MALEpisodes: 25+25Score: 8.35+8.55Popularity: #295+#645Genre: Drama, Game, Slice of Life, SportsDemographic: JoseiThe two seasons are available on Crunchyroll.IntroductionChihayafuru is a sports anime about karuta, a Japanese card game taking its roots from their rich background of poetry. Essentially, the game is a one on one memory game in which, among all cards faced up in front of each players, one has to catch the card corresponding to the second verse of a poem while its first verse is read by a third party.Needless to say that the sport is quite unique, but if it doesn't sound interesting, don’t go away just yet; Chihayafuru is a breath of fresh air in the genre, managing to balance slice of life, drama, romance, humour and tight sports elements seamlessly. Yes, tight. In fact, Chihayafuru has done so well in Japan that it has contributed to boosting the popularity of karuta.What's it about?"Your dream should be about yourself."Proudly boasting her older sister’s success in a beauty pageant, 12 years old Chihaya Ayase shares her dream to fellow classmate Arata Wataya: that her older sister becomes the top model in Japan.The usually quiet Arata immediately knocks her down with the aforementioned quote, sad to even think that one would not dream for himself. Because he does have a dream of his own. Sparklingly showing her a deck of karuta cards, Arata, grandchild of a master karuta player himself, challenges and inevitably destroys Chihaya in a game, and shares his dream…"Karuta isn’t very popular in other countries…""But that means that if you become the best player in Japan, you’ll be the best in the world!""My dream is to become a karuta master!"Seeing how Arata shines while playing and sharing his ambitious dream ignites Chihaya’s interest and passion as well. From there on begins her own journey in the world of karuta in which she will share deep emotions and unforgettable experiences with her friends.What sets it apart?I already explained the basics of karuta, and there's obviously a bit more to it than that, but the rules are so simple and brought up naturally in Chihayafuru that I don’t feel the need to talk about them. The same goes for strategies, weaknesses and other aspects of the game; chances are you could probably easily identify your own strengths and weaknesses, devise a strategy and play according to your own style given the opportunity.Karuta is such as accessible sport that you will find yourself invested in it despite having no ounce of knowledge in Japanese or poetry.At the most competitive level, the sport focuses more and more on one on one matches, but Chihayafuru places a huge importance on the team format which exists at school levels. Given the obvious disparity of skill between some players, each of them are at different stages of development or have different aspirations from karuta altogether, and it is reflected in the way they play. And not just for our main cast of characters; their opponents, too, feel like real characters with goals and expectations of their own.On top of being accessible, karuta's pace is such that it absolutely makes sense for players to have inner monologues, review the state of an ongoing game, sulk at their misfortune or otherwise encourage their teammates in between readings of cards; develop as characters within the sport!And that’s where Chihayafuru shines for me. It just does exceptionally well at using karuta as a tool to develop its characters, and if that weren't enough, it also seamlessly blends in elements of drama, humour and romance in their daily life, of course also exploring the rich literature background that karuta is built upon along the way.It’s an absolutely joy to witness these characters interact and grow.Chihayafuru further benefits from a bright, colourful palette and a beautifully orchestrated soundtrack complimenting the experience that remains, to this day, my favourite.Final ThoughtsI've approached this What This! fairly succinctly because I didn't want to vent any one aspect, be it the characters or the sport by themselves, because while I personally loved them all from the beginning, they're not what's important. Truthfully, individually, Chihayafuru's story, themes and characters are nothing outstanding. What's important, instead, is how well all these pieces manage to form such a complex puzzle.I hope I have achieved to catch the curiosity of new viewers or some of those who might have previously dismissed it based on any of its individual pieces, because Chihayafuru is straight up my favourite anime.Hope you enjoy! http://ift.tt/1RDLMz5
