Tbh, I was going to wait until it's completed but I began reading them two days ago thanks to boring quarantine. I knew this type of manga is best when you read them in one go.
Now that I've read them, I wish to share a few things:
1. The theme is great. I love topics like tradition, sport and art. This manga combined all of those.
2. The characters personalities are fine. They're definitely what you call a true sportman.
3. The flow of the story is okay but for some reason there's no progress. Fl's skill improved in one match, then the next match she forgot everything she learned and back to her clueless self. She's pure and funny but at the same time naive and not bright in the head.
4. I don't mind the lack of romance in sport themed manga. However, the romance in this manga is... Idk how to describe it. Frustrating?

I would love it better if the character development was carefully planned. I loved Chihaya but she always returned to her old self after a match. Additionally, I think it's better of the romance is dropped from the manga or just make it clear already.

I read other people's review after I posted mine. It seems I'm not the only one who found the romance unnecessary and that there's zero progress in the characters development. If you want to read this, prepare your time (yes, time).

... Last updated on June 7th, 2020, 6:57am

This manga makes everyone want to play Karuta. I like the depth of the characters, lots of twists and turns. Lot of competition, overly zealous I must say but I still enjoy it. Enough romance to not over power the story.

The female lead isn't stuck up and is clumsy but still smart when it comes to Karuta. I like the fact she isn't weak or naggy. I feel her determination!!~~ I love the bromance as well 🙂

Unfortunately there's a large gap in the middle of the series that was never scanlated. I liked it until I wasn't able to continue. Hopefully they start going back and translating the missing chapters now that they're caught up to the new releases.

I'm trying very hard to suspend judgment until the the series is complete, but this manga is becoming a real chore to read. At first, I loved everything about this series (and its anime adaptation): the art, the poetry, the karuta, the dynamics between the characters, the panelling. But for the last 50 or so chapters, it feels like the quality of the story and the artwork has been declining, with the same tired stuff being dragged out over and over, with little development in plot or characters.

For me chihayafuru is all about the characters and the romance, unfortunately as the story goes on you get more and more of the terribly boring karuta theory, strategy and fantasy (this last one I find annoying, the talk of little gods, the glowing cards, floating letters, three-dimensional whatnot and so on), it was ok at first explaining the rules and the underlying depth of a seemingly simple game but it goes to ridiculous length to try to make it look interesting and amazing that it had the exact opposite effect on me, I found it decent at first and boring, repetitive and annoying as it went by. As a counterpart the story is more and more centered on karuta related things and the opponents and the main char and their relationships development is getting less and less relevance and coverage.
So in short, as it goes by it's getting more boring. I still find it interesting enough to follow it for all the buildup so far, but for how long I wonder.

... Last updated on October 20th, 2017, 5:19am

When it sticks to sports drama its very enjoyable. But when it starts to focus on romance it goes downhill. The romance is poorly and sporadically handled, no matter which characters you like the main romance is going to piss you off.

Started off good, but the story line kept repeating itself. The art never changed - cards flying, players' hand extending in a swift motion, and their eyes enlarging. I like the author's previous work so I'm disappointed with this one.

Chihayafuru is really an awesome read but I like the anime most. At first, I was also hesitant to read it because of the plot. I mean I really don't have any idea on what a karuta game looks like since I'm not Japanese--but then I remembered that I actually got hooked with Hikaru no Go before...it's a manga that depicts a Japanese board game and because I got hooked with it I actually started learning how to play Go and then I thought why not give Chihayafuru a try. It might be actually interesting too and then when I started reading it--just WOW! I got hooked with Chihayafuru a lot more than Hikaru no Go. And I still don't get the whole process of the game--but it's actually very interesting especially the poems written in the cards. I really love the poems especially when Kana-chan started giving a background history about it and the deep meaning behind each and every poem and how she connects it with every character or the circumstances in the story. I just love it! Chihayafuru is really informative. It also gives you a chance to discover more of Japanese culture. It's a culture wise manga and it's really a great find.

Another aspect that I like about Chihayafuru is because it's not the typical sappy romance manga that I usually read. Actually when I think about it there's actually not much of a romance thing going on, if I'm going to compare it in the simplistic way of defining what romance is. The romance here is just light--too light actually but at the same time I can't help but feels there's an undeniable deep bond and love between the characters that simply defies the typical meaning of what really love is and maybe that's what makes it really special for me.

It's also not only centered about romance since typically stories about highschoolers are all about romance but it's also about building relationships--it's all about friendships, making great memories together as well as discovering themselves in the process. The character development is just so great. Each character even the supporting role is highlighted with deep care. They all have their own issues in life, they all struggled with it, they all tried to face it with resolve in their own (weird) ways and whether they failed or succeeded they still to continue to grow and I just can't help but think that i want to see more of their growth. And I think that the Karuta with an added bonus of friends are the driving force behind their AWESOME growth.

And that's why I'm really head over heels with Chihayafuru. I can't get enough of it. SUGOI!....=D

I just can't understand why this manga is so popular. So far, 27 volumes. It's hard to believe that there are 27 volumes and most of the content are the characters playing some ancient Japanese card game. Yeah, there's a small bit of romance in the background, but the romance has made zero progress in 27 volumes. The first time I read through one of the card games, it was interesting because I didn't know anything about it, but once was enough. I mean, we all know what's going to happen sooner or later. She will keep training and getting better until she finally has a match with the queen. Afterwards if we are luck, the last chapter will tie up the romance, but it may leave it to our imaginations like so many other similar titles.

My overall opinion of this manga is this. Yes, it's interesting for about the first 6 - 8 volumes, then after that it only drags. I don't really read it anymore, but every now and then I may look at a chapter just to see where it's at.