A trailer and main visual have been released for the upcoming Chihayafuru -Meguri- live-action drama, which is set 10 years after the three Chihayafuru live-action movies. It was announced that the series will premiere in Japan on July 9 JST.
In addition to protagonist Meguru Aizawa (Ami Toma) and now-teacher Kanade Oe (Mone Kamishiraishi), the main visual lines up various characters from Meguru’s high school, Umezono, as well as those from Mizusawa High School. Meanwhile, the trailer shows Kanade asking Meguru to join the karuta club, as well as several karuta scenes.
The trailer’s narration was provided by Asami Seto, who voiced original protagonist Ayase Chihaya in the Chihayafuru anime.
Chihayafuru began as a Kodansha-published manga by Yuki Suetsugu, which ran from 2007 to 2022 in BE LOVE. The first two of the aforementioned trio of movies were released in 2016 as a two-parter (Chihayafuru -Kami no Ku- and Chihayafuru -Shimo no Ku-), while the third (Chihayafuru-Musubu-) was released in 2018. Their director, Norihiro Koizumi, is serving as showrunner on the new drama series.
In addition to those movies, Chihayafuru inspired a sequel manga (which, like Chihayafuru -Meguri-, is set after the main story and features a new protagonist, although it still follows the competitive karuta club of Mizusawa High School) and a three-season TV anime produced by Madhouse and directed by Morio Asaka (Cardcaptor Sakura, Loving Yamada at Lv999!).
Kodansha USA describes the manga as:
Chihaya is a girl in the sixth grade, still not old enough to even know the meaning of the word zeal. But one day, she meets Arata, a transfer student from rural Fukui prefecture. Though docile and quiet, he has an unexpected skill: his ability to play competitive karuta, a traditional Japanese card game.
Chihaya is struck by his obsession with the game, along with his ability to pick out the right card and swipe it away before any of his opponents. However, Arata is transfixed by her as well, all because of her unbelievable natural talent for the game. Don’t miss this story of adolescent lives and emotions playing out in the most dramatic of ways!
Source: @chihaya_koshiki, Comic Natalie
