Chihayafuru

Ayase Chihaya is a cheerful tomboy without any ambitious aspirations in life. At school one day, she meets a boy named Wataya Arata who is an outcast at school. Feeling pity despite peer pressure, Chihaya befriends Arata as he reveals to her his aptitude in karuta which institutes Chihaya's dream to become a karuta queen.

The manga adapts Yui Tokiumi's spinoff novel series for Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru manga. The novels feature a series of stories detailing various characters' lives in middle school. (The original manga begins when they are in elementary school and skips to high school.) (Source: Anime News Network & Be-Love issue 21)

Ritsu Nagara is a new first-year member of the Mizusawa High School karuta club. For some reason, Ritsu is aiming to win the national championship, but after Chihaya and her friends graduate, the Mizusawa Karuta Club has only one A-class player, and he has a difficult time ahead of him... The story depicts Ritsu's growth along with his eccentric friend Akino and the other members of the club who are dedicated to playing karuta. (Source: Natalie.mu)