E18 - The Plum Blossoms Still Smell the Same

Source: Crunchyroll
Translator:
Editor:
Timer:
QC:
(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:00] [POEM] Reader
    during my forlorn years in this world
SIGN    Saitama Hundred Poets Tournament
[00:09] Taichi
    We appreciate all your help, Mrs. Oe.
[00:13] Mom
    Please! Call me Rieko!
[00:16] Nishida
    Kana-chan, do we really have to
    wear hakama for every tournament?
[00:20] Kanade
    Of course!
[00:22] Kanade
    It's a Mizusawa High School
    Karuta Club tradition.
[00:24] Nishida
    What?
SIGN    In that case,
[00:27] ---
    I should probably learn how
    to put one on by myself.
[00:32] Both
    Desktomu-kun!
[00:33] Kanade
    Oe Traditional Clothing
[00:34] ---
    offers lessons for wearing hakama!
[00:36] Mom
    Oe Traditional Clothing offers a new line
[00:39] ---
    of cotton hakama for competitive karuta!
SIGN    Er, u-uh...
[00:47] Chihaya
    This will be my first official
    match after making Class A
[00:50] ---
    that isn't limited to high schoolers.
[00:54] Taichi
    First, you need to win!
[00:55] Taichi
    After that, your goal is to win the
    whole thing so you can advance in rank!
[00:58] Taichi
    Let's get serious!
[00:59] Nishida
    Yeah!
SIGN    Mashima, you're fired up.
[01:03] Kanade
    So am I.
[01:04] Nishida
    Me too!
[01:09] Kanade
    Are you nervous, Chihaya-chan?
[01:11] Kanade
    Shouldn't you be used to
    playing in tournaments?
[01:13] Chihaya
    K-Kana-chan, I feel like
[01:15] ---
    a rookie out of high school in
    his first major league game!
[01:18] Kanade
    Huh?
[01:24] Chihaya
    Class A is completely different
    from the lower classes.
[01:29] Chihaya
    This is what I've always wanted:
[01:33] Chihaya
    to play in a Class A tournament.
SIGN    Chihaya Furu
SIGN    Verse 18
SIGN    The
     Plum
     Blossoms
     Still
    Smell
     the
     Same
[02:57] Chihaya
    My first Class A match...
[03:00] (Flashback) Harada
    Chihaya-chan, stop taking
    cards with your speed.
[03:05] Chihaya
    This will lead me to the Queen...
[03:09] Chihaya
    but I need to win my first match.
[03:10] Sakura
    Oh, that's a pretty hakama.
[03:12] Chihaya
    Huh?
[03:13] Sakura
    I love how colorful your hakama is.
[03:16] Chihaya
    Thank you very much...
[03:19] Sakura
    If I were a little younger,
[03:22] ---
    I would love to wear a colorful hakama.
[03:25] Chihaya
    Y-You look adorable!
[03:27] Sakura
    I know.
[03:29] Chihaya
    She knows. Oh...
[03:32] [POEM] Reader
    Naniwa Bay, now the flower
     blooms, but for winter
[03:36] Chihaya
    My opponent in the first round.
[03:38] Chihaya
    Kanai Sakura-san.
[03:41] Chihaya
    I can't let my nerves
    get the better of me.
[03:41] [POEM] Reader
    Here comes spring,
    now the flower blooms
[03:43] Chihaya
    Stay calm.
[03:47] Chihaya
    Today, my goal is to not move too fast
[03:51] ---
    and not make faults.
[03:52] [POEM] Reader
    Here comes spring,
    now the flower blooms
[03:54] Chihaya
    Play a balanced style
    that allows me to take
[03:57] ---
    cards from both sides
    of the opponent's field.
[04:01] [POEM] Reader
    When I must hide these burning feelings,
[04:09] Chihaya
    I screwed up! I totally screwed up!
[04:11] Sakura
    Wow, you're so fast.
[04:14] Sakura
    Young people have such
    excellent reflexes.
[04:17] Sakura
    I can't keep up.
[04:24] [POEM] Reader
    I feel as though my body is
    on fire with Ibuki mugwort
[04:33] [POEM] Reader
    Though my hatred...
[04:34] Chihaya
    Ah! That's the wrong card! A fault!
[04:37] Sakura
    Wow,
[04:39] ---
    you really have fast reflexes.
[04:42] Sakura
    People with fast reflexes tend to mix up
[04:46] ---
    similar-sounding first syllables.
[04:48] Sakura
    Lucky me.
[04:51] Chihaya
    I see.
[04:52] ---
    She's right.
[04:54] Chihaya
    Fast reflexes and sharp ears
    can be powerful tools,
[04:58] Chihaya
    but they can also cause mistakes.
[05:01] (Flashback) Harada
    Stop concentrating on speed.
[05:04] Chihaya
    That's why Dr. Harada told me to stop.
[05:07] [POEM] Reader
    While it pains me...
[05:08] Sakura
    Lucky me!
[05:09] [POEM] Reader
    The tail feathers of...
[05:10] Sakura
    Lucky me!
[05:12] [POEM] Reader
    I wish I could show...
[05:13] Sakura
    Lucky me!
[05:14] Sakura
    You let me take another card.
SIGN    and I have yet to visit Amanohashidate or read my mother's letters
[05:20] Chihaya
    I'm having trouble attacking her...
[05:22] Chihaya
    Why?
[05:26] Sakura
    Lucky me!
[05:28] Sakura
    I get to play a girl who only has speed.
[05:31] Chihaya
    Why did she have to say that?
[05:34] Chihaya
    My goal today was to not move too fast.
[05:36] [POEM] Reader
    have been soaked red with tears of blood
[05:45] [POEM] Reader
    Would this old palace courtyard...
[05:47] Chihaya
    A dead card!
[05:53] [POEM] Reader
    be as dear now, those
    were the good old days
[06:02] [POEM] Reader
    Since I could not hide my love,
[06:03] Chihaya
    Dead card!
[06:08] [POEM] Reader
    Impassioned vows exchanged...
[06:10] Chihaya
    Again?
[06:11] [POEM] Reader
    Look for the sound...
[06:11] Chihaya
    Another dead card!
[06:13] [POEM] Reader
    I know that my heart...
[06:17] Chihaya
    Five dead cards in a row.
[06:19] [POEM] Reader
    and by no fault of mine
[06:28] [POEM] Reader
    Nobody wishes to see the
    beautiful cherry blossoms
[06:34] Chihaya
    The next card has to be one in play.
[06:39] Chihaya
    The next card...
[06:42] Chihaya
    The next card...
[06:43] Chihaya
    I really want to move!
[06:43] [POEM] Reader
    covered by the smoky mountain fog
[06:53] [POEM] Reader
    So the flower has wilted during
[06:55] Chihaya
    Seven dead cards in a row!
[06:55] ---
    the long spring rains, just
    as my beauty has faded
[06:57] Chihaya
    A fault...
[06:59] Sakura
    You couldn't hold yourself back, huh?
[07:01] Sakura
    Lucky me.
[07:02] Sakura
    Then I'll send you
SIGN    the red that is the Tatsuta River
[07:05] Sakura
    this card.
[07:09] Chihaya
    She sent me the "Impassionate gods" card...
[07:17] Chihaya
    I can do this!
[07:18] Chihaya
    I'm gonna take the next card.
[07:19] [POEM] Reader
    While it brings me no joy...
[07:21] Chihaya
    Take the next card!
[07:22] Chihaya
    Take the next card!
[07:29] Sakura
    I'm in luck again.
[07:35] Chihaya
    I should have been able
    to take that card.
[07:37] Chihaya
    If I'd been ready to move back from
[07:39] ---
    "While it may" to "While it brings"...
[07:41] Chihaya
    I have faster reflexes!
[07:45] Chihaya
    Stay calm...
[07:47] Chihaya
    This may be my first Class A match,
[07:49] Chihaya
    but I can't lose!
[07:53] Chihaya
    If I'm not the strongest
    female Class A player,
[07:55] ---
    I don't even get to challenge the Queen!
[08:00] Chihaya
    If I lose here, I can never
    take on Shinobu-chan!
[08:05] Sakura
    This is no fun.
[08:07] Chihaya
    Huh?
[08:08] Sakura
    Ayase-san, it feels like you're
    only playing against the cards.
SIGN    it is as though pearls have been strung across the autumn plain
[08:17] Chihaya
    She sent me "Since the," which is a
[08:19] ---
    one-syllable card now because
[08:20] ---
    "Since I could" not hide has been read.
[08:22] Chihaya
    I was hoping to take
    that card from her...
[08:26] Chihaya
    She's so hard to play against...
[08:30] Chihaya
    She's making it hard for
    me to play against her?
[08:33] Chihaya
    Right, she also sent "Impassionate."
[08:36] Chihaya
    The opponent's right side
    doesn't have many cards left.
[08:43] Chihaya
    Her cards are positioned
    to prevent me from
[08:44] ---
    using my speed effectively.
[08:46] (Flashback) Sakura
    Wow, you really have fast reflexes.
[08:48] (Flashback) Sakura
    Ayase-san, it feels like you're
    only playing against the cards.
[08:53] Chihaya
    She addresses me by name
[08:55] ---
    and watches how I play.
SIGN    Vs. Ayase
    Ayase
    Komano
    
    1) The "Impassionate" card in my right middle row is taken by Ayase.
    She sends "The sound of people" from her right lower row to my right lower row.
    2) I take "In order to" from her right middle row.
    "In order for" is on my side and Ayase was focused on taking that card from me.
    I send "I feel as" from my right middle side to her right middle side.
[08:59] (Flashback) Tsutomu
    But you have trouble with
    three-syllable cards,
[09:01] (Flashback) Tsutomu
    so I would place those cards in
[09:03] (Flashback) ---
    region B and constantly attack them.
[09:07] (Flashback) Tsutomu
    I'm sure you'll come up against people
[09:09] (Flashback) ---
    who use these strategies.
[09:14] Chihaya
    Excuse me.
[09:19] Chihaya
    I have a habit of going for every card
[09:21] ---
    as though it were a one-syllable card.
[09:24] Chihaya
    That's why I end up using too much force.
[09:28] Chihaya
    In that case, I should
    move back my start line.
[09:32] Chihaya
    Just a little bit.
[09:41] Chihaya
    Find the position that
[09:42] ---
    lets me take the lead at the goal line!
[09:48] Sakura
    Oh, she moved back?
[09:49] Sakura
    She was on the edge of
    the boundary before.
[09:53] Sakura
    Ten centimeters?
[09:54] Sakura
    No, she moved back fifteen centimeters.
[09:58] Sakura
    Can she still reach the cards?
[10:01] Sakura
    She must have a plan.
    I love it!
[10:04] Sakura
    Youth is a wonderful thing!
[10:08] [POEM] Reader
    Said night was young when
    the false rooster's crow
[10:11] Chihaya
    Whoa! A dead card!
[10:14] Chihaya
    That was close.
[10:16] Chihaya
    But I can reach the farthest
    row on both sides.
[10:19] Sakura
    Her arm is so long.
[10:20] Sakura
    She can easily reach
    any spot on the field.
[10:23] Sakura
    If she finds her rhythm...
[10:27] Sakura
    I'm moving a card.
[10:28] Chihaya
    Huh?
[10:32] Chihaya
    She moved "Said bed" as soon
[10:34] ---
    as it became a one-syllable card!
[10:35] Sakura
    Keep worrying your pretty little head.
[10:39] Sakura
    So innocent and cute!
[10:41] [POEM] Reader
    I feel as though I am...
[10:42] Sakura
    Lucky me.
[10:44] [POEM] Reader
    The emotions experienced...
[10:46] Sakura
    I have to take the cards
    that are there for me.
[10:50] Chihaya
    The cards that are there for her?
[10:52] Chihaya
    Is this all part of her plan?!
SIGN    She finally noticed...
[10:59] Chihaya
    Her karuta has something that mine lacks.
[11:03] Chihaya
    I need to watch her play.
[11:05] Chihaya
    Figure out what Sakura-san
    has that I don't.
[11:09] Chihaya
    The way she's been watching me play.
[11:17] [POEM] Reader
    banish any lingering memories of the past
[11:26] [POEM] Reader
    My fear is not of...
[11:33] Sakura
    Oh.
[11:35] Sakura
    We used the same three-syllable
    timing to take the card,
[11:40] Sakura
    But since we touched it at the same time,
[11:42] Sakura
    it's mine.
[11:47] Chihaya
    Three-syllable timing...
[11:50] Chihaya
    Timing...
[11:52] Chihaya
    Timing!
[11:54] Chihaya
    There's another way to play karuta!
[11:57] Chihaya
    A way that doesn't rely on speed!
[12:00] Chihaya
    The way Sakura-san plays!
[12:07] [POEM] Reader
    In order for us to find our way home,
[12:14] Both
    Thank you very much.
[12:19] Chihaya
    I lost by six cards...
[12:26] Chihaya
    Kanai Sakura-san!
[12:30] Chihaya
    Oh!
[12:33] Sakura
    Yes?
[12:34] Chihaya
    Th-They're adorable!
[12:35] Sakura
    I know.
[12:36] Chihaya
    So she knows. Oh...
[12:41] Chihaya
    Thank you very much for your help today!
[12:46] Chihaya
    I'll do my best to become a player
    that doesn't rely on speed!
[12:49] Chihaya
    I want to become Queen!
[12:53] Sakura
    Oh, dear. So do I.
[12:56] Chihaya
    Huh?
[12:58] Sakura
    Does it sound strange coming from
[12:59] ---
    an old lady who's been
    playing karuta for 35 years?
[13:01] Chihaya
    35 years?!
[13:03] Sakura
    20 years ago, I was much cuter
[13:06] ---
    and considered a karuta idol like you.
SIGN    Not a karuta idol
SIGN    Not a karuta idol
[13:11] Sakura
    I've never won any major tournaments,
[13:14] ---
    and no matter how hard I try,
[13:16] ---
    I keep losing to younger players.
[13:20] Sakura
    But I love karuta.
[13:25] Sakura
    I still dream about becoming Queen.
[13:29] Tsubaki
    What? Then I also want to become Queen!
[13:32] Kaede
    Me too!
[13:34] Sakura
    Oh? That makes us rivals then.
[13:37] Sakura
    I'll see you at the East qualifier.
[13:47] Chihaya
    And so, I had just lost
    my first Class A match,
[13:53] Chihaya
    yet I had no idea that I was
[13:55] ---
    about to experience the
    worst moment of my life.
[14:02] Chihaya
    The Class B final is
    between Taichi and Porky!
[14:07] Chihaya
    The Class D final is between
[14:08] ---
    Desktomu-kun and Kana-chan!
[14:11] Chihaya
    The other four members of
    the Mizusawa karuta club
[14:14] ---
    trumped their captain
    by reaching the finals!
[14:16] Chihaya
    Wh-Who do I...
[14:17] ---
    Which match do I watch?!
[14:19] Chihaya
    Who do I root for?!
[14:20] Chihaya
    What should I do as their captain?!
[14:24] Chihaya
    Retro-kun!
[14:25] Chihaya
    Y-You were in this tournament.
[14:27] Chihaya
    How did you do?
[14:28] Hiro
    I didn't do anything!
[14:31] Hiro
    I ran into Mashima in the first round
[14:33] ---
    and lost by three cards...
[14:35] Hiro
    I had all the momentum!
[14:37] Hiro
    This is what it means to win
    the battle, but lose the war!
[14:41] Chihaya
    What about the other Hokuo members?
[14:43] Hiro
    Amakasu-senpai and the
    others already left.
[14:46] Amakasu
    I lost, so I'm leaving.
[14:49] Hiro
    I'm going to take whatever
    I can from the winners!
[15:00] Nishida
    Next month is the East Master qualifier.
[15:04] Nishida
    This may be my last chance
    to advance in rank.
[15:06] Nishida
    I have to win here!
[15:10] Nishida
    I bet that's what Mashima's
    thinking right now.
[15:13] Nishida
    I'm not too interested
    in the Master final,
[15:16] Nishida
    but I can't let Mashima beat me!
[15:22] Tsutomu
    I admire Kana-chan.
[15:26] Tsutomu
    Her elegant playing
    style, her tenacity...
[15:30] Tsutomu
    and she has the stats to show for it.
[15:33] Tsutomu
    She averages 0.6 faults a match.
[15:35] Tsutomu
    During practice, she comes
    back to win 74% of the time.
[15:38] Tsutomu
    Due to her size,
[15:40] ---
    she rarely goes on the attack.
[15:43] Tsutomu
    Her personality makes her
    more defense-minded.
[15:46] Tsutomu
    Gulp.
[15:48] Tsutomu
    I know Kana-chan!
[15:50] Tsutomu
    I can beat her!
[15:51] [POEM] Reader
    Naniwa Bay, now the flower
    blooms, but for winter
[15:59] Chihaya
    Everybody's playing against
[16:00] ---
    each other for a chance
    to advance in rank.
[16:01] [POEM] Reader
    Here comes spring,
    now the flower blooms
[16:02] Chihaya
    This will never happen again.
[16:05] Chihaya
    I have to serve as their witness!
[16:12] [POEM] Reader
    Here comes spring,
    now the flower blooms
[16:20] [POEM] Reader
    The emotions experienced...
[16:22] Chihaya
    Huh? What?
[16:23] [POEM] Reader
    My life means nothing...
[16:25] Chihaya
    What? What?!
[16:26] Chihaya
    This is impossible!
[16:27] Chihaya
    I have no idea what's
    going on in either match!
[16:29] Chihaya
    Who got that card?!
     Who got it?!
[16:31] Hiro
    Can you calm down?
[16:33] Chihaya
    I want to watch them play!
[16:37] Chihaya
    Huh? Kana-chan...
[16:40] Chihaya
    She isn't sitting back the
    way she does in practice.
[16:43] Chihaya
    Has her exercise paid off?
[16:44] [POEM] Reader
    I will not cast myself into Naniwa Bay,
[16:45] Chihaya
    But she just started...
[16:48] Chihaya
    Is it because of the hakama?!
[16:48] [POEM] ---
    but I will risk my life to see you again
[16:53] [POEM] Reader
    As my love first came to realization,
[17:09] Kanade
    Excuse me.
[17:16] Chihaya
    Oh!
[17:18] Chihaya
    Now that I think about it,
[17:20] ---
    this is the first time
    I've watched Kana-chan
[17:22] ---
    play in a hakama.
[17:23] Mom
    When wearing a kimono,
[17:26] ---
    you must maintain proper posture
[17:27] ---
    and suck your stomach in,
[17:29] Mom
    as though you have a board
    running down your spine.
[17:33] Kanade
    My obi helps to support me.
[17:37] [POEM] Reader
    All alone, I step outside
    my house seeking comfort,
[17:40] Kanade
    It helps to strengthen my center!
[17:52] Person A
    How lovely.
[17:53] Person B
    Kimonos are so beautiful.
[17:55] Person C
    She's so pretty.
[17:56] Mom
    Chihaya-chan is very beautiful,
[17:59] Mom
    but she's beautiful no
    matter what she wears.
[18:01] Mom
    Kanade isn't necessarily beautiful,
[18:04] ---
    but she knows how to use a kimono.
[18:07] Mom
    She is the true poster girl
    for Oe Traditional Clothing!
[18:11] Tsutomu
    Kana-chan attacks better when
    she's wearing a hakama.
[18:14] Tsutomu
    She can play 100% when
    she's wearing a hakama.
[18:17] Tsutomu
    I practice with her every day,
[18:20] Tsutomu
    and I can still learn new things
[18:21] ---
    about her in a real match.
[18:23] Tsutomu
    Still, the normal Kana-chan is there.
[18:28] Tsutomu
    There is one card that I can
    always take against Kana-chan.
[18:32] [POEM] Reader
    While it brings me no joy...
[18:38] Tsutomu
    It's quite simple.
[18:39] Tsutomu
    Ayase cares about the "Impassionate" card,
[18:42] Tsutomu
    and similarly, Kana-chan believes that the
[18:43] ---
    "While it brings" card belongs to her,
[18:45] [POEM] Reader
    and I have yet to visit Amanohashidate
    or read my mother's letters
[18:45] Tsutomu
    because her name is Oe.
[18:48] Tsutomu
    Plus...
[18:50] Tsutomu
    Whenever "While it brings" is read,
[18:52] ---
    her attention is drawn to "The storm will."
[18:54] [POEM] Reader
    The autumn paddy shacks...
[18:57] Tsutomu
    Which delays her response
    to the other cards.
[19:01] Tsutomu
    Because Lady Izumi Shikibu
    and Koshikibu no Naishi
SIGN    Daughter
SIGN    Koshikibu no Naishi
    
    While it brings me no joy, the
    road beyond Mount Oe is too long
    and I have yet to visit Amanohashidate
    or read my mother's letters
SIGN    Mother
SIGN    Lady Izumi Shikibu
    
    The storm will soon carry
    me to the afterlife,
    so I wish for a memory
    of you to take with me
[19:03] ---
    were mother and daughter.
[19:05] Chihaya
    Desktomu-kun is really calm.
[19:07] Chihaya
    He understands Kana-chan's karuta.
[19:10] Tsutomu
    Kana-chan doesn't
    recognize cards just by syllables
[19:13] ---
    the way other players do.
SIGN    Ariwara no Narihira
    
    Impassionate gods have never seen
    the red that is the Tatsuta River
SIGN    Brothers
SIGN    Ariwara no Yukihira
    
    Note that though we may
    be apart, if I am to hear
    that you pine for me as the Inaba
    mountain pines, I shall return to you
[19:17] Tsutomu
    When Ariwara no Narihira's card is read,
[19:19] ---
    she looks for his brother, Yukihira.
SIGN    Lady Sei Shonagon
    
    Said night was young when
    the false rooster's crow
    but the gates of Afusaka remained shut
SIGN    Father and Daughter
[19:21] Tsutomu
    When Lady Sei Shonagon is read,
SIGN    Kiyohara no Motosuke
    
    Impassioned vows exchanged
    over many a tear shed to last
    until the day waves crash
    over Mount Suenomatsu
SIGN    Rivals
[19:23] ---
    she looks for Kiyohara no Motosuke,
SIGN    Lady Murasaki Shikibu
    
    Long last we meet, only for
    me to leave hurriedly,
    for I could not recognize you, like
    the moon hidden behind the clouds
SIGN    as well as Lady Murasaki Shibu.
[19:27] Tsutomu
    Kana-chan values the meaning
[19:28] ---
    and history behind every card,
[19:31] Tsutomu
    but the syllables are what
    matter in competitive karuta.
[19:35] [POEM] Reader
    As I wait for someone...
[19:38] Tsutomu
    I screwed up!
[19:39] Tsutomu
    A fault!
[19:40] Tsutomu
    I have trouble differentiating
    between "As I" and "As this".
[19:43] Tsutomu
    My focus is on the syllables,
[19:45] ---
    but my hearing isn't as good as Ayase's!
[19:47] Chihaya
    Desktomu-kun reacted as
    soon as "As" was read.
[19:53] Chihaya
    Which card will Kana-chan send?
[19:59] Chihaya
    Huh?
SIGN    I can look up and see the
    snowy cap of Mt. Fuji
[20:01] (Flashback) Chihaya
    Kana-chan, why is "No matter" always
[20:04] (Flashback) ---
    the first "No" card you send?
[20:06] (Flashback) Chihaya
    I would send "Note that" first,
[20:09] (Flashback) Chihaya
    since it sounds different
    from the others.
[20:11] (Flashback) Kanade
    My hearing isn't as good as yours,
[20:14] (Flashback) Kanade
    so "Nobody", "No more", "No matter",
[20:16] (Flashback) ---
    "Note that", "None are," and "Nothing"
[20:18] (Flashback) ---
    are all difficult for me.
[20:20] (Flashback) Kanade
    But the bigger something is,
    the easier it is to notice.
[20:26] [POEM] Chihaya
    No matter where I stand
    on the shores of Tago,
[20:31] [POEM] Chihaya
    I can look up and see the
    snowy cap of Mt. Fuji
[20:35] Chihaya
    She's drawn to the image
[20:38] ---
    of Mt. Fuji!
[20:39] [POEM] Reader
    No matter where I stand
    on the shores of Tago,
[20:46] Chihaya
    I didn't hear a thing.
[20:49] Chihaya
    Her motion was flawless.
[20:52] Chihaya
    Straight as an arrow...
[20:56] Chihaya
    I'm not here to cheer them on.
[20:58] Chihaya
    I'm not here as their captain.
[21:01] Chihaya
    I'm going to take whatever
    I can from them!
[21:14] Chihaya
    Meanwhile, there was another
    intense match going on,
[21:18] Chihaya
    but only Retro-kun was watching!