"When you turn these written notes into sounds, it becomes so beautiful...it seems that the performer is resurrecting the notes."
-Hino Kahoko (ep. 4)
A few years back when we didn't have a cable, I stumbled across an airing feature in my cousin's issue of K-Zone Magazine. The feature was promoting Animax viewers to watch "La Corda d'Oro: Primo Passo" which was one of their new shows at the time. Upon reading the short summary, I found it interesting as I don't usually stumble across shows which focus on music as it's theme. To be honest, I was rather bummed that I didn't get to watch it, and so life moved on.
The funny thing is, a few years later I just so happened to stumble upon it's DVD release at a con and immediately bought it. From there on, that's where my appreciation for music began to grow (I started taking up violin and piano after watching in by the way) and so decided to release a review on an anime that changed the way I looked at music forever.
It's story basically revolves around the warm and friendly Hino Kahoko, a second year student at Seiso Academy under the General Education department. She meets Lili, a musical fairy, who grants her a magical violin which forces her to particpate in the academy's musical competition known as the "concours." Though reluctant, she accepts the violin and finds herself amazed with the violin's ability to play any musical piece so long as her heart is at sync with the violin emotionally. The anime's plot further builds up as her attachment with her competition and her love for music grows.
"Brand New Breeze" by Kanon
(La Corda d'Oro: Primo Passo's Opening Theme)
La Corda d'Oro originated from a role-playing game released way back in 2003 for the PC under the same name. It eventually led to a sequel and so on, with it's more recent game released last February 2010. However, the anime ends off towards the start of the game's sequel, La Corda d'Oro: Secondo Passo at a climax. According to it's developers, the Secondo Passo was created solely to promote the game itself. Aside from the game, it also led to it's own manga spearheaded by writer Yuki Kure March 2004 and is to reach it's final bow at the end of May 2011.
What I really like about La Corda d'Oro is the depth of it's story, which I believe it owes to the main protagonist's interaction with the whole cast which helps the story's rich plot develop, with each of the individual cast having a distinguished personality that makes you crave for more. Admittedly, La Corda d'Oro is an anime that can't be appreciated by all, especially if you aren't the type of viewer that can keep up with heavy drama virtually episode per episode. However for those that can, you'll come to find La Corda d'Oro to become one of the richest anime stories that you'd ever come to appreciate as an otaku.
Aside from that, unawarely the show gives you a rough preview of the different variations of pieces in classical music. At some points, you can relate to the character when you yourself would realize knowing the tune of a song however not knowing it's actual title or composer; some of which in fact you'd be surprised to find out is actually classical music wherein you'd originally think it was just common background music for some early morning television show.
Hino Kahoko and Tsukimori Len's "Ave Maria" duet
One of the most memorable scenes in La Corda d'Oro: Primo Passo
Wrapping the blog up, I'd rate the anime 4.7/5.0 for it's awesome plot line and resolve to give us a preview of the beauty of classical music. However, with a tad bit disappointment to it's company's owners to leave the viewer hanging at a climax moment in Secondo Passo, particularly it's English viewers who cannot play the La Corda d' Oro games to find out what happens after. If your up for an anime with a fulfilling plot and stunning musical performances, than La Corda d' Oro definitely has a place in your heart.
Post a Comment