Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds of Life
| Company type | Manga series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manga, Anime |
| Founded | August 2012 |
| Founder | Amyu |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Manga volumes, Anime adaptation |
is a manga series from Japan, both authored and illustrated by Amyu. Its serialization commenced in August 2012 within Jump Square, a publication of Shueisha. The series has achieved sales exceeding 7.5 million copies. An anime adaptation produced by Platinum Vision was broadcast from April through December 2019.
Plot
Set in Kanagawa Prefecture, the narrative revolves around the Koto club at Tokise High School. Takezo Kurata, a second-year student, remains as the last member following the graduation of all senior students. During efforts to enlist new participants, Chika Kudo—a delinquent known for damaging his grandfather’s koto shop—applies to join. Takezo’s perspective shifts after uncovering the truth behind Kudo’s actions. The club also gains Satowa Hozuki, a koto prodigy with her own objectives. Additional members soon join, each driven by personal motivations but collectively aiming to compete in the Koto Nationals.
Characters
- Chika Kudo (久遠 愛)
- Voiced by Yūki Ono (vomic), Yuma Uchida (anime), Daman Mills (anime)
- Often called simply Kudo, he exhibits a straightforward and somewhat immature demeanor yet faces difficulties in social interaction due to his delinquent history. Influenced by his grandfather, he develops an interest in the koto and rapidly masters playing by watching others. He regards Satowa as a rival and later harbors unspoken feelings toward her. Kudo resides with his aunt Isaki and maintains a close friendship with Takaoka.
- Takezo Kurata (倉田 武蔵)
- Voiced by Ryota Osaka (vomic), Junya Enoki (anime), Alejandro Saab (anime)
- As president of the Koto club, Takezo initially feels overwhelmed but gradually becomes a reliable leader. He maintains a serious attitude and harbors romantic feelings for Kurusu, who reciprocates them though neither has confessed.
- Satowa Hozuki (鳳月 さとわ)
- Voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, Amber Lee Connors (anime)
- A talented professional koto player who initially seems reserved but proves vital to the club’s success. She takes on a mentoring role despite finding teaching difficult. Estranged from her influential family, she reconciles with her mother following a significant performance and is reinstated as the heir to the Hōzuki family. Satowa quietly develops feelings for Kudo.
- Hiro Kurusu (来栖 妃呂)
- Voiced by Sara Matsumoto, Alexis Tipton
- A fellow student of Takezo who joins the Koto club and becomes vice-president after recognizing Takezo’s leadership challenges.
- Tetsuki Takaoka (高岡 哲生)
- Voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya, Robert McCollum
- A long-time friend of Kudo who supports him academically and personally, often providing tutoring and hosting study sessions for their group.
- Mio Kanzaki (神崎 澪)
- Voiced by Shouta Aoi, Christopher Wehkamp
- Saneyasu Adachi (足立 実康)
- Voiced by Haruki Ishiya, Austin Tindle
- A reformed delinquent.
- Michitaka Sakai (堺 通孝)
- Voiced by Makoto Furukawa, Anthony Bowling
- A former troublemaker.
- Kota Mizuhara (水原 光太)
- Voiced by Yūichi Iguchi, Jessie James Grelle
- Once involved in delinquency.
- Suzuka Takinami (滝浪 涼香)
- Voiced by Daisuke Namikawa, Brandon Potter
- A mathematics teacher at Tokise High who also serves as advisor to the Koto club. With a distinguished musical background, he initially lacks enthusiasm for music but regains interest through his advisory role. He composes pieces and offers practice advice while leaving direct instruction to Akira.
- Gen Kudo (久遠源)
- Voiced by Tetsuo Kanao, Charlie Campbell
- Takeru Kurata (倉田武流)
- Voiced by Natsuki Hanae, Ricco Fajardo
- Mashiro (真白)
- Voiced by Ayaka Asai, Felecia Angelle
- Isaki Kudo (久遠 衣咲)
- Voiced by Nana Mizuki (Japanese), Lydia Mackay (English)
- Shizune Nishina (仁科 静音)
- Voiced by Masako Isobe, Linda Leonard
- Kazusa Ōtori (凰かずさ)
- Voiced by Ayane Sakura, Meg McClain
- Fumi Hanamura (花村 史)
- Voiced by Chika Anzai (Japanese), Dani Chambers (English)
- Ōsuke Kiryū (桐生桜介)
- Voiced by Junta Terashima, Matt Shipman
- Sentarō Miya (宮 千太朗)
- Voiced by Sōichirō Hoshi, Howard Wang
- Haru Kasugai (春日井 晴)
- Voiced by Yoshitaka Yamaya (Japanese), Stephen Fu (English)
- Akira Dōjima (堂島 晶)
- Voiced by Nao Tōyama, Caitlin Glass
- The successor of the Tsubaki School following her parents’ passing. Motivated by her brother’s previous koto career, she became Tokise High’s koto instructor under complex circumstances but ultimately dedicates herself fully to nurturing the club’s genuine passion for the instrument.
- Uta Suzumori (鈴森 詩)
- Asano Izumi (泉 朝乃)
Production Background
Amyu was introduced to the Koto at the age of three, growing up in a household where her mother taught the instrument and her sister performed professionally. During her elementary years, she dreamed of becoming a manga artist and planned to create a manga centered on the Koto. Her debut work was a one-shot manga with a Koto theme, followed by additional one-shots published in Shueisha's shoujo magazine, Ribon. Although Amyu wished for her initial serialized work to focus on the Koto, she found little encouragement from the chief editor at Ribon and ultimately parted ways with the magazine. While seeking opportunities with other editorial teams, she established contact with an editor at Jump Square, which led to the creation of her current series.
Initially, Satowa was conceived as the protagonist; however, her somber disposition resulted in shifting the narrative focus to Chika and Takezo as the main characters.
Style
Set within a Koto club environment, the story explores the interpersonal dynamics among male and female members through a youth drama lens. Amyu highlighted that the narrative emphasizes adolescent relationships more than just the musical instrument itself. Leveraging her extensive background with the Koto, she ensured precise depiction of technical details such as proper placement of Koto bridges and integrated authentic perspectives on challenges faced by players. Recognizing her limited experience with beginner struggles due to early mastery, she sought guidance from both her mother and sister, who are Koto instructors, while choosing not to have her chief editor learn the instrument.
Original Koto Music Pieces
The series incorporates several original compositions performed by the Tokise High School and Hakuto High School Koto Clubs. Significant works include "Ryūseigun" and "Kuon," created by Amyu’s sister and mother respectively, alongside "Katakago" and "Tenkyu." These pieces play a vital role in supporting the music-focused storyline.
- Ryūseigun – composed by Amyu’s elder sister
- Kuon – composed by Amyu’s mother
- Katakago – composed by Amyu’s mother
- Tenkyu – composed by Amyu’s elder sister
To commemorate the release of volume five, a video featuring "Ryūseigun" performed by Koto musicians was published, followed by sheet music distribution accompanying volume six. Similarly, a performance video for "Kuon" was issued alongside volume seven, enhancing audience interaction and broadening the title’s market reach.
Reception
By October 2021, sales of the manga had exceeded 5.5 million copies, with an expanding audience primarily comprising junior high and high school students. This growing readership has contributed to heightened interest in learning to play the Koto.
Online videos showcasing original compositions have attracted considerable attention; notably, "Ryūseigun" surpassed one million views by January 2018.
On March 8, 2017, King Records released an album titled Kono Oto Tomare! ~Tokise High School Koto Club, which received an Award of Excellence in the Records category at Japan’s 72nd National Arts Festival organized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Additionally, it won Traditional Japanese Music Album of the Year at the 32nd Japan Gold Disc Awards, highlighting its commercial success and cultural significance.
Manga
Written and illustrated by Amyu, this series began serialization in Shueisha's Jump Square magazine in August 2012. As of August 2024, it has been collected into 31 tankōbon volumes.
Volume list
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Anime
An anime adaptation aired in two segments from April to June and October to December of 2019 on networks including Tokyo MX, BS11, AT-X, GYT, Wowow, and HTB. The animation studio behind the series was Platinum Vision, with Ryōma Mizuno directing. The series composition was handled by Ayumu Hisao while Junko Yamanaka took charge of character design. The opening themes "Tone" and "Harmony" were performed by Shouta Aoi, whereas Yuma Uchida provided vocals for the ending songs "Speechless" and "Rainbow". The series was licensed by Funimation, which released an English dub simultaneously with its original broadcast.
Template:Episode table/partTemplate:Episode listTemplate:Episode listTemplate:Episode listTemplate:Episode listTemplate:Episode listTemplate:Episode listTemplate:Episode listTemplate:Episode list {{Episode list 2000 9 A Piercing Sound Tsukisasaru gen no Oto 突き刺さる言の音 ja 2019 6 1 }} {{Episode list 2000 10 Near Yet Far Chikakute tōi kyori 近くて遠い距離 ja 2019 6 8 }} {{Episode list 2000 11 The Sound We Are Searching For Sagashiteta oto 探してた音 ja 2019 6 15 }} {{Episode list 2000 12 Rivals Raibaru ライバル ja 2019 6 22 }} {{Episode list 2000 13 Kuon 久遠 ja 2019 6 29 }} Template:Episode table/part part=2 c= {{Episode list 2000 14 A Step Forward Ippo mae e 一歩前へ ja 2019 10 }} {{Episode list 2000 15 Becoming Aware Kizuki きづき ja 2019 }} {{Episode list 2000 Futari no Jikan 二人の時間 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Saikai 再会 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Sorezore no Ketsui それぞれの決意 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Taiji 対峙 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Mōichido もう一度 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Imi to yakuwari 意味と役割 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Kessen no Asa 決戦の朝 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Oja no Kakugo 王者の覚悟 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Sekai no Sonosaki 正解のその先 ja 2000 }} {{Episode list 2000 Tenkyu 天泣 ja }} {{Episode list 2000 Sutātorain スタートライン ja }}| No. | Title | Original air date |
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Stage play
In 2019, a theatrical adaptation was presented across three cities: Tokyo (August 17–25), Fukuoka (September 7–8), and Osaka (September 14–15). The principal cast featured Takuma Zaiki portraying Kudo, Kazuki Furuta as Kurata, Hinako Tanaka in the role of Satowa, Kouhei Shiota playing Adachi, Kotori Kojima as Sakai, and Tatsuki Jōnin taking on Mizuhara. To prepare for the performance, the actors dedicated four months to mastering the koto instrument.