...with likable and flawed characters and an interesting premise. I see that some people point out that since readers may not be familiar with the kurata game, they will miss the nuances that someone who IS familiar with it will catch. I personally haven't found this to affect my appreciation of the manga in the least; I still feel emotionally-invested in the characters' defeats and victories.
Speaking on that, what I like most about Chihayafuru is that there ARE a lot of defeats. I like that it dwells on the struggles the characters face and shows them as opportunities for growth. It makes for an interesting, riveting and realistic read. I wouldn't say that there's very little going on in the plot department, though maybe it may seem that way to some readers who either don't find kurata a terribly exciting subject to begin with, or who are more used to flashier(?) mangas.
Below is mainly in response to blackmokona's review, which I found to be off the mark in its condemnation of a pretty good series.
The manga doesn't "dote" on the "flat genius romantic interest" because Arata only briefly shows up after the chapters in which Chihaya and Taichi go to Fukui. Arata is not a flat character. We see a clear change in him after
his grandfather's death through his rejection of what was/is his favorite game. It's not guilt, it's not "wallowing in [his own] melodrama." Is it that difficult to believe that Arata's mourning for his grandfather manifests itself in this manner? It's a very human response, people deal with grief in different ways, this isn't a huge suspension of disbelief.
I would argue that when the flashback ends you feel that the "emotional upheaval" of the flashback chapter feels "cheated" because you have extremely high expectations for ten-year-olds. The flashback's function is to show the contrast of Arata past and present, as well as to show the initial meeting of the three characters, to lay out the foundations of their motivations. The present is where the emotional growth will really begin as they struggle to the top. Frankly, it's refreshing to see that the characters' actions and reactions are realistic. My issues with Chihaya as the heroine aside, I do think you're a little too personally hung up on her outer 'beautification'..
I do agree that there are a lot of panels in which Taichi is gazing at Chihaya - but not always in the 'I like you' way, sometimes in admiration, sometimes in encouragement. What I like about Taichi and Chihaya is that they DO have a relationship beyond the 'potential romantic couple' angle - they're friends who support each other and each other's passion for the game, so it isn't as annoying and infantile as you're making it out to be. (Case in point: look at most other shoujo mangas and compare with this one.)
Yes, maybe the whole deal behind Arata purging kurata from his life is an overdone plot device; but 'painful', no. It WOULD be painful if it was dragged on and on and on... but it's resolved when Chihaya and Taichi visit him. This calls back to the bond forged between them in the earlier chapters, and it also points out that Arata obviously loves kurata. He didn't reject kurata because he blamed the game for making him miss his grandfather's death, but because it served as a reminder of the grandfather who is no longer there, who was a powerful influence on him for liking the game in the first place. Kurata became a painful association and distancing himself from that association is a realistic response, I think. An emotional response, too, which are sometimes both logical and illogical (as in logical to that person, but appears illogical to others). Arata being able to enjoy the game again is symbolic of him moving on.
If you think that that is a "completely facile approach" to grief and growth, then okay, we all have our opinions.
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