Coming of Age, Youth

Chihayafuru Musubi

ちはやふる 結び

Directed by: Nori Koizumi
2018 / 127 minutes / All

Not just a game, karuta contains the answers to life’s greatest questions

Screened as part of JFF 2018.

Chihaya and her friends are in their final year of high school, which means they have one last chance to win the national karuta championships, a fast-paced and physically demanding card game based on classic poetry. Just because they’re busy training for the games, they’re not excused from real life. Like other teens, they have to deal with homework, exams, friendships and the occasional heartbreak.

To make things worse, a fresh crop of talented karuta players join the competition, headed by karuta prodigy and Chihaya’s childhood friend, Arata. Despite the mounting pressure, Chihaya is determined to make it to the top. But what about the other people competing alongside her?