Chihayafuru

As a child, Chihaya Ayase had only one dream: to see her elder sister Chitose become Japan's most successful model. However, upon defending her ostracised classmate Arata Wataya from his bully—Chihaya's childhood friend Taichi Mashima—she discovers the world of competitive karuta and soon becomes enamoured with the sport.

Based on the Ogura Hundred Poets anthology, this card game where poems are studied requires excellent memory, agility, and a tremendous endurance from the players. Full of hope, Chihaya joins the Shiranami Society together with the newly reconciled Arata and Taichi, embarking on an exciting journey for the title awarded to the top-ranked female player—Queen of Karuta.

Since middle school, Chihaya grew distant from a dispassionate Taichi and separated from Arata. However, in order to improve her skills, Chihaya decides to create a karuta club in her high school. With the help of Taichi, another veteran player, and a few spirited newcomers, Chihaya's new-founded Mizusawa Karuta Club aims for victory in the Omi Shrine's national championship.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ayase, Chihaya Main

Seto, Asami Japanese

Mashima, Taichi Main

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Wataya, Arata Main

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Wakamiya, Shinobu Supporting

Nakamichi, Mihoko Japanese

Ooe, Kanade Supporting

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Suou, Hisashi Supporting

Touchi, Hiroki Japanese

Harada, Hideo Supporting

Ishizuka, Unshou Japanese

Sudou, Akito Supporting

Ohara, Takashi Japanese

Komano, Tsutomu Supporting

Yonaga, Tsubasa Japanese

Nishida, Yuusei Supporting

Nara, Tooru Japanese

Maruyama, Masao Producer

Tamura, Manabu Producer

Nakatani, Toshio Producer

Iwasa, Naoki Producer

Reviews

Sep 1, 2025

Cynthesia

Recommended

Karuta is a sport that seems made up. It turns out that it’s real but if you told me it was made up for the purpose of this story I wouldn’t doubt it. Even the characters in Chihayafuru don’t really know what it is, it’s truly the nichest of niche. But to call Karuta a sport would be misleading, because it’s so much more than that. It’s something akin to an art form, the relationship between the player and the cards is just as important than the efficiency of their movements and their memorization ability.

In this sense, Karuta is just as much of a character ... in Chihayafuru as Chihaya, Taichi, Arata, and the rest of the cast. The relationship that each and every one of the characters has with it extends far beyond being a game. For some it’s a representation of their love of the 100 poems which make up the cards, for others it’s a tie to those they love and cherish. The strength of each player's relationship with Karuta is the key to their strength, this is the key argument which Chihayafuru presents and as the show goes on you really begin to believe it.

Chihayafuru’s strongest point lies in its relationships. Even beyond the core cast of Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata, each and every character is given more than sufficient time in the spotlight and is allowed to flourish. Just as much as Karuta, Chihaya is the center that each of the members orbit around. Her personality is just like the sun and she’s an easily lovable main character. She bounces off just about everyone and her relationship with Karuta is just as much defined by the game as it is by the players which oppose her. She worships the strongest players, not only for their strength but also for their love of Karuta. She operates as a fantastic main character in terms of the argument for the art of Karuta because she’s absolutely enamored by it. Even if the specifics of the game end up washing over you, you’re able to easily understand it and the ways in which each player enjoys it through her.

Taichi and Arata make up the other rest of the core trio. Arata doesn’t appear much in this season but he lives on primarily as an idea more than a person. He represents absolute devotion and love for Karuta and the importance of having such a bond with the game. For most of the story he exists purely as this ideal form, one who loves the game more than anything else. As you get to know him however, he begins to represent something a little different. Chihaya actually takes on the mantle of someone who loves Karuta for Karuta’s sake. Arata’s bond with the game stems more from his relationship with others. It’s something which was brought forth by the time he spends with his grandfather, a Karuta master, and later strengthened by his bonds with Taichi and Chihaya. For him, Karuta is an extension of the relationships he’s formed with those he loves, and his longing for companionship has taken the form of strength in Karuta.

That leaves Taichi who represents a far more internal relationship with the game and thus is a foil to Arata’s external relationship. Taichi is the closest to Chihaya but suffers from an extreme inferiority complex due to what he perceives as his own inadequacies. He’s a product of a strict mother who drills in perfection over anything else, yet Karuta is the one domain in which he’s finally no longer a big fish in a small pond. He pursues Karuta for slightly selfish reasons but ultimately as a means to defeat the version of himself that he hates. Despite excelling in everything else he’s dominated by an inferiority complex, unable to match up to the ideal form of Arata, let alone the upper echelon of the Karuta world. Taichi’s deeper relationship with Karuta is the one which takes the longest to develop because it’s the first time he’s experienced something like this before. He’s by far the most fleshed out character in the show and watching him figure things out for himself and slowly open up to others is one of the strongest parts.

Outside of the core trio we have the remainder of the Karuta club: Kanade, Yuusei (Nikuman-kun), and Tsutomo. Each of these people represent some sort of extension of the previous three. Kanade’s absolute love for poetry extends to an absolute love for Karuta, Nikuman-kun and Tsutomo are both fairly practical but also cherish their relationships with others. All of them end up being just about as fleshed out as the core three and contribute meaningfully to the show as a whole, a good chunk of the third quarter is focused entirely on them. They’re a key method of support and their lower level ability is used as a means to glimpse further into the kind of relationship the players have with Karuta as a whole. Even as you go further outside of the core circle, each character you meet contributes something to the overarching world of Karuta and leaves a distinct impression.

It’s very difficult to watch this show and not be engrossed by the game of Karuta. Be it through the game itself, or what the game ends up representing, it’s a truly beautiful thing. The game means something entirely different to each and every player and for such a simple game it allows for such extensive means of expression. There’s a quote near the end of this season said by Kanade where she speaks of how turning words into poetry is as natural to humans as flying is for birds or swimming is for fish. The simplest variation is all it takes to transform a sentence into verse and I think this is the crux of Chihayafuru. Karuta is defined entirely by poetry, both in the literal sense of what the contents of the cards are but also in terms of how it’s played. The variations of each player is the equivalent of the variations of verse and in that sense Karuta becomes very much like poetry in motion. It’s a game defined by relationships, with the poems, the game, the players, yourself. And because I loved this anime I can say with confidence that I love Karuta too.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Oct 21, 2021

Guts-Valley

Mixed Feelings

Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata are three friends living in the midst of Japan, torn apart by the need to play a children card games called Karuta. When this Karuta(card game) strikes close to home, its irrevocable effects ripple through the destinies of each of the three.

The anime isn't exactly original, but there are enough wrinkles that, coupled with strong character definition, lead to a occasionally engrossing story. Actually, there are three separate characters that occasionally cross and intermingle. Its basically a love triangle. After the first there episodes, however, each can stand on its own. The one involving Arata-- concentrating on Karuta addiction ... and its consequences, is heavy-handed. Arata probably would have been better focused without it. Taichi tale is scripted with greater intelligence than Chihaya but we seen before in other anime. Events surrounding Chihaya which are accorded the most screen time, offer the anime most absorbing moments.

The chronicle of Chihaya rise to power within the Karuta system is reminiscent of Anya Taylor-Joy's powerful 2020 Netflix series The Queen Gambit. There are parallels in both plot and character, but Chihayafuru story isn't as complex or gritty as that of Queen's Gambit, and its resolution is less satisfactory. Nevertheless, it still has an impact. There's a strange fascination in watching the violent politics that lead to the top rung of a Karuta's groups.

The ending is a disappointment. The attempt to force a happy ending where one is not warranted and is unforgivable. It has been said that this is the Japan's Queen's Gambit(manly by me) it lacks both the quality and scope of Scott Frank's series. Some of the themes may be similar, this is a loosely-focused story about loyalty, honor, and Karuta that takes us into Japan's subculture and introduces to three vastly different characters. The result is an anime that features several memorable scenes. It's not a masterpiece, but neither is it a waste of time like One Piece.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Oct 2, 2020

mitkopom

Not Recommended

I have dropped this anime after ep 5. A while after that i got forced myself to watch it again based on its very high rating...
it was a pain to go trough ep 6. Dropped ...
what turned me down?
1. A lame card game which was supposed to look thrilling and exiting. Well my bad but it was boring.
2. A selfish and egoistic main female character who exploit her friends in order to reach her goals. She also tends to bully other people to join her club by forse.... Its a first time happening that i actually dislike the MC which is designed and supposed to ... be likeble... :( :(
3. Romance story look sluggish and i dont see any development there.. Same goes for characters development..
4. Poem readers sounded quite annoying ... feels like a funerall...
PS: anime looks well targeted towards its demographics, but lookig at its very high rating i strart questioning the rating credibility.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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