Chihayafuru 2

*Includes spoilers. Media credits go to their owners.*

Ahhhh, finally, Chihayafuru 2 is here! While it was already out last week, I didn't have the chance to relax and carefully enjoy the first episode soon enough. But now I have. And even though there will be another episode out by the time this bit of the blog will go live, I'll focus on the first episode here.

So whoever doesn't know it yet - Chihayafuru is an anime series about karuta. WTF is karuta? It's the name of the game, yo! Actually it's a game the Japanese nobles used to play and has a 100 cards in it with poems from the Hyakunin isshu - a great anthology of classical Japanese poetry. To set that aside, this anime is about smacking cards! You need to grab a card as soon as you hear the first syllable of any of those 100 poems. And that's what Chihaya (the pretty lady on the picture) and her friends do all series long. Sounds extremely dull?
It's not!
It has some pretty awesome sports tactics and abilities mixed into it, but it's also kind of elegant in the form of the poems and the readers (who read the poems to the competitors) and tradition. Even though competetive karuta has very little in common with the nobles of ancient times. Mostly everyone is sweaty and has to think a lot. Anyway, some pictures I captured from the first episode.

There's a new girl, who looks like a bitch and obviously likes Taichi. Not cool, missy. GTFO, he needs to be with Chihaya, kk?
Actually, I can't wait for today's episode, so I'm just going to leave this at that. Really want to see moooar!