Chihayafuru

I didn't even knew about the existence of karuta before this anime and the anime did a fantastic job in introducing karuta. The anime got me hooked from beginning to end. This anime is so underrated that it's physically hurt, I have watched anime's like haikyu, slam dunk, Aaoshi and still chihayafuru remains on top.

I was dying to know who chihaya would end up with so I read the manga in just 2 days only and the manga didn't disappoint. The ending was brilliant, I loved it. It definitely deserves an anime adaptation, I would love to watch it.

I would highly recommend everyone to watch this anime and this is my first time writing a review because I was really shocked to see how brutally underrated this anime is.

This show makes me feel things that no other show does. There is a level of wholesomeness that will have you smiling from ear to ear nearly every episode. The accompanying score is fantastic and meshes very well with the tone of the show. The main characters each have distinct, lovable personalities that make you root for each of them in their own ways. The romance plot and subplots are wonderfully orchestrated to that middle ground of not-too-cheesy, not-too-bland. This show will make you fall in love with the characters and feel that you're truly invested in their stories. I would label this a must-watch for all fans of anime, even if slice of life isn't your thing. You just may be surprised with how much you get drawn into this show.

Great, traditional and compelling story. Good animation and voice acting. Addictive to watch. Raises the bar for anime, which is badly needed. It's not loaded with the usual annoying anime cliches. It reminds me of the works of Hayao Miyazaki; simple yet brilliantly done.

There's something about this anime- every episode brings a new set of emotions. There are times when I find myself smiling for no reason (it has a warmth and innocence to it that just makes me happy). There are times when I'm yelling out at the characters- I'm that engrossed in the storyline! It's just a beautiful story that brings you deep into the psyche of each character- you feel their joys, sadness, stress and mental anguish as they try to win this insanely difficult game. Never have I been so engrossed in an anime about a game! I look forward to each episode.

Who would have thought that one of the most engrossing recent anime titles would have been a josei (for women) series about high school students playing an obscure Japanese card game that would be a challenge to play even if you spoke fluent Japanese? I certainly didn't; I initially watched the opening episode out of curiosity but was soon engrossed. The opening episodes are shown in flashback and show us how protagonist Chihaya Ayase gets interested in the game of Competitive Karuta*; we then see her struggling to recruit enough members to form a club when she starts high school. As the series progresses the members improve at the game and learn their strengths and weaknesses as they practise and take part in various tournaments. The series ended after twenty five episodes however it was open ended with several plot threads still open; I for one would love to hear that there will be more episodes one day although at the moment I have no reason to think there will be.

This was a surprisingly engrossing series and each week I looked forward to the next episode becoming available. The series is animated in such a way that the games are exciting to watch and it doesn't matter if the viewer has no knowledge of the game as it the characters' passion for it that is so engrossing. Each member of the team is distinctive both in looks and character with each playing for different reasons. The character designs and animation were both pleasant to look at and their voices sounded right although, not speaking Japanese, I had to rely on the subtitles to understand what they were saying.

* I haven't attempted to describe the rules of the game; if you want to know more look up 'Competitive Karuta' on Wikipedia.