[Criticism] Chihayafuru Kami no Ku: a first sporting and poetic part at the same time!

Last month we talked romance and differences with the title Ore Monogatari!. And this time, we decided to discuss the sports field with you, but from a slightly different angle. Indeed, this LIVE adaptation is a trilogy and we will discuss the first part here. If we talk to you about a school comedy and a certain card game called Karuta you obviously think of… Chihayafuru Kami no Ku!

Chihayafuru Kami no Ku

Original title: ちはやふる 上の句 – Chihayafuru Kami no Ku

Alternative title: Chihayafuru Part 1 – Chihayafuru The movie

Genre: comedy – sport – romance

Country: Japan

Release date: March 19, 2016

Director: Norihiro Koizumi (Kanojo wa Uso o Aishisugiteru)

Scriptwriter: Norihiro Koizumi

Original manga: Yuki Suetsugu

Synopsis

Chihaya Ayase and Taichi Mashima have been friends since childhood. At primary school, they met a newly transferred student, Arata Wataya. Arata has a passion for karuta (Japanese card game) that will bring him closer to Ayase and Taichi. All three will form a karuta team. Four years later, they lost sight of each other and are now high school students. But Chihaya still has the same craze for karuta and continues to play it, having become a high-level student. She then bumps into Taichi who is in the same high school and they decide to form a Karuta club in the hope of seeing Arata again. But they still have to find three members to make it official…

Main cast

Competition…

The story is not the most complicated since it talks about the game Karuta and the relationship between three central characters. However, it is better to have seen the anime or read the manga to understand all the subtleties. We are only very briefly told what this unique sport consists of. Because, yes, it's not about sitting around a table and playing. Karuta is a rather physical game. The participants, seated on a tatami in teams of five, listen to a poem to find the right card before the opposing team. Karuta games can last 1h30 and you will need to show great concentration to react at the right time to the reading of said card to be able to take it.

This is also one of the weak points of the film, for those who would like to immerse themselves in the universe without knowing a minimum of its essence. On the other hand, those who know the universe will not be disturbed in the slightest, allowing to follow a fluid and well presented story. The relationship between Chihaya, Arata and Taichi is revealed to us by some memories of the protagonists. But it does not really manage to make us feel empathy because too little developed, the film having taken the bias to focus on the field of sports competition. At least in this first part. 

… and surpassing oneself

Our heroine Chihaya is an energetic lady, passionate about karuta since her friend Arata introduced her to this game. She will simply look for a way to find her past and reunite her original team. Thanks to her strong and caring personality, Taichi will not be able to refuse to join her, despite her doubts and an obvious lack of confidence.

This young man who has always been by his side will however realize that his friendship is much more than that… Provoking the beginning of a rivalry with Arata. And this, during the return of Arata, for whom the girl seems to have a real attraction. Or is it just love?

In this kind of love triangle not quite rough, we will also discover three other members of the team. Yusei Nishida aka Nikuman , because he likes meatloaf, is a former Karuta player. But after wanting to join the tennis club, he finally accepts Chihaya's insistent request. Kanade Ooe is a reserved student whose family runs a kimono shop and who loves the hundred poems that are stated at Karuta. Finally, Tsutomu Komano aka Bureau-kun because, always immersed in his books, has no friends, Chihaya will see his potential and convince him to join them. He is the most self-effacing character but also the most human of the lot because we understand his doubts and discomfort!

Tradition & values

In general, the plot is pleasant and poetic, since the Karuta game is mostly about love poems implied because of the time they were written. This traditional context is very important for the Japanese and is often found as in Sangatsu no Lion which talks about shogi. As in any sporting story, the competition will serve our young players to go beyond their limits, while discovering their flaws. By the way, it also reminds us of Free! with its questions at least similar and that of the new members.

The film is a beautiful adaptation with beautiful settings, whether cherry blossoms or red maple leaves. We live the passion of these young heroes with a lot of nostalgia, between adolescence lived and choices we had to make. While having in mind this carefree period specific to this pivotal period of our future adult life. The end is only an excuse to make us want to follow the next film, as it is so open and still full of unanswered questions that leave us with a bitter taste in our mouths! Fans of the pop group Perfume will have the opportunity to hear their title Flash which happens to be the credits.

Chihayafuru Kami no Ku is a LIVE film that, in addition to teaching us more about the game of Karuta very little known outside its borders, knows how to make us discover the history of yesteryear. But also the nostalgia of adolescence through friendship, doubts and competition led by heroes well in their shoes!