Anime Review: Chihayafuru: From the Crystal White Snow(1.03)

                          Chihayafuru: From the Crystal White Snow(1.03)Review

Chihaya, Taichi and Arata have all seemed to become friends sometime around the end of the last episode and they go to a place where members of the karuta society gather to play competitive karuta. The man who runs the center who goes by doctor is extremely happy to have three new members all at once because it's so rare to have anyone new but some other members doubt their abilities and they are challenged to a match. The three of them play as a team at first while Chihaya was very enthusiastic about playing she was also very stressed about having to memorize so many cards and Taichi just simply thought there was no way that they could win so he asks why Arata had them play as a team when they would only hinder him and he says he wanted to play as a team. Although Arata has a bit of a problem being a team player since he knows the game of karuta so much better then the other two and this leads Chihaya to start pretty much competing with Arata and Taichi is confused as to why Chihaya is going so upset about loosing to Arata when he's so much better then her but something about Chihaya's competitiveness inspires Taichi to try. When Taichi actually succeeds in getting a cared Arata tells him good job and he seems pretty touched by this.

After the initially meeting at the karuta society place the three of them decided to try to compete in a tournament as a team and it seems like this episode takes place over several months so the three of them becoming really close. Chihaya tells her family that she has her own dream now rather than just wanting her sister to be a famous model her mother is happy for her but her sister is selfishly wishes she'd just go back to adoring her.

A little bit before the tournament Chihaya learns that Taichi got accepted into a school that is pretty hard to get into and is pretty far away and that Arata is moving away because he's grandfather is sick this upsets Chihaya because she wanted the three of them to play karuta together forever. In the end they play in the tournament but don't win and before Arata leaves he tearful tells Chihaya and Taichi that he doesn't think that he'll ever see either of them again and Chihaya said that as long as they have karuta they'll always find each other.

I overall really loved this episode it developed the relationships between the characters really well and I also felt like it was a really emotional episode, I cried a bit towards the end even. Please tell me your thoughts on this series.