The first episode of the drama series "Chihayafuru -Meguri-" (NTV, Wednesdays at 10pm), starring actress Ami Touma, was broadcast on July Getsuku. The episode featured a scene in which the advisor of the competitive karuta club, Kanade (Mone Kamishiraishi), and her high school classmate, Komano Tsutomu (Morinaga Yuki), aka "Tsuku-kun", were talking with the karuta club member Meguru (Touma), which caused a stir on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
The first episode is about Meguru, a second-year student at Umezono High School and a ghost member of the competitive karuta club, who places importance on typography in everything he does. He is a member of the karuta club because it is advantageous for his school report card if he is a member of a club, but he has never participated in club activities and does not understand the rules of competitive karuta at all. Meguru is called in to make up the numbers for the third-years' retirement match, and is stunned to see the seniors in tears after losing in the first round. Meguru feels that "youth does not suit me" and decides to quit the club.
With the retirement of the third-year students, the karuta club is on the verge of being disbanded, with only second-year students Yono Sota (Soma Santoki) and Meguru remaining. In an attempt to keep Meguru, the club's advisor, Kanade, insists that it is important for her to have experiences that can only be had now, just as she once did when she won the national championship in competitive karuta, but Meguru calls Kanade's way of thinking "the classical Japanese of the Heisei era."
At a bar, Kanade is rambling on with her high school classmate, Tsutomu Komano, also known as "Tsuku-kun." As the two of them leave the bar and walk out, Kanade spots Megu working a part-time job... and so the story unfolds.
When Meguru asks if Komano is her boyfriend, Kanade initially denies it, but then when she is asked if he is, she changes her mind and answers, "No, it's not that..." When Komano, confused, responds, "It's not that it's not that!?", Kanade replies ambiguously, "It's not that it's not that... it's not that, right?"
On social media, the ambiguous relationship between Kanade and Komano became a hot topic. Comments such as "Are they dating? Or not?", "I wonder which it is...", "Are there any developments?", "It's really heartwarming to see Kanade and Tsukue-kun have such a good relationship and complain over drinks", and "I'm really curious about their relationship" were posted.
