La Corda d’Oro, Vols. 1-4

By Yuki Kure
Published by Viz
Rating: Teen

La Corda d’Oro takes place at Seisou Academy, a fancy private school with two divisions. Kahoko Hino, a sixteen-year-old general ed student, is blissfully unaware of the conservatory until a chance encounter with Seisou’s elusive mascot, Fata, who just so happens to be… a music fairy… with a magic violin… that anyone can play. Thanks to the magic violin, Kahoko is sawing up a storm in no time, scratching out Schubert tunes with surprising skill for someone whose career could be measured in days, not years.

Against her wishes, Mr. Kanazawa, the school’s founder, enters Kahoko in the academy’s annual music competition alongside five conservatory students: Fuyuumi, a shy but gifted clarinet player (and the only other female contestant); Len, a haughty violinist whose parents are professional musicians; Shimizu, a tousle-haired cellist who takes his naps as seriously as his etudes; Azuma, a textbook bishonen with flowing locks and mad flute skillz; and Kazuki, a genial trumpet player who frequently blushes in Kahoko’s presence. The competition intensifies when Mr. Kanazawa adds Ryotaro, another general ed student, to the roster. Ryotaro is an exceptionally talented, if defensive, pianist who fears that his soccer team buddies might disapprove of such a “sissy” activity. Early in the series, he and Kahoko forge a friendship through music, a friendship that is tested by Kahoko’s growing attachments to Len and Kazuki.

Although romantic entanglements provide much of the dramatic fodder for La Corda d’Oro, backstage intrigue also factors prominently into the story. Many of the conservatory students resent Kahoko’s participation in the competition, talking trash both behind her back and to her face. Their comments pale in comparison, however, with the schemes cooked up by Azuma’s groupies, who view Kahoko as less of a musical threat than a romantic one. They’re determined to make Kahoko look foolish in front of the entire school, and will stop at nothing to achieve their goal, short of burning her violin.

Considering the first incarnation of La Corda d’Oro was a dating simulation game, it’s not surprising that the manga feels a little synthetic. The characters are beautifully drawn but not especially memorable; Kahoko, in particular, is as vanilla as shojo heroines come. The set-up, too, may remind some viewers of Corda’s video game roots, while others—like this crotchety old oboist—will find it pure wish fulfillment. (I’m still waiting for the double reed fairy to grant me Heinz Hollinger’s technique.) The silliness of magic violins and music fairies, however, is tempered by the story’s worthwhile messages: Practice makes perfect. Make music because you want to, not because someone expects you to. Hot guys like Boccherini.

Editor Pancha Diaz deserves special recognition for the thoughtful notes that appear at the end of each volume. Not only does she define musical jargon for the uninitiated, she also digs up interesting nuggets about the pieces themselves. To wit: I had no idea who German march composer Joseph Wagner was until I consulted Diaz’s notes. If I’d been asked while playing Trivial Pursuit, I might have guessed that he was Richard “Rheingold” Wagner’s bitter, euphonium-playing cousin. And I’m training to be a musicologist!

The bottom line: La Corda d’Oro is fun but very silly (um, music fairy?!), offering readers a healthy dose of romantic comedy, backstage intrigue, and cocktail conversation tidbits about some of classical music’s lesser-known figures (um, Joseph Wagner?!).

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by the publisher. Volumes 1-4 of La Corda d’Oro are available now; volume 5 will be released in October.