Chihayafuru 3

There are few rare anime series which have a consistency of delivering top notch quality throughout consecutive seasons and even few who can take it up to another level. Chihayafuru is one of those.

The 3rd season of this amazing series has just been so amazing that i am sure that all the older and new fans were hooked onto it with the utmost interest and awe. Madhouse has just outdone themselves again and its not just a regular praise, it comes from a heart of a fan
who has read the manga and seen the adaptation with such finesse and quality it actually makes me happy ... to be a anime fan especially for this show.
This underrated show has been like the one of the most beautiful gems of the fall season, that i cant appreciate and praise it enough.

The story continues with our trio with their journey of Karuta. The unique aspect of this show which is karuta is that even though its based on a card game,
its unlike other card based shows which captivates the viewers with just the hype, or through unbelievable power ups of characters in a battle or some unreal logic, but through
realistic game plays which is portrayed through the playstyle of the players, their background story, personality,how they view & perceive karuta through their minds and most importantly how karuta is presented through these beautiful traditional japanese poems which have depth in their storytelling of folklore and depicts what these stories are
trying to convey with their words and poetry which will leave you mesmerized. Absolute breathtaking stuff.

The main trio are great characters with their own stories and development. One of the element which i found missing in the first two seasons was one of the trio i.e Arata Wataya not getting enough screen time for the viewers to watch and understand his character more in depth,but this season it was quite well resolved which made me satisfied. Also there was major development with the other male character Taichi Mashima and his transformation, which had
been quite a sight to watch. As for our female MC Chihaya Ayase, she continues through various developments regarding her future in general life and the game which is her most important passion i.e Karuta.
I am actually quite happy to see the three progressing with the story line which perfectly paced and enjoyable to watch.

But another main factor is that makes chihayafuru so special is that it not only focuses on the main trio but also on the supporting side characters as well,depicting their journey so far with their personal development & background story in relation
to the game. Also one of the interesting things that caught my eye this season is how they explore the character background in depth of the new challengers, major professional players and even more importantly the Master and queen (The reigning champions)
whom had been shown as mystery figures on the surface so far in season 1 & 2 and since our
main characters ultimate goal is to win the title from them, it was actually unique seeing things from the perspective of the opposite side.

The narration has been so on point and it actually never fails to keep you interested.Every tiny detail, every tiny scene, flashback or sequence makes up for the bigger picture in the present & for future scenarios. Almost every character is portrayed developing
in the most humane way and the changes make them more sensibly compatible for the plot. Especially the trio who inspite keeping their original self,develop necessary changes which make bigger impacts for their personal story and with the main story as well.

Coming to animation and sound, Boy i cant praise mad house enough,Not a single episode from these 24 episodes have gone by and i have been like "Meh that was ok i guess" and i am not exaggerating. Every episode has been adapted so gracefully with attention to details from the
source material. The beautiful art and colors, fluid life like animation, brilliant character designs and visuals. Even when a important scene happens or emotions are being depicted, it literally comes to life that viewers can actually feel them with their eyes, its
that mindblowing. The sound is so pure and crystal clear with the amazing performance of all the VA's of different character make it even more enticing and enjoyable. The OP and ED are equally well made, especially the ED with the artwork and the music from Band harassment made it my favorite.

Overall as its one my personal favorite series i would easily give it a 10/10. Its underrated as hell and i would love that other anime fans would give this masterpiece a chance especially if they enjoy a mix of competitive sport,Japanese culture and a amazing story with brilliant characters.

I know my review might seem i am over selling this, but trust me please do give this a try, it will definitely be worth your time and i am positive you would appreciate this amazing piece of work and the content it tries to share with its viewers.
I just want this beautiful series to be recognized and appreciated more for its value it truly deserves.

Before Chihayafuru season 3 got announced, I’m sure some fans have been clinging onto hopes that the franchise would again take the anime medium by storm. The first two seasons have gained a cult following since the franchise introduced us to the world of its karuta and wonderful cast of characters. Now more than six years later, we are back in this franchise as if it’s almost yesterday.

It did take a bit of time for the anime franchise to return but jumping back into Chihayafuru’s third season felt like going back to school after a Summer break. We reunite with our friends, learn the competitive ... game of karuta, and experience new memories that will last for generations to come. Watching Chihayafuru 3 reminds me that games such as karuta isn’t just a competitive sport but a poetry in motion. Every episode capitalizes on the creativeness of the game that exemplifies on commitment, strategy, and wit. I won’t be explaining the fundamentals of the game since you shouldn’t be watching this season without the first two anyway. But coming into this new season, we got ourselves another masterful adaptation.

With Chihayafuru 3 at our hands, the show draws us into the everlasting karuta experience similar to the previous season. Despite being a complex game, the anime makes it clear that anyone can pick karuta up. However, learning the game is one thing and mastering is another. We see the best of the best compete at the highest level in this season. Of course, I’m talking about the Queen Title matches. But before we get to that, you should also remember why Chihayafuru 3 managed to create such a faithful audience. It’s been six years after all and fans have been anticipating this show since the dawn of time. This is easily answered by the charming lovable cast of our three characters – Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata. The three make up the heart and soul of this franchise with their complex relationship between one another. Early in the season, we witness Chihaya once again picking up karuta and going head to head against none other than Taichi. If there’s anything that tells us about Chihaya’s character is that she is eager to learn, whether through success or failure. Her skills show improvement as she is able to match head on with fast paced strategy and clever tactics in these games. Still, a big question that surrounds her is why she is there. Why does Chihaya want to be a karuta player? This question extends to other prominent characters such as Shinobu, Suo, Haruka, and among others. The fact remains that every character has a purpose in the show, a reason to be where they are in the present timeline.

As every episode progressed, the drama begins to mount up with the higher stakes in these high level karuta games. The karuta games themselves in fact are presented with superhuman-like reactions. It may take years of practice to reach such levels but the anime portrays it like poetry in motion. As I mentioned that before, karuta is much more than just a competitive sport. It’s like a work of art with each card representing a piece of value between two players. Adding to the game is the amount of emotions that us, the audience can easily get invested into. For instance, we witness Dr. Harada’s side of the story this season and why he picked up karuta. In his match against Arata, it represents a clash of new and old generation. Meanwhile, we also follow the journey of Shinobu Wakamiya, one of the most prominent Queens of this era. Fans will remember Shinobu as being the youngest Queen in karuta history and a prodigy with nearly unrivaled skills. She returns this season to compete against Haruka, another skilled karuta player with several titles in her name. The psychological pressure embedded into their match felt like none other as we witness the true potential of high class competitors. And that’s one other thing that identifies these karuta game: the psychology. Each game threads together a formula from start to finish to test the players’ ability to outplay one another. From tagging cards to crafting advanced moves in their heads, karuta at such exceptional high level feels like a different game. Watching the high level competitors such as Arata, Shinobu, Suo, and Haruka compete are such examples where they push these games to the limit.

And at the same time, Chihayafuru 3 delivers its character relationship so well, being able to get the viewers understand them on a personal level. There's a complex relationship angle between Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata built from the very first season. Carrying into this third season also means new developments including an unparalleled confession that will surprises more than just the fans. For a show being so human and realistic, Chihayafuru scores with much more than karuta competition. From the first episode to the finish, it celebrates the personal commitment of the cast and how much people can change over time.

Though the show has aged, Chihayafuru’s life cycle still stays true with its art style. Madhouse returns for this season to give us an elegant feast of visuals to lay eyes on. From the photorealistic settings to the mature character looks, everywhere, the camera angles lines up to showcase the technical achievements of the anime. And as a show loaded with drama, there’s plenty of time to experience a breather too with the light comedy. We can expect Chihaya and her friends to return to also enjoy their school life like normal people would. There’s also running gags that I’m sure fans are eager to see again. The character voices also makes their return in their noticeable accents. When combined with the emotive dialogues, it brings out so much worth to them.

Welcome back Chihayafuru 3. I can say with supreme confidence that the third season is no short of delivering the house it has built. From the complex character relationships to the high stake karuta games, there’s something in store for returning fans. Even as someone who has read the manga, this is a classic to watch in animated form and that’s thanks to the wonderful talent of the staff and producers. I thank them for giving us this wonderful season.

*Minimum Spoiler Review*
TL;DR: Do you like sports anime? Do you like sports anime based on actual sports and not something completely made up? Well, if you've been hiding under a rock or not yet cultured on the competitive game that is Karuta, then get yourself educated because Chihayafuru S3 is back... after 7 goddamn years to give us something heavenly to cherish during these quarantined time.
[Story: 8/10 , Characters: 9/10, Art: 9/10, Sound: 9/10, Enjoyment: 9/10]

"Naniwa-zu ni / Sakuya kono hana / Fuyu-gomori / Ima o haru-be to/ Sakuya kono hana"

How long should a studio wait before delivering something to the fans that ... can both live up to the expectation of its predecessor and heighten it so it can set a new bar for itself to be a strong contender as one of the best real sports based shounen anime? If you ask director Morio Asaka and Studio Madhouse, it's apparently 7 years. Fans of Chihayafuru have waited so long for this third installment and boy did it live up to the hype. When the same five note started playing that was ever abused throughout the entire show, that gush of nostalgia just came all back. It's rare to find such a feel good pulsating anime that can do that these days and Chihayafuru did just that and more! Before we continue, if you haven't watched S1 or S2 along with OVAs of this anime, watch them all first. I promise you'll binge through it no time. If you don't like it, understand this is one of those niche sport/genre where if you aren't fan of it, you won't enjoy it as much as the rest. Also I'm not going to explain how to play Karuta, wiki it, because every time I try to explain it, people fall asleep. Now that being said, let's dive deeper into this installment of Chihayafuru and explore both the technical aspects such as animations, OST, visuals and its character driven plot such as growth of players along with their purposes in life to see what made this iteration better than its previous seasons, ultimately leading it to become a must watch as fans of it have been hyping it up for years.

"In Karuta there are only 4 ways, right? You take the card, your opponent takes the card, you make a mistake, your opponent makes a mistake." - Master Suou

Chihayafuru, written by Yuki Suetsugu is about a high school girl, Chihaya, who is finding a purpose in her life other than being a supportive slave for her model sister by diving into Karuta taught to her by her idol/best friend Arata in order to become the Queen, basically the best female Karuta player in the world. Alongside her, you have Arata, the grandson of the legendary Master, best male Karuta player in the world, who is trying to devote his life to Karuta to achieve his grandfather's dream and Taichi, her childhood friend who is gifted with brain, brawn and looks, aiming for something similar but to win Chihaya's approval or finding his own purpose in life. It's a complicated triangle. At first it may see that the Manga was mainly aimed at the demographic who were into the josei genre but as time went on people fan of drama or sports or even shounen to an extent started to really get into it. This cross demographic propagated the popularity of this show and all for the right reason. The overarching theme of this anime is that to achieve one's dream and to be the best at something, you have to sacrifice something in return for it. This theme is prevalent in any sports anime or shounen anime but Chihayafuru gives its due diligence by actually showing the physical and mental ramification of such sacrifice through their interpersonal and intrapersonal interaction with others who are both in or outside of the world of Karuta. This season is knee deep into tournament arc of becoming Master and Queen. Since we are witnessing how our main protagonists competes in the race to become Master and Queen, we see it firsthand with the current quirky Master Suou and Queen Shinobu as well as supporting characters competing. In retrospect, whenever you have a sports anime, plot wise there isn't much story as the story is usually told through growth of characters during tournament arcs and if you knew how previous seasons of Chihayafuru functioned then you would expect this season to be similar. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. This season heavily explores the tremulous trepidation of hormones, heightened emotional roller coaster and sense of belonging & camaraderie.

"I've always, always wanted to become a person who is not a coward." - Taichi

In the previous season, Karuta was mostly played in team aspect but since this season, most games are individual 1v1, we finally get to dive deeper into the mental state of each character and grow with them as they redefine their purpose and find ways to seek it. The stand out character for this season wasn't Chihaya at all, and in a way I'm glad, it was actually Taichi. Taichi is a very complicated character. His sense of purpose was never really defined like Arata or Chihaya. On one hand he played Karuta because he wanted to be near Chihaya because he loved her but on the other hand why go through Karuta to only get her attention? Why does Chihaya only pay attention to Arata? Is it because he is so good at Karuta? So do you become better than Arata to achieve his purpose he set out from the beginning, that is to achieve Chihaya? What if along the journey, he realizes, maybe he is more like Harada or Master Suou, his actual purpose is to become the Master and to do that, he must sacrifice it all, including Chihaya? All of these questions and more that constantly circled Taichi this arc makes his character such a standout one this season. Definitely an enjoyable and facepalming experience. That being said, the reason this anime is great because Taichi's struggle was used as a foil to showcase similar struggle for purpose for other characters such as Shinobu, Arata, Harada, Haruka and even Master Suou. I guess in a way, since this season wasn't so focused on Chihaya is what made it much better in a weird way. If you thought Sudo was the biggest sadistic dick in Karuta, wait till you start interacting with Master Suou. New favourite character for sure. Regardless, it's the characters growth in this season is what makes this season so much more enjoyable. Spoiler alert, press F for Taichi. #TeamArata.

"I sincerely apologize. Have you sirs and ladies restored your exalted spirits?" - Shinobu

Now that we have the brilliant story our of the way, let's raise a toast for the amazing work this studio did in adapting this brilliant anime. No matter how good the manga is, cough Tokyo Ghoul cough, if the studio doesn't do justice in adaptation, cough Studio Pierridiot cough, then it can never shine bright like a diamond. From the breathtaking visual, to the nostalgic yet brilliant orchestraic OST, OP & ED, to the seiyuus pouring their heart out to heighten each character's struggle to lastly those poets reading those poems, it's such a complete technical package that is hard to come by these days even though we are technically in the golden age of anime. Biggest credit should be given to director, Morio Asaka, for staying on this project from the beginning. It helps with maintaining the consistency and vision this anime is headed towards. Each panel of the anime is brilliantly animated with bold vibrant colours. The matches are animated and depicted true to its form irl (I checked by actually watching an IRL of last season's Master's match) plus it added the anime flare by slowing down at appropriate times to enhance the dramatic tension for different strategy employed by the players to problem solve during tense situations. It really enhances viewers experience. None of those panning shots used by lazy studios to each episode. Moreover, the OST is just so warming to listen to as a standalone piece. Although I didn't enjoy the OP and ED song as much this season as previous seasons but it was still good and became adjusted to it by the end. Lastly, kudos to the seiyuus. Especially the poet readers for Karuta. Their voice when reading each poem actually feels like a melodic song. Although we can never hear the second part of the poem since the game is so fast paced but at this point, the introductory poem is just ingrained in the brain. Overall, very hard to nitpick flaws in the technical aspect.

"Luck of the Draw is not about luck or fate at all." - Harada

Overall, at the end of the day, if we were to assume that no anime is perfect and an anime is only as great as the viewer's enjoyment; then Chihayafuru S3 did a great job in disproving both null hypothesis by showcasing that the recipe for a great sports anime comes from a character driven plot that uses each player as a foil to shine the overarching theme of sports anime, that is through sacrifice shall one achieve greatness & purpose in life! It also bauds well when it's backed greatly through well executed technical aspects that acts as a great ladder to propel the anime further up. This season may seem slower than the previous ones but by no means should it be used as a criticism. Would I recommend others to watch it? That's a loaded question to answer since this is such a niche anime. Since this anime is based on a card game that can only be played in Japan who know Japanese, it's not easily relatable irl, however, if you are a fan of sports anime, and you enjoy growth of players' skills through hard work and perseverance, similar to Haikyuu or Kuroko no Basket, then give this anime a try. It isn't only geared towards girls and there isn't much of a romance aspect as some fans might allude to. Lastly, there will be another season but who knows when that will come, here's to hoping it's not another 7 years. However, if it takes that long to maintain this level of perfection, then It's worth making that sacrifice. Anyways, thank you for reading this review & feel free to share with me your favourite poem from the anime. Ciao.

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!
P.P.S. Are you Team Arata or Team Taichi? Why? Let me know! I'm curious.