Truthfully, I didn't expect much at all when I read this manga. I didn't even know what karuta was! I decided to pick it up out of pure boredom ne because the ratings were high. It definitely exceeded my expectations.

Story: 10

The story itself is pretty simple: a girl who wants to become a karuta queen, who then forms a karuta club at her school. Even though I can't relate to karuta at all, the execution is wonderful. It makes you feel as if you can relate, even though you can't. I assume I feel I can relate because of their passion and drive to try hard and succeed.

Art: 10

Well what can I say about the art? Karuta is a sport, so I admire the mangaka for being able to draw the complex poses, and I admire her even more for for drawing hands. Yes, karuta uses the hands a lot. The mangaka must master the art of hands by now. It's not like I can draw any better, so who am I to criticize art?

Characters: 10

The main attraction of this manga definitely goes to the characters. The main character, Chihaya, is what everyone calls a bishoujo (pretty girl), but her personality is quite the opposite. She's quite clumsy and not very smart. Still, she tries very hard at karuta and gets quite good at it. Her two main love interests are called Taichi and Arata. Taichi is her childhood friend who helps her in creating a karuta club, while Arata is the person who got her obsessed with karuta, but had to move away when they were kids. I personally want her with Taichi, because he's always looking out for her, but that's just my opinion. The other supporting characters each have their own distinct qualities. You can't help but love even the supposed antagonists.

Enjoyment: 10

Not much to explain here, except that I thoroughly enjoyed it.