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Who knew that a show about a card game would turn out to be so great? I'm not talking about those fantasy shows either, with characters summoning creatures and other magical things from cards to duke it out with other characters or beings. There is no magic or supernatural occurrences in Chihayafuru, yet the show finds a way to present the card game kurata as an intense form of entertainment. In addition to the various card tournaments, this series contains elements of comedy, drama, and romance, all of which I found well done and enjoyable. However, when I think back on Chihayafuru, there were 3 things that stood out to me after watching this show: the art is beautiful, the music is fantastic, and characters are all well developed and very likeable, especially the main character Chihaya. Her nerdy personality is humorous and endearing, especially when combined with the fact that she is gorgeous. In fact, I personally think Chihaya is one of, if not the prettiest girl in all of anime. The show doesn't have a definite ending, but this is a non-issue since the second season is due to air this winter.
If you're not an action buff, you owe it to yourself to watch Chihayafuru. Though listed as a josei and having all the appearances of a chick-flick, I think most anyone regardless of gender will find this series exceptional and greatly entertaining. I give Chihayafuru a 9/10 (Outstanding) and a high recommendation.
