Chihayafuru

Chihayafuru

Cover of the first volume featuring Chihaya Ayase.
ちはやふる
Genre Drama, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life, Sports
Manga
Written by Yuki Suetsugu
Published by Kodansha
Demographic Josei
Magazine Be Love
Original run December 28, 2007 – ongoing
Volumes 27
Anime television series
Directed by Morio Asaka
Written by Naoya Takayama
Music by Kousuke Yamashita
Studio Madhouse
Licensed by
Network NTV, FBS, ytv, HTV
English network
Original run October 4, 2011 – March 27, 2012
Episodes 25
Novel series
Shōsetsu Chihayafuru Chūgakusei-hen
Written by Yui Tokiumi
Illustrated by Yuki Suetsugu
Published by Kodansha
Imprint KC Deluxe
Original run September 9, 2012 – December 13, 2013
Volumes 4
Anime television series
Chihayafuru 2
Directed by Morio Asaka
Written by Yūko Kakihara, Ayako Katoh
Music by Kousuke Yamashita
Studio Madhouse
Network NTV, ytv
Original run January 11, 2013 – June 28, 2013
Episodes 25
Original video animation
Directed by Morio Asaka
Studio Madhouse
Released September 13, 2013
Runtime 25 minutes

Chihayafuru (ちはやふる) is a manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Suetsugu, serialised in Be Love and published by Kodansha. It is about a school girl, Chihaya Ayase, who is inspired by a new classmate to take up Hyakunin Isshu karuta competitively. It has been adapted into an anime television series, which aired on Nippon Television and Crunchyroll between October 2011 and March 2012. A second season aired between January and June 2013. A live action film adaptation will be produced.[2]

The manga has won the Manga Taishō Award and the Kodansha Manga Award. Since its fourth volume was released in March 2009, it has regularly appeared on the Japanese Comic Ranking chart, and in August 2011 was estimated to have sold over 4.5 million copies. Its popularity has boosted the profile of competitive karuta in Japan.

Plot

Chihaya Ayase is a girl who has spent most of her life simply supporting her sister in her model career. That changes when she meets a boy named Arata Wataya, a talented karuta player. After becoming friends, he believes that Chihaya has potential to become a great player. As Chihaya takes on a new dream of becoming Japan's best karuta player, she is soon separated from her karuta playing friends as they grow up. Now in high school, Chihaya is reunited with her childhood friend, Taichi Mashima. Together, they form the Mizusawa Karuta Club. With her teammates and friends supporting her, Chihaya strives to become the best karuta player in the world and to one day be with Arata again.

Development

An Edo period karuta card with "Ariwara no Narihira Ason" written on it, where the name of the series comes from.

Yuki Suetsugu belonged to a karuta club in senior high school, and feels that the school years are a period of a person's life where "you can dedicate the most genuine part of yourself to something". The name of the series is a poetic Makurakotoba, or pillow word, and comes from the first five syllables of the seventeenth poem in the Hyakunin Isshu poetry anthology, a collection of one hundred poems which are printed on the karuta cards.[3]

Media

Manga

The manga has been serialized in Be Love since 2007,[4] and has been collected by Kodansha into 27 bound volumes as of April 2015. As of 23 February 2012 Kodansha has also published the first two volumes in a bilingual edition, with English translations by Stuart Varnam Atkin and Yōko Toyozaki.[5][6][7] The manga is licensed in Taiwan by Tong Li Publishing.[8]

No.Release date ISBN
1 13 May 2008[9]ISBN 978-4-06-319239-1
2 12 September 2008[10]ISBN 978-4-06-319245-2
3 12 December 2008[11]ISBN 978-4-06-319252-0
4 13 March 2009[12]ISBN 978-4-06-319259-9
5 12 June 2009[13]ISBN 978-4-06-319266-7
6 11 September 2009[14]ISBN 978-4-06-319271-1
7 11 December 2009[15]ISBN 978-4-06-319276-6
8 12 March 2010[16]ISBN 978-4-06-319282-7
9 11 June 2010[17]ISBN 978-4-06-319287-2
10 13 September 2010[18]ISBN 978-4-06-319294-0
11 13 December 2010[19]ISBN 978-4-06-380301-3
12 11 March 2011[20]ISBN 978-4-06-380309-9
13 13 June 2011[21]ISBN 978-4-06-380320-4
14 13 September 2011[22]ISBN 978-4-06-380324-2
15 13 December 2011[23]ISBN 978-4-06-380331-0
16 13 March 2012[24]ISBN 978-4-06-380339-6
17 13 June 2012[25]ISBN 978-4-06-380349-5
18 13 September 2012[26]ISBN 978-4-06-380359-4
19 13 December 2012[27]ISBN 978-4-06-380369-3
20 13 March 2013[28]ISBN 978-4-06-380379-2
21 13 June 2013[29]ISBN 978-4-06-380389-1
22 13 September 2013[30][31]ISBN 978-4-06-358459-2 (limited edition)
ISBN 978-4-06-380397-6 (regular edition)
23 13 December 2013[32]ISBN 978-4-06-380410-2
24 11 April 2014[33]ISBN 978-4-06-380422-5
25 11 July 2014[34]ISBN 978-4-06-380433-1
26 10 October 2014[35]ISBN 978-4-06-380442-3
27 13 April 2015[36]ISBN 978-4-06-380465-2

Anime

An anime television series based on the manga was announced in May 2011.[37] The series was produced by the studio Madhouse under the direction of Morio Asaka with script supervision by Naoya Takayama and character designs by Kunihiko Hamada.[38] The art director is Tomoyuki Shimizu, the director of photography is Kenji Fujita, the colour supervisor is Ken Hashimoto, the CG director is Tsukasa Saito, the music is by Kousuke Yamashita, and the sound director is Masafumi Mima. The series' 25 episodes aired on Nippon Television between 4 October 2011, and 27 March 2012.[note 1][38] The series was simulcast in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand by Crunchyroll.[40] Animax Asia aired their English adaptation of the anime from 13 February – 18 March 2013.[1] The series was released in 9 volumes on DVD and Blu-ray Disc between 21 December 2011,[41][42] and 22 August 2012,[43][44] and as a complete set on Blu-ray Disc on 18 July 2013.[45]

A second 25-episode season, Chihayafuru 2, aired on Nippon Television between 11 January and 28 June 2013,[note 2] and was simulcast by Crunchyroll.[47] An original video animation episode was released on DVD bundled with the special edition of the 22nd manga volume on 13 September 2013.[30][48]

Music

The first season's opening and ending themes are "Youthful" by 99RadioService and "Soshite Ima" (そしていま, "And Now") by Asami Seto respectively.[39] 99RadioService released "Youthful" as a single on 30 November 2011.[49] Two original soundtrack and character song albums were released on 18 January – 28 March 2013.[50] The second season's opening and ending themes are "Star" by 99RadioService and "Akane Sora" (茜空) by Seto.

Novel series

A 4-volume novel series was published by Kodansha under their KC Deluxe imprint between 9 September 2012,[51] and 13 December 2013.[52] The books were written by Yui Tokiumi and illustrated by Yuki Suetsugu and follow the middle-school years of the three protagonists.[51]

Other

Kodansha released a guidebook for the series on 9 November 2011. It provides a study guide for the poetry and background for the story.[53]

Live action film

On April 11, 2015, the Anime News Network reported that the series would be adapted into a live-action film.[2]

Reception

Chihayafuru won the second Manga Taishō award,[54] and the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōjo manga category.[55] When Chihayafuru won the Manga Taishō award, it was commented that the series combines elements of the sport genre and literary elements with a discerning eye on the subject matter.[56]

In the week of 10–16 March 2009, the fourth volume of Chihayafuru appeared at #24 on the Japanese Comic Ranking chart, selling 29,776 copies in that week.[57] In the week of 8–14 June 2009, the fifth volume appeared at #11 on the chart, selling 46,774 copies in that week.[58] The next week, it slipped to #21, selling an additional 40,344 copies in that week.[59] In the week of 7–13 September 2009, volume six of Chihayafuru appeared at #8 on the list, selling 61,089 copies.[60] The next week, it appeared at #23, selling 45,028 copies in that week.[61] In the week of 7–14 December 2009, the seventh volume ranked at number nine on the list, selling 70,790 copies.[62] The following week, it ranked at #15, selling an additional 55,266 copies.[63] The eighth volume of Chihayafuru ranked at #5 on the bestseller's list, selling 92,555 copies in the week of 8–14 March 2010.[64] The following week, it slipped to seventh place, selling an additional 72,957 copies.[65] For the week of 7–13 June 2010, the ninth volume of Chihayafuru appeared at #6 on the chart, selling 99,296 copies in that week.[66] The following week, it slipped to ninth place, selling an additional 74,885 copies.[67] The tenth volume of Chihayafuru placed first on the list for the week of 13–19 September,[68] slipping to nineteenth place the next week.[69] For the week of 13–19 December, the eleventh volume debuted at #2,[70] slipping to #23 the next week.[71] The twelfth volume appeared at #9 for the week of 7–13 March 2011,[72] rising to #4 the following week.[73] The thirteenth volume debuted at #3 for the week of 13–19 June 2011,[74] slipping to #20 the following week.[75] The fourteenth volume debuted at #3 for the week of 12–18 September 2011,[76] slipping to #24 the following week.[77]

As of August 2011, it was reported that there were sales of over 4.5 million copies of the manga volumes.[4]

The popularity of Chihayafuru has boosted the popularity of competitive karuta.[3][78]

Among North American reviewers, Gia Manry, writing about the first episode of Chihayafuru, felt that despite the animators' efforts, karuta seemed boring, and criticised the overuse of CG sakura, describing it as a "mixed bag" of an anime.[79] Bamboo Dong says that Chihaya's passion and characterisation make karuta interesting.[80] Carlo Santos felt that the series was the "first genuinely good show of the season", citing its characterisation, unusual subject, and polish of the first episode.[81] Marcus Speer enjoyed the production values of the first episode, but felt that the theme songs were "standard fare". He was intrigued by how the characters' childhood impacted on their present interactions.[82] Theron Martin appreciated the focus on the characters rather than the game, feeling that while the teenage Chihaya seemed "gimmicky", her younger self was "quite likable".[83] Chris Beveridge praised the tension shown between Arata and Taichi in the second episode's karuta match.[84] Theron Martin felt the second episode's karuta tournament was tense and compelling, and that despite the plot unfolding in a predictable fashion, the execution made this forgivable.[83]

Notes

  1. ↑ As Chihayafuru‍‍ '​‍s first season aired in Nippon Television's Tuesday 25:59 (1:59 JST) time slot, the episodes technically aired the days following the ones listed.[39]
  2. ↑ As Chihayafuru‍‍ '​‍s second season aired in Nippon Television's Friday 25:53 (1:53 JST) time slot, the episodes technically aired the days following the ones listed.[46]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Chihayafuru - Animax Asia". Animax Asia. Archived from the original on 2013-03-22. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru Manga Gets Live-Action Film". Anime News Network. April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ueda, Masafumi (29 July 2011). "Rising popularity of 'kyogi karuta' in the cards". Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 31 July 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Chihayafuru | NTV Program Licensing Catalogue". NTV. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  5. ↑ Varnam Atkin, Stuart (December 30, 2012). "The Wonderful Worlds of 100 Waka.". Japan Times. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  6. ↑ バイリンガル版ちはやふる（１） [Bilingual version Chihayafuru (1)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  7. ↑ バイリンガル版ちはやふる（２） [Bilingual version Chihayafuru (2)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  8. ↑ 博客來書籍館>花牌情緣 1 [Book Club Blog > Chihayafuru 1] (in Chinese). Books.com.tw. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  9. ↑ ちはやふる（１） [Chihayafuru (1)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  10. ↑ ちはやふる（２） [Chihayafuru (2)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  11. ↑ ちはやふる（３） [Chihayafuru (3)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  12. ↑ ちはやふる（４） [Chihayafuru (4)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  13. ↑ ちはやふる（５） [Chihayafuru (5)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  14. ↑ ちはやふる（６） [Chihayafuru (6)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  15. ↑ ちはやふる（７） [Chihayafuru (7)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  16. ↑ ちはやふる（８） [Chihayafuru (8)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  17. ↑ ちはやふる（９） [Chihayafuru (9)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  18. ↑ ちはやふる（１０） [Chihayafuru (10)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  19. ↑ ちはやふる（１１） [Chihayafuru (11)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  20. ↑ ちはやふる（１２） [Chihayafuru (12)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  21. ↑ ちはやふる（１３） [Chihayafuru (13)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  22. ↑ ちはやふる（１４） [Chihayafuru (14)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  23. ↑ ちはやふる（１５） [Chihayafuru (15)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2011-12-13.
  24. ↑ ちはやふる（１６） [Chihayafuru (16)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-05-19.
  25. ↑ ちはやふる（１７） [Chihayafuru (17)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  26. ↑ ちはやふる（１８） [Chihayafuru (18)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  27. ↑ ちはやふる（１９） [Chihayafuru (19)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2012-12-25.
  28. ↑ ちはやふる（２０） [Chihayafuru (20)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2013-03-18.
  29. ↑ ちはやふる（２１） [Chihayafuru (21)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 ＤＶＤ付き　ちはやふる（２２）限定版 [Chihayafuru (22) limited edition, bundled with DVD] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  31. ↑ ちはやふる（２２） [Chihayafuru (22)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  32. ↑ ちはやふる（２３） [Chihayafuru (23)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  33. ↑ ちはやふる（２４） [Chihayafuru (24)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  34. ↑ ちはやふる（２５） [Chihayafuru (25)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  35. ↑ ちはやふる（２６） [Chihayafuru (26)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
  36. ↑ ちはやふる（２７） [Chihayafuru (27)] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2015-04-13.
  37. ↑ "Chihayafuru Women's Card Manga Gets TV Anime in October". Anime News Network. 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 "Chihayafuru Anime's Staff, Premiere Date Announced". Anime News Network. 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-09-07.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "TVアニメ『ちはやふる』のキャストが決定！綾瀬千早役は現役高校生の瀬戸麻沙美さんに決定！EDテーマも担当。：最新アニメ情報" [TV anime "Chihayafuru" cast decisions! The Chihaya Ayase role, the dedicated high school student, will be Asami Seto! Also responsible for the ending theme.] (in Japanese). Saiani.net. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
  40. ↑ "Crunchyroll Adds "Chihayafuru" to Fall Lineup". Crunchyroll. 2011-10-04. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  41. ↑ "ちはやふる Vol.1 [DVD]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  42. ↑ "ちはやふる Vol.1 [Blu-ray]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  43. ↑ "ちはやふる Vol.9 第二四首~二五首収録 [DVD]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  44. ↑ "ちはやふる Vol.9 第二四首~二五首収録 [Blu-ray]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  45. ↑ "ちはやふる Vol.1~Vol.9 全9巻セット(完全数量限定) [Blu-ray]" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  46. ↑ "TVアニメ『ちはやふる2』1月21日より読売テレビにて放送スタート" (in Japanese). Saiani.net. 2012-12-27. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
  47. ↑ "Crunchyroll to Stream Chihayafuru 2 TV Anime Series". Anime News Network. 2013-01-07. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
  48. ↑ "Chihayafuru Manga to Bundle Original Anime DVD". Anime News Network. 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  49. ↑ "YOUTHFUL" (in Japanese). Amazon.co.jp. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
  50. ↑ "ミュージック | ちはやふる". Ntv.co.jp. 2012-02-22. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 中学生時代描く小説版「ちはやふる」、末次の挿絵も公開 (in Japanese). Natalie.mu. 2012-08-13. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  52. ↑ 「ちはやふる」百人一首暗記カード、最新23巻と同時発売 (in Japanese). Natalie.mu. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  53. ↑ ちはやと覚える百人一首　「ちはやふる」公式和歌ガイドブック [Chihaya and remembering One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each Chihayafuru The Official Waka Guidebook] (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved 2015-02-17.
  54. ↑ マンガ大賞2009:マンガ大賞2009授賞式の模様 [Manga Award 2009: Manga Design Award Ceremony 2009] (in Japanese). Mangataisho.com. 2009-03-24. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  55. ↑ "March comes in like a lion, Space Bros. Win Kodansha Manga Awards - News". Anime News Network. 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  56. ↑ Ohara, Atatsushi (30 March 2009). 今年も選んだマンガ大賞 [Manga Contest of this year chosen]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  57. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, March 10-16 (Updated) - News". Anime News Network. 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
  58. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 8-14 (Updated) - News". Anime News Network. 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
  59. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 15-21 (Updated) - News". Anime News Network. 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
  60. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 7-13 - News". Anime News Network. 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
  61. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 14-20 - News". Anime News Network. 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-09-08.
  62. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, December 7-13 - News". Anime News Network. 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  63. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, December 14-20 - News". Anime News Network. 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-10-05.
  64. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, March 8-14 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  65. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, March 15-21 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  66. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 7-13 (Updated) - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  67. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 14-20 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  68. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 13-19 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  69. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 20-26 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  70. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, December 13-19 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  71. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, December 20-26 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  72. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, March 7-13 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  73. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, March 14-20 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  74. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 13-19 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  75. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, June 20-26 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  76. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 12-18 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  77. ↑ "Japanese Comic Ranking, September 19-25 - News". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
  78. ↑ 息のむ　緊迫の１秒　競技かるた（2/3ページ） [Breathtakingly intense competition for a second, karuta (2/3 pages)] (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. 2010-12-11. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  79. ↑ "Gia Manry - The Fall 2011 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  80. ↑ "Bamboo Dong - The Fall 2011 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  81. ↑ "Carlo Santos - The Fall 2011 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
  82. ↑ Speer, Marcus (10 October 2011). "First Impressions: Chihayafuru". Japanator. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  83. ↑ 83.0 83.1 Martin, Theron (2011). "The Fall 2011 Anime Preview Guide". Anime News Network. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  84. ↑ Beveridge, Chris. "Chihayafuru Episode #02 Anime Review". The Fandom Post. Retrieved 2011-10-14.

Further reading

External links