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A love letter and character analysis to one of the best-supporting characters in anime:
Taichi Mashima (Chihayafuru)
Taichi Mashima (Chihayafuru)
Taichi Mashima is what I consider to be the backbone of Chihayafuru both in story, theme, and placement in the lives of all the characters.
Taichi joins our story as the crutch to Chihaya's selfishness and the bridge between her, Arata, and karuta.
Taichi joins our story as the crutch to Chihaya's selfishness and the bridge between her, Arata, and karuta.
We watch as he forces himself to help Chihaya establish the karuta club, practice with her every day, and even become President of the club simply in order to support her not once looking for recognition, but simply because he can't help himself.
He acts as the bridge for Arata and Chihaya through his selfishness to keep Chihaya to himself when they were kids, which as we know only ended up giving her to Arata and karuta more.
Now in his current situation, he hardly does anything for himself and only serves as... support
Now in his current situation, he hardly does anything for himself and only serves as... support
But as the series goes on we watch Taichi begin to drown in his current situation, and the only way for him to not be pulled in further... is to try and swim to the top. However, his weakness in being Chihaya's crutch makes his swim to the top all the more difficult.
And that's where I feel Taichi not only is the backbone of the karuta team and of Chihaya but also of the heart of the story.
Chihayafuru is about passion, whether it be for the game or for someone else. It is about the ups and downs on the path of competition.
Chihayafuru is about passion, whether it be for the game or for someone else. It is about the ups and downs on the path of competition.
And Taichi is at the center of that message because nobody embodies the path to self-discovery and finding one's passion more than Taichi.
We watch Taichi through each season strive for more as he searches for a way to gain more confidence and direction rather than be support
We watch Taichi through each season strive for more as he searches for a way to gain more confidence and direction rather than be support
His love for Chihaya makes him want to be stronger in order to help her and in order to compete with Arata. But his weakness being Chihaya and his lack of "natural talent" for the sport makes his struggle to the top more difficult but more endearing to watch when he succeeds.
He quite literally can only reach the top in love, in karuta, and in himself through brutal hard work and endurance. Enduring Chihaya's selfishness. Enduring the many losses on the road to Class A and to becoming Master. Enduring still appeasing his family in academics.
Taichi embodies the very real struggle many of us find ourselves in through many walks of life. An up and down struggle that oftentimes many of us lose or are unable to make it far enough into.
And the best part of his character is how unpredictable his ending will be.
And the best part of his character is how unpredictable his ending will be.
Many may think: well he deserves to win something. He's worked so hard. But oftentimes even those that work hard just can't win. Maybe Taichi will be the rare case but I have a feeling rather than winning, Taichi will find a more realistic result from his path:
By the end of the series, I think Taichi will at the least be a more confident person and will be able to more firmly understand himself and his goals. Of course, he deserves happiness for all he's endured but at the end of the day what makes Taichi so great:
Is the brutal realism in his character, and how that ties into the overall message and theme of Chihayafuru.
Taichi Mashima is a genius character and one that will forever hold a special place in my heart as both someone I relate too, and someone I wish to see achieve happiness
Taichi Mashima is a genius character and one that will forever hold a special place in my heart as both someone I relate too, and someone I wish to see achieve happiness
