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Chihayafuru (2011)
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柿原優子 — Series Composition
Episodes 49
So The Flower Has Wilted
A new school year has started and the Karuta club must get new members or face penalties. Discussing the goals of the club, Chihaya discovers the team is not as unified as she thought.
Read MoreAs My First Love Came
At the Shiranami Society, Taichi plays Tsuboguchi, who has graduated from college and is now a high school teacher.
Read MoreFeel Love Deepen
It is time for the High School Karuta Championship; the first years are amazed by the skill level of their upperclassman. Wataya continues his goal to the National High School Championships.
Read MoreTo tell the people in the capital that I make for the islands
Be it luck or skill, Tai seems to falter under pressure. The team needs three wins to proceed and their upcoming opponents are new and trained by an old friend.
Read MoreBe as dear now, those were the good old days
The final two teams in the competition is a repeat of Mizusawa vs. Hokuo. Chihaya wants to challenge them straight up, no tricks. A player on the Hokuo team will make sure it happens.
Read MoreTo set the Tatsuta River ablaze
Individually, Mizusawa players have grown, but Hokuo will try to use Mizusawa's lack of team playing experience to take back the Tokyo regional trophy.
Read MoreThey all exchange hellos and goodbyes at the famous gates of Afusaka
The deal was to get 5 new members for the Karuta club. Chihaya has to figure out a way to keep the room and deal with the band club.
Read MoreWhich shines over Mount Mikasa
The national championship has begun. Mizusawa High School's first opponent is a tam of foreigners from the Chiba International School of Information Studies. Chihaya is elated that karuta has become an international sport, but the other members are thrown off by the unfamiliar situation. Will Mizusawa High School be able to secure their first victory on their way to becoming number one in Japan? At the same time, Arata arrives at Omi Jingu alone.
Read MoreMy Only Thought
One wrong decision can ruin Arata's chance this season to make his comeback…
Read MoreRain takes longer to dry
Mizusawa's next opponent is a group of geniuses that has been sweeping the Karuta scene.
Read MoreI feel as though my body is on fire with Ibuki mugwort
Mizusawa has finally made it to the first round of the High School Championship playoffs. However, Porky says that they should play without Desk-kun. After looking at Desk-kun's notebook, she agrees that they should leave him out of the lineup. Their opponent is Shoyo High school, representing Kyoto. Will Porky and Desk-kun be able to make peace?
Read MoreThe only sign of summer
In the second round of the playoffs, Mizusawa faces off against Akashi Girls First, led by Ousaka Megumu, the West representative in the previous Queen match qualifier. Chihaya falls behind off the bat as Megumu displays speed that she didn't have before. Will Chihaya be able to use all of her hard work to change the momentum?
Read MoreIn my dreams, I creep closer to you
Chihaya appears to have recovered from her bad start, but Megumu will not let her take consecutive cards. As the players spur on their aces, both sides begin to pull together as teams. Which team will prove to be stronger?
Read MorePeople would always ask if I was pining for someone
Mizusawa and Akashi's match has reached the tipping point and each side starts winning games; the pressure between Chihaya and Megumu have captivated the crowd.
Read MoreNo matter where I stand
Tsukuba finally gets his chance to play due to Kana's injury, but will he be able to keep his composure in such an important match? Meanwhile, the team members of Fujisaki are waiting to see what player Coach Sakurazawa will switch for the final match.
Read MoreWait for the Emperor's Return
A look back on season 2.
Read MoreGust of wind
Fujisaka's training has proven to be a major hurdle to Mizusawa thanks to the training regimen demanded by their coach, Sakurazawa. Rion continues her lead over Chihaya thanks to her familiarity of the reader's voice. Doubts and injury plague Chihaya and her team as they fight to stay in the game.
Read MoreMy fear is that you will forget
A new found passion has brought Misuzawa back into the fight, as Chihaya herself tries to fight through the pain of her injury.
Read MoreI do not know where this love will take me
Three wins for the victory. Taichi's declaration provides encouragement to the remaining players. The Mizusawa karuta club uses all of their experience and practice to fight to the end.
Read MoreThe fall paddy shacks
The Mizusawa karuta club has won the team championship, becoming the number one team in Japan. The players reflect upon the path they took to the championship. After Chihaya remembers the pain in her finger, she is taken to the hospital.
Read MoreBut its legacy continues to spread
Chihaya has injured her right hand, so she's forced to play with her left. Her first opponent is Yuube, from Akashi First Girls. Chihaya struggles to take cards with her left hand. Will she be able to make it past the first round?
Read MoreLong Last We Meet
Chihaya has advanced to the quarterfinals. Her opponent is the Queen, Wakamiya Shinobu. Chihaya decides to go all in and use her injured right hand. How will Shinobu respond? How will Chihaya fare?
Read MoreTo see the beautiful cherry blossoms
The Class A Finals pit Arata vs Shinobu, Class B is between Taichi and Rion in the same area where Komano is participating in the Class C Final. Chihaya is stuck between supporting Taichi and Komano or experiencing the match between Arata and Shinobu.
Read MoreWhen I must hide...
With a packed house watching who could be the new King and Queen, Chihaya and Taichi are ushered in by Sakurazawa. The atmosphere is tense; who will win?
Read MoreI can look up and see the snowy cap of Mt. Fuji
With winners and losers riding emotional waves, Chihaya is sent a video of the Class A final, and while watching, it stirs of memories of playing Karuta with Arata.
Read MoreMay it be that I find
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!
Read MoreThe hazed early dawn light comes not from the moon
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...
Read MoreBut from the crystal white snow of Yoshino
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.
Read MoreNobody wishes to see
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.
Read MoreMount Amanokagu
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!
Read MoreTatsuta River Ablaze
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.
Read MoreThe storm blasts
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.
Read MoreAs friends and strangers
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.
Read MoreI recall how my own efforts were in vain
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...
Read MoreScarlet kadsuras
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...
Read MoreLeaving a hovering mist above the trees and grass
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...
Read MoreSo the flower petals are scattered like the snow by the passing storm
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!
Read MoreYet it is I who withers and wilts
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!
Read MoreThe emotions experienced
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.
Read MoreAs helpless autumn leaves are caught against the flow
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.
Read MoreTakes me away in haste
"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...
Read MoreAs my sleeves are wet with dew
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.
Read MoreThe storm will soon carry me
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.
Read MoreBring a life of everlasting love
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.
Read MoreMay the scarlet kadsuras
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.
Read MoreTo restore my faith
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.
Read MoreJust as my beauty has faded
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.
Read MoreLike a boatsman adrift
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...
Read MoreWhen winds send waves crashing
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.
Read More