Karuta! Arata! Taichi? K-karuta!!
Twenty five more episodes worth of charming romance and competitive karuta fun? Yes please. But don't expect a balance between the two; there's more latter quantity than the former, and whether you should be satisfied or not is up to your preference!
Who expected, or even acknowledged beforehand, that the true presence of competitive karuta would be ever so fierce and exciting from its outline? Well, I sure certainly didn't when I started from season one. Karuta is more of a complicated sport than popular ones such as baseball and basketball, and the entirety of season one teaches that it requires much more
...
than just reaction timing and memorization to win against other players. I enjoyed season one thoroughly, but watching karuta itself doesn't just hold its exciting entertainment factor by itself; there's a much larger insightful fulfillment that keeps its presence in each and every match. It's certainly more complicated than just slapping cards in front of people.
And that's what the second season is all about: Karuta, karuta, karuta! Chihayafuru 2 is a direct sequel to its previous entry, Chihaya and her team now in second year of high school. Chihaya is determined to, not only win the individual matches tournament upcoming to earn the Queen title, but to win the team tournament too, as well as establishing more members for the Mizusawa Karuta Club. It sounds difficult, and possibly silly considering it's still studying period, but this is Chihaya we're talking about; the pretty tomboy with a mind of karuta and karuta only. Who's going to stop her?
Despite being a direct sequel in terms of story, it does have its noticeable differences. Hardly any distinct features are involved mind; it's more of taking a step up on its previous features that made Chihayafuru for what it is. The central feature of the second season is the sight of karuta matches itself. If you wished for much more screen time on people competing in karuta from the first season, then you'll be delighted to know that your wish has be gracefully granted. If you're for the romance and sweet relationships though, as well as full development between the childhood friends Chihaya, Arata and Taichi, then you might be a little more unfortunate than Taichi himself.
The execution of each specific karuta match are all intense as ever. I'd say that probably more than half of the entire season covers the moments of the involvement of karuta matches, and without its sole execution the series wouldn't have been as exciting throughout. Its execution is graceful yet powerful, as well as being a little in-depth in its playful manner, from thought processes of the players themselves to tackling particular cards pronounced from the reader. Some scenes, preferably the opponents winning their cards against one another, can be striking in a single movement, maybe even breath-taking. The careful use of atmosphere and enthusiasm of winning or playing makes use of, and surpasses, the original Chihayafuru style from the first season. With the accompany of animation and the soundtrack, as well as different sorts of techniques and tactics used from each and every player, the passion and spirit created from these matches are very sensational whilst keeping the original, youthful atmosphere of the series.
But karuta isn't all just intensity in its matches. Season two explores the sport in a more exhaustive manner than the former season, and not just directly but indirectly too. Karuta is exciting because of the players themselves, but not solely because of their different levels of skill, style and tactics; it's more so as to why they're playing in the first place. Motivation, determination, pleasure, teamwork, whether its for a special someone or a particular goal, is all present in the characters of Chihayafuru. And karuta itself explores the different reasonings for lots of different players involved in the matches, which branches up the pasts and difficulties those characters have inside themselves. Realization can succeed to develop a character in a flowing manner, and that, despite it being a win or a lost, they learn something precious and important for their lives by their opponents.
It's the reason why this season, or the entirety of the series in this case, are filled with a great amount of extremely heart warming and tear worthy scenes. You'd love to cheer on one of the characters, like Chihaya, in a match to achieve her dreams, but that can't be entirely the case when the determination and reasoning of the opponent is involved too. Even when one seems in a tight or hopeless situation, you know how slump you're going to feel if the lost is given instead of a win. The motivation for each characters, even and especially side characters, are real. They're hardly one dimensional, and the match doesn't only determine if one has won or lost, but if their hard work and conviction has really paid off. The character's important speeches and actions boil down to karuta, even if slightly, and proves that the competitive sport has created a new light for these people; for something to devote and work towards to and be proud of it.
It's a plus too that the characters are in a wide range of variety, in both their motivation and personality. I can say without doubt that every single main and side character are likable and interesting, or at least from my preference. Nevertheless, there's a good deal of depth spiraled in each character, and most aren't so evidential until later on. They appear as mere opponents, not cardboard cut-outs but ones you wouldn't actually feel for if they lose. To be likable or not, they have distinct tropes that creates their characters, which are also for comedic factors which is a plus. But when their matches start, their pasts and goals begins to establish, and despite rooting for the other opponent because you've spent more time with them, your understandings for the character gets established as well. I find that the characters of the series all play out with interesting personalities, mysterious or not, and that their love for karuta is evidentially taken care of, rather than just written on the spot.
The series doesn't actually consists a whole load of content you'd expect from a two cour season. The speed of pacing is evidential throughout the series, as some matches can actually last longer than a episode or three. To consider it a problem in the fact that a little more content could've been included wouldn't be hugely anticipated, but it hardly is a problem if you consider wisely. Matches are, as explained earlier, made extremely well with a great deal of enjoyment factor, and the long scenes allows the different insights of each character to develop and to be explored. The pacing is necessary for this, as well as being able to build tension and anticipation on who would win or what will happen next. Though some of the matches can be predictable, the series focuses more on the depth of the players instead of the actual results itself, and plus it relies heavily on execution rather than shock factor, in which was a sensible decision to choose for a series like Chihayafuru.
As for the romance side of Chihayafuru, season one definitely contains a bigger portion of it. That doesn't mean to say that this season doesn't consist of no romance, but unlike the first season there are no episodes that fully dedicate the love between Chihaya, Taichi and Arata. The story behind all this continues, but doesn't develop so much throughout the series, rather it's used effectively throughout the minds of the stated characters; which leads to the motivational stories behind them that connects them to karuta in the first place. For those who side for more karuta though, it's presented in a manner that doesn't greatly effect the drama and tension in the series, so enjoyment factor would hardly be bumped down because of the romance.
Production values for the second season are not the greatest and grandest, although this is to be at least expected for 50 episodes altogether. However, animation is handled with great care and is used efficiently; both animation and sound are created well for the distinct atmosphere and style for Chihayafuru. Often, still shots are used for the usual swings and hits on the cards, but with great speed and accompany of sound and different textures of colours, as well as various effects in the scenes, it doesn't fail to look awkward or slow in any of them. Budget can look pale from far distances in shots, but when the more graceful or powerful scenes come along, the backgrounds and detail can look anything as beautiful with a fluffy aura or tension effect surrounding it, depending on the scene. It does this when necessary and makes the scenes even more memorable than it already was.
The youthful atmosphere is also accompanied by a very expressive soundtrack, applying brand new songs as well as ones from the first season. They are often orchestrated with light instruments like piano and strings, though does consists of acoustic guitars, bass and drums, and even pipes, flutes and traditional drums comes in the soundtrack. It gives a wonderful personality for the actual series to use, and although most are light-hearted or light-weighted, they're used really effectively in contrast of its atmosphere. The volume is oriented carefully so that the sound effects makes the karuta matches a lot more practical and engrossing for the viewers, building up a better experience to watch.
I'm glad series like Chihayafuru are still being aired. Produced by Madhouse and presented from the director of Cardcaptor Sakura, Chihayafuru manages to be an extremely enjoyable series with what it has to offer, not holding back with its execution on the theme of karuta. Anime doesn't necessarily need shock factor for a viewer to be surprised, and this series proves that execution is anything but less important than surprises. It's quite astonishing for me as to how much love I can express for a series I certainly didn't expect to ramble about, and especially one about a sport I have never heard of in my life until I started season one. It goes to show though that even such premises can contain a lot more potential than anime ideas that are more accessible for viewers, but fail to deliver because of its execution or lack of exploration in its concept.
I don't regret starting Chihayafuru and its sequel; the only regret I'll have is not being able to play proper competitive karuta because I'm in the entirely wrong place. But at least Chihayafuru was a charming experience, and I hope it inspires even more people out in Japan to compete in karuta than season one already has.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Chihayafull 2
Japanese: ちはやふる 2
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
25
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jan 12, 2013 to Jun 29, 2013
Premiered:
Winter 2013
Broadcast:
Unknown
Licensors:
Sentai Filmworks
Studios:
Madhouse
Source:
Manga
Demographic:
Josei
Duration:
22 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#1902
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1028
Members:
235,756
Favorites:
1,637
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 44 / 45
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Your Feelings Categories Jul 2, 2013
Karuta! Arata! Taichi? K-karuta!!
Twenty five more episodes worth of charming romance and competitive karuta fun? Yes please. But don't expect a balance between the two; there's more latter quantity than the former, and whether you should be satisfied or not is up to your preference! Who expected, or even acknowledged beforehand, that the true presence of competitive karuta would be ever so fierce and exciting from its outline? Well, I sure certainly didn't when I started from season one. Karuta is more of a complicated sport than popular ones such as baseball and basketball, and the entirety of season one teaches that it requires much more ... Jul 15, 2013
As the two seasons present themselves much as a continuous series, with little to set them apart, this review is made and posted for both seasons of the series.
If there is one word that describes Chihayafuru, it is "passion" - indeed, "Chihaya furu" means passionate. On the surface there is little that separates it from typical sports anime, from the focus on the team and team spirit to rivalries to tournament story arcs where you're typically served the main characters' opponents' motivations and reasons for participating in this sport. Through tears and joy we follow the main characters' journey through the world of this sport, ... Jun 28, 2013
So, you ever tried something in your life and wanted to be the best? Well, I mean in terms of not really being the best but to try your best. Then, you realize that you journey to success is a lot harder than you ever imagined it to be. There are obstacles such as competition, stress/anxiety, and other factors that can influence your path to that destination. However, there are some people who just loves to try in order to become the best of the best no matter what the outcomes are. For a certain young girl named Chihaya, the journey continues with this brand
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May 3, 2013
This will be my first review I've ever made, so i'm sorry if this wasn't as good as you'd expect.
I started off watching this anime because my brother recommended me it, so if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have watched it. I started off watching the first season, and I just thought that the art was pretty good, it wasn't the best but the main characters attracted me, Chihaya mostly. So therefore, I really people out there to watch this anime too, or give it a try because it's not too shabby. So this anime you might think, is just a plain old Japanese card ... Jul 29, 2013
I'm going to be writing this review in assumption that you, the readers, have already watched the first season of Chihayafuru. I dove into this second season with high expectations from the first, and *most* of those expectations were satisfied. We follow Chihaya and everyone else into another year of karuta, drama, and romance. This season explored new themes and served as a lovely follow up to the first.
Story: 9/10 Chihayafuru's story is mostly known for two things: romance and karuta. If you were looking forward to more romance between our three main characters this season, then I suggest you look somewhere else. This portion ... Jun 28, 2013
"Impassioned gods have
never seen the red that is the Tatsuta River." -Poem 17 of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu The poem now most well known to viewers of Chihayafuru was written by Ariwara no Narihira, detailing his unsuccessful relationship with Fujiwara no Takaiko. After falling madly in love with each other, the two would be lovers attempt to run away from the palace. Naturally, given the rather wispy and nostalgic tone of the poem, this attempt failed in a spectacular fashion. Despite this, Ariwara no Narihira became well respected much later on and was most likely the basis for the nameless hero of "The Tales ... Aug 27, 2015
Hyakunin Isshu (literally 'hundred people, one poem') is a Japanese card game typically played with a collection of two hundred cards. Each poem in this collection is by a different poet, and split into two halves: the first half for reading, the second for grabbing. In a match, the reading halves are then called out, and pairs of players must race to grabbing the corresponding second half of the poem. Chihayafuru excels by making this game of stratagem into something too human to ignore. It has no regard for how silly or strange a passion for the game may be, because the only thing it's
...
Jan 15, 2020
Chihayafuru season 2 is pretty disappointing.
This season is incredibly slow compared to the first season. The main characters were developing well last season but they ground it to a halt in this one. Every match feels exactly the same, just with a different set of faces. The Mizusawa gang seemingly loses all confidence at the start of every match, but by the end of them, win or lose, they've got Superman levels of confidence. EVERY match. This season has got more inner monologue per 26 minutes than any single human is capable in a day. The directors insist we know what all 100+ characters are ... Oct 20, 2013
Combining my views on both seasons-
A straight 10 for everything in this show. Story: The topic is difficult. Karuta is not a sport that any of the people outside Japan can relate to. And I don't think even in Japan this sport would be too famous. But this game has an extremely interesting concept of combining the Japanese poems with cards. For any sports anime the matches of that sport need to crafted extremely well for the show to get noticed and appreciated. This show does exactly that. The pacing of the scenes aptly builds up the atmosphere of an exciting match. Art and Animation: Well ... Sep 18, 2014
(This has been slightly adapted from my reddit thread)
(This is a review for Season One and Season Two) Here comes spring, now the flower blooms. A simple phrase that is said multiple times throughout the show, but truly invokes many different feelings: anxiousness, trepidation, excitement, confidence. What lies within Chihaya Furu is a spectacular show which has now become one of my all-time favorites. STORY Chihaya Furu has a simple story. Our main protagonist Ayase Chihaya is looking to become the Queen, or the best "karuta" player in the world. I think the phrase "it is not the destination that matters, but the journey" fits the show perfectly. ... Jun 2, 2013
This series is excellent- I first found it as a Manga, but when I couldn't access chapters 49-88 I found the anime. I fell in love with this amazing anime because it is simply different. It steps out of the majority of it's genre stereotypes and appeals to it's audience in unconventional ways.
Story: The story works so well for me because it takes something as generally dull as a competitive card game, that is accessible to a huge variety of people- and uses that diverse range of characters and their different reasons for loving karuta to make the viewer falls in love with the game ... May 19, 2013
AND IT CONTINUES .....this anime is just beautiful. If I had to choose one word to describe this show, it would be that. Only very rarely do sequels get to be as good as the first season, and this is one of those. If you have seen the first season then I am sure you can agree as to just how masterfully the producers create the world that Chihaya lives in. It makes you want to play and learn along with her!
All the wonderful characters are back in Chihayafuru 2, and they even introduce a few newbies. I will admit however, that the new ... Mar 17, 2016
Wow, just wow - what a series. In this review I'll be covering both season 1 and 2, since I cannot imagine anyone who has finished season 1 would not immediately rush out and watch season 2. Spoiler free review and thoughts to follow.
If you ever wanted a sports anime to actually have some romantic elements in it (although fairly subtle/light) then you cant go past this one. It is a top notch sports style anime in the tradition of Haikyuu, Kuroko no Basuke and Hajime no Ippo, just written from a Josei/female protagonist perspectibve. Such a perfect match, with the tension of the games, ... Jun 10, 2013
A bit disappointing after Chihayafuru.
Don't get me wrong, Chihayafuru 2 is still very good anime. Of the ~200 anime series I've seen, I'd easily rank it in the top 10%. However, it is pretty much a sports/fighting anime, whereas the original series was more about story and character development. So if you got hooked on the original for those reasons, consider yourself forewarned - you're not gonna see much of that in the sequel. In the original series, most episodes were a self-contained story. A character(s) would encounter a problem or a situation, struggle with it, and overcome it, and grow in ... Jun 29, 2013
I don't usually write reviews on MAL ever, but this show just... It just needs it. If you're about to watch this show, you've already seen the first season so I'll just skip on the contents and go straight to what makes Chihayafuru 2 amazing.
This show is just consistently great. The character interactions and development is top notch. There is never any downtime and any time spent on any character or event has a purpose. The characters feel genuine and they feelings really permeate through to the viewer. The karuta matches are tense and no outcome is ever predictable, making for a very enjoyable watch. ... Jun 15, 2013
This is my first ever review and this might not be as helpful.. Hehe.
Story: 9 I think that the plot was amazing!! It was very unique and very interesting. I'm not very interested in animes that involves sports but this was a very fantastic anime and I just loved it. I rated it a nine because it was ALMOST perfect. The story could be a bit slow and drags through out the episode and just cuts off to the very exciting part, then the episode ends, leaving you eventually hanging. Cliffhangers pretty much on every episode and I would always check everyday to see if there ... Jun 9, 2015
If you have not checked out season 1 watch that first because this 2nd season literally takes place right after season one with the same great stuff along with new things. Bit of a shorter review than im accustomed to but here ya go hope ya like it and agree if ya scene it.
Story- Read the synopsis but if you have already watched s1 your not really missing much. Chihaya is now in her 2nd year and aims to become the individual highschool champion in japan as well as have her karuta club with 2 new members along the ride become the highschool national karuta ... Jun 1, 2013
I always get lost in this show. I loose time. I forget where I am. I absolutely love Chihayafuru. This show is so motivating. It makes you want to do your best at whatever it is that you do, despite any odds you're up against. I am currently on episode 21, so I'm not exactly finished, however, I still recommend this show to everyone.
Just like it's predecessor, Chihayafuru 2 has an air of realism surrounding it. It's not super cliche, and I appreciate that. Chihaya's team's struggle is clear and inspiring. This is a warm show, and once the games begin, you find yourself ... Mar 2, 2015
Some increased schizophrenic pacing and frustrating storytelling lead to an experience that is slightly less satisfying than the first season. Another one of those seasons where an additional third could completely redeem and change my opinion of the second. The suspense in this season was almost unbearable but awesome at the same time. A few story elements that were main arcs in the first seemed to get blown over in this season which was a bit disappointing. With all of that said this anime is still very good and really delivers on the action and suspense front. I also found myself really getting into the
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Jul 14, 2013
***Before talking about Chihayafuru, I have a few words to say about Studio Madhouse*****
Studio Madhouse has been nothing short of a powerhouse ( hehe ) in the anime industry for the past decade, having churned out a plethora of excellent anime series and films. I have been particularly impressed time and again at how diverse their works have been, ranging from dark and violent series such as "Death Note" and "Black Lagoon", to mahou shojo series like "Card Captor Sakura" and life dramas like "Nana". Lets also not forget about their long standing partnership with the great Satoshi Kon, as well as Mamoru Hosoda, whose ... |