Japan in the
1960’s, Kaoru Nishimi has been dumped on his aunt and uncle in Kyushu while his
dad is away working. Kaoru is a gifted
student and trained classical pianist.
He is also the heir apparent of his families estate. Even though the world is at his finger tips
Kaoru leads a lonely and dejected life.
Moving all the time has not allowed him to become close to anyone and
his father is frequently away for long periods of time. On the first day at his new school he gains the attention of
the schools worst student, Sentaro Kawabuchi, who immediately takes a liking to
the fearless attitude Kaoru exudes.
Seeing this connection the class rep and childhood friend of Sentaro, Ritsuko
Mukae, encourages Kaoru to become friends with the shunned delinquent. They find a common thread with music. Sentaro forces Kaoru to break out of his proper shell and explore the world of
jazz music with him. As the three
friends go through high school together they experience the normal
problems adolescent kids go through.
This was a pretty
well done coming of age story. It
reminded me of a more mature Nodame Cantible. The themes explored in the story are isolation, love, friendship and trying to find your place in the world. The series is relatively serious but not
overly dramatic, there are no typical high school romance themes and no fanservice. The animation style is
a bit plain, but it grows on you and ends up fitting well with the story. This series even deals with issues of racism
and prejudice, not just with Japanese people and their views on foreigners but
on foreign prejudices as well. In the end I liked the series, not the least because of the fun jazz tunes through out. It is a well told story with likeable characters and remains constantly in the realm of reality. The
series also seems to be sponsored by Yamaha.
This is a show that fans of realistic and serious dramas will be happy with. You may even enjoy it if you liked Nodame Cantabile, even though there is little humor. It is available streaming through Crunchyroll and is on DVD in North America. Check it out and get a light lesson in 60s jazz greats and life in post war Japan.
This is a show that fans of realistic and serious dramas will be happy with. You may even enjoy it if you liked Nodame Cantabile, even though there is little humor. It is available streaming through Crunchyroll and is on DVD in North America. Check it out and get a light lesson in 60s jazz greats and life in post war Japan.
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