# Chihayafuru (2011)

> A girl who discovers her passion for competitive karuta chases the dream of becoming Japan's best player while hoping to reunite with the friends she lost.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/41093

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 74
- Episode runtime: 23 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, drama
- Network: Nippon TV
- Cast: Asami Seto, Mamoru Miyano, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Kenta Miyake, Hiroki Touchi, Megumi Hayashibara, Satsuki Yukino, Aya Hisakawa
- TMDB rating: 8.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2150751/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: earnest, wistful, warm, hopeful

## What critics say

Audiences broadly regard the series as a warm, well-crafted coming-of-age story about competitive karuta, with its later seasons drawing a more mixed response than the opening.

## Synopsis

Chihayafuru (2011-2020) is a Japanese animated coming of age series produced by Madhouse for Nippon TV, based on the manga. Chihaya Ayase, a bright high school girl, finds a new purpose when a boy named Arata Wataya urges her to take up competitive karuta, a traditional card game in which players race to grab poem cards. Her goal is to become Japan's best player, while she secretly holds on to a promise to reunite with the friends she was separated from. Each season is built from tournament matches, grueling training, rival players and the slow shaping of friendships and crushes. The tone is earnest, warm and often wistful, with an emotional undercurrent of longing and ambition. Voice performances by Asami Seto as Chihaya and Mamoru Miyano as Taichi Mashima anchor the cast. The series runs three seasons and seventy-four episodes, and it is a patient, character-driven sports drama in the spirit of Hikaru no Go and Ping Pong the Animation.

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