Episodes
Chihaya and Taichi spend summer break at Fujisaki's karuta training camp, whose brutal training includes seven matches a day ...read more Chihaya and Taichi spend summer break at Fujisaki's karuta training camp, whose brutal training includes seven matches a day plus jogging and other exercises, using her left hand as some practice is better than none. Taichi works on his stretches at night, seeking to get better. The rest of the club go to training camps of their own. The last day has Chihaya play Rion three times, Rion having become determined to make sure her camp wins. Sakurazawa critiques Chihaya's form in the next match and tells her to take cards with grace, shocking the Fujisaki players as she's never given any of them personal advice mid-match before. Chihaya's last match is against Taichi, who defeats her. On the train ride home, Taichi promises to defeat her in an official match with her using her right hand, inspiring her fighting spirit. show less
Seeking to play against Chihaya's team, Arata addresses his school during an assembly in an attempt to join a karuta club, ...read more Seeking to play against Chihaya's team, Arata addresses his school during an assembly in an attempt to join a karuta club, getting some interest from the students. In Chihaya's class, the students are given a future plans questionnaire, which Chihaya doesn't know how to fill out. Horikawa, another student, tells her she went to Kyoto with her family to scout out the best places, as their class field trip will take place there. During club practice, the Karuta team members talk about their wishes to become better karuta players, everyone having become more competitive. They're interrupted by Miyauchi with a schedule that reveals the Master and Queen qualifiers are held at the same time as the school's class trip, which the students aren't allowed to miss, leaving Chihaya depressed. Later, the bandages on Chihaya's right hand are removed. Soon, the club heads to the Yoshino tournament, a "warm-up" for the Master and Queen qualifiers in two weeks as only Class A and B players can attend. Chihaya greets Arata, who compliments how she looks in the hakama, and she promises she'll win every match. Sudo taunts Chihaya over the promise and Taichi makes a bet with him (after telling Chihaya not to bet) that whoever loses first won't attend the Master qualifiers. Komano, despite boasting earlier to the club he would make Class A by winning Yoshino, is defeated in the first match. While upset at his own arrogance, he is cheered by Kanade. Nishida is paired against Sudo and loses but having fought until the end, he tired out Sudo, which will make it easier for one of them to defeat him. show less
One of the competitors, Inokuma Haruka, is drawing massive attention. She held the title of queen for four consecutive years ...read more One of the competitors, Inokuma Haruka, is drawing massive attention. She held the title of queen for four consecutive years (defeating Sakurazawa four consecutive times) until giving it up on maternity leave and has just returned. Ayase wins her first two matches, stopping for lunch and sleep. Nishimura notices she isn't as bold in taking cards as she was before. During the break, Arata asks Taichi for advice in starting a karuta club, but Taichi is bothered, as teams are something he has in common with Chihaya Arata does not, and walks away coldly. In the 4th round, Chihaya is paired against the Master runner-up, Takemura, while Rion has to deal with Sudo. Takemura's especially aggressive swings give Chihaya trouble until she finally gets her balance with her right hand back, using grace instead of strength to take cards. When the Chihayafuru card is read, Chihaya and Inokuma's cards collide in mid-air, meaning they were taken at the same time. Rion presses Sudo hard despite her exhaustion and nearly defeats him before losing. Arata defeats Yumin, the Queen runner-up. Chihaya and Takashi also win their matches. They make it to the final eight, but Chihaya's next match is against Inokuma. show less
Takashi is paired against Sudo. With four of the last eight from the Nagumo Society and the other four from the Shiranami ...read more Takashi is paired against Sudo. With four of the last eight from the Nagumo Society and the other four from the Shiranami Society, it feels a little like a team match between the societies. Chihaya takes an early lead, leading the audience to think they will be watching the rise of a new star instead of the return of a former Queen, but Inokuma rebounds and takes the lead. Sudo is throwing off Taichi but Harada-sensei shouts "Got there in time!" after he gets a card, which startles the struggling Shiranami players and helps them refocus. Chihaya takes the next card, a multi-syllable, from Inokuma's side and gives her the Chihayafuru card, which she takes from her shortly afterwards. Retro suddenly wins in Class B and Taichi and Sudo declare neither can be bested by him. Chihaya realizes she's having fun despite the stress and warms at the idea that everyone here loves karuta. show less
Inokuma intends to disrupt Chihaya and prevent her from having fun but after seeing her son mirroring striking cards from the ...read more Inokuma intends to disrupt Chihaya and prevent her from having fun but after seeing her son mirroring striking cards from the sidelines, decides to play true to herself, which was to have fun, and she smiles. Chihaya returns the smile. Arata loses to Hiroshi, much to the onlookers' shock, leaving him infuriated with himself. Harada-sensei then loses to Murao, leaving each society with one win. Chihaya and Taichi both go for their opponents' cards and Chihaya wins. Sudo and Taichi are left with one card each, the luck of the draw. Knowing how bad his luck with it is, Taichi instantly goes for Sudo's card and gets it first, winning. Chihaya is paired against Hiroshi but he yields rather then face a fellow society member, satisfied with what he did and willing to let Chihaya sleep. There will thus be only one semi-final match: Taichi against Murao. Inokuma approaches Sakurazawa and asks for her contact information, wanting to practice with her, and Sakurazawa gives it. Meanwhile, Taichi, determined not to lose, wins his match. The final match will be Chihaya against Taichi. show less
Arata decides to stay and watch the match with Murao and his society's president, even though it means he won't get home ...read more Arata decides to stay and watch the match with Murao and his society's president, even though it means he won't get home until morning by train. Chiahya and Taichi sit for their match and Sumire marvels at how this feels different from their matches at school. Chihaya is at the advantage since she got to rest during the last match, but Taichi uses a new placement, placing fourteen cards in the top row and rearranging how he places the rest. Designed to fight Chihaya, it puts one-syllable cards together and long cards separate as he knows she's scared of committing faults. He can also easily take cards from the long top row with thrusts. Doing this off-balances Chihaya. The others marvel at how Taichi hasn't made any mistakes. By changing his placement so drastically, it makes it easier for him to forget the previous layouts. Chihaya is pressured into a fault, forced to play defensively. Remembering Sakurazawa's advice, Chihaya fixes her posture, making it easier to breathe. While he plays like a stranger, she knows he's still Taichi and she doesn't have to be afraid of him. Determined not to lose, she takes the next card. They continue to push each other and the audience recognizes they didn't get here on momentum or luck despite their young age. show less
Chihaya wins the Yoshino Tournament's Class A by two cards and falls asleep. Taichi remains silent, frustrated. The Queen ...read more Chihaya wins the Yoshino Tournament's Class A by two cards and falls asleep. Taichi remains silent, frustrated. The Queen qualifiers are mentioned and Miyauchi tells Chihaya she can request an authorized absence from the field trip to attend. Chihaya's mother arrives, lamenting that she missed the match. Chihaya tells her she wants to be Queen, but she also wants to be a high school teacher and attend the class trip. What kind of teacher and adviser would she be if she missed her own class trip? Arata walks with Chihaya, seeing he's holding in his disappointment, and Arata is disappointed as well - because he lost he couldn't play against Chihaya. Chihaya attends the class trip instead of the Queen Qualifiers to make memories with her friends. She will compete next year. Taichi however, calls in sick and skips the class trip to attend the Master qualifiers. Chiaya doesn't understand why Taichi would do this as she never heard him say he wanted to be Master. Komano reminds her he plans to go to medical school, so by this time next year, he'll be too busy for the club and he won't have any time in medical school. This is his only chance to go as far as he can in karuta. Arata loses a practice match, his game off. His friend Yuu is waiting with a hot meal when he returns home and asks why he's so down. If he wins tomorrow, it will attract new members for his club. He tells her he doesn't need a reward for realizing his dream of being a Master, making him remember his time with his grandfather. Suō Hisashi, the current Master, visits Shinobu's house. show less
Omi Jingu. Sudo intends to withdraw from the Master tournament due to the bet he made earlier with Taichi. Taichi tells him to ...read more Omi Jingu. Sudo intends to withdraw from the Master tournament due to the bet he made earlier with Taichi. Taichi tells him to play and withdraw only if he matches against him, which Sudo agrees to. Arata is suffering from food poisoning but sees Taichi's name on the list, shocking him. Suō gives Shinobu a ride to the tournament on his motorcycle, and everyone is surprised to see the Queen and Master at the West qualifiers. Suō says he will soon pass college and get a job so he plans to retire next year, after he wins this year. Arata quickly begins winning matches. Suō approaches him, saying he is good and will be Master one day, but he won't defeat him. Taichi wonders what he wants so badly he'd miss his class trip for and his mother, having seen Taichi, is upset that he wants such a stupid thing as to be Master. She doesn't want to wait until the end of the match so she tells Sumire to call her when it finishes. Rion is the only Fujisaki student to win her match. Taichi defeats the man who beat Retro at Yoshino and encourages Retro. Retro knows he's not a good player though. He just can't admit it to himself. Though planning on getting on the good side of Taichi's mother, Sumire doesn't contact her after the match ends, seeing how important karuta is. In fact, she refuses to let Taichi's mother enter the building when she storms up. Nearby karuta players resting outside chase his mother off when she starts dissing karuta in front of them. show less
Suō and Shinobu speak before Suō leaves. Suō says nothing keeps him going, which angers Shinbou, as if "nothing" ...read more Suō and Shinobu speak before Suō leaves. Suō says nothing keeps him going, which angers Shinbou, as if "nothing" makes him that good. Chihaya is depressed on the school trip, even when her friend Michiru takes their group to a museum on the Hundred Poets. Chihaya is checking her phone for updates on Taichi and Arata's progress in the tournament. Annoyed, Michiru takes the battery. She said she wanted to come on the class trip but she's not here at all. Chihaya apologizes and focuses on having fun with her classmates. Taichi meanwhile, struggles against Shusaku Koshikawa, a rising Karuta player. Though he commits two double faults, earning his nickname "goofsaku" Koshikawa mostly stays in the lead. Taichi sends him the Chihayafuru card but loses it soon afterwards, something he knows Chihaya wouldn't have done. It comes down to luck of the draw, which Taichi loses, ending his hopes of Master. Upset, he leaves the building to cool off. After learning Harada-sensei's next opponent is Koshikawa he returns. Harada-sensei's knees are so bad his students run onto the field to pick up his cards for him. Taichi remembers when Harada-sensei told him there were some cards that statistically weren't called as often and those "old maid" cards were the ones he should send to his opponents side to increase the chance of the card on his side being read if it came to luck of the draw. Harada-sensei's match comes down to luck of the draw and his card is read. He wins. The East Master qualifiers come down to Harada-sensei against Sudo. In the West, Arata defeats his opponent and Shinobu leaves early, sure he'll win, as her stomach is growling. She's met by Ise, her old Karuta coach, but leaves coldly after he offers she come to his society to practice (as her grandmother is upset she has no friends). Shinobu thinks it's none of their business. Arata's opponent for the West Master qualifier is Murao from his society. show less