A Band of Bishounen

Happy Valentine’s Day minna-san! And to commemorate this otherwise overly commercialized occasion, I bring to you this amazing new shoujo anime, Yuki Kure’s Kiniro No Corda (Kiniro No Koruda) or La Corda D’Oro which is Italian for “The Golden String”.

The manga/anime is based on a Koei Neoromance game– does Renge’s dating simulation game ring a bell? Currently, seven volumes have been released in Japan with more on the way. The anime series based on the manga is called Kiniro no Corda ~primo passo~ and it aired its first episode on October 1, 2006.

The story revolves around Hino Kahoko, a second year student of a prestigious high school. But what makes this high school special is the fact that its student body is divided–there are the general students like Hino who concentrate on academics and regular high school activities and there’s the music students, an elite group who don cream colored school jackets and have chosen musical intruments as their course of study. Apparently, this school was founded by a man who loved music so much he wanted the school to also be a haven for those who want to study music. Hino’s normal life was shattered when for some strange reason, she was able to see a fairy called Lili. This set off a chain of events that placed her as a participant in the rigorous concours (recital/concert) and a magic violin (courtesy of Lili)–to top it all of, she’s never played a musical instrument in her life!

La Corda is definitely a reverse harem anime. There are five utterly gorgeous guys who seem to cross paths with Hino all the time after she got selected for the concours. Pardon me for relating the “types” to Ouran but I can’t resist. And yeah, I think the artwork’s also amazing! The hairstyles are realistically cute! So here now is a list of the men in Hino’s life. Warning, spoilers ahead! This is all based from episodes 1-8–so far, I have not managed to track down the subbed episodes following episode 8.

Len Tsukimori is a taciturn blue haired violinist who seemed cold and rude at first but eventually warmed up to Hino. Think Kyoya-senpai minus the money making instincts. In the first stage of the concours, he got first place. He always plays perfectly and skillfully but at the same time, there is a lack of softness and gentleness in his technique. His parents are both musicians, his mom is a famous pianist and his dad is a renowned violinist as well. It is later on revealed that he wants to break out of the shadow of his parent’s skills and make them proud.

Ryotaru Tsuchiura is another regular department student. He saves Hino from a fall but as they get to know each other, Hino finds out that he was a piano child prodigy but he stopped playing the piano for an unknown reason. He is usually Hino’s confidante and when Hino was sabotaged by her accompanist, he steps up to play the piano for Hino so that she won’t have to withdraw from the competition. Offhand, his attitude makes me think about Ouran’s Mori. ^_^

Kazuki Hiharu is an exuberant third year who plays the trumpet. He eats a lot and is always ready to help out Hino.  During the time when three of Yunoki’s fans are harassing Hino, he catches her in her performance and does a duet with her so she can continue playing. He is a lot more obvious with his attraction to Hino and has shared a very uhm, “close” encounter with her. In terms of personality, he is a mixture of both Kaoru and Hikaru.

Yunoki Azuma is the “Prince type”. He’s a third year music student who specializes in the flute.  He seems to be the perfect guy, good looks, high grades, friendly, talented and he even has his own fan club. But underneath this pciture perfect image, he is actually quite conniving and seems to have his own agenda. 

There are also two freshmen music students in the competition. Shimizu Keiichi, is blond haired, uber pretty boy. But for some strange reason, he mumbles a lot and is likely to fall asleep anywhere. He plays the cello and Hino notes that he does not have a very outgoing personality. Shimizu-kun however, plays the cello anytime he wants to and would only stop when he has exhausted his urge to play. 

Fuyuumi Shouko is the only other female participant in the concours. She plays the clarinet. Hino meets her when Fuyuumi is bullied by upperclassmen. Fuyuumi is the polar opposite of Hino when it comes to personality. She’s very shy and hesitant and this leads her to become nervous in her perfomances. But Hino and Fuyuumi bond over the series, they even go shopping together! I also noticed that for some strange reason, Fuyuumi is very intimidated by Tsuchiara.

Other characters are Lili, the mischievous fairy who only wants to bring happiness to people through music. He gave Hino the magic violin and some scores and notes, he also makes her the outfit for the concours. Kanazawa-sensei is in charge of the concours and Ousaki-sensai is also a very gifted violin player who would give Hino pep talks. Nami Amou is another general department student who is also a dedicated journalist.

While this anime has shoujo written all over it in big black letters in permanent ink… I really loved the whole musical aspect of it (and yeah, the reverse harem thing it has going on). From Mozart to Chopin to Pachelbel’s Canon, the not so enthusiastic fans of classical music will surely fall in love with it. It’s cute, it has funny moments and *doki-doki* moments and I think it’s a enough to give shoujo fanatics a nice burst of waffy feelings.

So just to start everyone off, here’s a link to Opus 1. Enjoy!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzobQThYcxs