Chihayafuru

Name: Chihayafuru
Genre: Animation, Drama
Released: 2011-10-05
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Asami Seto, Mamoru Miyano, Yoshimasa Hosoya

ENDED3 Seasons74 Episodes★ 7.6

Chihayafuru is an animated drama series on Nippon TV that ran from 2011 to 2020, ending after 3 seasons and 74 episodes.

Never miss an episode of Chihayafuru

Get an email the moment a new episode airs — plus alerts if it's renewed or canceled.

NetworkNippon TV

First AiredOct 5, 2011

Last AiredMar 24, 2020

GenreAnimation, Drama

Runtime23 min

Original Titleちはやふる

LanguageJapanese

CountryJapan

ProductionMadhouse, Nippon Television Network Corporation, VAP

Chihaya Ayase has spent most of her life supporting her sister’s model career. When she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, he thinks Chihaya has potential to become a great karuta player. As Chihaya dreams of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends. Now in high school, Chihaya still plays karuta in the hope that she will one day meet her friends again.

WHERE TO WATCH

Crunchyroll

HiDive

Amazon VideoBUY

Some links may earn us a commission. Data via JustWatch / TMDB

Cast

Asami Seto

Chihaya Ayase (voice)

Mamoru Miyano

Taichi Mashima (voice)

Yoshimasa Hosoya

Arata Wataya (voice)

Seasons & Episodes3 seasons · 74 episodes

0% complete

E1May it be that I find

Oct 22, 201924m

Mizusawa High School's karuta club claimed victory in the team competition for the first time at the Nationals in July. However, before they could even take time to relax, Chihaya and Taichi agreed to take part in the Fujisaki High School karuta club's training camp. Awaiting them was Coach Sakurazawa's brutal training regime of stretching, jogging, and playing seven matches each day!

E2The hazed early dawn light comes not from the moon

Oct 29, 201923m

Summer vacation is over, and the second school term has begun. Having learned that playing on a team expands the possibilities of karuta, Arata musters up his courage and tries to start a karuta club at his school. Meanwhile, Mizusawa High's karuta club has begun practicing in preparation for the Master/Queen qualifiers, but then they learn something that makes them doubt their chances of participating in the qualifiers at all...

E3But from the crystal white snow of Yoshino

Oct 29, 201923m

The Yoshino Tournament features adults and students alike in many impressive matches, and among the participants is Inokuma Haruka, the former Queen who's just returned from maternity leave. But although Chihaya has recovered from the surgery on her finger and regained the use of her dominant hand, she still isn't fully on top of her game. Meanwhile, Taichi has mixed feelings when he finds out that Arata is trying to start a karuta club.

E4Nobody wishes to see

Nov 5, 201923m

Chihaya, Taichi, Tsuboguchi, and Dr. Harada, all members of the Shiranami Society, have made it to the top 8. They approach the next round with the mindset of playing in a team match, but Chihaya is matched against Inokuma Haruka, the former Queen who won the title four times in a row. Inokuma's unique play style is like nothing Chihaya has seen before, causing her to struggle in their match.

E5Mount Amanokagu

Nov 5, 201923m

Inokuma, who won the Queen title four times in a row; Sudo, who can throw an opponent off with his words alone; Murao, the fourth seat in the Nagumo Society; and Arata, who ended the Queen's undefeated record. The Shiranami Society members are faced with four powerful opponents, but Harada's insistence brings the other three back to the mindset of playing offensive karuta. How these four matches will end is anyone's guess!

E6Tatsuta River Ablaze

Nov 12, 201923m

The audience at the Yoshino Tournament is taken for a wild ride with so many unexpected twists: Arata, the focus of high expectations, has been defeated, and Taichi, who only just reached Class A, advances to the finals. And now it's time at last for the final round between Chihaya and Taichi, teammates who have been practicing together since they were in elementary school. The odds are in Chihaya's favor, but Taichi isn't playing his usual karuta since he declared that he would defeat her in an official match.

E7The storm blasts

Nov 19, 201923m

Taichi has nothing but Chihaya on his mind as he constantly updates his strategy during their match. Chihaya has a bit of trouble since Taichi isn't playing like he usually does, but this just might be the best match they've ever played against each other. As the final round nears its end, Chihaya's desire to be the Queen battles against her dreams for the future as she's forced to choose between the Queen tournament qualifiers and her class trip.

E8As friends and strangers

Nov 26, 201923m

Chihaya chooses to go on her class trip in hopes to come closer to fulfilling her dream of being a teacher, but she spends the entire time lost in space, wondering how Taichi is doing at the Master tournament qualifiers. Harada and Inokuma are also participating in the East Japan qualifiers, but as Taichi tries to quietly psych himself up, someone unexpected shows up to get in his way. Meanwhile, at the West Japan qualifiers, Master Suo makes a surprising comment to Arata.

E9I recall how my own efforts were in vain

Dec 3, 201923m

Arata plays his match even as Master Suo's words weigh on his mind, and Taichi battles a powerful opponent while ruminating over Dr. Harada's teachings. Meanwhile, Chihaya is so busy thinking about Taichi and Arata's matches that she's forgotten why she came on her class trip. Even looking at Hundred Poets exhibits doesn't bring her back to reality. So her classmate Michiru takes matters into her own hands...

E10Scarlet kadsuras

Dec 10, 201923m

Arata wonders why he feels so relieved to learn that Taichi lost his match, even as dark memories of a similar feeling at the Yoshino Tournament come back to him, leaving him unable to concentrate fully on his match in the finals. His opponent, Murao, realizes that Arata isn't himself and sees an opportunity, but then...

E11Leaving a hovering mist above the trees and grass

Dec 17, 201923m

E12So the flower petals are scattered like the snow by the passing storm

Dec 24, 201923m

It's the day of the Master and Queen challenger finals. Dr. Harada and Arata are competing for the chance to challenge the master, while Inokuma and Megumu battle it out to challenge the Queen. Harada confides in Arata that he once played against his grandfather, Eternal Master Wataya Hajime, and expresses his joy at being able to play karuta with Arata. A passionate battle spanning multiple generations begins at last!

E13Yet it is I who withers and wilts

Jan 7, 202023m

The veteran players Dr. Harada and Inokuma were the winners in the first round, but Dr. Harada chose to yield the second round to preserve his strength for the third. Arata starts to feel sucked into Dr. Harada's pace, but after receiving some advice from Chihaya, he remembers how his grandpa, the Eternal Master, used to play. Both of them enter the third round with one win and one loss as the battle to determine who will challenge the Master begins!

E14The emotions experienced

Jan 14, 202023m

Arata's playing becomes reminiscent of Eternal Master Wataya Hajime's, allowing him to take control of the match's pace. Harada recalls the one match he played against Hajime when he was young and becomes painfully aware of how much his game sense has faded since then. But he sticks with the offensive play style that he teaches in the Shiranami Society, turning the match around in a way that leaves everyone in the hall holding their breath.

E15As helpless autumn leaves are caught against the flow

Jan 21, 202023m

Chihaya is still lost in the clouds after Arata confessed his feelings to her, making her unable to concentrate on studying for her exams. Kanade and Sumire, who happened to overhear Arata's confession, are debating whether they should tell Taichi or not. In the midst of all this, Chihaya gets a phone call from Sudo, who says someone in his college karuta club wants to play a match with her.

E16Takes me away in haste

Jan 28, 202023m

"You can't be Queen." Chihaya didn't lose heart even after being soundly defeated in her practice match with the Master, but she can't help feeling stunned by his comment. And Taichi, after seeing the Master's play style up close, begins to think about the style of karuta he wants to play. Christmas is also around the corner, and the Mizusawa Karuta Club has a plan in mind...

E17As my sleeves are wet with dew

Feb 4, 202023m

The Master and Queen matches have begun. Harada faces Suo fully prepared, thanks to the Shiranami Society's support. The Queen match is between the current Queen and a former Queen: Shinobu versus Inokuma. Master Suo, having declared that he'll retire after his fifth consecutive win, appears as relaxed as ever, and Shinobu enters in a heavy, long-sleeved kimono provided by her grandmother.

E18The storm will soon carry me

Feb 11, 202023m

Both the Master and Queen matches come down to luck of the draw in an intense first round, ending in wins for Shinobu and Harada. Shinobu is shaken after learning that her grandmother, a politician, sees her as no more than a walking advertisement, as well as the fact that Chihaya chose her class trip over a chance to play in the Queen match, and she begins to break down in the second round.

E19Bring a life of everlasting love

Feb 18, 202023m

Harada leads Suo with two wins and one loss as the Master match enters its fourth round. Harada has studied everything about Suo, including the weakness that Chihaya told him about, and he dominates the match with his trademark offensive karuta. Suo remains calm despite Harada's strong momentum, recalling what his aunt, who raised him, said to him when he was a child. Her words are the reason Suo continues to play karuta.

E20May the scarlet kadsuras

Feb 25, 202023m

Suo had been controlling the number of cards taken in the Master match, but with one win and two losses in the fourth round, Harada's momentum stops his plan in its tracks by coming down to luck of the draw. Harada shows his tenacity as someone who has loved karuta and worked to become the Master more than anyone else, but Suo still manages to keep his cool. The Master match finally nears its conclusion.

E21To restore my faith

Mar 3, 202023m

Suo and Shinobu win the Master and Queen matches, both defending their titles. Afterward, Taichi declines to return to Tokyo, staying behind alone for the Takamatsu Memorial Cup... and ends up playing against Arata. Meanwhile, Chihaya is shocked by Taichi getting the jump on her a second time, and she begins to wonder why he always makes his decisions without saying anything to her.

E22Just as my beauty has faded

Mar 10, 202023m

Taichi has seemed down since he lost to Arata. In fact, a dark cloud is hanging over the entire karuta club because final exams are coming up. To break out of the gloom, Chihaya, Kanade, and Sumire decide to make Valentine's Day chocolates for the club as a surprise. Chihaya has no experience with making sweets, but she gives it her all in hopes of bringing a smile back to the hard-working Taichi's face.

E23Like a boatsman adrift

Mar 17, 202023m

The club hosts an unofficial tournament, the Taichi Cup, to celebrate Taichi's birthday! Chihaya planned the event in hopes of cheering up Taichi, and she managed to gather 36 participants. The tournament is held in the style of a Genpei match, with competitors facing off in teams of three. Taichi is reminded of when he, Chihaya, and Arata used to play together in elementary school. Certain things have changed since then, but certain feelings haven't...

E24When winds send waves crashing

Mar 24, 202023m

Taichi has told Chihaya about the feelings he had kept secret for so long. Now he's left the karuta club, and Chihaya's regret over failing to notice how he felt leaves her unable to play. But some new members have joined Mizusawa's karuta club, and among them is Tamaru Midori, a Class A player. She is a promising new member, but also a troublemaker.

About Chihayafuru

Chihayafuru is an animation, drama series on Nippon TV. The show first aired on Oct 5, 2011 and currently has 3 seasons and 74 episodes. Chihayafuru has ended. It has a rating of 7.6/10 based on 69 votes. The cast includes Asami Seto, Mamoru Miyano, Yoshimasa Hosoya.