In my humble opinion, Chihayafuru does a few things very very well. The first thing that comes to mind is pacing. The pacing in this series was not necessarily perfect, but not far from it. Starting from the very first episode, the hook pulled me right into the world of Karuta.
Even while Chihaya's karuta addiction might start tasting metallic due to its constant repetitive nature, the series still remains interesting due to the constant character development. Every episode is developing character(s) and the way it is done almost lets you relate on a personal level. The end of each episode is either a perfectly timed cliffhanger, or a victory which just leaves you feeling immensely satisfied. Think of it as having the excitement of watching sport, but with rehearsed narration and looking like art.
The two aspects of Chihayafuru which could perhaps be improved are sound and art. Firstly, the soundtracks themselves are very good, and despite the repetitive usage of certain soundtracks during intense moments, they still create the desired atmosphere. The only problem is variation. The lack of variation causes you to realise just how repetitive the soundtracks can become, and like any other type of music, listening to it too much takes away the enjoyment.
The art could be better. However, it doesn't have to be. The art is only there to support the story, and the scenery, especially when paired with kana-chan poetry reading, is already very good. It is surprising how quickly you can get used to the uncommon art style.
All in all, very good series, came from ProZD, stayed for smiling glasses boy from Fukui, Karuta Addict and handsome unlucky guy who is actually about my height.
