Chihayafuru – Meguri – Plot Outline, continuation from ep.188
ep.270 Chihayafuru – Meguri – Plot Outline, continuation from ep.188
Publication date: September 12, 2025, 21:47
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Preface
No preface was written.
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Main Text
Poem 7 “Sewo hayami” (aired 2025/8/20) — ultra-condensed synopsis
Right before the Tokyo preliminaries. Umezono scouts other schools to craft strategy; Mizusawa’s visibility spikes due to TV coverage; and at the opening ceremony, the Meijin, Arata Wataya, appears. When the brackets are announced, Umezono’s first match is—of all teams—Mizusawa.
•Synopsis (contains spoilers, kept short)
•On the eve of the prelims, Umezono puts in a final push. The Mizusawa karuta club gets a TV crew; with the advisor absent, Kanade Hanano stands in for interviews.
•As new members talk about why they joined, Riki Yakumo shows up wearing a Mizusawa uniform and quietly commands attention.
•Meanwhile at Umezono, at Souta Yono’s suggestion they start gathering opposing-team data. Souta steps back from playing to focus on management and game-plan design.
•In Kaede’s TV interview, she talks about meeting Chihaya and shares bitter memories of her childhood friend Meguru, bringing their history into focus.
•At the opening ceremony Wataya Arata (Meijin) arrives and offers words to the field. Tension rises. The draw is made—Umezono’s first opponent: Mizusawa.
•Mizusawa ace Kenshin points at Kazuki and flashes a “1” to provoke him. But Umezono deploys Souta’s “order-reading” lineup strategy to avoid a direct Kazuki–Kenshin clash and optimize all matchups.
•The pairings mix B-class cards with A-class face-offs. If Haruma, Kazuki, and Yakumo can hold firm, there’s a path to win—the arena rings with “Umezono, fight!”
•Highlights
•Strategy phase in earnest: Souta’s “order-reading” puts the beauty of team tactics front and center.
•Yakumo’s fate and Mizusawa: standing as a “bridge” between Umezono and Mizusawa, heightening narrative tension.
•Words from the Meijin, Arata: a message about choice and regret—about moving closer to the right answer—pushes the competitors forward.
•Keywords
sewo hayami (even when a current splits, it joins again—an omen of fate and reunion) / order-reading / Meijin appears / Umezono vs. Mizusawa
•Hooks for the next episode
•How will Kazuki answer Kenshin’s provocation?
•On which side will Yakumo truly shine?
•Will Souta’s plan hit the mark? Can Umezono clear Round 1?
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“Once photos come in, I’ll keep summarizing Episode 8 onward to the finale in this tone—quick and snappy.”
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Thank you for the photos! Having looked them over, here’s the outline for Episode 8 “Ogura-yama” (scheduled 2025/8/27).
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Episode 8 “Ogura-yama” — outline
•Tokyo prelim Round 1
•Umezono faces the reigning king, Mizusawa. The gap in raw strength is obvious, but manager Yono’s lineup strategy hits, and a sliver of chance appears.
•Meguru clashes head-on with Mizusawa’s ace Orie: “I won’t go down easily.”
•Early flow
•Mizusawa snatches cards with overwhelming speed. The gallery grows uneasy, but Souta believes: “We’re just getting started,” trusting Umezono’s growth.
•Team strengths: Yakumo (A-class), Okuyama (excellent ear), Shirano (reflexes), Murata (boldness), Meguru (rapid improvement and precision).
•Souta feels it’s Meguru’s “honesty” that may swing the match.
•Kyoto—Kanade’s challenge
•Kanade Oe is in the middle of the reader selection trials. Worried about Umezono yet focusing on her own exam.
•Back at the venue, Umezono’s match sours: Yakumo buckles under pressure and concedes heavily; then Kazuki’s old injury flares—he can’t use his right hand.
•Umezono in crisis
•The team loses 0–5. Yakumo, devastated, bolts from the arena.
•They fall to the repechage. The next match begins without Yakumo. Meguru searches, pleads, and brings him back.
•Yakumo had felt crushed by “senpai demanding wins,” but Meguru and Nagi encourage him: “The real Meguru is incredible.” He returns.
•Repechage comeback
•With Yakumo back, Umezono drags themselves from a dire hole. Meguru flips the momentum by sheer focus; Souta, Haruma, and Chieri fight like mad.
•They notch four wins and pull off a miraculous comeback—clearing repechage match #1.
•Charge and new trials
•They keep winning—Umezono reaches the final qualifying block.
•But Tokyo’s #1 representative turns out not Mizusawa nor Hokuyo, but a dark-horse school.
•Worse, Kazuki gets a doctor’s stop—he can’t play the final qualifier.
•What’s next
•Mizusawa’s ace Kenshin bows his head to Arata Wataya: “Please teach me more karuta.” He becomes Arata’s disciple.
•Because Kazuki can’t use his right hand, he resolves to play left-handed. The physician overseeing him is none other than the former quasi-Meijin, Taichi Mashima.
•Points
•A spotlight on Umezono’s teamwork and Meguru’s “honesty.”
•A scorching reversal run from repechage.
•Ending on a chaotic bracket with Mizusawa and Hokuyo in the mix—and the shock of “Kazuki will fight left-handed.”
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Got it! Here’s the outline for Poem 9 “Konotabi wa” (aired 2025/9/3).
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Detailed outline — Poem 9 “Konotabi wa”
Clearing prelims and heading to the final showdown
•After losing to Mizusawa in Tokyo prelim Round 1, Meguru Aizawa (Ami Touma) and the Umezono karuta club climb through the repechage and reach the final qualifier. There, a shock defeat has also pushed Mizusawa into the same block. Umezono / Mizusawa / Hokuyo / Adore—the four schools battle for a single ticket to Nationals.
Friends’ struggle and support
•Kazuki Shirano (Jun Saito) re-aggravates his right-hand injury and trains to play left-handed under Taichi Mashima (Shuhei Nomura), a Mizusawa OB.
•Meguru sticks close to Kazuki, even skipping cram school, and supports him with the team.
•Mizusawa’s ace Kenshin Orie (Taisuke Fujiwara) is taught by Arata Wataya (Mackenyu Arata) that “team matches are scarier than an individual’s strength,” and he vows to grow.
Night before the decider
•Taichi advises Meguru: “Try changing how you think about your karuta,” and she steels herself for what’s next.
•On the day before the final qualifier, Kanade (Mone Kamishiraishi) rushes in from Kyoto, dedicates maple leaves, and tells Meguru warmly, “I’ll always be rooting for you.” Meguru becomes certain she chose the right path and reaffirms the bond with her friends.
Final qualifier begins
•Only one ticket to Nationals. Umezono, Mizusawa, Hokuyo, and Adore play a round-robin.
•Match 1: Umezono loses to Adore. Against Hokuyo they face a do-or-die.
•Souta (Soma Yamaji) steps in for Kazuki and wins with the team’s encouragement. Yakumo (Aito Sakamoto), Chieri (Rina Arashi), and Haruma (Kaito Takamura) also fight hard—Umezono clinches a come-from-behind victory.
Fated battle with Mizusawa
•It all comes down to Umezono vs. Mizusawa for the National berth. The order:
•Chieri vs. Shinohara (Raizo Ishikawa)
•Souta vs. Niwano (Yudairo Takahashi)
•Meguru vs. Nagi (Nanoka Hara)
•Kazuki vs. Kenshin
•Yakumo vs. Oto (Kotoha Seto)
•Right before the match, Kazuki rips off his supporter: “If it’s not my right hand, even a win is meaningless.” Meguru answers, “Don’t say ‘I don’t care what happens.’ We’re going to keep going.” They huddle—Umezono charges at fate.
What to watch
•Bonds among friends: Kazuki’s injury, Yakumo’s inner struggle, Souta’s awakening—each character’s growth.
•The final showdown with Mizusawa: protagonist Meguru vs. Nagi, and Kazuki vs. Kenshin—destined matchups.
•Kanade’s words: her appearance as a supporter becomes a pillar for the story.
Next time: the conclusion of Umezono vs. Mizusawa! Which team takes the single ticket to Nationals—the story barrels into its climax.
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Poem 10 “Naniwazu ni” — outline
The final match for a place at Nationals
•Umezono karuta club (Meguru Aizawa, Kazuki Shirano, Chieri Murata, Souta Yono, Riki Yakumo) finally faces the king, Mizusawa, in a rematch.
•The reader was originally slated to be Izumi Nakanishi (Yasuko Tomita), but she entrusts the role to Kanade (Mone Kamishiraishi), whom she sees as her successor. For Kanade, this is a final test.
The fuse is lit
•Kanade’s resonant opening verse fills the hall. Chihaya (Suzu Hirose), Taichi (Shuhei Nomura), Mizusawa OBs, and Umezono friends all watch.
•The central face-off is Meguru Aizawa vs. Nagi Tsukiura (Nanoka Hara).
•Meguru shouts “Umezono, fight!” and throws herself into the match with the best teammates she could ask for.
The battle unfolds
•Chieri loses to Shinohara—Mizusawa leads 1–0. Yakumo falls to Oto—Mizusawa 2–0.
•It’s rough going, but Meguru keeps lifting her team. Kenshin remembers Arata’s words and grows by “strengthening together with the team,” not just as an individual.
Where the match is headed
•In the concurrent Hokuyo vs. Adore match, Hokuyo wins. That means: if Umezono beats Mizusawa, they clinch the berth to Nationals.
•Even from a board position favoring Mizusawa, Umezono storms back—the match reaches a one-card difference, a luck-of-the-draw tiebreak.
•Souta makes a miraculous play to close the card gap. Sensing “it has to be now,” Meguru charges into enemy territory and goes on the attack.
Luck-of-the-draw and the ordeal
•The Meguru vs. Nagi face-off evokes Sei Shonagon and Murasaki Shikibu crossing paths a millennium ago.
•Suddenly, the lights go out—the hall plunges into darkness. Kanade quivers, then through tears says, “I’m okay,” steadies herself, and reads again.
•But the final poem—“Meguri aite”—does not come Umezono’s way. Mizusawa wins 4–1 and books their trip to Nationals.
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After that (Epilogue — complete, with no omissions)
•After the match, pockets of each school—Umezono, Mizusawa, Hokuyo, Adore—spend time in their own circles around the venue.
•Kazuki and Kenshin exchange contact info.
•Haruma and Sho stand side by side for a photo.
•Kanade exits the building with Umezono’s members—waiting outside are Mizusawa OBs (Chihaya, Taichi, Nishida, Kanade Hanano, and others).
•When Kanade approaches, Chihaya beams a smile and offers praise and encouragement. Taichi and the OBs welcome her warmly—an easy, friendly reunion.
•Standing among them, Kanade’s expression is as natural and relaxed as in her high-school days.
•Seeing that face, Meguru realizes: “The teacher’s ‘treasure’—it must be these friends.” She glances around at Umezono’s teammates, and she herself smiles. “What I was looking for had been here all along,” she feels from the heart.
•On the way home, Meguru and Nagi bump into each other at a Y-junction.
•“That was so much fun.” “Me too.” The two affirm each other’s time, then step forward together onto the same single road—a modern counterpoint to Shonagon and Murasaki’s timeless “meeting again.”
•Spring, 2026.
•The “Sakuya Kono Hana Spring Cup.” Now a university student, Meguru again challenges the team competition.
•On opposing rosters we see Nagi and Chieri. In other blocks, Kazuki / Kenshin / Souta form a team; Haruma / Sho / Kuroda form another; Shinohara, Oto, Arima, and others appear—grudges and friendships crisscross everywhere.
•At the reader’s desk sits Kanade. On her left ring finger, a ring from Komano glints softly.
•Kanade intones the first poem in a clear voice—“Meguri aite.” In that instant, the card Meguru strikes flies with vigor—and the story takes wing toward the future.
It looks like Gro-chan can read the Japanese Chihayafuru website. For anyone who’s super interested, each episode is posted here:
https://www.ntv.co.jp/chihayafuru-meguri/story/01.html
You could even ask Gro-chan to translate all of it into English for you.
