I actually feel like I'm not qualified to speak on the show, since, I'm starting to think that maybe I just don't like sports anime. This show reeled me in with a compelling human story about the 3 most important characters, then it introduces you to more characters, and then it slows down and just sports all over the place for the rest of the show. Once the story became less focused on characters and more focused on the game, I found the show to be a chore I felt the need to push through because I was so invested in these characters and I needed to see how things would play out. It took me about 5 months off of and on watching, but I'm still pushing, now on season 2. I told myself I was going to be done with the show after one season but I was NOT. The show can be formulaic, it really feels to me like a show that did not need as many episodes as it has, but something keeps pulling me back. Maybe it's an intense personal desire to stay in familiar universes and be surrounded by the same characters, or maybe it's a strong desire for resolution.
The characters in Chihayafuru are not the most incredible I've ever seen, but they are diverse, and they are all treated with respect and understanding. Regardless of gender. It's unfortunate how anomalous that can be, but it is really nice when it happens. The only thing I maybe found a little bit frustrating was how obvious the shoujo romantic leads are when placed next to the other members of the karuta team. Why are these tall, beautiful, super fit people playing a game with three completely normal looking human beings. I was very concerned that the other characters would end up being treated as space fillers, and not given proper attention. But in actuality, all characters maintain (admittedly) two-dimensionality, while also being given their fair share of attention. It's not completely equal, but the story does make sure to regularly shift focus in the karuta team and show that each character is contributing their own individual skills, and they are so much stronger because they have each other. sports anime. It is also surprisingly frequent that the backstories of opponents is shown. It might even be to an unnecessary degree. I found myself at times being like, okay we get it, everyone has intense personal relationships with the cards and the game and that's what makes them so good at it, sports anime.
The only other thing I found a bit annoying was that the show WAY overuses the same like 3 tracks of background music, to the extent that they start to lose all emotional weight because they are being used with so many different scenes with so many emotions contained within them. This also, at times, contributed to feelings that some scenes were just far too melodramatic. I wish they would have used the money they spent on the most unnecessary CGI on like, one more song.
I guess this is one of many things I've enjoyed that I'd put under the category of "not great, but definitely enjoyable." I don't know if I properly expressed how important it is to me to engage in media that shows equal respect and kindness to a diverse set of characters, so for that alone, it's worth it. But I also found that the shoujo romance appealed so perfectly to that part of my brain that gets excited by shoujo romance. It sucked me in and now I can't escape, because I am so invested in these characters and I want to watch them all fight to achieve their dreams.
