Chihayafuru Part 3: Musubi is the exciting conclusion to the acclaimed trilogy of Chihayafuru movies. Directed by Norihiro Koizumi, the film is a romantic comedy-drama that combines elements of sports and romance. The movie earned a massive 173 million yen at the box office, making it a massive commercial success. In this movie, we follow the characters two years after the events of the second movie. Arata (Mackenyu) has been inspired by Chihaya’s (Suzu Hirose) passion for karuta and decides to start his own karuta club, competing against Chihaya and Taichi’s (Shuhei Nomura) school club. But what happens next? Keep reading for a detailed synopsis and review of Chihayafuru Part 3: Musubi.
Synopsis:
Chihayafuru Part 3: Musubi opens with the Queen and Meijin title matches between Wakamiya Shinobu (Mayu Matsuoka) and Iori Wagatsuma (Kaya Kiyohara) and Hideo Sensei (Jun Kunimura) and Hisashi Suo (Kento Kaku). Chihaya (Suzu Hirose) watches in awe as she is unable to participate due to an injury. Shinobu and Suo win their respective matches, but Suo announces his retirement from karuta after the game. Arata, who was present, makes a request to Suo to play with him for the title of Meijin the following year. Suo reluctantly agrees.
Chihaya congratulates Shinobu and even challenges her to a game of karuta in the Queen tournament next year. While helping Hideo Sensei pack up after his game, Chihaya runs into Arata who suddenly confesses his feelings for her. Chihaya is stunned and doesn’t know how to respond, and Ooe, who is nearby, is equally surprised at the confession.
The karuta club is in danger of being disbanded due to lack of members, which means Chihaya, Taichi, Ooe, and Nikuman must recruit new members. They wear their karuta uniforms to class and give a presentation to attract new members, but only one student, Tsukuba Akihiro (Sano Hayato), expresses interest. Meanwhile, Arata is trying to start his own karuta club and seeks Taichi’s advice on how to do so. Taichi considers asking Chihaya about Arata’s confession, but ultimately doesn’t.
Chihaya is unhappy about the lack of new members and is still reeling from her loss to Tsukuba. However, Hanano Sumire (Yuki Mio) joins the club because she is interested in Taichi. Chihaya and Taichi teach Sumire how to play karuta, and she quickly becomes obsessed with the game. The rumor of Arata’s confession to Chihaya spreads, and Ooe tells Chihaya she needs to give Arata an answer. Sumire overhears this conversation and decides to approach Taichi to talk about it.
Taichi, however, is not interested and tells Sumire it’s none of his business. His grades start to slip, and he chooses to focus on studying, dropping out of the karuta club. Chihaya is worried about his absence during the qualifying tournament, and they eventually find out that Taichi has quit the club. Chihaya is distraught, but Nikuman and Tsukue knew about Taichi’s decision and did not tell Chihaya.
Conclusion:
Chihayafuru Part 3: Musubi wraps up the trilogy in a satisfying and exciting way. The film explores the themes of love, friendship, and passion and delivers a compelling story of Chihaya and her friends’ journey through karuta. The action sequences are superbly choreographed, and the cinematography is stunning. The performances by the cast, especially Suzu Hirose, Mackenyu, and Shuhei Nomura, are top-notch, bringing the characters to life with nuance and depth. Overall, Chihayafuru Part 3: Musubi is a must-watch film for fans of the trilogy and anyone who loves sports, romance, or drama.
