I felt bad for Sumire. I think with all the "karuta freaks" around, we could use a little more of a normal person's entry into the game.

As always, Chihaya and Shinobu are two of a kind. I was a little disappointed that Chihaya didn't say, "When my finger heals, come over to my place," but instead implied that Shinobu has to wait until Chihaya is good enough to beat Megumu or even Yumin again. Not cool Chihaya. Missed opportunity to make Shinobu your super best friend/rival. Chihaya could've earned a valuable practice partner by directly playing her over and over again, and Shinobu would have gained an opponent who would never get discouraged no matter how many times she loses or how badly.