of the interviewer trying to press her to know what the endgame was while she sort of tried to avoid it by saying at 18 you can't choose....everyone was putting pressure on her....so of course she avoided giving a direct response.

She definitely DID show Chihaya slowly falling for Taichi....it already started before he left but she was still an "antopan" when it came to romance and got scared when he confessed because she hadn't matured enough yet. It was in missing him terribly that she understood her feelings were more than just friends feelings, a process of slow realisation which most certainly culminated at the challenger when she was crying her heart out hidden behind the little window watching Taichi take Chiha and Fu! She was overwhelmed with emotions. Btw the click in the hall reads 13:40,the panel is a full focus of Chihaya and the clock!!! the Tsuku and Shino poem, the feelings Chihaya was going through.

Alas after Taichi decastingly list to Arata in that third match, he thought he had no chance whatsoever anymore....his dream was crushed and he said those words if fading feelings so Chihaya wouldn't be burdened by his feelings anymore.

You should understand that Taichi knew she would hear him.... because she was able to hear him blinking...only Chihaya wasn't happy at all with his declaration. It hurt her and she ran away.

So when Arata confessed in front of Suou, Chihaya who has super hearing most certainly heard him, but she has no reaction...she didn't reciprocate those feelings with Arata anymore for a long time already.

As for her soft rejection to Arata in the summer tournament, many Arata fans turned it into her asking him to wait, but if you read carefully, that definitely isn't the case. It was always clear to me she rejected Arata is a kind way because she didn't want to think about romance. Nonetheless she was flustered because it was akward and she was confused about her own feelings. I think in this period of time she most certainly started comparing the two boys and unconsciously weighing out her own feelings.

In the end back in Tokyo, Taichi sort of comes to see her at the clubroom... Chihaya doesn't see him in the same light as before anymore ..she is now more than conscious of his feelings and that he is a guy but still she wants to ask him for important advice.... because in the end Taichi was always the one by her side and they moved forward together....even if in the qualifiers he tries and play the aloof guy with her.... it's hopeless....their bond is just too strong...she knows him too well and seeing that Mizusawa t-shirt under his hoodie confirmed that his heart had always been in the right place...

The Challenger it's so clear Chihaya is rooting for Taichi.....She wanted Taichi to go with her to Omi Jingu....she knew about Arata's dream but still rooted for Taichi. That's how you know where someone's heart lies, if you have ever been in love, you will never root against the one in your heart....!!

This story isn't a simple shoujo. It was always meant for readers that were older than teenagers and with the capability of "reading between the lines". The Mangaka more than once pointed out it was important to look deeper, she put warnings in the story but alot of fans just threw them in the wind. I think she was quite clear with some of her drawings but even that was always interpreted to fit the agenda of Arata being endgame by saying it was about friendship when it clearly was more than friendship!!!

By the time of the final arc,the Arata fans should have at least had the common sense that Taichi had a great chance to be the endgame, at least as much as Arata. Many of you disregarded it for the simple reason that Taichi had been rejected but that by no means meant it wasn't irrevocable!! This happens in so many stories, a rejection doesn't always mean it's over!! It only started after!!!

How could mutual shrine panels be ignored to the point of not being mutual longing for eachother!??? These scenes are double pages, so strong, both with iconic soft smiles looking at eachother in their imagination??? How did some of you not pick up on the importance?? To me these scenes couldn't have been more direct, the drawings are more than revealing of the deep feelings Taichi and Chihaya had for eachother. Even Yoshino!! Omg.... Chihaya most certainly was deeply impressed by Taichi's unique strategy only for her there...!! The match she had most fun, where she gave her best...was with Taichi. Personally I think the exact moment Arata lost to Taichi in love, irrevocably, was when he took Chiha from him in the Challenger; the exact moment Chihaya's heart was swayed definitely. It was kind of ironic that Taichi was crushed by Arata in Karuta, but he had crushingly won Chihaya's heart without being conscious of it... exquisite writing. Arata knew he didn't dive as deep as Taichi when it came to being in love...Taichi told his feelings to his face...and I think Arata wanted to crush him in Karuta because he already knew he couldn't compete in love....he saw Taichi's most beautiful purest feelings....and during the finals, he saw Chihaya's.

Both Taichi and Chihaya have flash backs of their time in the clubroom and it's so clear how they felt and thought about that place, a peaceful haven, full of smiles, intimate: then Chihaya's winning image was the clubroom!!

I might have a bias but at least I understood what the mangaka was going for, while your bias blinded you in thinking that it never was there and you still haven't understood the writer of the story, haven't looked for the thread and are still stuck in your agenda....

I can only advise you to reread and try and find the connections, step by step....but seen how you are commenting, I doubt you have an open mind to do that...which is understandable....

It's kind of sad to miss out because it's probably one of the most beautiful romances I've ever read...one that most certainly surpassed all the generic cute shoujos or romances out there. I think because she used the Hyankunin Isshu as guideline, this story will always be above any other ...but if you didn't take the time to look deeper into the second layer, you probably won't be able to understand....if you also didn't understand the coming of age of teenagers, the passage from being a child and maturing slowly to the point of understanding true values....

Indeed even in this story Chihaya might have started out fancying Arata for several reasons but by no means was it ever set in stone until she could pin point her true feeling by saying them OUT LOUD to the person she loved, after going through the long journey of becoming aware of what was truly in her heart.

It was a slow realisation of what were the true values of love.

Will it last or not is in the realm of headcanons. For now all 3 are in different Universities...since Taichi always worked hard for Chihaya, I don't see that changing any time soon. Whatever, the story is finished and the author wrote what she wanted.

Just like you are now saying that love is not forever, the contradiction..., why did many of you hold on to the inner declaration of Chihaya thinking she would always love Karuta and Arata as something that couldn't change? That she at that moment didn't understand her feelings, that in the end it wasn't about romance...

Tbh I think she will indeed always love Karuta and Arata, because it was about Karuta and that will never change.....just like her romantic love for Taichi and visa versa is meant to never change.

Don't be distracted by interviews where she most certainly would never have spoiled her plot, guide books that weren't written by Sensei, teasy tweets, things said on 2ch, 5ch....the only thing that is important, is to keep your eyes on the story and try and understand the message conveyed by the author! Her interpretation is the only "right" one

FLAME2352352 said:
Didn't you prove your reading was terrible? You believe in Reddit's biased analysis and argue that if you talk about the writer's interview, you blame the writer.

You started the task of criticizing other users first. Just remember what you wrote.

You claimed to be a neutral fan a month ago. Oh, you don't remember because you have multiple egos. I'm sorry. I didn't understand your situation.

chiakimagoto said:
@ToG25thBaam,

Most devoted Taichi fans DID see it coming from along time already. Sensei just needed to confirm it, which she did. All the steps leading to the ending are there. If you back read the discussions here and on Reddit, literally the ending was spelled out by alot of Taichi fans up to the fact that they are a couple like the "paired cards". Sensei built it up carefully step by step ...even if alot of us write exactly what happened ....like 2 to 3 years ago....alot of people decided to close their eyes and ignore it.....

Ofcouse Sensei tried to cover the tracks so we wouldn't be too sure about it and kept us on our toes till the end.

The endgame was decided long ago by Sensei....the puzzle fell perfectly into place when it comes to the romance.

Halsmiv-Eikahizu said:
been on my on-hold list since sept last year and... ok then congrats for the sailed ship. Glad my boi Arata finally achived his dream but then i got no other reason to continue reading this manga again.

FLAME2352352 said:
If they wanted to make a masterpiece, they should have given up a little bit of sales and drawn it accurately.

Yes, the author ended up making Arata a clown at the end. This is actually the main culprit. And I think the mangaka is also aware of this criticism, given that she put Arata's story in the spin-off. The spin-off preview has already foretold Arata's story. I want Arata to end here, negative or positive. Maybe she'll push it back again, as if she's dragged it down to volume 50.

I would advice you to stop responding to Banadjie27, he's been nothing but rude this entire time. You can tell the difference with the way chiakimagoto respond to you and Banadjie27, the latter seem to be less interested in a discussion and more on insulting people.


100% agreed with your first statement. As for the second, is it confirmed that the spin off will be about Arata?

Yes it seems Arata will be in the spinoff, so maybe she wants to "conclude" things in a more satisfying way for him, for his fans? Idk

Ofcouse I would have been very disappointed if Taichihaya hadn't happened, especially because I did feel there was a clear thread in the story leading to it, even if certain moments about Arata made me doubt, I hoped that what I had seen was going to lead to the endgame.....it did so I couldn't help but be very happy.

I personally always felt Arata's personal arc was the weakest of the trio and always wondered why Sensei didn't explore some parts of his character deeper, because there certainly were opportunities to elaborate it more but maybe that was just not in her agenda so she didn't do it. I still have no idea why she didn't clearly resolve his demon mode and why it disappeared and why he acted towards Taichi specifically like that....I have my ideas about it but it was never clearly explained....

Anyway, I guess nobody is perfect and I'm sure Sensei tried her best with the time she had, the restrictions and pressure ....

As for Rabid Taichi fans, there are those kind of Arata fans as well so it's a general behaviour when there are shipping wars....and just like I might have been disappointed and angry had Taichihaya not happened, if Chiharata had happened, the Arata fans would have been more than satisfied with how the story played out.... that's the pain of a love triangle so it was essential to prepare and protect one's heart because Chihaya was going to choose only 1 boy to be her romantic interest....

Yes, we all have our own *criticism* about the story and that's fine as long as we respect the author.

No story is perfect and being a Mangaka is probably one of the hardest jobs around....the pressure of deadlines, editors, publishers, drawing and writing a story at the same time, Chihayafuru is a complicated one, while having a busy family life on the side, was most certainly a feat in itself.

I feel Arata could have had a deeper personal arc but in the end it didn't bother that much because I'm a Taichi fan....my eyes were always more directed to what happened to him than Arata. Most Arata fans seemed more than satisfied with Arata's character arc until the last chapter....so it's clear that they rejected the whole thing because of the romance outcome and I find that quite strange cause I don't see how Arata's arc was suddenly ruined by the endgame....Sensei made wonderful closure for him with his grandfather and the people of Fukui...


I understand that the scene where he finds out about Taichi and Chihaya dating was difficult to digest, but I think Sensei wanted to show that Arata wasn't heartbroken about it and he made that weird joke to Taichi to keep Taichi on his toes and make him work hard to keep Chihaya. The little tap on Taichi's chest showed that by no means he is a jerk but Taichi and Arata will be rivals in the future! The life long rivals to go through life with.

The last panel is beautiful....they are all smiling and playing karuta, a community made of friends, teachers, rivals, couples, young and old.,.. that's the message and Arata looks fine...he is integrally part of it, he is the new Meijin. So please try and see the positive side of it all for him because it's not 10 pages that suddenly change how Arata should be seen by his fans. He made friends, is part of a great community, he is still the same positive person he was throughout the whole story.....he is not pitiful nor a clown or anything.

Chihaya's win was beautiful in chapter 246, the process was very detailed and long to get there, to that last Tachi take that made them both win. Chapter 247 is the wrap up so I don't understand your critisim of not seeing. Actually everyone made the comments about Chihaya and Arata winning in chapter 246, cause that is where it was decided. It definitely was not a report or we wouldn't have been crying the whole chapter because of all the emotional moments.

The hug between the trio was the culmination in chap 247, Taichi telling them how awesome they were. The h5 was their moment of celebration...why were words needed? It was a beautiful big page of Arata and Chihaya celebrating their win. It just wasn't a romantic conclusion and them running towards Taichi, Chihaya fully hugging Taichi with two arms, must have confirmed for Arata what he already suspected about her feelings. I don't think them dating at the end was a true surprise for him...contrary, that's why it was comical.... because he already knew about their feelings, being the one who witnessed them from up close.

I think Sensei on purpose didn't pair up Arata just for pairing up, but she just "hinted" that Arata pleases enough girls to be able to find a new romantic interest in the future, leaving it "open". Taichi's eyes were always and only on Chihaya, and Sumire knew that all too well...that there was no chance he would look at her, that it always was "Only Chiha", from the start.

I guess because Arata wasn't endgame, you can never be satisfied with the story anymore. So the only thing to do is try and move on...and find another story that does live up to your expectations.

Nice chatting to you, thank you for being polite till the end.

Idril07 said:
To be honest I don’t understand how Arata was treated badly: he achieve becoming Meijin which was his main goal since the beginning. He moved to Tokyo, he has new friends and still messages with Taichi according to the calendar, so I think he’ll do great. He looked really happy in the last chapter. I remember Arata’s fans saying only he was the main character and Taichi was a secondary character, they even wanted Taichi to be the reader at a possible Chihaya and Arata match. 🤣 Arata is my third favorite character and I’m happy with the resolution he got. He’ll do great at Waseda and broaden his surroundings. Its normal not everyone is 100% happy with the ending but looking at facts Arata did pretty well.