There’s no need to mince words – that was utterly fantastic. Chihayafuru firing on all cylinders. I swear, when I wrote last week’s post I had no idea that Tsuboguchi Hiroshi was going to have by far his most screen time in this episode. Hell, Madhouse even used the same […] Read more
There are many anime of recent vintage that I love, but there’s nothing that feels quite like the experience of watching Chihayafuru. There was an episode during the first season of Chihayfuru – in fact, it was episode 23, the penultimate Master/Queen qualifier ep – that nearly brought me to […] Read more
Advice to young girls not so interested in Karuta – don’t ask Harada-sensei “What’s so fun about Karuta?” I’ve found the experience of watching Chihayafuru 2 a slightly odd one – much more so this week than the premiere. It’s been such a rare occurrence for a series I love […] Read more
You’d have to search long and hard for two words that would make me happier than these: “Chihayafuru’s back”. OP: “STAR” by (99RadioService) I suppose for most of us that love this show dearly there was just the tiniest bit of anxiety going into this week: would the magic still […] Read more
Omi-Jingu is seeing a different sort of pilgrimage than it’s used to these days. Having made the journey to Enoshima last month and seeing that York Shin isn’t likely to be an option anytime soon, there was never really any question that I’d be visiting Omi-Jingu while in Kyoto. And […] Read more
I haven’t had many of them, but this was one of those days where from the first moment, everything just seemed destined to be right. The road to Kurama is a winding path; at a glance the distance appears to be quite near, but it is quite far. – Sei […] Read more
Irino Miyu and Han Megumi in Chihayafuru? That thud you just heard was me hitting the floor. Just a couple of tidbits to report, but damn, they’re good ones. Some S2 concept art is out, showing the two new Mizusawa Karuta Club members. And the really exciting news was that […] Read more
Good news: the cover of Volume 18 of the Chihayafuru manga confirms that S2 will begin in January. The website Mainichi says that it will be two cour: while I haven’t seen this confirmed, it certainly makes sense, though Winter series are generally less likely to be two cour. No final […] Read more
Sometimes the good guys win after all. Of all the sequel announcements that have happened since I became an anime fan, this just might be my happiest moment. In the face of an upcoming season full of unworthy sequels representing the dumbing down of anime in the worst way, a […] Read more
With video! Sorry, Inu x Boku SS fans – not that Karuta. No, this is the game – and today was my first chance to see it played live. The SF Karuta Society held an exhibition today as part of the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (last day tomorrow, stop […] Read more