CHIHAYAFURU

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

ANIME DramaChihayafuru
ANIME DramaChihayafuru 2
NOVEL DramaChihayafuru: Chuugakusei-hen
ANIME DramaChihayafuru 3
MANGA DramaChihayafuru: Chuugakusei-hen
MANGA DramaChihayafuru plus Kimigatame

REVIEWS

• 

  apokos7

  90/100
  In Naniwa Bay, now the flowers are blossoming.

  __Before the Introduction__

  For the longest of times I have been a shounen fan through and through. My first anime was from that demographic, and naturally so were the ones that followed. Their formula of never ending repetition was easy to follow and having characters act in a familiar manner felt homey, probably because of my age at the time as well. While I retain a deep attachment to the above category and most of my favorite stories can still be traced there, it was only natural that at some point variants of the same type of storytelling would feel contrived. That was when I branched out to things outside my comfort zone, tried out different and contrasting titles and began the process of properly cultivating my understanding of the anime and manga world, their industry and its inner workings, and more importantly myself.

  >"Even in the age of almighty gods unheard of, the waters of Tatsuta are flowing under layers of crimson"

  Browsing through the josei category Chihayafuru was an anime that immediately caught my attention due to how well it was received in the community as well as its unique thematic, one I was unfamiliar with. Sometime later, the third season of the anime was announced and that was when I decided to actually sit through it. It made for a highly immersive experience and one I consider as one of the the most emotionally intelligent pieces of fiction I have ever come across.

  Earlier this year the announcement of the manga reaching its ending after 15 years of serialization was made and that was when I knew that it was finally time to refresh the story in my mind, experience its original form by reading its source material, and sum up my thoughts and understanding of the title after consuming it in its entirety. With a complete opinion now shaped, wear your hakama and let's explore an intriguing sport rooted in tradition, poetry and Japanese history.

  __Introduction__

  The Ogura Hyakunin Isshu is a collection of 100 traditional Japanese poems by 100 Japanese poets, one poem each. It was compiled during the 12th cenutry and forms the basis of karuta.

  Karuta is a card game the uses the aforementioned poems each written in a single card. Half of these cards are being distributed between two competitors and they try to correctly collect them and clear out their territory before their opponent does, based on the reader's melodical reciting of the poems out of a full 100-card deck from their own separate stack in random order.
  It is a sport that is mostly unknown to western audiences and despite its simple setting, has various rules, card terminology based on their state on the field, and a multitude of techniques to play it effectively. It requires considerable physical skill and stamina while it is primarily a mental activity that demands different forms of memorization as well as the skill to quickly forget previous card placements.

  >"Soon my life will close when I am beyond this world and have forgotten it, let me remember only this one final meeting you"

  The story of Chihayafuru focuses on Ayase Chihaya, a young girl who makes a fateful encounter that introduces her to the world of karuta, an event that will help her discover her passion, something to immerse herself in, her calling in life, a driving force and a goal to strive for. As a sport relatively unknown outside Japan, becoming Queen, the best female player in Japan, means being the best in the entire world.

  The main cast is rounded up by Wataya Arata, the young boy who has the dream of becoming Meijin himself, the best male karuta player, and the one who introduces Chihaya to the world of karuta, and Mashima Taichi an all around wonder boy and Chihaya's childhood friend that gets roped up into the karuta world as well.

  And thus begins a coming of age drama that masterfully balances between intense competitive sport moments and deeply emotional character growth.

  __Media Comparison__

  To get this out of the way first, I believe a short media comparison is in order. I began my readthrough with extreme anticipation to relive a story that managed to touch my heartstrings multiple times when I first came across it via its anime and one that had birthed a magnitude of emotions within me. When I first started reading the manga I could appreciate the process of remembering beloved characters and events, yet there was something that felt off. I could not entirely grasp that emotional investment I had during my anime watch.

  And thus I pondered over it. There had been more than two full years before my previous involvement with the title and I had since consumed numerous pieces of fiction, enough to not fully remember precise events, the order they had played out, or how they had contributed to each character's journey, so it should not have been a case of reliving the same experience too soon which could explain things. On the contrary, the process felt really fresh to me. Without digressing too much, I noticed that the series of events was moving relatively fast. The anime was blessed with great direction giving the story time to breathe and also had the advantage of precise sound direction which is extremely important in a series that features melody and timely reaction to it as the deciding factor of how its main sport plays out.

  

  On the bright side, after the first few introductory chapters, the series started giving itself a little more time, and thankfully I managed to get drawn to its pace. In fact I lost myself in it and completed it sooner than initially estimated. By the time I reached the final chapter my opinion had swifted to one of respect for its pacing choices as totally functional, since it managed to cover an exceptional amount of characters, matches and accomplishments in its span of 50 volumes. It is an amazingly crafted piece of fiction after all and one for everyone to give a chance to.

  >"Like the Minano River falling from the peaks of Mount Tsukuba, so has my yearning reached its depths" __Karuta as a Sport__

  Chihayafuru has all the qualities one would expect from a manga in the sports genre. The structure of the competitive karuta stage features many different tournaments, both team and individual ones, ones aimed toward high school students and non age restricted ones, and others seperated by gender as well as mixed ones. The competitors' level is divided in classes as everyone aims for the top, the Meijin and Queen titles. High school tournaments feature familiar rivalries between schools, and deep bonds between club members. Ever present are the elements of struggle through practice to achieve goals, the sweet taste of victory and the value of defeat, strong emotional outbursts that feel earned, and the lessons of interpersonal growth throughout the entire process of following one's dream and investing in hard work. Long time sports anime/manga fans will find the best parts of the genre's formula in Chihayafuru, while readers whose first contact with a sport manga is this one will get to know all the elements that make this category compelling and attractive.

  Where Chihayafuru goes beyond the typical sports manga boundaries is the mental aspect of the games. Every match has a certain amount of interest in it as far as karuta itself goes, separate from the ever present character development its participants go through. That is possible because steadily and surely the series presents techincal aspects of karuta and advanced strategies in an accessible manner and without giving the feeling of being too convoluted. In other words, it is a series that has educational qualities and teaches you the game from zero, a trait I deeply respect and find compelling in fiction, in general.

  __Karuta as a Beacon of Culture__

  As much as karuta is a sport, it also carries a heavy artistic identity. Starting from its conception it is a collection of traditional Japanese poems. The way karuta is conducted demands a reader melodically reciting the poems, something so ingrained in karuta's identity that most of the matches, especially in the later part of the series, are centered around intonation and settled because of its subtleties. The poems themselves are a direct connection to almost a thousand years to the past. They offer a glimpse of times long gone, yet ever present worldviews and ways of perceiving intertemporal human concerns. Most of the poems are closely tied to certain characters or are part of a match's theme. One can easily extend that train of thought and apply it to the entirety of Chihayafuru.

  Beside the sport or the games themselves the manga offers a bountiful overworld structure. There is the karuta association, the various societies in which players are organized and through which are registered in matches, the various school clubs and their advisors from many parts of Japan, and many veterans. We also get a good look into various elements surrounding karuta, such as traditional hakama, intricately linked to the sport's heritage, as well as real life shrines, and the rich world of karuta readers. The level of detail and passion for karuta in the manga has even boosted the popularity of the real life game both in Japan and overseas.

  __Protagonistic Trio__

  The plot itself is simple and easy to follow and presented in a linear yet compelling manner. That is made possible due to its intriguing characters and their respective and intersecting journeys.

  Chihaya is an absent-minded, energetic individual who simply adored her older sister before coming across karuta. After meeting Arata and learning about the sport, she found her calling through it, aiming to reach the top of its competitive scene while also using it as a means to retain her human connections. She goes as far as to establish a karuta club at her school aiming to spread her love for the game. She is inherently greedy refusing to compromise on her many wants, while disregarding logic and being absolutely naive. What makes her compelling is that she is inherently good-natured and all of the above are presented as human traits present in everyone, only to the extreme as is typical of fiction, making her relatable. Her journey was a product of her single-minded attachment to karuta, but also from being supported by her friends always by her side.

  >"I will not forget you - you say to the end of time this will be hard to maintain, so I wish for my life to be one which ends on this very day"

  Taichi used to be an arrogant and self-centered child aiming to be the best in everything and the center of attention. He even displays jealousy towards Arata when the latter wins over Chihaya's attention through karuta. During his high school days he still has a crush on Chihaya enough to start assisting her in their high school's karuta club creation, himself still playing it regularly. His personality has mellowed from his childhood days and he displays a certain amount of maturity, while being well aware of his character flaws and trying to be a better version of himself. In the latter half of the manga he gives in to his inner nature and tests out his limits through an unconventional path, a most intriguing character study. Taichi is the most interesting character in the entire work in my opinion. He is a great multilayered character, his journey is the most complex and the most compelling compared to the rest and he provides intrigue to the plot. It would not be an understatement to say that he is the pillar of this manga and its twists and turns while everyone else's journey is easily predictable right from the start.

  >"We part whilst I leave for Mount Inaba mountain peak pines, but if I am to hear that you do, at once I will come home"

  Arata is a shy boy who admires his grandpa, a former Meijin, and is extremely good at karuta. He transfers to Chihaya and Taichi's elementary school and is the reason they are both engulfed into the karuta world. His existence also serves as a goal for them both for a big chunk of the story. He is an individual that lives and breathes karuta and his entire being is centered around it as well as his love for his grandpa. That is both his strength as well as his shortcoming as a character, in the sense that he can often feel somewhat single layered.

  __Love Triangle__

  There is a romantic element to this story in the form of a love triangle between the protagonistic trio. Now, people either strongly dislike those, or particularly enjoy them and their spice. While the romance's outcome was a main concern for probably every Chihayafuru fan, it was injected in the story in a minimalistic and non-obtrusive manner being touched upon only when needed for the plot. Far from being handled cheaply, it was used brilliantly right up to the end. The romantic plot kicked in in earnest during the latter part of the manga in the form of both of the male protagonists confessing to Chihaya. Other than the heroine's reactions around that time, they were events that triggered character growth from everyone involved, esecially Taichi, and was practically touched upon only at the few final chapters as a resolution to the entire plot. Personally, I am extremely satisfied with both its handling and the outcome itself. I would suggest it not to be a factor to discourage anyone from trying out the title.

  __Meijin, Queen and regarding Supporting Characters__

  There are two characters that are almost as important to the story as the protagonistic trio itself, the reigning Meijin and Queen.

  Wakamiya Shinobu, the current Queen, serves as Chihaya's goal and her antagonist. She is later revealed to be in a somewhat one-sided rivalry with Arata. Wakamiya is extremely gifted at karuta and the youngest to win the Queen title in its history. While having a few hobbies other than the card game, she is clumsy to the point of being unable to hold a typical job. Other than the solitude she experiences because of her inherent genius, her main character arc is trying to turn her involvement with karuta into a profession. It is a really interesting and progressive thematic, but one that I feel has been handled a little roughly and needed more time to feel earned. Her connection to the cards and the poets is also a really unique option the writer made. Despite the above she embodies a gifted wall for Chihaya to overcome and a compelling piece of the manga.

  >"Although I hide it it has appeared on my face That love of mine, people are even asking "Whom are you thinking of?" "

  Suou Hisashi, the reigning Meijin, first strikes as a disagreeable person. He is hated by the karuta world itself for not being a good role model for it. He is also displayed as being so good at the game that he can easily defend his title while manipulating his opponents and the match's score. As his character was being gradually unfolded, I concluded that I consider Suou as one of the greatest and most deeply explored characters in the work. The reason for his playing quirks, his natural talent that compensates for that, the reason behind his behavior, and more. The more he was presented the more he won me over and was one of the finale's highlights.

  >"For you even this life of mine I thought not precious, I realised I wish it was everlasting"

  There is a grand sum of supporting characters in this work. Some of them play a vital role and have complete character arcs adding to the manga's worth, like Chihaya and Taichi's karuta teacher Harada sensei or the rest of the members of their high school karuta club, Sudou or Hyoro-kun and some select title contenders. On the other hand there is a generous amount of them whose role is very specific and generally restricted within the bounds of a single match, for example, begging to be expanded upon further which is something we never got.

  __The Finale__

  For a piece of work that managed to hold its quality consistently high throughout its entire run the main concern in every fan's mind was whether it would nail the landing.

  Chihayafuru obviously ends with the series of title matches for two of our protagonists. While a sizeable list of tournaments and landmarks for the manga account for roughly 80% of the work, the final matches occupied close to 20% of it. It is obvious that such an option led to a visible change of pace. That swift was not that distinct in the matches themselves, but mostly in the presentation of the story through them. The mangaka opted to close every major character arc during that final part. This resulted in frequent disruptions of the matches themselves in order to resolve them. Having the chance to binge read the entire work that choice did not feel very obtrusive to me, but I can imagine that in a chapter by chapter release schedule many might had felt some discontent.

  >"As the current is swift rapids are held back by the rocks, although separated they will meet in the end and so will we"

  There is also the subject of whether the participants of those matches were ready to be crowned at the very top. During the entire duration of the work, they strived for that place and continuously improved with that goal in mind. However, during the games themselves we got some faulty mindsets and approaches to the title matches that felt amateurish. All of the above constitute a matter of personal preference, but a single match or two before the ones against the Meijin and the Queen that would resolve some character arcs would have been preferable in terms of story flow. Then again, a hefty sum of character progression saved for the last five matches was also necessary, and the way it was presented worked rewardingy, so all is well that ends well.

  In any case, the finale itself was great, one that was well deserved and was properly set up in advance. Everyone ended in a place proportionate to their drive, effort and role to the story. Their respective arcs had a fitting logical and emotional progress and were concluded while leaving a sense of satisfaction.

  __Is This Series Perfect?__

  Nothing ever is.

  Chihayafuru tells a coming of age story, one of getting in touch with one's inner self, growing through the process, finding friendship and maybe even love.

  The main setting is unique and incomparable. It is presented in an educating way and has every advantage any other sports manga could carry and then some. It does its genre justice and plays to its many strengths. Additionally, it promotes tradition and many artistic and cultural qualities alongside it.

  The characters' progress is explored fully and is engaging enough so that one might even find some of his favorite characters in this work. The emotional impact they offer is deep and they manage to make one attached to them effortlessly.

  The manga's art is clean, detailed and dynamic, it conveys emotion powerfully, and flows well. I have found myself thinking some expressions to have been a little stiff sometimes or lacking in kinetic energy, though.

  All in all, it represents in an excellent manner every aspect it intends to touch upon, making it one of the best in the medium and a series for every anime or manga fan to experience.

  >"Since the time we parted when the morning moon appeared cold-hearted, nothing is as painful as the early hours of dawn" __Closing Thoughts__

  Chihayafuru has set the standard for the heights a josei, a sport, a character driven drama, or a romance story can reach, in my book. From the time it caught my attention, to my first watch of its anime and the emotional investment it had with it, all the way to the present with my reading the entire story right up to its natural ending, I believe it will be a title to always remain as one of the most memorable experiences I will have the pleasure of getting from the industry. I really hope the production committee of the anime will decide to cover the rest of the story in that format as well, since it is one of the cases that totally deserve it.

  Heartfelt thanks to everyone giving their time to read my entire personal analysis on Chihayafuru. Feel free to check my profile for a better understanding on how I perceive anime and manga in general and maybe take a look at my other reviews. I hope that I will steadily increase my writing output, so I hope we will meet again soon. Until next time.

  Continue on AniList
• 

  hoeberries

  100/100
  Adrift at the Mouth of Yura: a Polyamorous Love Letter to Mashima Taichi (and Perhaps Others)

  (No major spoilers here, although all secrets of the universe can be found within Taichi's eyes.)

  Oh, Taichi.

  I want to meet you in your clubroom just after school, at that ideal time when the space is drenched in receding sunlight, encased as if in ebbing amber. I want to open the door so the afternoon breeze frolics through your soft, tousled hair. I want to sit by your side, our chests fluttering as one, and grip your princely hand, feeling out your musical pulse, stroking your sun-warmed skin, immobilising those pretty bones that fix and fold beneath your flesh. I want to lose myself in your shimmering eyes—those vast pools of meaning—and observe how they blink back the child you left behind. No need for that now. I will confess my love, seriously and deliberately, handling your crystal heart with the delicacy it deserves. Unlike some people.

  I think, after that, I'll give you a nice, slow shoulder massage, because you must be sore from carrying Chihayafuru on your back for 247 chapters.

  You started off as an entitled rich kid. You grew into a frosty-hearted shoujo prince, equipped with your looks and fangirls, scoring top grades, so on and so forth. But what really makes me feral is how you try to move beyond these base states. Your character development is the pillar that holds this series in place: you work painstakingly hard, trying to become someone who does not take the easy way out, banking your youth on this one seemingly pointless activity that does not come to you naturally—the niche of niches that hates your guts. Why? It would be so easy to give up. You have it all outside of karuta, but at your core is your self-loathing, sharp as a knife's edge, reiterating again and again that, despite your many accolades and admirers, you do not want to be you. You are littered with insecurities. As such, you obsess over bettering yourself and supporting others, only for those efforts to often amount to nothing when you fail, fail, and fail again.

  I relate to you intensely! You give so much but struggle to open your heart. People love you, but you run away before they can prove it, putting on this aloof mystique when you're really lonelier than anyone. Literally me! I ache over how unrequited you are, pining like the Inaba mountain pines for a girl who, quite frankly, does not deserve you, because it is I who truly deserves you, who will pamper you with kisses and hugs. I throb over your nonlinear path to self-forgiveness, which is all too often one step forward, two steps back—all such a far cry from the straight-arrow aspirations of our other protagonists, and yet still essential to the story, propping everyone else up through your twisting, meandering narrative roots burrowed so deep into the earth. You beautiful boy! Let me piece your heart back together and whisper into your ear that, at long last, you've done enough.

  I am sure, eventually, we can have a fantastic life wherein which you can sustain me with your yummy doctor earnings. Simply be advised that I am a poly prat, so we're moving on for now.

  Dear Arata.

  On behalf of the fanbase, sorry. Being one of those malnourished, slobbering Taichi fangirls, I used to hate your four-eyed ass. I would ridicule you on internet forums, talk mad shit in discussions with my ex-friend (I ruined relationships over this) and knit scraggly spectacled voodoo dolls to fill with needles. Such was the extent of my hatred.

  Something made me change. Perhaps it was watching the anime and discovering how fucking adorable your Fukui accent was. Perhaps it was that confession of yours, when you bowed and showed the utmost respect to your should-be spouse and caused my heart to lurch out of my chest. Or perhaps it was the gradual realisation that you were a clumsy, shortchanged, poverty-stricken child who is kind and optimistic despite it all, and my dedication to your privileged bourgeois rival was the height of class-traitor problematics.

  I guess this makes us enemies to lovers; but of course you are too kind and forgiving to think of me as an enemy, so maybe not. You couldn't think of Taichi that way either, in the end. You're just too damn sweet!

  I think of you as a sky-blue lake awash with cherry blossoms, transparent with your contagious love for karuta, something you effortlessly reflect onto impressionable tomboys. When you play, it is with the grace and fluidity of water. Losing your grandfather left a nail in your heart, but you were able to embrace your community, open your heart to others, and grieve the person that meant the most to you. At your core is not the remorseless karuta demon they paint you as throughout the series, but always that starry-eyed child who simply loves to play an obscure traditional Japanese card game. What I respect most is this joy and purity! Without it, there would be no story, no beacon of shining karuta love for us to pursue even as you spent so much time far away from the action.

  I do think you could have been developed a little more, and it is a shame that you were so often confined to Taichi's shadow simply by virtue of having less screen time. The ending in particular shortchanged your character in a big way. But isn't it so like you to accept that with grace and compassion? I myself am so spiteful—I never could.

  And you have the cutest accent, oh my lord. I just need to reiterate that.

  And now Shinobu.

  Your being dwells in secret places. On the surface is the unbeaten Queen, but behind that, tucked away in miscellaneous, winter-encased city, there is a vacant room, stacks of classical poetry, and there, certainly—a tiny girl, her lithe fingers sweeping through the air again, again, again, again, again, again, soundless and engulfing in the way of evening snow.

  I want to scoop you up, skinny or chubby or somewhere in between, and give you a big hug. You really need one. After all, your exterior conceals an awkward, lonely teenager who makes friends with cards because she has no one else. Literally me again! Minus the whole world champion thing. You are not a prodigy in the way of others in this series, as your work has been unavoidable and deliberate, performed in isolation throughout your life. You are very much in your head. This produces a simple and lovely contrast with the fireball that is Chihaya, pitting warmth against cold, bonds against solitude, and sounds against silence. Where it matters, though, you are both goofballs. No fashion sense to be found in our protagonist, shaped by flames, nor our antagonist, hewn out of ice.

  It became necessary for you to thaw. You had to become a businesswoman! A streamer! Those YouTube scenes were low-key cringey as heck, but I respect the hustle nonetheless. Get those sponsorships. Get that cash. I just want you to do well in life! It's very sports manga for me to end up rooting for the enemy just as much as our hero, but this one goes above and beyond. I do not want you to lose! I want you to stay on the summit! Of course, you eventually learn that there is room in this place for many; that even as you stumble, another can pull you to the top.

  Something that always stuck out to me was the relationship you share with your grandmother: unspoken and intricate, as one might expect from a string of gems sustained between two jaded Kyoto women. That stylish matriarch holds you in high esteem, demonstrating such formidable respect for your dreams, as silly and unachievable as they might sound on paper. If what you do is not a profession, you need only make it one. If you cannot do it, who can? This is what she says to you, passed between young and old, the hag and the girl. You are young, beautiful, and the best in the world.

  Cling to your snow crystals: those silent, glittering beads, revealing the night via the pale glow of the future. Your takes pierce the sky like white winter frost.

  SUOU! Oh, shit, sorry. Let's try that again.

  Psst, Suou! What an eccentric guy you are. The soft-spoken dork who sits atop the karuta world, nerding out over the beauty of voices and staunchly blotting out anything else. I sometimes choose to read you as autistic, though I am not sure if you are. You're kinda a mystery, yanno?

  Your strategy is antithetical to the series as a whole: a deliberate sedation, weaponising your lack of passion for the game you play, focusing on the texture of sound, a faraway vanguard available only to a special few. This location is peripheral and insubstantial, as if it were a desert mirage, and although this grants you near-unrivalled ability, it also disconnects you from others as you become lost in a paracosm of success.

  As we know, this series is all about love and community, something you try so hard to run away from. (Uh-oh. Literally me times three.) At your core is a sunken shame, as you push yourself from your family back home, which includes the woman that means most to you. You are a misfit, an outcast, all of your own making, all-too-aware that your life here is ephemeral, that your hereditary disability will one day render you blind. As your character unfolds, we start to see how sympathetic you really are. The jigsaw falls into place.

  Most of all, I love your relationship with Taichi (typical, I know), who you took under your wing despite seeming nothing alike. You flaunt unexpected wisdom as you bond with this highschooler, who is also running away from something, on some manga-long pilgrimage to find out who he really is.You serve each other well, negotiating these pivotal people that you have constructed your lives around; people who, because they mean so much to you, have always been pushed further from your flickering hearts.

  So you flicker and flash. You accept you are a ghostly candle at constant risk of being blown out. You nurture your body, shielding your ears as if they were your life—your final tethers to the banks of the living. And you are the Meijin, damn it, insubstantial or not! Some write you off as talented, but then it was you that described talent as a sort of flame: those who possess it can light the blaze faster than anyone else, and yet that alone will not guarantee the flame's strength, nor how long it burns.

  Harada-sensei!

  For a long time I sat down and asked what Chihayafuru does to make itself more interesting than the average bitch-ass anime bildungsroman. I thought of a few things generally confined to "well uh, good characters, the story actually progresses, blah blah," but one that stands out is the focus on older characters.

  You are one of these older characters. The mentor, the coach, the sensei. I expected to remain in that role throughout the series, dropping truth bombs and pieces of karuta wisdom that feed growing, fighting protagonists which are at that stereotypically formative age. I was surprised when you wrestled the spotlight away from them with your strength of a bear, showing you weren't nearly done and who cares if you're old, because you can still kick ass even with a shitty knee! So silly was I for again underestimating one of those smouldering burnt fields just before they burst into a field of thriving green youth. If only we had a Studio Shaft paint job for this one too. Not that I dislike the actual adaptation, but it can be a bit stale.

  Anyway! You remind us that these flower-laced fault lines of youth and passion are not restricted to the moments before we graduate high school. These are people we're talking about, and no matter your age, there is still room to grow and bloom into who we are meant to be, many times, over and over. Thank you for being the best mentor that Chihaya and the gang could ask for, not because of your knowledge, but because you fearlessly pursue your dreams alongside them. You teach us to wear your heart on your sleeve. To leave nothing in the tank. Breathe in deeply, then completely exhale. Always go for the bottom-most-right card. Be kind. Try your damndest in everything. Youth comes many times.

  So, so many people...

  Chihayafuru has a lot of characters. There is no way I can give everyone the headpats they deserve for being so inspiring and quotable. I am going to mention four of my favourites, though. What strikes me about this series is how everyone bonds over this shared passion of karuta, and yet they all come to the game for very different reasons.

  Kana! You like poetry. Me too, girl, me too. On the whole, Chihayafuru does an exceptional job of weaving the Hyakunin Isshu poems into the fabric of its narrative, often with you as our well-meaning guide. It's precious how you arrange peoples' shoes and such for small bounties of good fortune. You are also the OG Taichihaya shipper, and though I eventually backstabbed the Taichihaya alliance in favour of the Taichi x Me reality, I gots to respect you.

  Sudo! I love sadists, and you happen to be a particularly likeable one. And we need some scummier cinnamon rolls, yanno, because everyone's so damn lovely in this series. It's a shame you ended up losing to our leads so often, but oh well. Someone had to be in that spot. It's cool that your goal is to rise in the karuta organisation rather than to become the Meijin yourself.

  Inokuma! A mother who still competes in karuta competitions? Takin' cards one minute, breastfeedin' bubs the next? SO COOL TO SEE. This is what I mean when I say this manga nails the older characters. It is aided by the game that is karuta, where everyone is free to participate in these little tournaments no matter their age, gender, profession, etc. Speaking of which...

  Kuzuryu! Kuzuryu Youko! I suspect no one remembers you except for me. You're that older reader that debuts towards the end of the series. And how awkward you are! By your own description: too tall, too blunt, too sensitive to the cold, and with a voice too unnaturally deep to be suited to reading. Kyoko once said she loved your voice, and that was enough for you to become a reader for the rest of your life, through college, work and an arranged marriage: you found refuge in these niche game that you did not wish to properly compete in, cultivating your reading to a point where it is praised even by sonic connoisseur Hisashi Suou.

  This all came to an end when your husband had a stroke. You dropped everything to help him recover, even as a cognitive disorder took hold of his brain, and everything you had built together flaked away. You stopped going to tournaments. You nursed him professionally, never faltering as he became worse and worse, eventually passing ten years later. The funeral came and went. It was there that you met Kyoko again, so long since your first fruity meeting, long ago.

  "Come back to this game where we all feel connected," she pleaded, because we won't be here forever. You would return to read in the final match, and it is then that we hear that first card which has been broadcast to a point where we should be numb to its powers: that in Naniwa bay, after sleeping all winter, the flowers are blooming. Mono no aware 'n all that, and heck, it HITS! I feel ill-equipped to summarise the little life story that had me WEEPING when I first read it, as if it were the entire series compressed into a bittersweet microcosm. We bloom, we wilt, we start again. We recite these words, over and over, continuing until the time we are stripped from the tree like plum blossoms, spirited along by a spring breeze, only to press gently into the damp earth when our journey reaches its end.

  And, finally, Ch—

  THE STORM BLASTS RED LEAVES FROM MOUNT MIMORO, SETTING THE TATSUTA RIVER ABLAZE.

  You are the best main character we could ask for, even with your rough edges. That first card tore open the floodgate of your heart, announcing you as energetic, straightforward, and brimming with passion for karuta. You are dancing white-hot ball of fire and I am a transfixed pyromaniac. Though it is others that support her journey, it is the ace that blazes a trail forward.

  It's rewarding to watch you inspire those around you. You are the one that shines light across the eyes of Arata, turning seawater to steam as he drowns in grief. You extend your hand to Shinobu, pulling her out of that faraway winter, melting her crown of ice. Inevitably you can be too dense, or too laser-focused, which leads to you tripping over your feet, leaving Taichi with bruises and burns. But of course I forgive you for this. One of my favourite parts of this story is you learning how to appreciate the game of karuta in new dimensions: not simply as a competitive snap-'em-up, but as a compendium of language, and then using language to express yourself. There is so much meaning to be made of life, and everyone must try to make their own. Isn't it the fate of all living things to one day compose a poem? You will make a great teacher one day, though you still have much to learn.

  You're a typical shounen protagonist, and the truth everyone tries to ignore is that typical shounen protagonists are awesome, so there is no shame in being that way even in a sho/josei manga. It is the success of Chihayafuru that it unites all the best tendencies of so many demographic categories and channels them into one: the competitive, self-improvement engine of sports shounen, the emotional maturity and (forgetting the ending for one sec) well-developed romance of a shoujo, and that indescribable secret sauce belonging to something more josei (or maybe it's just my imagination, because honestly this isn't that josei lol). With you at the helm, this series makes my heart pump, flutter, and thrum, all at once.

  Manga artist Suetsugu Yuki doubtlessly took inspiration from sports shounen greats, considering she was caught out blatantly plagiarising Slam Dunk earlier in her career (LOL, great taste though). She then spread her wings wider with the rest of the cast, confessing to divining Taichi from André Grandier of The Rose of Versailles, sampling that hidden bougie yearning that gushes like an underground river throughout this series, beneath Chihaya's dazzling flames. None of this was planned, allegedly—she allowed the characters alter the course of the narrative, which led to some who were only meant to be side characters (Taichi, if you can believe it) becoming protagonists in their own right. I think, considering this, Chihayafuru is the epitome of a character-driven story, by its writer's own admission. So you can see why I wanted to write a letter to these magical people.

  Let's wrap up with a thematic Hyakunin Isshu poem:

  Like a boatsman
  Adrift at the mouth of Yura
  I do not know where this love will take me

  I have so much love for everyone in this manga! A cast like my very own children of every age, and there is no way I could ever sift through their ranks and pick a favourite, unless it's Taichi, because my favourite is so totally Taichi. Where will this love take me? I hope it is on the path to being a kinder, stronger person, more willing to open their heart to others; but of course I can never know for sure.

  Anywho. Learn the pain of creating something, y'all. Chop chop!

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Abyque

  100/100
  Flower's colors have faded away While in idle thought, my life passes by in vain as I watch the long rains fall.

  “If I can be the best in the world at something, then I think it’s worth a shot.” – Chihaya Ayase

  Finding what you love is the most important lesson I've taken away from this series, and the Chihayafuru series has become an important part of my life. Life is full of ups and downs, and I believe that everyone experiences these, but sometimes you just wonder "what am I doing?" or "what is the point of my life?" You don't know what to do, how to feel, or where to lead yourself. We often start to doubt every area of our lives when we're feeling lost, which sends us spinning out of control.
  And right now, I'm not even sure what I love, but after finishing this series, I feel encouraged, much like when you watch Chihaya working her tail off to pursue her dream—you can't help but feel inspired.

  I loved both anime and manga but anime covered about 143 chapters out of 247 chapters and manga is recently ended.
  So after finishing all the seasons, I read the manga from the start, and many people out there still doesn’t know about this gem. So I decided to write a review...My main reason was to just write about this...how much I loved this... There might be some minor spoilers in this review.

  Chihayafuru contains themes like discovering one’s identity, finding purpose in life, friendship, solitude and achieving dreams.
  Right after starting this series, I had a strong emotional connection to the characters right away, and I found the story to be compelling right away.

  The reason Chihayafuru work is Yuki Suetsugu's skilled writing because how well she made the storyline that is focused on karuta. But it has been shown in series that karuta is not a very famous sport, she made the plot like this so the readers will dissolve in that sport and it is so good that it’ll make you want to get involved in competitive karuta.

  After finishing the series, I became very interested in karuta, and I occasionally watch Queen-Meijin matches on YouTube, as well as high school championships, And to be really honest, I still have trouble putting into words how much I loved this series, how often I cried rivers while watching the anime and while reading the manga too, and how I believe it transformed me. I also struggle to express how much this series matters to me...Like I could brag about it for like forever.

  Chihayafuru is technically a sports manga, but unlike other common sports series, The plot centers around the traditional Japanese card game karuta and centres on Chihaya's journey to the top female player in the country, Despite its unique subject, Chihayafuru is a classic sports anime that may not be enjoyed by action lovers. It’s wonderful mixture of shoujo and josei genres.

  In Japan, karuta is regarded as a sport, and in Chihayafuru, we go deeply into the domain of karuta competition.
  Basically Karuta is a card game It involves memorization of the Hyakunin Isshu, an anthology of one hundred poems. A reader reads out a randomly selected poem, and the player has to find the corresponding lower phrase of said poem., Before this series I’ve never heard of karuta and Hyakunin Isshu poems.

  And this wonderful line by kana-chan

  “As long as the emotion is there, a short phase can sound like a poem.”
  – Oe Kanade

  But after this series i was totally into The 100 poets, And my favourite Kana-chan, the cheerful darling of the school karuta club, deserves credit.
  My favourite poem:

  Flower's colors have faded away

  While in idle thought,

  my life passes by in vain

  as I watch the long rains fall.

  • Ono no komachi

  So, Chihaya is the main protagonist. Pure, energetic, and ambitious. Watching her work so hard towards her dream will kind of motivate you, and Chihaya is beyond likeable for me.
  Chihaya is an airhead. Her love for karuta takes priority over everything else, frequently at the expense of her friendships. She is completely unaware of Taichi's apparent affection for her, and anytime Arata's name is spoken, she transforms into another person, completely consumed by her childhood memories. Taichi looks on wistfully, but he can't even bring himself to despise Arata. Chihaya's dedication inspires me. She is driven by her love of the game and her desire to become Queen.
  And I love chihaya, and all the karuta club members.
  Arata, The primary trio's reclusive genius is Arata. Being from a low-income household, he meets Chihaya and Taichi for the first time when he enrolls at their grade school.
  In the whole series Arata was praised because he was so good at karuta since the age of 4 also as the grandson of eternal Master.

  Taichi is a complete opposite character of Arata. He is attractive, well-liked, quite wealthy, and generally brilliant at all he does, and the reason he plays karuta because he wants to stand beside Chihaya and Arata. He begins off in middle school as a horrible little brat before developing into a sensitive young man, who is loved by everyone.
  Though he never loved karuta, But watching him losing was frustrating.

  “Eventhough you don’t like it, you still tried your absolute hardest in it. So I thought that, it was really admirable. That’s how much you loved those people”
  -From Manga Chapter 141

  He is the main pillar of karuta club, Soon, you can't help but understand his intense love for Chihaya, and it becomes clear that he is making an effort to atone for his prior actions by showing consideration and compassion to people around him. I like taichi.
  The characters themselves are what actually carry the narrative, and their different paths are so fascinating.

  Talk about the main trio, The love triangle's basic idea is rather simple, yet their karuta journeys are so strongly influenced by how their relationships grow.

  All the other characters besides those three, like Shinobu, Sou , Sodou, Nikuman kun Xd , Kana-chan , Deskmotou kun lol, Harada sensei , Sakurazawa sensie and all the other students from another school plays important part in the story.
  Chihaya meets many people in her journey, and meeting wakamiya shinobu lits up a fire in her heart to defeat wakamia(she is the current queen) and become the queen.
  Personally I liked Shinobu and the Mejin Sou.

  The art was so so prettyy.

  And the matches are super intense, both solo one and the team tournaments also.

  And I loved the ending of this series, Probably one of the best ending in my opinion.

  I loved everything about this series, And No, it’s not just about the romance.
  Chihayafuru is about youth and passion, and easy to get into. The main themes of the story are never lost, and Chihaya doesn't take too long to understand her feelings either.

  Its a lovely, peaceful series with lovable characters.

  I appreciate you reading my review, And I genuinely hope you would give Chihayafuru a chance. It might change your life, you never know.

  ( I am just copy pasting this here from my mal account because i wanna remember this...and i will be deleting my mal account so that's why.)

  Continue on AniList

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