ちはやふる [Chihaya Furu] #36

Two young women take center stage on this vivid Kodansha Comics cover — one radiant in an ornate purple-and-pink floral kimono, the other wide-eyed and clutching a karuta card, framed by swaying stalks of golden rice. Creator Yuki Suetsugu's Chihayafuru has long woven together competitive karuta, heartfelt relationships, and beautifully rendered seasonal imagery, and volume 36 looks to carry that tradition forward with warmth and dramatic energy. Fans of the series will find the cover's lush detail and expressive faces as inviting as ever.