#RE: THE PREV CHFYR POST. got me thinking abt this. all unoriginal thoughts etc etc

[dreamspring]

people who boil the romance of chihayafuru down to a typical love triangle in which one of chihaya’s love interests must ‘win’ or ‘lose’ her at the end, thereby turning her into an object rather than the subject of love (which is a narrative that the text itself explicitly rejects! btw!) frustrate me so deeply... ‘love’ in chihayafuru is not about ownership. love becomes transformative. love is metamorphosis. love in the story is about growth, self actualisation, selflessness AND selfishness… it’s about who you become when you love and how it changes you.

chihayafuru’s depiction of love also clearly extends beyond romance (not only in the canonical non-romantic relationships) but ALSO in the love triangle itself. the relationships chihaya, taichi and arata have to each other are deeply informed by romance but are in no way defined by it. frankly their relationships as a trio are much more interesting when you talk about all the ways they affect and love each other beyond solely the romantic aspect. also! it is love for karuta that literally lies at the core of the story and it is the medium through which all the characters undergo their transformations. so. anyway