k u s h i t o k i k u

Chihayafuru 25 (Final)

I’m sad for a number of reasons. Chihayafuru was one of the best anime series I’ve seen in probably the last 3-4 years and I just watched the final episode. It’s now firmly entrenched in my top 10, and I’m seriously contemplating moving it into my top 5.

That said, it ended in a way most ongoing manga adaptations end: expecting to complete its story in future season(s). The issue with this show is that it’s unlikely to receive a second season. It wasn’t a popular show and DVD sales have reflected that. The combination of the source material, its josei genre and its bad timeslot ultimately worked against it.

So while Chihayafuru was one of the most satisfying anime-watching experiences I’ve had, its ending left me unsatisfied. I’m not going to be able to see its story get completed and that’s a damn shame because it’s a damn good show. A damn good show that nobody watched. Not only that, but it affects the way I rate the series. Is a show great if it has an incomplete ending?

Kudos to the show for not rushing and letting it play out as is, but the fact still remains. Add Chihayafuru to the list of shows — which includes Berserk, The Twelve Kingdoms and the recent Kuragehime — I’ve loved that never received a proper end. Sigh.

[My Chihayafuru first impression review]

Well paced and building up to being one of the best anime I’ve seen in the last few seasons. <3

Chihayafuru is such a damn good show

I had no idea what karuta was until watching Chihayafuru. Nevertheless, despite its unusual subject matter, I am completely in love with everything about this show.

I explain why in my review of the pilot here.

It’s neck and neck with Fate/zero as my favorite show of the Fall, and frankly, it’s one of my favorite anime of 2011.