these panels from the karuta slash slice-of-life manga Chihayafuru struck me hard today. i'm really glad that Chihayafuru has older characters (well ... for manga. she's 35) like Haruka Inokuma, here, who raises her kids while also competing for the top karuta title -- and doesn't just put them in mentorship roles, but in roles that compete directly (and realistically!) with the protagonist.
