Manga 'Chihayafuru' Concludes 15-Year Run with 49th Volume [Update 4/14]

Kodansha announced on Wednesday that Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru manga will end with the 49th volume. This marks the conclusion of the manga's 15-year serialization.

In commemoration of the announcement, the first 47 volumes will be available on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket smartphone application from Thursday to Friday. The publishing company shipped the 48th volume on Thursday.

The award-winning competitive karuta manga began in Be-Love magazine in December 2007. Kodansha published the 47th volume last August. Chihayafuru has a cumulative 27 million copies of its compiled volumes in circulation, including digital editions.

Madhouse adapted the manga into three anime seasons in Fall 2011, Winter 2013, and Fall 2019. Sentai Filmworks licensed all three seasons in North America and released them on home video in September 2017, March 2018, and July 2021.

Kodansha US licensed the manga in English in February 2017 for digital release and released the 30th volume on February 1.

Chihayafuru won the second Manga Taisho award in 2009 and the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in the shoujo manga category in 2011.

Synopsis
Always deemed inferior to her elder sister, the strong-willed yet aimless Chihaya Ayase has no dream of her own. In contrast to her, Taichi Mashima, the son of a surgeon, is gifted yet insecure as he is burdened by the heavy expectations of his strict mother, who wants him to be perfect in everything. However, the lives of Chihaya and Taichi soon change as they encounter Arata Wataya, the new transfer student in their class.

Inspired by Arata's dream to become the best at competitive karuta—a card game based on the classic anthology of one hundred Japanese poets—Chihaya quickly falls in love with the game. Refusing to lose to the talented Arata, the prideful Taichi joins along and immerses himself in the game, aiming to one day surpass his fated rival. The three friends spend their childhood practicing karuta everyday, until certain circumstances force them to part with each other.

A few years later, now in high school, the trio finds themselves reunited through the world of competitive karuta. Alongside their newfound comrades and rivals, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and romance. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Manga special site: https://be-love.jp/c/chihaya.html
Manga official Twitter: @chihaya_koshiki

Source: PR Times


Update April 14
Kodansha announced on Thursday that Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru manga will now conclude in its 50th volume. The publishing company reasons that due to editorial circumstances, such as the plot development, the manga requires an additional volume. The 49th volume will ship on July 13, with the 50th and final volume scheduled for a Winter release.

Source: PR Times