Original subtitles

PREVIOUSLY

I now declare the Tokyo qualifier

of the 46th All Japan High School Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Karuta Championship

underway.

UMEZONO

Let's wear these today.

Shall we save them till we've checked out the other schools?

Sorry, guys. I drew us the final boss.

We have to face them sooner or later to go to Omi Shrine.

So you play karuta, then?

Let's… have a game sometime.

I've… never played a competitive team game before.

Continue to be impartial in any and every situation.

Number 1. Umezono High School, Miss Aizawa.

Mizusawa High School, Orie.

Yes! Just as I predicted.

Number 5. Umezono High School, Yakumo.

Mizusawa High School, Miss Tsukiura.

Incredible, Yono!

I just did what I could.

All we can do now is pray.

Sorry we can't be there on your big day.

That's okay.

It'll throw me off my game if you're there all the time.

-Good luck. -See you.

-Take care. -Wait, sis.

Here. You gave it to me for my entrance exam.

Remember?

What the heck?

What the heck?

-Do your best, Meguru. -Yeah.

I'll be going, then. Bye.

TALISMAN OF GUIDANCE

Now please deal the cards.

Let's have a good game.

The mountain hamlet Is a place where loneliness

Prevails in winter

2025 A-CLASS OFFICIAL READERS' SCREENING VENUE

For nary a soul visits

And the plants die where they stand

O leaves of crimson High atop Mount Ogura

If you have a heart

Let yourselves be scattered not

Until the emperor comes

You're not working today, Meguru?

No.

To think I'd be back here,

playing karuta with you again.

What are the chances?

That was a fun match, wasn't it?

Maybe the best I've had.

Why do you say that? You must have had better ones.

No, I really mean it.

Anyway, you Umezono guys sure are wily.

You got the order just right.

There must be some kind of mastermind in your ranks.

You can tell? He is our pride and joy.

You're not so bad yourself, stepping up to play me.

I don't plan on rolling over.

Then this should be good.

CHIHAYAFURU: FULL CIRCLE

POEM 8: O LEAVES OF CRIMSON

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Next, please.

Yes.

Hello. My name is Kanade Oe.

We will now hold the first round.

Your reader is Ako Higashimura, an A-class official reader.

Let's have a good game.

Let's have a good game.

In Naniwa Bay Behold how the flower blooms

After winter's sleep

Let's go, Umezono!

Right!

And now, with spring's arrival

It reveals its full glory

And now, with spring's arrival

It reveals its full glory

The shallows run swift

And so even if they part As they hit the rocks

I couldn't see a thing.

-Did they win that one? -Looks like they all lost that hand.

No wonder they're the favorites. Can we pull through?

The game's only just begun.

Still, I know we need a manager, but are you sure about not playing?

This is your last tournament as a third-year.

Yes. I know.

But my priority isn't my own victory,

but the team's.

Besides,

Umezono has come on leaps and bounds over the past few months.

First and foremost, Yakumo is an A-class player,

so he's basically proficient in all areas.

Thanks to him joining us,

Umezono's potential exploded overnight.

Haru Bun's strength is his keen hearing.

Thanks to his reading practice with Miss Oe,

his ability to distinguish sounds is razor-sharp.

Fuki's strength is his speed.

He has outstanding reflexes honed from boxing,

and a thrust like a straight right.

In terms of sheer speed, he's a match for Kenshin Orie.

Miss Murata's strength is her boldness to dive for a card

on the first word of a poem.

While it risks committing a foul, it also stifles the opponent.

Miss Aizawa's strength is her precise and compact karuta.

There's no wasted movement.

She waits nearby for the right moment, then reaches straight for the card.

And because she's all about saving energy,

her memorization's sharp too.

Her efficiency-fixated personality

turned out to be extremely well-suited to karuta.

That being the case,

I'll leave this to you

and go scout the other teams.

You're not watching?

It's my job to think about what we do next.

You have faith in them, don't you?

Yes.

Of course I do.

This must be the place Where those coming and leaving

Go separate ways

How dependable.

Cold and unfeeling…

In Michinoku…

O winds of heaven Please, blow shut those passages

That lie between clouds

He's strong.

I couldn't recognize it before, but now I see just how strong he is.

It stings to admit it, but I've got no chance against him right now.

My job is to hold out as long as I can

and not let Mizusawa gather momentum.

Haru Bun and Fuki are evenly matched.

Great, just as Sota was aiming for.

Then if Yaku Moku wins for us…

Huh?

No way. Hold on. He hasn't…

What's up with Yakumo?

Something's a bit off with him.

Got it!

Let's get the next one too!

That girl he's playing is good.

Yes.

She gave me a big warm hello back at the entrance this morning.

She really is a nice young lady.

No, I don't mean she has a nice personality.

I mean she has a good feel.

Right. Huh?

In karuta, the keenness of your ability to tell sounds apart

is called your "feel."

That refuse to bring me light

Snatched it!

With a feel as good as hers,

you can recognize the key syllable by its consonant, like "s" or "k."

That's superhuman!

Moving half a syllable faster than your opponent, in other words?

Yes.

And what's more,

her body bounces around like a spring, so each of her movements is light.

Her enjoyment of the game shines through.

Apparently, she shot up to A-class over a short period,

but with that natural-born sense for karuta,

it's hardly surprising, is it?

How do you know all this stuff, Mr. Shirano?

If my boy plays it, I'm gonna take it seriously too.

After you left that day,

we all went to talk to Kota's lawyer relative.

Hilarious, right?

About that…

I was just enjoying talking to you all and got carried away…

No, I'm relieved it was a lie.

I'm glad to know everyone at Umezono's so nice.

There's something kinda sad about it too though.

Like when you find out

that kitty you've been looking after is getting fed someplace else,

you know?

These two sleeves of mine Like the rocks in the offing

Unrevealed by tides

Yaku Moku's in trouble.

I need to say something.

I took that one!

Nice! Me too.

-Nice one, Haru Bun! -Nice.

Let's get the next one, Yaku Moku!

Yaku Moku!

Please refrain from excessive shouting.

Sorry.

He's far.

So far away!

What do I…?

That's it!

A foul?

Calm down, Yaku Moku.

Just focus on your own game.

Now I get it.

No! Now he's panicking!

I can't keep doing this over and over.

Come on, Fuki. Notice him!

Reminds me it is summer

O leaves of crimson High atop Mount Ogura

If you have a heart

Let yourselves be scattered not

Until the emperor comes

The nights in summer…

Forgotten by you…

How can I decide Who I should choose as my friend?

Old as they may be

I can't let Mizusawa gather momentum.

If I can just take even one more hand…

Bright the moon still shone As that night turned into dawn…

Nicely done.

No way! Fuki's up against it too!

It must be my imagination.

This can't be happening.

If in the future It proves difficult for you

To remember me

Sorry!

I'm fine.

-But your hand-- -I said I'm fine, damn it!

Then I would wish for this day

To be the last of my life

Night fades into dawn

And as light dispels the dark

I see as the moon

Ow!

Time-out, please!

Fuki?

What's up?

-What is it? -That same old injury?

Let me see, Fuki.

This ain't good.

I can still play.

You can't.

That's it for you, Fuki.

What about my left hand?

I can play with my left.

It's against the rules

to switch hands halfway through a game.

I know it sucks.

Mr. Shima.

He forfeits.

Hey! Who do you think you're speaking for?

I know it's an important match.

But it's not worth your right hand.

I won't let you sacrifice that.

Umezono's number 4 player… forfeits.

Straight to the clinic, Fuki.

Are you… ready to continue the match?

Yes.

What do we do?

We just have to play with four.

Three wins with four players…

Not to mention that we're playing Mizusawa, the strongest team.

It's no good. I can't get through.

I already had somebody else take a look at it.

Take me to him.

I cherish people Just as I also loathe them…

Got it.

Looking at the moon…

Yes!

How the wind rustles…

-Okay! -You're persistent, Meguru.

As an afterlife keepsake

Thank you.

Thank you.

-Two wins for Mizusawa. -Nice, Nagi.

Yaku Moku

got trounced?

Our backs are against the wall now.

Nothing but this ritual

Reminds me it is summer

Loud the crickets chirp

On this dark and frosty night Lying on my bed

You did well despite being outnumbered.

Thank you.

Three wins to Mizusawa.

Nice.

Mizusawa High School wins 5-0.

Thank you.

Thank you.

46TH ALL JAPAN HIGH SCHOOL KARUTA CHAMPIONSHIP

I'm sorry.

It's my fault that Mr. Shirano…

It's not your fault, Yaku Moku.

The whole idea was that I had to win--

It's not your fault.

Guys.

We haven't lost all hope of going to the All Japan.

Let's change our attitude.

-You're right. -Yes.

We're now in the repechage tournament.

If we can get through that, we'll be in the final qualifier in three weeks.

But if we lose even once…

The moment that happens,

our summer is over.

Let's come out on top. For Fuki too.

-Yeah. -Yes.

All right.

Shall we huddle round?

Hold on a second.

Mr. Yakumo isn't here.

-Huh? -That's weird.

-What? -Where did he go?

All teams, please submit your playing orders.

I'll go and look for him.

Thanks.

SOTA: WE DREW MIZUSAWA AND LOST. NOW FOR THE REPECHAGE.

WE'RE NOT GIVING UP!

Order submissions will close shortly.

All teams in place, please.

But Haru Bun and Yaku Moku aren't here yet.

Everyone!

-Huh? He's not with you. -How'd it go?

I couldn't find him anywhere.

What?

Not at the vending machines? Or outside?

I looked everywhere.

-What? -No way.

He's gone?

But why?

Maybe…

maybe I was too firm with him?

I don't know.

Maybe he felt responsible for Mr. Shirano?

He was acting odd even before the game.

And he seemed kind of uneasy during it.

Right.

I hope he's okay.

It's no good. He won't answer the phone either.

Announcing the orders.

What now? We'll just have to play with four.

Even if we scrape by in this match,

we need Yaku Moku if we're going to win the tournament.

I…

I'll go look for him now.

What?

I… might have driven him away.

So let me go.

If you go too, we'll be down to three!

There's 15 minutes of memorization. I'll bring him back before it's over.

Yes,

players are free to use memorization time as they like.

Yeah. He can't have gotten far yet.

-Now's the only time to find him. -Yeah, but…

This gamble's our only chance now.

Thirteen minutes to go.

Let's have a good game.

An almost even matchup, just based on class.

Yes.

Thinking back, maybe we relied on Yaku Moku too much

just because we were excited about him being A-class.

A-class Yaku Moku will be the captain.

You'll be our point-getter, sure to bag us a win.

We're counting on you, Yaku Moku.

Our strategy didn't even allow for the possibility of Yaku Moku losing.

We just took it for granted that he would win.

And that put pressure on him.

Perhaps.

It probably wasn't a good idea

to put him on the end either.

We isolated him.

I wish we realized sooner.

I wonder if Miss Aizawa will make it back in time.

The rules allow for joining a game already in progress.

But until that happens, they'll keep reading the cards.

So Meguru will be starting at a disadvantage even if she does come back.

If we lose now, it's all over.

Let's get those three wins between the three of us.

For Mr. Shirano too.

Ten minutes.

You're having a hard time too, Yakumon.

I get it!

You started playing karuta for fun,

but then the fun wasn't enough?

Don't you have a match?

I have this round off.

It's our tradition to let younger members get match experience for next year.

Here.

And you? Should you be here?

The senior members…

wanted me to be strong.

They don't need someone like me

who's no good at karuta.

It's tough being A-class, huh?

Win and it's expected, lose and you're a pariah.

Anyone would want to run away.

But I don't think that's how Umezono sees you.

I mean, Meguru's on the team, after all.

Are you a friend of Miss Aizawa's?

Good question.

Though I will decline to comment for various reasons.

Only, you seem to think very highly of her.

Well,

that's because nobody knows it,

but the real Meguru is, like…

an amazing person.

Really?

Sure, maybe I'm a little further ahead of her

when it comes to our karuta ranks or how fast we can run 50 meters.

But that's not what makes her special.

She has courage when it counts.

Recognizes the decisive moment.

Knows how to persuade people.

She has a kind of magnetism

that can't be expressed through numbers on a chart, you could say.

It's called non-cognitive skills, apparently.

Don't you see that in her too, Yakumon?

It seems she doesn't notice it herself, but I do.

That immeasurable power she has.

Mizusawa may have won this time,

but if she unleashes her potential, I don't know how the next match will go.

I haven't really experienced all this stuff you say about Miss Aizawa.

Do you have any better examples?

Yeah, I guess I didn't explain it all that well.

How about this, then?

They way she'd sacrifice herself

just to find a teammate whose feelings had been hurt.

Nagi.

Wait! No way!

Are you all right?

-Yaku Moku! -Sorry.

Let go of me!

Like hell!

Who's playing the match if you're here?

Those three are doing their best. So we need to get back now!

You go back alone.

I can't do that.

I can't leave you here.

We're sorry we left you out on your own.

Everyone's waiting for you to come back, Yaku Moku.

You don't have to play.

But at least see our determination with your own eyes.

Please.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Come on.

I'm sorry.

-Got it. -Took it.

-Nice. -You too.

Everyone looks…

like I knew they would.

Totes adorbs to the max!

You watch from here while we bring the win home.

Let's have a good game.

Let's have a good game.

Now, how far can I get with this?

Crazy focus.

Meguru…

Her center of gravity's to her left.

She's trying to guard all those cards in the left of her territory.

Her line of sight's to her left,

so I'll move "sa" and "tsuki" to my left…

and now the cards she's after are here.

We encourage you to work on this.

-Yes. -That's all.

Thank you.

May I ask one question?

Yes.

Unless I was imagining it,

it seemed your tone rose a little just for "O leaves of crimson."

Inconsistent reading will cost you points,

but as your voice was relatively stable for the other poems,

it made me wonder, why just that one?

If you can explain that at all, please take this opportunity to do so.

Certainly.

If there was a discrepancy,

it was wholly because of a prayer I was making.

A prayer?

As we speak,

my students are competing in the Tokyo qualifier.

Ordinarily, I should have been there,

but it was nothing other than their encouragement

that allowed me to take part in this screening.

If they

can work together to make it through the qualifier,

then I want to make sure I'm there for the next one.

O leaves of crimson High atop Mount Ogura…

"Red leaves on Mount Ogura,

if you have a heart…

then please…

please wait before you scatter,"

I couldn't help but pray.

This is a strict and impartial screening.

Whatever the circumstances, you must still lose points.

I understand.

However,

as an appreciator of waka, I cannot begrudge your attitude.

The flower's color…

One win for Umezono!

Nice!

All right!

Cold and unfeeling As the wind blowing down from…

Two wins for Umezono!

In the autumn breeze…

Three wins for Umezono!

Nice!

A battle of fate.

You caught up from there?

That's remarkable, Miss Aizawa.

The real Meguru is, like, an amazing person.

She has courage when it counts.

Recognizes the decisive moment.

Miss Aizawa!

As an autumnal wind blows

On a humble hut of reeds

Fleeing solitude…

All right！

Huh? No way.

In a battle of fate…

She took her opponent's card!

Thank you.

Thank you.

Umezono win four!

Very cool!

Umezono High School win 4-1.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We did it!

That was awesome, Meguru!

How did you know it'd be your opponent's card?

I don't know.

I just had a feeling.

Incredible!

Yaku Moku!

I'm so glad you came back!

You put them on.

-Yeah. -That makes me happy.

I'm sorry we let you down.

We'll do our best with four in the next one too.

No.

That would just be sad.

You won't be able

to make it all the way through without me there, will you?

Meaning?

Well?

-Why, you! -No, don't!

SOTA: BELIEVE IN US, FUKI! CHIERI: WE'LL KEEP ON WINNING!

MEGURU: FUKI! THE SIX OF US ARE GOING TO THE ALL JAPAN FOR SURE!

Sorry about the wait.

We will now begin the second repechage matches.

Let's have a good game.

Let's have a good game.

Bright the moon still shone…

Snatched it!

UMEZONO HIGH SCHOOL

On a streak!

Umezono High School wins 3-2.

Thank you.

-We did it! -Yay!

Of course we did!

All right!

Two wins for Umezono!

We did it!

Goodbye.

SOTA: IT'S A MIRACLE! UMEZONO HIGH SCHOOL IS HEADED FOR THE FINAL QUALIFIER!

Unfortunately, it won't be healed in time for the final qualifier.

What?

You're joking, right?

You're doing that thing where you say that,

but really it will work out.

Like with this taping that Miss Tsukiura taught me.

That's a temporary measure. It's not the same as treating it.

Damn it!

What? Mizusawa and Hokuoh both lost?

That's right.

A dark horse ended up as the first representative.

Nobody could've predicted this.

No.

I asked one of the umpires,

and apparently this kind of upset happens once every few years.

What? So the final qualifier to decide the second team

will have Mizusawa and Hokuoh in it?

That's right.

It's hell.

And we don't even have Mr. Shirano.

If we win the final qualifier, Fuki could make it back before the All Japan.

An old injury flared up, so I have to stop on doctor's orders.

I know it's a crucial time,

so I'm truly,

truly sorry.

We need to give it our all, for Mr. Shirano's sake as well.

Right! Let's put our hearts and souls into this.

Let's.

Hearts and souls!

Right!

Goodbye.

That's why

I started playing karuta.

Now I'm kinda having fun.

Hello? Everything okay, Fuki?

Yeah, I'm okay.

What is it?

Sorry it's out of the blue.

There was actually

something I wanted to ask you.

Oh?

All right.

KARUTA CLUB

19 DAYS UNTIL THE FINAL TOKYO QUALIFIER!

Where's Kenshin today?

At that friend of Miss Aya's again, apparently.

Again?

Fuki!

What's this about playing karuta with your left hand?

I've only just begun, so I don't know if it'll work.

But you're left-handed, right?

Yeah.

So I was advised to ask you to practice with me.

By who?

The doctor who's taking care of my hand.

He's a Mizusawa alumnus, like Miss Oe.

I hear you didn't make the first team.

No.

I bet you took team games lightly.

I did win all of my games though.

There you go.

That's what I mean by taking them lightly.

Please teach me…

more about karuta…

sir!

Our left-handed player's here.

I'm Taichi Mashima.

Hello.

I'm Meguru Aizawa.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you.

Dr. Mashima

is the current Jun-Meijin.

As in, second only to the Meijin?

MIZUSAWA ALUMNI ASSEMBLE!

Make it the most fun game ever.

-I'm back. -Make your teammates strong too.

Press them to the end.

THE CURTAIN LIFTS ON THE FINAL SHOWDOWN!

-Let's go, Umezono! -Right!

We can't lose.

I'm sure I can get stronger if I don't give up on myself.

YOUTHHOOD IS PUT ON THE LINE

Subtitle translation by: Lewis Williams