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Chihayafuru Sequel Film Reveals 4 New Cast Members, 2018 Opening

The staff for the live-action films of Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru manga revealed the upcoming sequel film's title, new cast members, and 2018 opening on Wednesday. The new film is titled Chihayafuru: Musubi (Chihayafuru: Conclusion).

The new cast includes (from left to right):

• Mio Yūki as Sumire Hanano, a girl who falls in love with Taichi on first sight, and joins the karuta club
• Hayato Sano as Akihiro Tsukuba, a new member of the karuta club
• Kaya Kiyohara as Io Wagatsuma, Chihaya's film-original rival, and the current holder of the title of semi-queen
• Kento Kaku as Hisashi Suō, one of the game's strongest players ever, and the current holder of the title of meijin

The film will take place two years after the first two films. The film will depict Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata in their third year of high school.

The cast members returning from the previous films include:

• Suzu Hirose as Chihaya Ayase
• Shūhei Nomura as Taichi Mashima
• Mackenyu as Arata Wataya
• Mone Kamishiraishi as Kanade Ōe
• Yūma Yamato as Yūsei Nishida
• Yūki Morinaga as Tsutomu Komano
• Hiroya Shimizu as Akihito Sudō
• Mayu Matsuoka as Shinobu Wakamiya
• Miyuki Matsuda as Taeko Miyauchi
• Jun Kunimura as Harada

Director Norihiro Koizumi stated that the new movie would start filming this spring. Koizumi added that since it has been two years since filming started on the first film, that in the new film as well, two years will have passed. He also stated that the film will portray the love triangle between Chihaya, Taichi, and Arata, and will settle the rivalry between Chihaya and Shinobu Wakamiya. Koizumi said that Suetsugu has approved the film's script.

The first film, Chihayafuru: Kami no Ku (Chihayafuru: Upper Phrase), opened in Japan in March 2016. The second film, Chihayafuru: Shimo no Ku (Chihayafuru: Lower Phrase), opened in Japan in April 2016. The staff announced the sequel film on the same day the second film opened in Japan.

The films star:

• Suzu Hirose as Chihaya Ayase
• Shūhei Nomura as Taichi Mashima
• Mackenyu as Arata Wataya
• Yūki Morinaga as Tsutomu Komano
• Yūma Yamato as Yūsei Nishida
• Mone Kamishiraishi as Kanade Ōe
• Jun Kunimura as Harada
• Mayu Matsuoka as Shinobu Wakamiya
• Miyuki Matsuda as Taeko Miyauchi
• Hiroya Shimizu as Akihito Sudō
• Ryōtarō Sakaguchi as Hiro Kinashi

Norihiro Koizumi (Midnight Sun, Kanojo wa Uso o Ai Shisugiteru) directed both films.

Suetsugu launched the manga in Kodansha's Be Love magazine in December 2007, and Kodansha published the manga's 34th compiled volume on March 13. The manga has more than 16 million copies in print in Japan. Kodansha Comics is releasing the manga digitally in English.

The manga inspired the first 25-episode television anime season from October 2011 to March 2012, and the second 25-episode season aired in Japan from January-June 2013. Additionally, the 22nd volume of the manga bundled an original anime DVD when it shipped in September 2013. Sentai Filmworks announced in September that it has licensed both seasons of the anime.

Source: Comic Natalie