A N I M E / O T A K U : PART 6

Chihayafuru

Synonyms:

Chihayafull

Type:

TV

Aired:

October 5, 2011 to March 28, 2012

Source:

Manga

Genres:

Drama, Game, Josei, School, Slice of Life, Sports

Synopsis:

Chihaya Ayase, a strong-willed and tomboyish girl, grows up under the shadow of her older sister. With no dreams of her own, she is contented with her share in life till she meets Arata Wataya. The quiet transfer student in her elementary class introduces her to competitive karuta, a physically and mentally demanding card game inspired by the classic Japanese anthology of Hundred Poets. Captivated by Arata's passion for the game and inspired by the possibility of becoming the best in Japan, Chihaya quickly falls in love with the world of karuta. Along with the prodigy Arata and her haughty but hard-working friend Taichi Mashima, she joins the local Shiranami Society. The trio spends their idyllic childhood days playing together, until circumstances split them up.

Now in high school, Chihaya has grown into a karuta freak. She aims to establish the Municipal Mizusawa High Competitive Karuta Club, setting her sights on the national championship at Omi Jingu. Reunited with the now indifferent Taichi, Chihaya's dream of establishing a karuta team is only one step away from becoming true: she must bring together members with a passion for the game that matches her own.

Characters and Voice Actors:

- Main:

Chihaya "Chi-chan" Ayase

Birthday: June 1 (Gemini)

Blood type: B

Height: 167 cm

Weight: 54 kg

School: Municipal Mizusawa High School - Year 2 Class 9 - Karuta Club captain

Karuta Society: Shiranami Society, A Class

Favourite food: Chocolate, pollock squid

Hobby: Collecting Daddy Bear merchandise

A determined schoolgirl who "possesses a remarkable hearing ability." She believes that by persevering in karuta, she will meet Arata again, and begins a karuta club at her high school with Mashima. While she is beautiful, she is considered too weird; her classmates refer to her as a "waste of a beauty." She has been described as a "tomboy trapped in a supermodel's body."

Favourite Song: Poem #17

Even when the gods

Held sway in the ancient days,

I have never heard

That water gleamed with autumn red

As it does in Tatsuta's stream

- Christian, Luci (English)

- Seto, Asami (Japanese)

Taichi "Eyelashes" Mashima

Birthday: April 2 (Aries)

Blood type: A

Height: 172 cm (178 cm)

Weight: 67 kg

School: Municipal Mizusawa High School - Year 2 Class 1 - Karuta Club president

Karuta Society: Shiranami Society - A Class