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ちはやふる [Chihayafuru] #1
ちはやふる 1 [Chihayafuru 1]
まだ“情熱”って言葉さえ知らない、小学校6年生の千早。
そんな彼女が出会ったのは、福井からやってきた転校生・新。大人しくて無口な新だったが、彼には意外な特技があった。それは、小倉百人一首競技かるた。千早は、誰よりも速く誰よりも夢中に札を払う新の姿に衝撃を受ける。しかし、そんな新を釘付けにしたのは千早のずば抜けた「才能」だった……。
まぶしいほどに一途な思いが交差する青春ストーリー、いよいよ開幕!!
そんな彼女が出会ったのは、福井からやってきた転校生・新。大人しくて無口な新だったが、彼には意外な特技があった。それは、小倉百人一首競技かるた。千早は、誰よりも速く誰よりも夢中に札を払う新の姿に衝撃を受ける。しかし、そんな新を釘付けにしたのは千早のずば抜けた「才能」だった……。
まぶしいほどに一途な思いが交差する青春ストーリー、いよいよ開幕!!
178 pages, Paperback
First published May 13, 2008
93 people are currently reading
1427 people want to read
About the author
Yuki Suetsugu
138 books71 followersYuki Suetsugu (末次 由紀 Suetsugu Yuki, born September 8, 1975) is a Japanese manga artist. Her career was put on hiatus after she was discovered of being accountable for plagiarism, including tracing. She later resumed her work on March 2007.
She debuted in 1992 in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine with Taiyō no Romance. Her works later moved to Bessatsu Friend magazine, also published by Kodansha.
On 2009-03-24, her work Chihayafuru was chosen for the Manga Taishō.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuki_Sue...
She debuted in 1992 in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine with Taiyō no Romance. Her works later moved to Bessatsu Friend magazine, also published by Kodansha.
On 2009-03-24, her work Chihayafuru was chosen for the Manga Taishō.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuki_Sue...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
June 10, 2012
Gorgeous and splendid. It's a manga about Karuta--which might seem to be a fairly odd sort of thing for a manga to be about, a competitive poetry-memory-tatami slapping-thing, but of course it's not about Karuta at all, it's about friendship and dreams and separation and ambition and, oh, just everything.
Aside from the beautiful art and the often breathtaking composition (I stared at the page where Chihaya hears Arata shouting for at least a minute, it's just so elegantly perfect), it's a masterwork in characterisation. The author has this thing she does where she'll introduce a new character and within a page you know them, it's almost a kind of magic. And then she builds on that initial impression, takes you along with these characters as they win and lose and grow, so that when they reach a moment of triumph or discovery or despair you're right there with them, in every sense.
So yes. It's a manga about Karuta. But it's also everything else you could want in a story. I love it to bits and can't get enough of it.
(The anime is excellent too.)
Aside from the beautiful art and the often breathtaking composition (I stared at the page where Chihaya hears Arata shouting for at least a minute, it's just so elegantly perfect), it's a masterwork in characterisation. The author has this thing she does where she'll introduce a new character and within a page you know them, it's almost a kind of magic. And then she builds on that initial impression, takes you along with these characters as they win and lose and grow, so that when they reach a moment of triumph or discovery or despair you're right there with them, in every sense.
So yes. It's a manga about Karuta. But it's also everything else you could want in a story. I love it to bits and can't get enough of it.
(The anime is excellent too.)
February 10, 2017
5 Stars, Reread* February 3, 2017
*Review based on part of the series (ch. 1-175) since it is still ongoing
Chihayafuru is a difficult series to describe to someone else. The book covers may suggest that it's just another girly shoujo, but there is so much more beyond a pretty girl with blooming flowers surrounding her face. There is a romance, but it isn't a big part of the story arc at all. It's more about a young girl's passion for a sport, specifically a card game called karuta that consists of 100 poets, and the friendships and philosophies she learns as she improves her skills and plays competitively. Told you, it gets a little strange.
I was also super skeptical-particularly since this series does begin with the main cast in their elementary school years. However, much of the story focuses on their lives as high schoolers without including cliche tropes of Japanese high school life. Instead, the central theme revolves arounds the game/sport itself and it remains so throughout (at least up until chapter 175, which is as far as I read).
Anyway, since picking it up for the first time, Chihayafuru has always remained as one of my favorite manga (and anime) of all time, so at the beginning of 2017 I thought it was time that I'd make an effort to marathon my way through this series and catch up to where the manga has currently left off. I don't regret this decision at all seeing that the story is as good as I remembered it to be. I'd highly suggest this one for those looking for an unconventional, unique slice of life manga series!
(A better, full review to come!)
*Review based on part of the series (ch. 1-175) since it is still ongoing
Chihayafuru is a difficult series to describe to someone else. The book covers may suggest that it's just another girly shoujo, but there is so much more beyond a pretty girl with blooming flowers surrounding her face. There is a romance, but it isn't a big part of the story arc at all. It's more about a young girl's passion for a sport, specifically a card game called karuta that consists of 100 poets, and the friendships and philosophies she learns as she improves her skills and plays competitively. Told you, it gets a little strange.
I was also super skeptical-particularly since this series does begin with the main cast in their elementary school years. However, much of the story focuses on their lives as high schoolers without including cliche tropes of Japanese high school life. Instead, the central theme revolves arounds the game/sport itself and it remains so throughout (at least up until chapter 175, which is as far as I read).
Anyway, since picking it up for the first time, Chihayafuru has always remained as one of my favorite manga (and anime) of all time, so at the beginning of 2017 I thought it was time that I'd make an effort to marathon my way through this series and catch up to where the manga has currently left off. I don't regret this decision at all seeing that the story is as good as I remembered it to be. I'd highly suggest this one for those looking for an unconventional, unique slice of life manga series!
(A better, full review to come!)
April 4, 2024
[I originally wrote this part of the review in July before the last chapter had been published]
Since the announcement that this manga was coming to an end this August, I felt it was time for me to read it and watch the anime adaptation. Now I am not big into sports anime/manga and while I'd heard of this title for years, I had no interest in ever reading it...until 2020. In one day, the author of this manga gave me all the reason to want to read and watch this that I needed. I am going to review the first three volumes of this manga, watch the anime and read remaining volumes of this series, but I want to use the beginning of this review to talk about something else: my appreciation of the author as a black anime/manga fan.
In the aftermath of killing of George Floyd with myriad of people speaking out, I came across someone who I had never heard of, make the case for Black folks despite it being of no benefit to her. That person was Yuki Suetsugu, the author of this long-running manga about a traditional Japanese card game dominated by women. On June 4, 2020, Suetsugu sent out a series of tweets speaking out against racism and for Black Lives Matter and as I read these tweets it made me think about things. In my time growing-up in, growing apart from, and coming back into anime (and later starting to read manga). It is not surprising that people of African descent & dark-skinned people in-general are not the most well received in the media formats. That has a lot to do of course with how black folks are viewed in Asia generally compared to whites and it is reciprocated throughout the media in the continent which includes Japan. Japanese creators-now-have been a lot better about this than when I was young, but it still has far to go. The mecha genre and Shinichirō Watanabe are the outliers on this as non-stereotypical black representation has always been normal with that genre since Mobile Suit Gundam and that creator since his anime Cowboy Bebop. Outside of those examples it is more usual to know manga and anime creators' racist views and neo-Nazi leanings. The long-held controversy over the fascist views of the creator of Attack on Titan is the most well-known example from recent times but given how Japan's failure to deal with its fascist, imperialist past is no different than the USA's, it is not surprising. What IS surprising is seeing an anime/manga creator who does not make mecha or is big into African-American culture (as far as we know about Suetsugu) actually speak out against anti-black racism. It is a small gesture, but one that I appreciate given how rare such a gesture from anyone in that industry is (and hey, you get to have my money).
[This portion of the review was written after the series had ended]
I suppose now I should actually talk about this first volume of the manga. The story is based around a girl living in Tokyo names Chihaya Ayase who is trying to find a purpose for herself and be out of the shadow of her older sister, an up-and-coming Japanese supermodel. When a boy from rural Japan named Arata transfers to her school she learns that despite his appearances he is very skilled in and participates in competitive Karuta: a traditional Japanese card game. They clash with, and then become friends with another boy named Taichi who is also a competitive Karuta player, and they join together to form Team Chihayafuru. They come together at a community center that teaches Karuta and they start practicing and decide to enter a Karuta competition.
This is not the first Josei manga I have read, but it may be the best-looking one easily. This is a very solid coming-of-age story and it was a good read. The idea of a traditional Japanese card game that uses poetry is quite different and obscure even for most Japanese people. Under this review I will post some videos of competitive Karuta and how it is played. All-in-all, I'll probably mostly be following this series thought it's anime adaptation, but I still have some manga volumes that I will read and review first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMh-V... Okay, so the guy is a bit extra in the beginning of the video and he has an accent, but he does a good job explaining exactly how to play the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X0JG... This is an English-subtitled commentary of a standard competitive Karuta match. IT gives you as broad an overview as you could hope for by actual people who have been top-ranked in the official tournaments held in Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_30EF... This is a full competition Karuta match, in Japanese.
Since the announcement that this manga was coming to an end this August, I felt it was time for me to read it and watch the anime adaptation. Now I am not big into sports anime/manga and while I'd heard of this title for years, I had no interest in ever reading it...until 2020. In one day, the author of this manga gave me all the reason to want to read and watch this that I needed. I am going to review the first three volumes of this manga, watch the anime and read remaining volumes of this series, but I want to use the beginning of this review to talk about something else: my appreciation of the author as a black anime/manga fan.
In the aftermath of killing of George Floyd with myriad of people speaking out, I came across someone who I had never heard of, make the case for Black folks despite it being of no benefit to her. That person was Yuki Suetsugu, the author of this long-running manga about a traditional Japanese card game dominated by women. On June 4, 2020, Suetsugu sent out a series of tweets speaking out against racism and for Black Lives Matter and as I read these tweets it made me think about things. In my time growing-up in, growing apart from, and coming back into anime (and later starting to read manga). It is not surprising that people of African descent & dark-skinned people in-general are not the most well received in the media formats. That has a lot to do of course with how black folks are viewed in Asia generally compared to whites and it is reciprocated throughout the media in the continent which includes Japan. Japanese creators-now-have been a lot better about this than when I was young, but it still has far to go. The mecha genre and Shinichirō Watanabe are the outliers on this as non-stereotypical black representation has always been normal with that genre since Mobile Suit Gundam and that creator since his anime Cowboy Bebop. Outside of those examples it is more usual to know manga and anime creators' racist views and neo-Nazi leanings. The long-held controversy over the fascist views of the creator of Attack on Titan is the most well-known example from recent times but given how Japan's failure to deal with its fascist, imperialist past is no different than the USA's, it is not surprising. What IS surprising is seeing an anime/manga creator who does not make mecha or is big into African-American culture (as far as we know about Suetsugu) actually speak out against anti-black racism. It is a small gesture, but one that I appreciate given how rare such a gesture from anyone in that industry is (and hey, you get to have my money).
[This portion of the review was written after the series had ended]
I suppose now I should actually talk about this first volume of the manga. The story is based around a girl living in Tokyo names Chihaya Ayase who is trying to find a purpose for herself and be out of the shadow of her older sister, an up-and-coming Japanese supermodel. When a boy from rural Japan named Arata transfers to her school she learns that despite his appearances he is very skilled in and participates in competitive Karuta: a traditional Japanese card game. They clash with, and then become friends with another boy named Taichi who is also a competitive Karuta player, and they join together to form Team Chihayafuru. They come together at a community center that teaches Karuta and they start practicing and decide to enter a Karuta competition.
This is not the first Josei manga I have read, but it may be the best-looking one easily. This is a very solid coming-of-age story and it was a good read. The idea of a traditional Japanese card game that uses poetry is quite different and obscure even for most Japanese people. Under this review I will post some videos of competitive Karuta and how it is played. All-in-all, I'll probably mostly be following this series thought it's anime adaptation, but I still have some manga volumes that I will read and review first.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMh-V... Okay, so the guy is a bit extra in the beginning of the video and he has an accent, but he does a good job explaining exactly how to play the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X0JG... This is an English-subtitled commentary of a standard competitive Karuta match. IT gives you as broad an overview as you could hope for by actual people who have been top-ranked in the official tournaments held in Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_30EF... This is a full competition Karuta match, in Japanese.
March 7, 2018
This is a sports manga.
Really, it is.
I know, I know, there's a girl on the cover surrounded by flowers.
And yes, there's an appendix full of poems.
But trust me on this, it's a sports story.
The sport in question is karuta, a Japanese card game based upon the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, a collection of one hundred four-line poems. There are one hundred cards in the deck, each containing the last two lines of a poem. At the start of the game, each player gets twenty-five cards which they then array in three rows, in any order they choose. They're allowed fifteen minutes to memorize the layout of their opponent's field, after which a reader begins reciting the poems in random order and the players have to find the corresponding card. If you take an opponent's card, you can replace it with one from your side. First player to clear his own field wins.
Sounds very genteel, right? Not much of a sport at all. Just a convoluted form of Memory. Except the best players have memorized the poems so well that they can take cards within the first few syllables, striking out quickly with their hands to knock cards off the field. It's a game that tests both the player's mind and reflexes. Far more of a sport than golf.
The story begins with Our Heroine, Ayase Chihaya, as a perfectly ordinary elementary school student leading a perfectly ordinary life and being perfectly happy with that. The only thing remarkable about Chihaya is that her older sister is an aspiring model. Then one day a boy named Wataya Arata transfers into her class. Arata's both poor and comes from the sticks, so naturally the class makes fun of him for having a funny accent and wearing the same pants every day. Chihaya decides to go against the class and befriend Arata, but rather than making him more popular it causes her classmates to turn against her, even her best friend Mashima Taichi (who is more than a little jealous of Arata).
One day Chihaya and Arata are talking when Arata asks her if she has a dream in life. She responds that she wants to see her sister become Japan's top model, but Arata points out that that can't be her dream. He then confesses his dream -- to become the best karuta player in Japan. Since karuta is a peculiarly Japanese sport, winning the national tournament means being the best in the world. This inspires Chihaya to pursue karuta.
After various trials and tribulations, Taichi and Arata make amends and become friends, and together "Team Chihayafuru" competes in their first tournament together. But as the 34th Hyakunin Isshu says,
As elementary school graduation nears, Taichi announces that he's been accepted to a prestigious middle school that will require an hour and a half commute, which means he won't be able to practice karuta with Chihaya anymore. And then Arata reveals that his family will have to move back to Fukui in the spring, leaving Chihaya all alone.
Flashforward three years. Chihaya has grown up to be a beautiful young woman, but she's known as "Wasted Beauty" because of her focus on karuta, which she's pursued through a local club. Now that she's in high school, she's decided to start a karuta club, but to get recognition from the school she needs four other members. And then she learns that Taichi's ended up at her school too, and she goes to recruit him ... only to discover that he's given up on karuta.
The title "Chihayafuru," besides referring to the main character, is a line from the 17th Hyakunin Isshu:
"Chihayafuru" is a "pillow-word" -- the Japanese equivalent of the epithets in Greek epics, fixed phrases that help poets fill the form of the poem. It literally means "A thousand swift swords," but it connotes wildness, or, in the Crunchyroll subtitles for the anime, "Impassioned." Impassioned is probably the best translation of what it means in the context of the manga, which focuses so much on the importance of being passionate about something in your life, even if it's a card game that most people don't care about.
As you might guess from the plot, this isn't a story that has wide appeal outside of Japan, and is certainly unlikely to be licensed by any American publisher. And yet I have an English translation -- an official one, not a pirate scanlation. How'd that happen? Kodansha's released the first two volumes in "bilingual editions" in Japan as study aids for people trying to learn English. The translation is about as good as what you see in US manga publications, though the typesetting is a little amateurish, the text in a generic font that's not always centered in the bubbles, and the original Japanese text is printed in the margins, which is a little distracting at first. On the plus side, it's a very nice looking edition, even coming with a dustjacket, something you never find on Americna paperbacks, and it contains an appendix with the Hyakunin Isshu in English (fifty poems in each volume).
Really, it is.
I know, I know, there's a girl on the cover surrounded by flowers.
And yes, there's an appendix full of poems.
But trust me on this, it's a sports story.
The sport in question is karuta, a Japanese card game based upon the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, a collection of one hundred four-line poems. There are one hundred cards in the deck, each containing the last two lines of a poem. At the start of the game, each player gets twenty-five cards which they then array in three rows, in any order they choose. They're allowed fifteen minutes to memorize the layout of their opponent's field, after which a reader begins reciting the poems in random order and the players have to find the corresponding card. If you take an opponent's card, you can replace it with one from your side. First player to clear his own field wins.
Sounds very genteel, right? Not much of a sport at all. Just a convoluted form of Memory. Except the best players have memorized the poems so well that they can take cards within the first few syllables, striking out quickly with their hands to knock cards off the field. It's a game that tests both the player's mind and reflexes. Far more of a sport than golf.
The story begins with Our Heroine, Ayase Chihaya, as a perfectly ordinary elementary school student leading a perfectly ordinary life and being perfectly happy with that. The only thing remarkable about Chihaya is that her older sister is an aspiring model. Then one day a boy named Wataya Arata transfers into her class. Arata's both poor and comes from the sticks, so naturally the class makes fun of him for having a funny accent and wearing the same pants every day. Chihaya decides to go against the class and befriend Arata, but rather than making him more popular it causes her classmates to turn against her, even her best friend Mashima Taichi (who is more than a little jealous of Arata).
One day Chihaya and Arata are talking when Arata asks her if she has a dream in life. She responds that she wants to see her sister become Japan's top model, but Arata points out that that can't be her dream. He then confesses his dream -- to become the best karuta player in Japan. Since karuta is a peculiarly Japanese sport, winning the national tournament means being the best in the world. This inspires Chihaya to pursue karuta.
After various trials and tribulations, Taichi and Arata make amends and become friends, and together "Team Chihayafuru" competes in their first tournament together. But as the 34th Hyakunin Isshu says,
And so there's no one left,
to talk to in the end;
The Takasago pine's as old,
But he is not my friend.
As elementary school graduation nears, Taichi announces that he's been accepted to a prestigious middle school that will require an hour and a half commute, which means he won't be able to practice karuta with Chihaya anymore. And then Arata reveals that his family will have to move back to Fukui in the spring, leaving Chihaya all alone.
Flashforward three years. Chihaya has grown up to be a beautiful young woman, but she's known as "Wasted Beauty" because of her focus on karuta, which she's pursued through a local club. Now that she's in high school, she's decided to start a karuta club, but to get recognition from the school she needs four other members. And then she learns that Taichi's ended up at her school too, and she goes to recruit him ... only to discover that he's given up on karuta.
The title "Chihayafuru," besides referring to the main character, is a line from the 17th Hyakunin Isshu:
I have not heard
The gods of long ago
Observed the Tatsuta
With scarlet leaves aglow.
"Chihayafuru" is a "pillow-word" -- the Japanese equivalent of the epithets in Greek epics, fixed phrases that help poets fill the form of the poem. It literally means "A thousand swift swords," but it connotes wildness, or, in the Crunchyroll subtitles for the anime, "Impassioned." Impassioned is probably the best translation of what it means in the context of the manga, which focuses so much on the importance of being passionate about something in your life, even if it's a card game that most people don't care about.
As you might guess from the plot, this isn't a story that has wide appeal outside of Japan, and is certainly unlikely to be licensed by any American publisher. And yet I have an English translation -- an official one, not a pirate scanlation. How'd that happen? Kodansha's released the first two volumes in "bilingual editions" in Japan as study aids for people trying to learn English. The translation is about as good as what you see in US manga publications, though the typesetting is a little amateurish, the text in a generic font that's not always centered in the bubbles, and the original Japanese text is printed in the margins, which is a little distracting at first. On the plus side, it's a very nice looking edition, even coming with a dustjacket, something you never find on Americna paperbacks, and it contains an appendix with the Hyakunin Isshu in English (fifty poems in each volume).
September 30, 2024
⭐3.5
This was honestly a super cute start to a manga. Chihaya standing up for Arata because he was the new kid and didn't talk much, only for them to develop a friendship over karuta. Him teaching her that she can dream for things she works towards and doesn't always have to be in her sister's shadow.
This was honestly a super cute start to a manga. Chihaya standing up for Arata because he was the new kid and didn't talk much, only for them to develop a friendship over karuta. Him teaching her that she can dream for things she works towards and doesn't always have to be in her sister's shadow.
June 10, 2019
I had never heard of karuta before, but I really liked Hikaru No Go and someone said this was like that series, except it's about a Japanese card game called karuta...
So, first of all, karuta is pretty obscure. I suspect most non-Japanese have never heard of it, and its existence outside of Japan is practically zero. I understand this manga and the anime based on it has boosted its popularity, but as the tearful reaction in this book of the karuta sensei to the sudden arrival of three kids who want to learn would suggest, it's a pretty niche game.
This is basically an elementary school drama about three friends who bond over karuta. You've got the poor country boy who's a karuta genius, the rich boy with super-high-pressure parents who enjoys the camaraderie of playing the game with classmates, and the girl who has a natural talent for the game and finds in it a dream of her own, having long been overshadowed by her prettier, spoiled sister, whose ambition is to be a supermodel.
Like Hikaru no Go, entire pages of Chihayafuru are devoted to the intense drama of a single choice in a karuta game, and the internal mental states of the players. I enjoyed this, and the innocent friendship of kids from different sides of the tracks.
Karuta is basically a memorization and reflex game. You memorize 100 Japanese poems (always the same poems; I don't think there are any "expansion sets" for karuta) and spend time memorizing the card layout before each game. Then a reader starts to read the opening lines of the poem, and the players try to slap the card corresponding to the poem before their opponent does. There are some other rules and subtleties that make it deeply strategic for high-level players, but it's definitely not a thing that non-Japanese are ever likely to get into.
It's kind of cool that someone went and made a manga about it, and that it became popular. In the US, that would be like someone making a popular comic book series about a sixth grader who discovers her love for euchre or pinochle.
I didn't really find it that interesting, and not being into the game, it definitely didn't engage me the way Hikaru no Go did. I might read the second volume, though.
So, first of all, karuta is pretty obscure. I suspect most non-Japanese have never heard of it, and its existence outside of Japan is practically zero. I understand this manga and the anime based on it has boosted its popularity, but as the tearful reaction in this book of the karuta sensei to the sudden arrival of three kids who want to learn would suggest, it's a pretty niche game.
This is basically an elementary school drama about three friends who bond over karuta. You've got the poor country boy who's a karuta genius, the rich boy with super-high-pressure parents who enjoys the camaraderie of playing the game with classmates, and the girl who has a natural talent for the game and finds in it a dream of her own, having long been overshadowed by her prettier, spoiled sister, whose ambition is to be a supermodel.
Like Hikaru no Go, entire pages of Chihayafuru are devoted to the intense drama of a single choice in a karuta game, and the internal mental states of the players. I enjoyed this, and the innocent friendship of kids from different sides of the tracks.
Karuta is basically a memorization and reflex game. You memorize 100 Japanese poems (always the same poems; I don't think there are any "expansion sets" for karuta) and spend time memorizing the card layout before each game. Then a reader starts to read the opening lines of the poem, and the players try to slap the card corresponding to the poem before their opponent does. There are some other rules and subtleties that make it deeply strategic for high-level players, but it's definitely not a thing that non-Japanese are ever likely to get into.
It's kind of cool that someone went and made a manga about it, and that it became popular. In the US, that would be like someone making a popular comic book series about a sixth grader who discovers her love for euchre or pinochle.
I didn't really find it that interesting, and not being into the game, it definitely didn't engage me the way Hikaru no Go did. I might read the second volume, though.
August 16, 2019
SEASON 3 OF THE ANIME IS COMINGGGG AAH
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
April 6, 2019
4.5 stars
My favorite qoutes from this manga series
“Have you started a fire as a game? Although it is called talent, I think of it, as simply your speed of starting a fire until you have it burning. Those with ‘talent’ make a fire catch real quick. But that alone, doesn’t guarantee how strong your flame will be nor how long it can keep burning”
Eventhough you don’t like it, you still tried your absolute hardest in it. So I thought that, it was really admirable. That’s how much you loved those people”
My favorite qoutes from this manga series
“Have you started a fire as a game? Although it is called talent, I think of it, as simply your speed of starting a fire until you have it burning. Those with ‘talent’ make a fire catch real quick. But that alone, doesn’t guarantee how strong your flame will be nor how long it can keep burning”
Eventhough you don’t like it, you still tried your absolute hardest in it. So I thought that, it was really admirable. That’s how much you loved those people”
And Just more love for my boy taichi
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Such a good coming of age manga
Here also one of my favorite poem from the manga
Though we are parted,
If on Mount Inaba's peak
I should hear the sound
Of the pine trees growing there,
I'll come back again to you.
March 10, 2019
I think this series is going to be interesting. The game is interesting, as well as the characters. Here's hoping it gets a print publish!
March 13, 2023
Just logging this one volume for Goodreads but I'm actually on vol 16 and I swear if taichi is not endgame I will riot
December 3, 2024
oh this is about to be a wild ride.
February 15, 2021
MY GUYS, I MISSED THEM
July 14, 2016
This series is about a girl named Chihaya, an elementary school kid who has no dreams of her own, she thinks her dream is for her sister to become a famous model. All that changes when a transfer student delivers her newspaper and gets treated badly by other kids. Chihaya can't stand that and she speaks her mind without thinking first. So that leads to them becoming friends. she visits his home and finds out that he is actually a genius in Karuta. They play once and she couldn't believe that he was this good at it. Arata asks about her dream but upon hearing the dream he tells her that she can't call that her dream because she isn't working hard to achieve it. A dream should be something the person works hard to achieve for themselves. This open Chihaya's eyes and then she tries to think about it.
WOW! This was a big summary of what happen. Damn!
Anyway! I get the feeling this is going to be a great read and I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest.
The story is amazing and unique.
Characters are also amazing even though in this volume they are just kids, next volume they skip time and voila! High school! So because I wrote this review after reading 2 volumes I can say that characters are really interesting and wonderful. No, seriously!!!
And look at the cover...very pretty. Right? The art is also very pretty, just like the story and the 3 main characters.
I love LOVE Arata!! He is so cool! You should see the High school version of Arata... even the elementary Arata is so cute!
I would like to recommend this to everyone. Young or old. You will enjoy it!
WOW! This was a big summary of what happen. Damn!
Anyway! I get the feeling this is going to be a great read and I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest.
The story is amazing and unique.
Characters are also amazing even though in this volume they are just kids, next volume they skip time and voila! High school! So because I wrote this review after reading 2 volumes I can say that characters are really interesting and wonderful. No, seriously!!!
And look at the cover...very pretty. Right? The art is also very pretty, just like the story and the 3 main characters.
I love LOVE Arata!! He is so cool! You should see the High school version of Arata... even the elementary Arata is so cute!
I would like to recommend this to everyone. Young or old. You will enjoy it!
January 29, 2016
Esto es totalmente diferente. Un manga muy bueno (casi excelente) en donde aprendemos de un deporte conocido en Japón pero ignorado por el resto del mundo, Karuta.
Debo de decir que este manga fue una bocanada de aire fresco (algo que no me sucedía desde hace tiempo). ¿Qué tiene de especial o a su favor?:
1.- El dibujo es muy bueno. Los trazos son delicados, los rasgos son detallados y tienen un toque armonioso y femenino.
2.- La historia. Poco común, combinación entre 70% amor al deporte, 20% relaciones entre las personas que aman este deporte y 10% romance.
3.- Los concursos. Al ser manga de deporte obviamente existen concursos para llegar a ser Maestro y Reina del Karuta, éstos son mostrados de una manera que atrapa y te hace desear conocer toda la lucha.
Así como hay personas que aman natación, ajedrez, tennis, basquetball, entre otros, la pasión que sienten los personajes por el karuta es admirable. Y es que este manga no es un shojo-josei cualquiera. Más allá de tratarse sólo de temas románticos explora el hecho de la presión y la frustación por querer ser el mejor, no cumplir las expectativas, ser el segundo lugaro o no ser mejor que áquel a quien se admira. Son muchos sentimientos puestos en la mesa y que le dan más sabor a este manga.
El triángulo amoroso me parece perfecto y difícil, ¿cómo puedo decir esto? Porque la duda está siempre presente sobre quién será el escogido, no hay una clara definición de los sentimientos y nada es obvio. Esta tensión me agrada mucho.
Los personajes son fantásticos, desde los secundarios (del equipo de la escuela, equipos rivales), protagonistas (los mejores) y los más pros del karuta (Maestro y Reina). Su desarrollo es interesante y completo. Ninguno tiene menor importancia y las ocurrencias o sentimientos se logran transmitir porque tienes pleno conocimiento de lo que ellos sienten, su trasfondo. Eso no se logra en todas las historias y le suma puntos.
Una de las desventajas es que es manga mensual y sigue en publicación, por lo que todavía falta para ver el final que tendrá la historia. No hay nada previsible, todo puede suceder en los concursos lo cual es LÓGICO (finalmente un manga que no todo es color rosa). Los poemas que se mencionan son hermosos, sus significados bellos, verdaderamente hay todo un mundo detrás de los Cien Poemas. Es una historia mágica, emocionante, que conecta con el lector.
*Como recomendación, vean el anime. Vale totalmente la pena, además que da una idea de cómo se desarrolla una partida de Karuta :)
November 2, 2011
I read the Chihayafuru series up until Vol14 at a manga kissa. I have been reading this on and off on a magazine but never as a whole. Well, I have to say I was missing something pretty good. This series is about a girl who is beautiful but doesn't feel confident nor loved as much due to having a more beautiful semi celebrity sister. She is not withdrawn or anything, very "tom boyish, " quirky, and loves the game of "karuta" to death.
Karuta game is "to be able to quickly determine which card out of an array of cards is required and then to grab the card before it is grabbed by an opponent.(wiki)" I thought Karuta game as an old style holiday card games played by kids. BOY was I wrong. The serious Karuta game is more like sports, there are competitions and levels that people achielve.
Now in Chihayafuru, the characters are trying to become stronger and better in playing Karuta. And through that the boys and girls in this manga growing up as a person as well as a player. Fun and enjoyable manga for all. Especially for those who enjoy old Japanese waka, which are used in playing Karuta. In fact the title of the managa comes from an old waka sang by 在原業平朝臣(Arihirano Narihira Ason 825-880).
http://worldwithmat.blogspot.com/2010...
Karuta game is "to be able to quickly determine which card out of an array of cards is required and then to grab the card before it is grabbed by an opponent.(wiki)" I thought Karuta game as an old style holiday card games played by kids. BOY was I wrong. The serious Karuta game is more like sports, there are competitions and levels that people achielve.
Now in Chihayafuru, the characters are trying to become stronger and better in playing Karuta. And through that the boys and girls in this manga growing up as a person as well as a player. Fun and enjoyable manga for all. Especially for those who enjoy old Japanese waka, which are used in playing Karuta. In fact the title of the managa comes from an old waka sang by 在原業平朝臣(Arihirano Narihira Ason 825-880).
http://worldwithmat.blogspot.com/2010...
March 11, 2021
This manga about an autistic girl (not named as such but she absolutely is imo) who is obsessed with a competitive card game is absolutely getting me through this week. Kindle users, it’s currently all on kindle unlimited and very worth your time.
February 21, 2013
Thank you Teepee Mortega for recommending this to me! I love this manga so much :)
April 6, 2014
Always love Yuki Suetsugu-sensei's works ><
September 10, 2021
That art is so pretty. I like the life lessons, it's an interesting blend of straightforward and poetic.
July 29, 2022
Let's D-d-d-duel!
A trio of friends all with some skill at the classic Japanese game of karuta are bound by the one girl in the group who for the first time found something she really enjoys. The art style is very cute and fluffy for the kids at least (just look at that flowery cover) and I was surprised to see the book was less romance and more about karuta which I remember from various references in the past including I believe the Summer Wars anime and manga. With this being a story about how the trio of friends become interested in the game and even compete in tournaments they are all really young making me wonder if perhaps this book is more focused on helping younger readers to memorize the karuta cards better and help spread the mangaka's passion for the game. :)
A trio of friends all with some skill at the classic Japanese game of karuta are bound by the one girl in the group who for the first time found something she really enjoys. The art style is very cute and fluffy for the kids at least (just look at that flowery cover) and I was surprised to see the book was less romance and more about karuta which I remember from various references in the past including I believe the Summer Wars anime and manga. With this being a story about how the trio of friends become interested in the game and even compete in tournaments they are all really young making me wonder if perhaps this book is more focused on helping younger readers to memorize the karuta cards better and help spread the mangaka's passion for the game. :)
February 4, 2023
Book: 4*
Edition: 2*
This is definetely going to be an interesting series, the theme got immediately my attention and wanted so badly to know how all this worked and this is for sure a very good first book that served as an introduction for the story.
Onto the bad part...
The edition is HORRIBLE. I know it's a "cut price" and I paid 2,8€ but it is as well the only edition available and it has MAJOR issues.
1) THE BLACKS: in some pages the blacks are like SO dark that you can't see the details. The back of the cards sometimes are total ink black and the drawings are completely covered. I didn't even know there were supposed to be drawings till I saw the original page lol
2) THE EXTRAS: I don't think it's normal to have missing letters from the characters bios??? I didn't know it was a quiz or some guess the word game...
3) THE EXTRAS ORDER: considering this game is new to basically everyone why putting all the rules plus strategies at the end???
PRO NOTE: There's an italian translation for all 100 poems. This a SUPER good thing AND there are two cards to collect with the original japanese poems, so IF they will put two in each volume we will have them all by the end of the series, and this is awesome!
Edition: 2*
This is definetely going to be an interesting series, the theme got immediately my attention and wanted so badly to know how all this worked and this is for sure a very good first book that served as an introduction for the story.
Onto the bad part...
The edition is HORRIBLE. I know it's a "cut price" and I paid 2,8€ but it is as well the only edition available and it has MAJOR issues.
1) THE BLACKS: in some pages the blacks are like SO dark that you can't see the details. The back of the cards sometimes are total ink black and the drawings are completely covered. I didn't even know there were supposed to be drawings till I saw the original page lol
2) THE EXTRAS: I don't think it's normal to have missing letters from the characters bios??? I didn't know it was a quiz or some guess the word game...
3) THE EXTRAS ORDER: considering this game is new to basically everyone why putting all the rules plus strategies at the end???
PRO NOTE: There's an italian translation for all 100 poems. This a SUPER good thing AND there are two cards to collect with the original japanese poems, so IF they will put two in each volume we will have them all by the end of the series, and this is awesome!
March 14, 2024
Oh yeah, very very good first volume. I like the characters, Harada is the best lol, the game seems complicated but fun at the same time. Once you understand the game then the reading is a breeze. I like the small story lines we get like Chihaya’s sister being stuck up and no one appreciates she finally found a hobby, Arata being a prodigy, etc. Very good first volume, the reason it isn’t a perfect 5 is because the first scene is a scene from later in the future and we start as them with kids, hate this trope, don’t show it to us if we can’t have it, the other reason is that the story, even though it’s technically a retelling, rushes the hell out of what it’s covering, in 5 chapters we got her getting into the game, meeting a friend, joining a club, heartbreak, then we reach her first club tourney? Pump the breaks, but besides those two glaring issues this is a fun read and I can tell it has a lot of potential!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2023
Quelle bonne surprise, j’ai adoré !
J’étais à fond dans l’histoire, j’ai trouvé les personnages principaux naturels, l’humour fonctionne bien, le dessin a du charme, le découpage est dynamique. Ce premier tome n’a rien à envier à ses cousins du shonen comme Hikaru no go.
C’était presque un sans faute, dommage qu’il y ait une réplique grossophobe vers la fin. Si on recontextualise, c’est le Japon de 2012-2013, donc j’imagine que l’autrice n’était pas du tout sensibilisée à ce sujet-là à cette époque. Espérons que les choses ont évolué depuis.
Bref, j’ai bien kiffé ce tome d’introduction et je vais de ce pas attaquer la suite ! :)
J’étais à fond dans l’histoire, j’ai trouvé les personnages principaux naturels, l’humour fonctionne bien, le dessin a du charme, le découpage est dynamique. Ce premier tome n’a rien à envier à ses cousins du shonen comme Hikaru no go.
C’était presque un sans faute, dommage qu’il y ait une réplique grossophobe vers la fin. Si on recontextualise, c’est le Japon de 2012-2013, donc j’imagine que l’autrice n’était pas du tout sensibilisée à ce sujet-là à cette époque. Espérons que les choses ont évolué depuis.
Bref, j’ai bien kiffé ce tome d’introduction et je vais de ce pas attaquer la suite ! :)
January 28, 2018
Alors ça c'était trop trop bien.
Déjà c'est plus ou moins un shojo de sport. Et ça c'est quand même juste trop cool.
Ensuite ben c'était génial.
Et enfin je suis triste parce qu'il y avait plein de tomes dispo d'occasion quand je l'ai acheté mais comme je ne savais pas du tout à quoi m'attendre (j'avais juste vu une ou deux personnes dont je ne connais pas encore bien les goûts sur instagram ou twitter qui lisent cette série), je n'ai pris que le tome 1. Putain j'aurais dû prendre tout ce que je pouvais.
Déjà c'est plus ou moins un shojo de sport. Et ça c'est quand même juste trop cool.
Ensuite ben c'était génial.
Et enfin je suis triste parce qu'il y avait plein de tomes dispo d'occasion quand je l'ai acheté mais comme je ne savais pas du tout à quoi m'attendre (j'avais juste vu une ou deux personnes dont je ne connais pas encore bien les goûts sur instagram ou twitter qui lisent cette série), je n'ai pris que le tome 1. Putain j'aurais dû prendre tout ce que je pouvais.
July 21, 2018
This manga is “Chihayafuru”. This is karuta manga and love story. This manga is shoujo manga so I didn’t read this manga. But I think this manga is so interesting and attractive. I want to play karuta.
This manga is shoujo manga but both male and female can enjoy this manga. I like this. So I want to read more shoujo comic.
This manga is shoujo manga but both male and female can enjoy this manga. I like this. So I want to read more shoujo comic.
July 21, 2019
Thihayafuru is youth manga for teenager to aim for winning in the match. It include complex background and environment concern with their life and future. But it is good writing about story composition and also artwork. For example, it use many bird’s eye view to show the character’s inside conflict with the self and also others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2021
Paper thin conceits, a blatant scaffold to put some characters in some emotional climax or other. Doesn’t survive comparison to (dumb loud kid plays ancient unfashionable pattern recognition sport and learns about the importance of self-denial and attention to detail) Hikaru no Go, which I’m also reading. Not enough poetry in this poetry sport manga.
August 1, 2017
I absolutely loved this, way more than I thought I would. I bought volume one on Bookwalker as it was on sale, read it and then bought the volumes 2 and 3 (all that's been officially released in English so far).
Chihayafuru is a totally unique manga. It has shojo, josei themes embedded within a sports manga. However, it isn't about a typical sports but about Karuta is a Japanese card game.
I can't iterate how much I enjoyed this volume and I hope Kodansha Comics keeps up with translating the series and even put out a print release (wishful thinking there)
Chihayafuru is a totally unique manga. It has shojo, josei themes embedded within a sports manga. However, it isn't about a typical sports but about Karuta is a Japanese card game.
I can't iterate how much I enjoyed this volume and I hope Kodansha Comics keeps up with translating the series and even put out a print release (wishful thinking there)
December 17, 2025
Reading the digital English translation while I wait for my print copies that are in Japanese because there is only French or Japanese print editions because yup. At least it'll force me to get better at my Japanese reading and comprehension.
February 13, 2019
Taichi Mashima: has the most visible eyelid folds of the group.
Yes.
Yes.
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