Chihayafuru 2: First Impressions

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With it's return, fond memories of Chihayafuru have come flooding back. I've missed this feeling.

Not surprising that I'm excited to see more from my favourite anime of 2012, but as you all know sequels can often crash and burn. For the first episode, I'm staying optimistic about this sequel and I'm loving the new additions to the plot.

There's more going on here than I was definitely expecting. Each member of the club has their own agenda and that causes a rift within the club; Chihaya's the one who has to handle it but she takes a different route to resolve things.....Anyhow, the mayhem did mean that Kana-chan stepped up her game and took charge of it all. She's always had the bossy side to her, and seeing it in action was very fun.

This divide already gives us a lot of options with how the plot can progress, and we haven't even got to the the new characters! Technically only one of them was introduced, and that was enough for the time being. Sumire's introduction, whilst comedic. ended with some unexpected drama. Don't get me wrong, as soon as she said she was looking for a boyfriend it was obvious what was to come. What wasn't so obvious, was the quick development from crush to something more akin to love. Her reasons for joining the Karuta club were obvious from the start, but I have to wonder about the drama she brings to Chihayafuru.

Our other new character has yet to be introduced properly. He was the only guy in the mix of the new "Taichi Harem" with a brief appearance most would miss, and the poster shows him in an interesting light. My bet is on his introduction being a comedic one and his cameo-like appearance are just the build-up.

A glorious return for Chihayafuru. Good to see that it can still deliver and meet my expectations. Just proof that Chihayafuru really does belong as my number one anime of 2012.

Note: Crazy schedule means I'll blog this series on Sunday or Mondays. Same goes for Maoyuu.