CHIHAYA AYASE
Episode one begins with Chihaya putting up posters for the Karuta Club she plans to start in school on the school bulletin board, dressed in her school uniform and a pair of trackpants (worn underneath her school skirt) and a utilitarian tool-belt-esque device around her waist (containing posters for the Karuta club of course) as her classmates gape at her and Ms Miyauchi balks at her to remove the ridiculous trackpants (which she wore after being told she couldn’t stand on a chair and put up posters in her short school skirt). Chihaya then proceeds to cock her head in true Chihaya fashion and begins to remove the trackpants right there and then, surrounded by her flabbergasted classmates. You’re pretty much guaranteed to fall in love with her after that introduction.
Chihaya is the passion of the group. Before Karuta, the only role she played was that of ta doting younger sister to Chitose, the budding model. When Arata introduced her to Karuta, he not only gave her a hobby and a passion, but an identity. She lives and breathes Karuta. Every decision she makes, everything she does is done to help her improve at this strange and obscure game (eg: joining the track team so she could stay in shape, to keep her speed and so that she could meet people whom she could recruit to a Karuta club). Her love for Karuta, unlike that of so many of her peers, is independent of her determination to win. She loves to play Karuta and that’s all there is to it. She doesn’t view her teammates or opponents as enemies, but as fellow lovers of the game and is eager to teach and help newcomers improve. She practically exudes passion and her love for Karuta is contagious
Further emphasizing her borderline obsessive attitude towards Karuta is her airheaded, naïve attitude. Her attention was, and is, focused completely on the game. It consumes her mind and inhabits her every thought. As a result, she doesn’t have much energy (mental or physical) to spare on anything else. So she’s oblivious to the snide comments aimed at her by baffled classmates (eg: beauty in vain) and clueless of the intricacies of human nature (which, for her is but another aspect represented in the Hundred Poets). She insists in seeing the best in everyone and has a keen eye for potential (As in the case of Desktomu, an unlikely member of the club at first.)
Perhaps the most interesting and admirable thing about Chihaya’s character is her ability to learn and improve her Karuta significantly everytime she plays an unfamiliar opponent. She takes something away from each and every match. She’s incredibly perceptive when it comes to Karuta (not so much otherwise) and picks up on the slightest quirks in her opponents playing style and works hard to see what she can glean from her findings to incorporate into her own style.
TAICHI MASHIMA
If Chihaya is the passion, then Taichi is the mental strength- of the Mizusawa Karuta Club, and of the anime as a whole. Where she is expressive, accepting, and often boisterous, he is reserved, mature, and calculating. She launches the members of her team toward perplexing and demanding situations, so he makes sure to pack a few parachutes. In the beginning, it can be quite difficult to actually like Taichi. He’s judgemental, arrogant, and seems to be motivated by nothing but self-interest. He comes across as one of those characters just begging to be antagonised. This is where Chihayafuru first begins to surprise. Taichi is probably one of the most well-developed characters ever written, relentlessly growing, and persistent in his struggle to shed his past weaknesses, so that it eventually becomes impossible not to rank him as one of the favourites. Who he is as a person never really changes, which is why this progression can be so well appreciated. He isn’t innocent or open like his best friend, but values those qualitites in her. He never looks down on people but strives to improve himself, and this can be seen through the way he builds up his playing style. Posessing an unwavering fighting spirit that even he may not recognize, Taichi is who the team looks to for assurance and stability. He seems to be in a battle with his own vices, and impressively appears to be winning. There is a search for passion, identitiy, and bravery. It may be tempting to question the motives behind his actions (many do so) but it is soon evident that they are pure. A complexity of thoughts, laced with shades of grey, he is difficult to figure out, but in the end, someone who is there to stay.
KANADE OE
Kana is the romantic of the group - the emotion. Her family owns a traditional clothing store, so it can be said that she’s been brought up fairly steeped in tradition. To top that off she’s obsessed with classical poetry. Not only does she know all Hundred Poems by heart, she is also aware of the common interpretations and has some of her own as well. Her ability to glean the poets’ deepest meanings from simple descriptions of nature is telling of her deep understanding of human nature. Where Taichi’s intelligence is that of logic, memory and reasoning, her’s is that of emotion and sensation. She can identify the dynamic and tension between two people far before anyone else.
Unlike the others in the group, her affinity for the poems on which Karuta is based causes her to view Karuta as more of an art-form than a sport, which results in unusual card placement techniques and strange methods of identifying the cards. She also derives strength from the element of tradition that still lingers in Karuta (eg: she plays better when dressed in traditional clothing. It helps her balance and posture)
She also plays the more traditional/old fashioned role of a woman, and takes it upon herself to take care of everyone in the club. Her mother accompanies them on trips (presumably at her request), she provides the clothing and transport to and from tournaments and the first thing she does after joining the club is insist that they clean up the Club room and make it more fit for habitation.
She is not to be underestimated. Though she seems innocent and naïve, she is extremely shrewd and has a fantastic business sense. When she is asked to join the club she does so under the condition that Chihaya agrees to model for her family’s catalogue (they couldn’t afford an actual model) and, recognizing potential patrons in the Karuta world, around half-way through the first season her mother announces that they’re now offering a special line of cotton traditional clothing for competitive Karuta!
YUSEI NISHIDA
Commonly known by his unflattering nickname ‘Porky’ that caught on as a result of his deep-rooted love for pork buns, Nishida may be an easy character to disregard. But lacklustre characters in Chahayfuru are a novelty- and they aren’t so easy to find. It is not until he falls short, that anyone is able to realize just how dependable Porky is. One of the most experienced karuta players, well established in this niche society, he is the one indisputably relied on to secure atleast one win for Mizusawa in team tournaments. The first win often sets the tone for the matches of the remaining players, and is a coveted spot Nishida effortlessly secures on numerous occasions, throughout the show. He was salvation for Taichi and Chihaya in their efforts to start a successful karuta club in school, and his presence began to lend an air of relief and security. He brought hope and strength, a steady, definitive weapon in the Mizusawa arsenal. Though not ouwardly emotional, he possesses a strong sense of loyalty (as is seen when he supports Yumin Yamamoto- a fellow member of the local karuta society he belongs to). He takes his losses seriously, as karuta is something he plays to win, and is often greatly discouraged if he fails to rise to the occasion. In this way, karuta is as much part of him, as it is of Chihaya. It never pays to brush aside characters that can, if only considered, possess the same unexpected amount of depth and relevance as Porky. Having said that, there is room for more insight into his character, that could perhaps have been made a bit more discernable.
KOMANO TSUTOMU
When we’re first introduced to Tsutomu he’s Chihaya’s snide, arrogant classmate who’s perpetually trapped behind his desk with his nose in a book. He has no interest in playing Karuta or having teammates (or even friends for that matter). He just wants to be number one. He’s drawn to Karuta because it’s a challenge for him. He immediately grasps that it’s not just a game of coordination and reaction. It’s a game of memory and analysis as well - two things he prides himself on.
He’s also probably the only one out of the entire Mizusawa team who is truly a team player, and this is a development which, again, demonstrates the way character identities in this show are developed through the game. With the addition of the two new teammates in Season 2, there isn’t always room for him among the 5 members that play a match, since each new opponent requires them to emply a different set of strengths. Tsutomu recognizes this almost immediately. He understands from his very first highschool tournament that his role as a Karuta player is not much compared to that of Chihaya or Nishida. His strengths lie elsewhere. He collects and analyses data on opponents and even his own team’s playing styles and history, and uses it to help them come up with a strategy. He identifies chinks in their opponents’ armour and hands the arrow to someone on the team who’s more able, so that they may shoot to take each competitor down.
ARATA WATAYA
Arata’s character is vaguely reminiscent of a minor tsunami, that modestly hurls itself upon an unsuspecting coastline, demolishes a few odd villages, and then casually recedes into the ocean, calmly oblivious to the carnage it caused. An unthreatening, recluse in spectacles, he has the uncanny ability to thoroughly jostle the life of anyone in the karuta world, making sure they never forget him. Even though he’s rarely the centre of the story, past the first few episodes, he continues to maintain an unshakeable presence throughout most (if not all) of the episodes. The ubiquitous memory, the knowledge universally possesed, Wataya Arata is a name that is recognised by most, revered by many, and resented by none less. So how did he obtain this reputaion? He’s just that good. Karuta has been a part of him since the very beginning. The grandson of the ultimate Master (best male karuta player in Japan, i.e in the world), he was descended from a legend, and seemingly destined to become a legend himself. Greatness was expected of him, but no one could have foreseen the extent to which he mastered the game. Arata met the soaring expectations laid down for him, and hugely exceeded them. Many believe he is the only one capable of one day posing a threat to the reigning master (Master Suou), possibly overthrowing him. Infamous though he is, few are aware of the insecurity that lurks in the back of his mind- he is lonely. Rising to the top certainly had its price, and it left him envious of those possessing a bond that only exists between members of a team, fighting for each other, gaining strength from each other, and succeeding for each other. It is this experience that he most cherishes, but one that seems to be eluding him, hovering just
out of reach.
WAKAMIYA SHINOBU
Shinobu is probably the most intriguing and most endearing character on this show. The first thing you notice is her skill at Karuta and how very blaze she is about the fact that she’s queen (the best female karuta player in Japan). She almost seems arrogant and obnoxious when she asks opponents to go easy on her, or says she’s nervous about playing them. Truth be told though, she’s just as innocent as Chihaya. She’s obsessed with a ridiculous cartoon character called “Snowmaru” and buys expensive merchandise to feed her obsession. She has the fashion sense of a rock, and just wants to play a good, exciting game of Karuta for once. Where Chihaya does nothing to mask her naivety, Shinobu tries to cover her’s up with an air of indifference, as a result of which she always looks bored. During games as well, all she wants is an opponent who can challenge her so she can play the kind of Karuta she likes, so she can lose herself in the intensity and energy of a match without holding anything back. Her love for Karuta, like Chihaya’s, is independent of her almost habitual victories. She doesn’t play to win. She plays to improve. Her attachment to the cards is also something you can’t help but admire. She’s possessive of them. Karuta is something that she treasures. It’s her salvation and she wants to keep it that way. That’s why she’s Queen.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
It’s easy to get attached to this anime, not only because of how invested one becomes in the stories concerning the main characters, but also because of how devoted one finds oneself to even some of the side characters. Competitive karuta is composed of a small group of enthusiasts, and slowly their strengths, weknesses, and quirks become as identifiable as those of the main characters.
Harada sensei, who runs the ‘Shiranami Karuta Society’ is a robust old man who has devoted his entire life to the game. In him, the younger players find a respectable mentor- an idle to emulate and depend on. There are a number of such figures in the show.
Sakurazawa is the superviser of the ‘Fujisaki School Karuta Club’ and may come across as dubious character at first, but turns out to be a highly regarded veteran, who recognised the talent of Chihaya and Taichi when most others overlooked them. It is thus apparent that she isn’t working for the benefit of only her team, but that of the world of karuta as a whole.
Ms. Miyauchi, also known as ‘The Empress’ at Mizusawa High School, is the inexperienced faculty supervisor if their karuta club. Skeptical at first, she soon develops a deep respect for the game and strives to be of aid to her team in any way she can, never having played karuta herself. In her the students find a reliable caretaker, and she does her best to provide whatever resources the school can, to her club.
The Mizusawa club forms a special bond with the ‘Hokuo Karuta Club’, one of the strongest clubs in Tokyo. They comprise some of the most eccentric characters- Retro, for one, who Taichi soon sees as a comforting face at tournaments, and who aids the Mizusawa club once they stop being rivals to his own team. Sudo, the ace of their team before he graduates somewhere down the storyline, was known as ‘Sadist’, for his crafty mind games and refined playing style. Even when no longer a member of the team, he comes back as a mentor to support, pressurize and generally terrify the Hokuo team into playing their best.
Both teams, when not competing against each other, learn from the other’s strengths and develop a mutual respect. Despite their idiosyncracies, competitive attitude, looming self-satisfaction, and loud personalities, Hokuo’s familiar faces at national tournaments bring relief and motivation. It’s possible to fill pages and pages describing each character’s quirks and skills, personality and influence, that are inticately woven into the plot-line, and assume consequential significance in making the show as enjoyable as it is.
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