Earlier today, Sentai Filmworks announced that they acquired the rights to Chihayafuru‘s third anime season. The publisher picked up the rights to the show in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Scandinavia, Central America, and South America.
Sentai describes the new season as:
They may have just won their most coveted karuta tournament, but members of the Mizusawa karuta team still have a long way to go. Each member chases their dreams, and with a win under their collective belt, those dreams are closer in reach than ever. Chihaya Ayase is determined to challenge Wakamiya Shinobu and win the title of Queen, and Taichi Mashima is ready to take on Arata Wataya now that he’s made it into the most elite of karuta players — but an unexpected revelation will deal these karuta players a hand none of them saw coming.
Chihayafuru returned to Japanese TV on October 22. Crunchyroll is streaming the title as part of their simulcast lineup.
Yuki Suetsugu’s Chihayafuru manga launched in the pages of Be-Love in December 2007. The title currently spans 35 collected volumes, with the most recent hitting stores on August 10. Kodansha Comics currently holds the rights to the title in North America.
The Chihayafuru manga inspired a pair of anime series from Madhouse, which ran for a combined 50 episodes. Morio Asaka directed the title, while Kunihiko Hamada (My Love Story!!, Nana) provided character designs. Digimon Fusion composer Kousuke Yamashita was in charge of the show’s music.
Sentai Filmworks currently holds the rights to the Chihayafuru anime. They describe the show as:
Chihaya Ayase is a beautiful and headstrong young woman with a passion for karuta, a card game inspired by classical Japanese poetry. As a child, Chihaya was introduced to the game by a quiet, gifted transfer student named Arata, and she was instantly drawn to it. Now in high school and reunited with her childhood friend Taichi, Chihaya dreams of finding Arata and the three resuming their love of karuta, only to discover that Arata has quit the game due to personal reasons. Determined not to let Arata’s passion go to waste, Chihaya and Taichi form the Mizusawa High School Karuta Club, where they learn that in karuta – as in life – working toward your dreams is the key to winning, even when what you want seems just out of reach.
A live-action film trilogy starring Suzu Hirose was also produced. The first two movies hit Japanese theaters in March and April 2016, respectively. The third feature, titled Chihayafuru: Musubi (Chihayafuru: Conclusion), hit Japanese theaters on March 17, 2018.
Source: Sentai Filmworks (Press Release)
Sentai Filmworks Licenses Chihayafuru Season 3 – Samantha Ferreira
