What They Say:
Scarlet kadsuras and Leaving a hovering mist about the trees and grass.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Episode 10 has Arata facing off against Maruo in their qualifier tournament. They are both members of the same Karuta society, Nagumo Society. As the match begins to get underway, Aruta starts to feel sick and has stomach issues and has to use the restroom. The match isn’t stopped and he has to deal with lost time and the cards that were called during that time. Despite this, he is able to make a comeback and win his match. After the match, he starts crying and is consoled by Maruo. It was a heartwarming moment to see a loser console the winner after such a heated match.
Episode 11 takes a break from competitive Karuta to focus more on the competitors’ emotions as they await the East-West playoff. The one character that stood out the most is Haruka. She was formerly the Queen but had to take a break since she had two children. She wants to make a comeback and dreams of being Queen again. She has some anxiety as she has to spend time away from her family.
I like how Dr. Harada makes the Shiranami Society his own playground in order to get stronger and be prepared for the upcoming match against Arata and possibly Master Suo. He has Taichi pretend to play as Arata and Chihaya pretend to play as Master Suo.
One character that didn’t get any background information is Megumu Osaka and I see that as a shame. She is still one of two females challenging for the Queen match. She has proven her strength as one of the top female players. I would of like to know more about her at this point in the series.
Chihaya tries to grow as a character beyond Karuta but it doesn’t feel like that would work for her. In her field trip, most of her thoughts belong to Karuta. She attempts to spend some time with her friends but isn’t all there. She also dreams of being a teacher but she doesn’t know what subject she would want to teach. Her teachers also have fears of her becoming a teacher and a teacher advises her to do PE but her club advisor says “Make sure she picks a subject where students don’t die.” I am disappointed that she hasn’t grown much besides Karuta.
In Summary
These episodes deal with characters and what motivates them to move forward in Karuta. Everyone is focused on the future and how they can proceed with Karuta. Dr. Harada is on a runaway train with no brakes in sight and pushes Chihaya and Taichi into unknown horizons. Haruka wants to move forward but is struggling with the thoughts of her children and what is best for them.
Grade: A
Streamed by: Crunchyroll