Chihayafuru Parts 1+2

EDIT: Got a DMCA warning from blogger and had to remove pictures.

With Persona 5 out of the way, I can finally start catching up on movies and doramas. First up is the high school sports and triangle romance two part movie Chihayafuru about this card flicking game called karuta.

I surprisingly enjoyed the movies because despite what one might think of the shoujo genre, they are very well done. It looks good, has enough humour and most importantly is very efficient in terms of script.

The writer and direcitor Koizumi Norihiro has done what a lot of Japanese writers fail to do, make the dialogue succinct, to the point. While Chihayafuru hits all the points and cliches one would expect from an underdog sports movie, it just does it so efficiently I couldn't help but smile.

While Karuta allows for some nice visuals and action from your usual sports movies, as a sport it just didn't capture my fancy. However I was invested in the character enough to be excited about the matches. Another plus for Karuta is that its a sport where boys can compete with girls.

Probably my favourite thing from Chihayaburu is that the triangle romance is relegated to the background and its more a story about teamwork, friendship and finding joy in the game. A well done two parter and I don't think anyone can dislike this movie. Very watchable and I would love to see a third movie cause I need to see Arata unleash his true power. Chihayafuru is available with English subs.