We’re brought back to “now”. Chihaya is dead set on becoming the queen in karuta. Now that she’s bumped back into Taichi, she’s keen to reunite the three of them – Chihaya x Taichi x Arata. She wows everyone in her competition and even manages to rekindle the spark within Taichi for his interest in karuta. Just when we think everything is getting cheery, her call to Arata is a bit of a shock. Arata no longer seems to have any passion for karuta and actually tells Chihaya to never call him again!! WHAT THE!?!? I want to know what happened over these years. What made him change? I’m sure Chihaya will be able to bring back the old Arata.

I am really wow-ed by the art in this anime. The character designs, the actual scenes (like the scene where Chihaya grabs Taichi by the waist) and the use of cherry blossoms create a lovely backdrop to the story. It’s such a pleasure to watch this show. I also love seeing the “fierce” Chihaya!!!! GO GIRL!!!