Chihayafuru

Chihayafuru is a 2011 Japanese anime television series.
The anime was original from the manga work illustrated and written by Yuki Suetsugu.
Chihayafuru has 25 episodes in total.
The anime was directed by Morio Asaka and produced by Madhouse.

Karuta

×History:
Karuta is a Japanese traditional card game.
There are 100 cards in total. 
Each card have a Japanese poem. The poems are from a Japanese traditional poetry anthology, Hyakunin isshu.

Hyakunin isshu this poetry anthology was from Kamakura period. At that time, a nobleman, Fujiwara no Teika, who is a great Japanese poet at that time, he selected one hundred poets' poems to compile a poetry anthology.
Karuta is based on poems from Hyakunin isshu.

 ×How to play Karuta:

To play Karuta, first there will be a person response for reading cards. This person is not involved in the game.
There will be two players in each game.The reader will read out the first half content of poem in the cards, players need to find out the second half of the poem. The one who first find out the card will own the card. The winner is the one who own more cards.
The difficulties of playing Karuta games is that before game start, players have to arrange their own cards'  position and memorize them. So that when the reader read the card they can find out quickly. If possible, the player also have to memorize his or her opponent's cards' position.
Karuta is not just a game, this also test people memory, speed and reaction force.

Characters

Chihaya Ayase
A beautiful high school girl with outgoing personality and always positive thinking.  A captain of Karuta clun in high school.Chihaya has a model-look appearance but the only thing she care about is play Karuta. She has good hearing and speed which these two became her advantages on playing Karuta. When she was studied in elementary school, she met Arata. He is the one who lead her into Karuta's world. Since that time, she started to learn how to play Karuta. She also became best friend with Arata and Taichi. Later on when them grown up, they all separated. Chihaya believes that if she keep playing Karuta, she can meet Arata one day.

 Arata Wataya

A transfer student to Chihaya and Taichi's elementary school. Arata's grandfather is athe expert at playing Karuta which lead Arata have interest in Karuta also inspired him want to become like his grandfather.
During the childhood, when he transfered to Chihaya's school, because of the local accent and shy personality. Arata was crowd out by the class. Chihaya was the only one who showed kindness to him. By teaching Chihaya how to play Karuta, they and Taichi, three of them gradually became friends.

 Taichi Mashima
 Chihaya and Arata's childhood good friend.
Taichi is a perfect boy. He has good looking, good at study and sports, also his family is very wealthy. He has feeling for Chihaya, so when he saw Chihaya and Arata were getting closer, he was jealous and often quiz Arata. But later on he found out his behavior was wrong. By playing Karuta, he, Chihaya and Arata became best friends.
When they graduated from elementary school, they all went to different junior high. Three years later, he and Chihaya went to the same high school and met each other again. Later on he joined the Karuta club found by Chihaya and help her.

 Oe Kanade
One of the Karuta club memebers. Oe is a girl who represents transitional ideal image of Japanese woman. She has well-manner and like to read. Owing to her family job, which is running a Kimono store, Oe has great interest in Japanese tradition cultures. Chihaya invited her to join Karuta club. She is the one who truly understand and appreciate those poems from Hyakunin isshu in Karuta cards.




Tsutomu Komano
 A hard working student in Chihaya's school. But no matter how hard he study, he always rank second place below Taichi in test scores. His nick name is  " desk boy", because he doesn't want to do any other thing except for study, so he always stay on his sit and do his homework. Later on Chihaya invited him to join Karuta club, he gradually realizes there also have something in life that worth him to learn and try.
 



Yusei Nishida
Chihaya, Taichi and Arata's childhood opponent of Karuta games. He is a boy who likes to eat meat bun so much, so others usually call him, "Porky". He went to the same high school with Chihaya and Taichi so they meet again. At first, he was already gave up on play Karuta, but Chihaya invited him to join Karuta club. Chihaya persuded him a lot, he gradually found out he still likes to play Karuta and decide to join the club.

Plots

✿ First  episode -

  April, in Japan, is the time that Cherry blossom bloom in peak. This is also the time that freshman go to school.
Chihaya Ayase, a freshman student and she is the sister of a famous model, Chitose Ayase in Japan. Most of the students in the high school want to take a look at Chihaya to see whether she is as pretty as her sister. In deed, she has beautiful appearance but her behaviors are so careless and weird, just like she waste her look. So people call her, "waste of a beauty".

  Chihaya determined that when she go to the high school, she wants to found a Karuta club, to gather people who also likes to play this game. But later she found seems no one in the school has interest to join with her. She wants to play Karuta, just like when she was a child, she usually play Karuta with her friends. Chihaya wants to bring back that kind of joy again, but now no one is with her. She was so frustrated and lied under a Cherry Blossom tree and tried to let go the sadness. Suddenly, when she saw a boy in front of her talking to her, with a familiar voice. That is, her childhood bestfriend －Taichi. After three years departure, they went to the same school and met each other again. Chihaya was so happy, and she talked to Taichi about her plan that to found a Karuta club. But she found out even Taichi has changed, too. He is no longer playing the Karuta and he also doesn't have the passion on Karuta anymore.
In the trolleybus, on their way home, Chihaya looked at her old friends, looked at the person she used to have same interest and shared the same joy, now grown up to be a person she was unfamiliar with. With bitterness, Chihaya recollected the memories in the past......


 ✿2- 3 episodes -

   The story uses flashback way to tell audience Chihaya's childhood memories.
When Chihaya was studied in elementary school, one day, a transfer student, Arata Wataya joined the class. Because of his local  accent and shy personality. Arata was crowd out by the class. But Chihaya didn't follow others, instead of she want to know Arata more. One time, she accidentally found out that Arata was good at playing a card game she have never know before, that is Karuta. Then Arata taught her how to play. Chihaya's older sister, Chitose is a model, so her parents always used to pay atttention on  Chitose. Chihaya herself,too. She admired her sister a lots and also very proud of her. So she always want to support her sister but never think of herself about what she like.
But after she met Arata and learn how to plat Karuta, Chihaya found out the first thing she like in life and the thing can let her have achievement. So she tried hard to learn all the rules and skills of Karuta games.
  Yet, at the same time, Taichi Mashima, Chihaya's classmate also a close friend to her, was jealous about Chihaya and Arata's relationship. So he often quiz Arata.
But later on he found his behaviors were really mad and wrong, so he stoped and reconciled with Arata. By playing Karuta, three of them gradually became best friends and shared a while of happy time.
When the times came to graduation, Chihaya, Arata and Taichi they all have to go to junior high school. But this time, they have to separate. Arata have to go back to his hometown to take care his grandfather, which his hometown was far away. Taichi was plan to go to a private junior high school. So them and Chihaya couldn't play Karuta again anymore.
Cherry Blossom bloom, the times of departure finally came. Chihaya, Taichi and Arata played the Karuta game together for the last time. With tears, they promised each other, if they keep playing Karuta, they will definitely meet again one day.
After that, three of them were truly separated and never saw each other during the whole junior high time.

Personal reflection

At first, I thought theme of this anime is about high school love affairs, but watched several episodes I found I was totally wrong. Chihayafuru is more about dream and friendship.
The 2,3 episodes, these two are describe about the three leading characters' their childhood relationship. This part is really touching. Through their friendship I feel that if people can find someone who can share the same interest and also encounter same happy experience, I think that will be very remarkable. Chihaya, Arata and Taichi their friendship really let me have the feeling that to cherish friends I have now, because the time we spend with friend won't last forever. What can we do is to cherish every moment of together and preserve the memories in heart.

The other main theme in Chihayafuru is about pursue your dream briefly. Later episodes are about how Chihaya found Karuta club and went to several competitions.
From Chihaya, I feel the optimistic power and her perseverance. To find own interest and uphold that thing is hard, but if we can meet a group of people also have the same dream, which would be easier for us to adhere to achieve, and sometimes, the same experience share with others may be the most precious thing.

Music

Ending song-  Soshite Ima by Asami Seto (also Chihaya's voice dubber)

References

Wikipedia- Chihayafuru, Karuta, Hyakunin isshu

Pictures- Chihayafuru, Google

Chihayafuru official website: http://www.ntv.co.jp/chihayafuru/