#Kono Oto Tomare Analysis

[kotos-and-smiles]

Ch.124 Analysis and Rambling

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 124 OF KOT!

As I often do, I’ll be referencing tessenpai’s rough tl which you can find here

Felt so good to have a new chapter after last month’s break! And we have the very interesting return of Uzuki with characters I was not expecting to see him interacting with.

Firstly, damn, Tetsuki really does try to ditch Isaki immediately after he’s able. Unfortunately for him, Isaki is the type to be forcefully ‘courteous’. Isaki was so amazing in this chapter, specifically with regards to Uzuki. Firstly her anger is very justified and relatable (I still wouldn’t completely mind punching him in the face, but I get we’re past that now). I enjoy the humor of the situation as well, and Isaki could indeed take down Uzuki if she wanted to. She’s both rightfully mad and also polite, as expected both Isaki and Tetsuki respecting Chika’s decision to invite him. I cannot handle at all the little panels of 103 flashbacks though of Chika in pain. And then Isaki just invites Uzuki out to lunch with a threatening smile on her face, and like how great is that? Also adore how afraid Tetsuki is of the women in Chika’s life. He knows what’s up.

I love that Momoya is able to honestly express that he’s tired when Takezou asks, instead of brushing it off with an ‘I’m fine.’ I don’t know, this chapter just really conveyed how much more comfortable Momoya seems with the club and allowing himself to just be himself. I also forgot about Yoshinaga’s “Chikaism” though and it is beautiful as always. Takinami’s appearances lately being purely to convey how annoyed he is are still wonderful. What Keishi said about how some competitors don’t listen to their competition’s performances because they don’t want it to affect their own was interesting because it made me just think about how Tokise is definitely the type of school that benefits a lot from hearing many different people’s sound. And there’s enough value in hearing those performances to them that it’s basically the only thing that’ll keep them from practicing, I think. That and they’re such dedicated koto nerds that want to hear everything they can.

Loved seeing Momoya talk about Chibana and be a bit savage towards them. And also accepting the club’s affectionate shenanigans even if he’s not used to them yet.

Ooof, Tomoe. How does she even perform if she’s like this every time? That’s some dedication to performing, I guess. Seeing Hiro and Satowa be so encouraging though is great to see.

I am never getting over that Satowa carries around the same strawberry candies as Chika once gave her because they help calm her down. Like, she carries a whole tin of them and is sharing them when she sees someone else obviously in distress because she wants to help even if Tomoe hasn’t been the nicest to Tokise. All of it’s so sweet, and yeah, I’m gonna be thinking about those strawberry candies for a long while now. And Hiro calling Satowa out on it, my god, I just love all of that.

We see a bit of a look into Tomoe’s mindset around Tokise, but I really like what her friend said about finding out what Tokise is really like when they hear them perform. Because that’s what it’ll really come down to, the music, the performance, and how it’ll carry the heart and voice of the people playing. But for now, Chibana will just have to focus on their own performance, and considering we know nothing about their sounds, and I don’t think we’ve heard much of their strengths and weaknesses either, though I could be forgetting, I’m really interested to see how their performance goes.

Honestly poor Tetsuki, now having to deal with both Isaki and Uzuki also getting roped into everything. Isaki went into full on Aunt Mode with Uzuki, like I may not like this kid but he’s gonna eat on my watch, and I really love that type of interaction. Isaki in general and how she understands Chika’s situation with some of the people around him but is also gonna protect Chika first and foremost is beautiful to see. She’s able to see through just her anger or resentment and relate how Chika has acted to how Uzuki’s acting, and again, she doesn’t want to let that happen on her watch. That little detail of Chika not eating when he first moved into with her even kind of surprising Tetsuki was really good and also so sad. In general, just hearing about how Uzuki feels about food does remind you of just how bad of a place Uzuki is in mentally. How she pushes the food issue with Uzuki by not making it an obligation for him to eat it all, but asking him simply to order something even if he only has a bite was a really great way of doing it and shows Isaki’s compassion, again even if she doesn’t like this boy, hasn’t forgiven him, much like Chika, she’s also not gonna let him just destroy himself either. 

“It takes a hell of a lot of strength to face what you’ve done and live with it. If you don’t have that kind of resolution, you don’t deserve to hear Chika and the rest’s performance.” These lines are really impactful. She’s telling Uzuki he has to face what he’s done, but it also takes a lot of strength to do that, so he better step up or he won’t be deserving of the chance Chika is giving him. While Chika still has some remaining self-worth issues when it comes to protecting himself, Isaki and those around him value him so much that they’re going to both respect his wishes and be angry and expect something of the people who have wronged him. They’re not gonna hesitate to make it clear how much protecting him is their first priority. Isaki just bridges the understanding and the knowledge Uzuki did something very wrong so well. She expects for him to step up and face it, and she knows that’s hard, but damn if he doesn’t deserve the hard process. But as Chika said in ch.111, hopefully Uzuki will come to learn with the performance what people can be to each other, what caring about someone really means, and while that may be hard in the face of his previous actions, facing it will allow him to better himself and move on, if he so chooses, if he’s strong enough to.

This also reminded me of what honestly might be one of my favorite quotes from this manga, though I have many, that Isaki said in ch.115. I don’t think I ever wrote anything about it, but this quote hit me so hard the first time I read it and still gets me with how true I feel it is

“But people change. Even when they don’t want to. They can’t stay as they were. And yet, when they do want to change, they’re unable to do so. We’re awkward creatures like that.”

Humans really are awkward like that. Much like in ch.115 with Isaki calling Chika’s dad, she has handled both him and Uzuki so, so beautifully. She is fully respecting Chika’s wishes while also letting these people in his life who have wronged him know where he’s at and that really they should be concerned with what they’ll do with the chance of listening to Chika, because Chika is living his own life. It’s up to Uzuki and Chika’s dad alike if they want to be any part of that or listen to what his music has to say, but they’re also sure as hell not gonna ruin that for Chika ever again. I don’t really know how much this specific quote even relates to ch.124, I just wanted to talk about it because I think it’s such a well-stated point. Sometimes we change when we don’t want that, and other times we can’t seem to change no matter how much we might want to, but it’s just a truth all of us sometimes have to face. The attitude both Chika and Isaki are taking on the subject, and that it seems Uzuki is trying to pick up as well, is that all that anyone can do now is move forward though the past will never change and never disappear, but there is still growth and peace to be found if people are open to working on it. Here’s hoping that Uzuki both does want to change and will be able to do so.

Anyway, going back to ch.124, it was hilariously predictable how everyone ended up staying to hear the rest of the performances despite their exhaustion. Takinami expecting it was amazing, and while he’s exasperated with it I love how happy Akira is about it. Also Yoshinaga just staring intently, sparkles included, at Momoya until he wordlessly gives in to staying was so damn cute.

Also, there were just so many cute little panels from this chapter

Anyway, I loved this chapter so much, pretty much as always, but I never get any less appreciative of how great every chapter that comes out is. I am very much in need of a reread of this entire manga, so hopefully what I was saying still made sense. As always, feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter as well!

[tessenpai]

The tragedy of Kiryuu Ousuke

Hello, everyone! It has been a while!! I haven't been posting much in the last few months, and many things have been happening in the KOT world. I'm back with an essay/character analysis on one of my favorite "Kono Oto Tomare!" characters: Kiryuu Ousuke.

If you are not up to date with the manga, be aware that there are major spoilers!! There is so much I want to say about him. He is such a polarizing character, with such a complex psyche it just makes me want to dissect his behavior every time he appears. I will share some of my thoughts about him with you. Ousuke is first introduced to us as a happy-go-lucky guy. One of the two male members of the Meiryou Koto Club (Although we never knew much about Tsutsumin until recently). He seems shallow, a flirt, and it doesn't look like he takes much seriously. It is also a mask. A shield he wears to guard an insecure little boy that is afraid to be left alone, and who has taught himself to be a leader in the darkness. We can glimpse early on that there's more to Ousuke than what he shows, in some of his off-handed comments while talking to the Tokise Koto Club. With a smile that makes goosebumps raise in your arms, he lets us readers know that with just a glimpse, he can see inside the hearts of every person he crosses. He understands their behaviors, strengths, and weaknesses... And he will use them to guide his club and himself toward his goals.

I will go ahead and say it: He is scary. He is the kind of guy who would be a tyrant and a villain if he used his abilities for evil. And that's where his character becomes beautiful and devastating to me. He doesn't become one. He becomes a leader with one of the purest and most ancient purposes known to mankind. Make the woman he loves happy. We learn of Ousuke's backstory in chapter 23. A sickly child, he describes his own childhood as "Just my room and the scenery outside the window. The hospital bed and the smell of medicine. And a sweet melody coming from somewhere I don't know". Growing up isolated is hard. Being sick is just terrible. Not being able to do anything to change that is miserable. You understand that other children go outside, play, fight, make up, and laugh with one another. And while you want to do the same, build relationships, and just do as others and live, your body betrays you. Other children will hardly change their routines to accommodate you... Even less if they barely see you and they don't know you at all. So, simply put, Ousuke circumstances leave him starved for human connection with no ability to change his situation. We can see that when some of his classmates invite him to play with him on one of the rare occasions he is able to attend school. Ousuke knows he shouldn't, but he agrees to play with them because this is his chance to actually make friends... And maybe he will not be so lonely if he can fit in, just that one time. But he collapses, and the parents of the other children scold them for putting Ousuke's health at risk.

The kids get mad at Ousuke because "They got in trouble because of him". Ousuke's illness is thrown in his face. There is a clear line drawn between himself and the other kids. A line that tells him that "He is meant to be alone".

And suddenly Asano appears in his life. A lively girl who wears her heart on her sleeve, she is the one person who extends her hand to Ousuke to lead him to a bright world full of music, smiles, and belonging.

She is not like the other kids. Instead of disregarding Ousuke, she finds a way for them to be together. Ousuke's illness was such a huge part of his life, it practically became his identity. And Asano looked at the illness and said "This is nothing". Alone in his room, Ousuke always longed for the sweet melody that he could hear in the distance. Asano took Ousuke's hand and brought him to that unknown place that would become his home, and the one thing he would protect with his life. No, not the koto. The girl who brought the koto to him and destroyed with a smile any notion of him "meaning to be alone".

From here, we, for the first time, see what the real Ousuke is like. He is happy and so open with his emotions! And allow me to inform you, he will not hesitate to tell anyone who will listen that he loves Asa-chan. And that love gets thrown in his face like it's something foul. Other children start taunting them for being so close. "Asano, you like younger boys? How dirty"... But Asano won't be intimidated and pretty much tells them to go take a hike. It reminds me in some way of Chika when he said that telling someone you love them should not be something to be embarrassed about. Again, this girl WILL tell you how she feels and will wear her emotions on her sleeve.

However, the bullying escalates, slowly turning into harassment. And Ousuke is terrified. Not for him, but for her. Because if it gets worse, there is no way he can stay by her side without her being hurt. Without her ultimately losing her smile...

So Ousuke puts on a carefully crafted mask that will shield her from hurt. A mask that will hide the real Ousuke, but will allow him to be by her side to protect her.

And in the process, Ousuke discovers that he has a very very rare talent. While he doesn't like people (in general) all that much, he can see them. For him, they are like a book laid open for him to read, and the information he learns from those books molds his mask. People will not hurt Asa-chan, not on his watch. He understands how much of himself to show people, who he has to become in front of them for them to put their trust in him. Because having their trust also means they also hear his suggestions. Having their trust means they will not want to hurt or harass those he loves.

No, Ousuke does not like people. He has been burned too many times for that to happen. People can be shitty and will throw your weaknesses in your face. But Ousuke loves, fiercely. And he will do anything in his power to protect the happiness of the few he gives his love to. And at the top of that list, by far, is Asano.

We, as readers, come to understand where those veiled smiles of his come from. And is a privilege reserved only for us. Because no one else gets to see behind his mask anymore.

Not Yotchan, who was his first koto teacher. He believes Ousuke understands and adjusts to people so well because he likes them. Ousuke in response gives him the smile and says "I wish it was because of such a beautiful reason".

Not his classmates nor clubmates, who only know a happy-go-lucky guy who they rely on when it comes to koto. A guy who will smile and laugh with you and actually gives incredible suggestions, who somehow brings the very best out of their sound.

Not even Asano... The only person he will drop his mask with... But who is not able to distinguish the Ousuke who always said "I love Asa-chan" from the masked one who will flirt and be a playboy with every other girl.

I called this post "The tragedy of Kiryuu Ousuke" because, for me, Ousuke is the one character in this manga whose efforts simply never give him the reward everyone is rooting him to get: To Asano to look at him and realize he is a man who loves her fiercely and sacrificed his own self just to be by her side and protect her smile.

Because, for Asano, there never really was a change. That child grew up alongside her and grew to be a social butterfly. He is funny, he is happy, he is a flirt, and he takes the koto very seriously. He brings brightness and certainty to the koto world she loves so much.

Ousuke truly developed a rare skill. He is able to see others for who they truly are... And he doesn't judge them for it. When you pause and look at it you come to realize that Ousuke truly doesn't blame people for the things they do or how they act, even if they hurt him. Ousuke objectively understands that those behaviors come from people's circumstances. And as such he is the one who adjusts to them. He is the one that, within his capabilities, molds himself to fit. Who communicates, will hear their concerns, and will try to fix everything so everyone in the bright world Asa-chan brought him to can be happy.

And above it all... He also sees himself as he truly is behind the mask. Every insecurity, every weakness, every ugly part... He acknowledges and faces them. And only we, the readers, get to see them through his eyes.

And this is the moment to address the elephant in the room. Ousuke's biggest insecurity: The fact that the person he loves most in the world... Loves someone else.

You see, being able to understand people so well is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he is able to discern, regardless of appearances, the goodness within people. With one glance.

He is also able to see the bullshit. The people who lash out because of some bias. And he will call them out on it.

On the other, he can also see that the girl he loves has a smile that is reserved uniquely for their school advisor. That he is the one she will look for when she needs a shoulder to cry on, and whose approval she will ask for just after a major performance.

And it hurts. Because maybe all his work, all his efforts to protect her happiness and her world are meaningless. Because maybe it is his own selfishness and need to be by her side that confined him behind the mask. Because maybe she never needed him to do that. Because maybe she only needs Yotchan, and he is just a secondary character in her life, while for him, she is his life.

And it is a tragedy because he makes peace with that fact. He is not expecting Asano to recognize the Ousuke behind the mask. He in fact doesn't even expect her to return his feelings. Because he will be happy as long as he can be by her side while she smiles. And any insecurity that may threaten that? Even if they are his own feelings? Even if it's his true self?

He will crush it.

And I, as a reader who got the privilege to look at his true self, can just root for his tragedy to end. Because I want to be a little bit selfish, and let the guy truly win. Not the Nationals everyone is so focused on, and he wants to gift to the girl he loves to get one of those smiles... But a future where she smiles at his side... And she looks at him and loves him for who he truly is.

[onwriting-hrarby]

I'm sorry I have been missing a bit from here, and I still have some answers to catch up to, but it's been an intense week (turned 29!) and I was feeling a little bit down with writing (probably got the RJ ending blues).

At least, I hope I can upload two parts of "on writing endings" (or maybe just one) on how I crafted the last RJ chapter, if anyone is interest. More of a literary analysis, so to say.

I have also been writing a Chika/Satowa fic (from the super manga Kono Oto Tomare) that I plan to upload during April! I'm kinda excited to be sharing something to a new fandom.

I still want to write the rm piece, and the runaway au (although I wouldn't like to write for eremika again, so we'll see), but I am not planning to delve into fanfiction every day just like how I have been doing these past two years.

My novel is going good, though, despite my overall I-won't-ever-publish horrible thoughts. I actually spent my 28's last hours plotting the whole novel with chapters :) I'll show you soon, because I have been finding THE OTHER PLOTS of my other novels and I think it's a picture is worth taken.

I hope you're fine 💗

[magicpotatothoughts]

REVIEW | My Thoughts on Kono Oto Tomare!

MENTIONS: Kono Oto Tomare 1st and 2nd season spoilers, Haikyuu Spoilers, musical analysis in an anime, treatment of music as a storytelling device and music as a non-diegetic device

I don't know why as a musician/composer, I have so many PTW music-themed anime but I always feel to some degree a bit too scared to start them. But somehow after coming across Kono Oto Tomare! on a funny anime moments compilation video on youtube, I decided to give this series a try. I was curious about this series because of a few reasons: 1) I saw a noticeable difference between MAL score for the first and second seasons 2) the art looked so clean and beautiful, similar to that Chihayafuru, one of my favourite josei series. I was so surprised to also find out that Kono Oto Tomare! was in fact labelled as shounen so I was curious as to see how a club-focused anime on a traditional instrument such as the koto would play out. After completing both seasons I have to say, I'm really glad I gave this series a go! But I do have quite a bit of mixed feelings around it. And I think partially that comes from my background in music. I want to talk about music in this anime as three separate things: 1) Music as a plot and thematic device, now be labelled as "Musical Practice" 2) Diegetic music any music that the characters play and hear that are the "Koto music" 3) Non-diegetic music that enhance the drama of the story that the characters can't hear which are the bgm "background music"

THEME - MUSICAL PRACTICE

Musical Practice in this anime is dealt with absolutely fantastically. To be honest, I was nervous for this anime because it is something quite complicated and might not able to be well-illustrated or explained to someone without formal musical training, but this anime actually does this quite well. Kono Oto Tomare! was able to cover quite complex issues such as: a) Teaching and Performing are different things b) trust between duet partners c) watching someone play and explaining music works differently for people (Chika is 100% a visual learner) d) Performance anxiety and how to overcome it e) Ensemble dynamics on and off-stage, how to recover on-stage f) cues (Houzuki giving a louder downbeat and Kouta helping everyone mentally recover g) the importance of focusing on polishing the basics and even one note h) difference between classical and modern repertoires i) difference between what judges value in competitions j) composition and arrangement and the relationship between the creator and performer h) roles within the ensemble and how to bring out the abilities of your other players I am so incredibly impressed at the vastness of issues that the managed to cover in a mere 26 episodes of 2 seasons. I think it was a huge feat that the mangaka/studio tried to incorporate all of that on top of trying to get the audience comfortable with the koto, which I presume alot of people actually won't know much about or even heard about. Tackling Musical Practice and especially one that is instrumental, rather than vocal (like in NANA), without words it's quite hard to explain music. I felt like they managed to explain the key aspects of musical playing and ensemble work quite well. Of course as a composer, I liked the focus on composition and arranging, I wished there was even more of a focus on that, I wished more music anime focused on the art of composition. I also really enjoyed their tackling of the Festival Arc performance, when someone makes a mistake, people spiralling and then them recovering mid-performance and it changes the mood of the performance. That's absolutely something that happens in real life and that Episode 13 Season 1 was really well written. Another highlight was when Touka couldn't understand the upbeats and the club advisor helped him (kinaesthetically) to remove a sticky-note. Changes in ways of teaching really changes the results of how well students receive the knowledge!

PLOT AND CHARACTER

Since the story is so inherently tied to character growth and dynamics, I think it's inevitable that I talk about these two categories together. This is also the section of the blog where my feelings for this anime gets a bit murky. Once again, I wanted to say, I think it's really interesting just how much character development they tried to pack into 26 episodes. Not only did we get background and flashbacks on all of our main characters but also our rival school teams as well as the the teachers and I really liked the consistent highlight of the relationship between the elderly and the youth. It's really adorable that the old grandma and Chika's grandpa made constant appearances and definitely are shown to have had a huge positive impact on Chika and the other characters. I think it's really refreshing to see that in an anime, especially also when dealing with a traditional instrument such as the Koto, the threads between historical and modern worlds are strongly tied. I also enjoyed the foil of Houzuki and Akira, both were in a way rivals to begin with but they were equally sustaining pressures from the older generation and music became less fun. As a musician, I really related to that. I did absolutely adore about the anime are: a) the humour moments between the characters b) THANK GOODNESS, no fan-service! c) The amazing amount of focus on the female characters. I loved the focus on all the main female leads and their struggles. This is why even after watching it, it felt so much like a Josei anime to me. d) the show has amazing dialogue and quotes that were extremely profound and actually However, the focus on the sheer LARGE number of characters and their growth was certainly, at least in my opinion, a double-edged sword for Kono Oto Tomare! Each of the character's focus/flashbacks are episodic and in some ways, heart-felt moments are glossed over too quickly while some moments felt too dramaticised....A whole 10 minutes dedicated to flashbacks feel really off. It maybe got slightly better in the second season but generally speaking, this vast focus on many characters made me feel like I was playing a role-playing game like Uta no☆Prince-sama♪ because there was character growth don't get me wrong, they feel interrupted or could have slowly been revealed over several episodes. I don't know if the studio was trying to take an approach similar to Haikyuu!!, but I think the reason why Haikyuu works well in the later seasons by episodically focusing on the other characters is because the other teams are well assigned in a prescribed role on the court, there are already pre-established lovable foils of them in the Kurasuno team. This is why I think the audience loves them straight away and that small episodic flashback enhances the love that we already feel for them while also highlighting the small quirks that makes them unique. Take Atsumu and Osumu, immediately looking at them for two seconds, their competitiveness feel akeen to Hinata and Kageyama's. Kono Oto Tomare! doesn't quite work because in ensembles, roles change as with each piece and the characters in the rival schools are incredibly different from our Tokise High School. But that's not to say they weren't cool characters, they were, but I wished the studio were more selective about which characters to focus on and TAKE THEIR TIME in allowing us as the audience to form a genuine and strong bond with our characters.

MUSIC

Another incredibly murky category. The thing that frustrates me about this anime is that there are things that are done SO INCREDIBLY WELL and then there are things that are subpar in comparison. The Koto Music in this anime is absolutely stunning. I know nothing about koto music or the instrument.Every single koto piece that was showcased in this anime was so beautiful. It was such a delight for me to find out that actually Migiwa Hashimoto, the sister of the mangaka actually wrote Tenkyu and some of the other pieces. At first, I didn't really care for Tenkyu when I heard the opening, but the arrangement, despite it being similar to a 4-chord modern song, is actually quite complicated and beautiful. I was incredibly impressed at how touching that piece is. I very much enjoyed the wealth of repertoires from the other schools as well as Tenkyu's transformation from a 'desperate scream' into a 'warm-cry'. I loved how each time, I could hear the Koto club levelling up in their skill-level in each subsequent repertoire that they performed.

HOWEVER, the background music....especially for a music anime....was mediocre to say the least and the treatment of it was so disappointing at its worst. I don't really like any of the OP and ED themes, I enjoyed the cool Koto arrangement of the first OP theme and that's it. BUT, the biggest let-down isn't the background music itself, it's the poor placement, editing and directing of the music. Firstly, background music was playing at least 95% of the time. The overuse of music means that the audience don't have enough time to gather their own emotions. Emotions are prescribed to them and they can distract from the wonderful dialogue that we actually have in the show. Secondly, the background music feels like it came straight out of a music library and transitions weren't carefully considered at all. Take for example, in certain scenes, Chika would say something profound that was heartwarming for another character and then all of a sudden it was back to humour but there is literally no fade or anything sort of harmonic transition that made the background music in this anime cohesive at all. But take Made in Abyss where the background music is seamlessly weaved together and the transition from creeping dread to devastating dread is gorgeously illustrated. Or take any episode of Natsume's Book of Friends and listen to how seamless the final piano track melts into the ED credits of each episode. Natsume doesn't even have a mindblowing ost at all but you can definitely tell that the music editting was carefully considered to allow emotions to be paced well and flow comfortably from one scene to another. Kono Oto Tomare! made me disappointed in the music department because for a music-themed anime, I guess my expectations were set higher than most anime when listening out for the music and I feel so conflicted because the standards between the Koto music and the background music are worlds apart. Voice acting was good! I didn't have much to comment about it! I think the female voice actors portrayed the females really well, especially Houzoki slowly becoming less cold and warmer.

ANIMATION

Art style is really clean and beautiful! The colours and really soft and pleasant on the eyes, which is another reason why I thought this anime was josei or shoujo! It kind of makes me wonder why we have these categories in the first place for club-themed/passion-themed animes, I think we shouldn't categorise them based on gendered demographic since they are really similar! So much of the anime kind of reminded of other anime, which I guess is not a good thing or a bad thing, like I think that's why in the first place it sort of drew me to watching the anime. Like the three idiots in this anime reminded of of the three idiots in Maid Sama, some of the character designs reminded of Your Lie in April. However, I feel like the character designs were a bit plain, I wished there were something small aesthetically about them that were added to make them stand out from all the other school-based anime.

The three idiots from this anime and Maid Sama

Kurata and Kazusa from this anime and Your Lie in April MC

I don't know the budget for this anime but I can 100% tell that the studio spent all their budget on Ep 5, Ep 13 S1 and Ep 12 of S2, which are all the main Koto Performances sequences. The animation of the Koto performances are absolutely breathtaking, the camera angles, the smoothness of the hand movements, the vibration of the strings, the body movements of the players, the visualisations of the notes and the score, everything is superbly done. So therefore, it saddens me to say that therefore the other episodes just felt a bit underwhelming because there was a lot of still-pan shots. But I think they got away with a lot of it because of how pretty the colours and the clean look of the art-style is. I wished, and this is in relation to the story, music and animation categories, that they just showed the rehearsal koto pieces for a bit longer. This is what I noticed a lot with other "arts/sports-related" anime, (I also gave Welcome to the Ballroom this feedback) that because I think the studios are scared that showing us the final product multiple times because they think that multiple showings could lose our reaction to the final stage performance, we get like literally 1 second snapshots of characters rehearsing the piece or demonstrating a piece in rehearsals. I don't think so! Academic research shows that familiarity of a piece/work through repetition actually enhances how much we like a work! I don't think they needed to show an entire performance, but literally we got max 10 seconds of a piece during rehearsals and that's simply not enough. An anime I think that does this well to show the evolution of a work improving is Yuri!! on Ice where we see a few repetitions of the same work, Eros, first danced by Victor, then subtle improvements from Yuri as the series progresses. I think that was so superbly well done and one of the most memorable performances according to that anime's fandom. Kono Oto Tomare! is such an interesting anime because I don't think a music anime has really made me think this hard about 'music' in an anime before and how it's treated and utilised or how it's addressed as a story device. All in all, I am really glad I watched it and i want to commend on Platinum Vision for giving this a really good crack! I am aware that this studio has only been operating for 5 years (3 if you consider when this anime was released!) and they decided to take many risks with this anime, they tried to pack so much into 26 episodes. Also LOVE the amount of FEMALE development in this anime! This studio has a lot of potential! I will be expecting a lot more from them in the coming years and I know that they will get up there with the big names like Madhouse and Kyoto Animation and create some truly amazing works!

Final Score: 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔/10

[placed-on-a-pedestal]

Some posts I have planned

Although new ideas for analysis suddenly come to me when I watch something, there have always been a few topics that I’ve wanted to talk and elaborate on for the longest time; some I already have in the drafts or am still collecting info on, and would like to share as a preview in case anyone is interested. However, I’ll have to apologize, for I don’t think I’ll have the time to upload frequently due to schedules and all the scenes and arcs I may have to rewatch and reread in order to do a character, theme or situation justice, which I’ll try my best to do. Here are some things I have in the works/am thinking of:

(Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) Mitsuki: A path to self discovery

(Tokyo Revengers) Takemichi as a refreshing new perspective of the shōnen MC trope

(One piece) One piece’s portrayal of weakness and why it’s so great

(Naruto/Naruto Shippuden/Boruto) Chōji: A story of insecurity, doubt and acceptance

(One piece) Ace: his life, his thoughts and the happiness of being loved

(Naruto + Kono oto tomare) A debate on Talent vs Hard work

(Chihayafuru + Tokyo Revengers) Wakamiya Shinobu, Kisaki Tetta and the mindset of a great antagonist

(Tetsugaku Letra) The struggles of being human

(Scissor Seven) Scissor Seven and its amazing showcase of character depth

(Naruto + MHA) Fights as a device for character insight

Some of these may change titles, some other ideas I have thought of may be posted before any of these and others may not really be developed on for a long long time; still, these are all themes I am really invested on and I hope others will find interesting as well. Thank you for reading.

[beteranoob]

Koi wo shiranai bokutachi wa 34

lol I bought the magazine online as I cannot wait to know what happened after the kiss. 

I always had a hunch that Koharu have a feelings for Eiji. That’s why her reaction to him is always deadpan or angry cause she is trying to hide it. She is trying to keep it civil with Eiji. Looks like the kindness that Eiji shown that made Ikezawa fall in love with him, is the same kindness that made Koharu fall for Eiji. Aside that is, she is aware of the other person who love Eiji and understands she must make way for her for Koharu felt she dont deserve it. Seeing that Ikezawa strives hard to get to Eiji must be hard for her to see that Ikezawa’s effort will be crushed by her. I’m really seeing that she is the opposite of Ikezawa who said she only see Eiji for now and doesnt care with the other people another her which is her weakness while Koharu will see first if what she will be doing will affect the others. Hate the way Koharu handles it but after all she went through, its not surprising that she will do that.

Eiji, although he is shocked, He knew the inside outs of Koharu on what she is thinking right now and what she will do.That made me realize that they have come so far.  I am curious what will they talk about in case Eiji will be granted to talk with Koharu. Poor Eiji though cause he needs to sort out his feeling fast.

Funny thing though both Eiji and Koharu is not pointing out who kissed first. They knew that they kissed one another, meaning they knew on themselves they initiated the kiss. LOL. That what makes them compatible.

It was a fun chapter and I get to see the POV of Koharu which is great and long overdue for me. She is one of the mysteries that I want to analyze more. Also the buildup leading to this moment is great. First I am interested on how Eiji and Ikezawa fall for one another but slowly I am interested to see Koharu on how her relationship with Eiji will fare. At the end of the chapter it’s Eiji’s call. He is the key on these happenings.

For future chapters, I expect Koharu will do something more drastic other than making Eiji and Ikezawa hate her and throwing herself out of the circle of Eiji. But yeah of course I hope Eiji will understand, save and wont let her do any dangerous. Truth is I’m seeing Koharu transforming into a anti-hero which I hope not. Also would like to see the scenario of Koharu and Ikezawa interchange POV’s like Koharu will only see Eiji and Ikezawa will care more those around her.

There’s one unrealistic though its only been days since Eiji and Koharu settled the issue with Izumi and Bessho and they are jumping immediately for another love. Well i guess their feelings for one another has been buildup in previous chapters so I can overlook that one.

I really love this manga. Really the pros of this manga outweighs the cons. It has the right amount of angst that I’m looking for in a romance manga and so far it has overtaken Kono Oto Tomare by miles in terms of my favorite reads monthly.

Would love to do a character analysis on Koharu and Ikezawa some time :)

[themangaguide]

It has been my evaluation

futari ecchi manga - Heavy gore and Extreme nakedness! The tale of futari ecchi comply with a cameraman employed by the Film Research Club aka the major personality, Machiya Tomohiro. The one thing he really wants out there to film and also report. He bumps in to a woman called Mashiro Mai, that needs him to report her day-to-day life oneday. Being the person that Machiya is, he remains to film her for that next couple of times and allows. Something leads to an additional as well as quickly Machiya sees that Mashiro is just a bitch.

futari ecchi truly radiates upon itself onto it's art, due to Kitakawa Touta, however my worry is just how difficult it tries to be to, "reach be the several edgiest manga" within the story-line. I'll touch out that everything previous section one is just a dissatisfaction although I will not be messing up something that happens after section one. The structure of the story definitely will flatter this, and is just remarkable, showing exactly how insane people might be only for appeal and package, however it'll give you down that it only type repeats itself for that following numerous sections. All-they do and also require is homicide and also intercourse, offering a that it simply repeats itself regularly to you. After area 15, it merely palls and also ridiculous, attempting to preserve up itself. For me, for that art provided that you do not relate entirely to the tale and also only usually stay. Something that really grinds my points may be the figures.

The kono oto tomare personalities are standard motto, level and not intriguing as much as I anticipated. And while reading futari ecchi, you can see that the major character does not have significance out there and simply stays there for item comfort. Afterwards, you have a side personality, who's a crazy yandere bitch that'll do anything for the cash as well as popularity(or just downright ridiculous). Every other character introduced may simply make you irritated to the phase you are wondering 'when can they die?' as well as the sequence would certainly drop totally if that thought actually developed from my mind. You release the water gateways or don't feeling for that figures but instead to simply toss a tent.

The setting of the story in futari ecchi is rather preferred too. You've the high-school, the MC home, sometimes the SC home additionally it just truly does not supply much in the direction of the table. Although complying with the so or 12 sections, the atmosphere modifications totally that will be terrific in ways nonetheless the reality does not change that the story itself is sort of boring.

Poor records the art is simply excellent although apart, I Have actually been discussing this a good deal within the examination. Exactly how a expressions are, the gore as well as additionally the actions actually offers an exceptional experience worrying the history to you. It might appear typical as well as regular concentrate a lot although the really first numerous frameworks concerning it is fairly sensible and also the numbers experiences.

It has been my evaluation if whatever is all over the area and so I apologize or there's grammar errors yet I thanks for examining and also obtaining your own time this much! I'll give my basic consensus.

As someone that absolutely likes reading manga online, I'm offering this manga a 7/10. The essential reason that it's any kind of raise is due to the art alone. The account is special in means yet it does not soft to create it appear unique and also unique in its' way and remains to evaluate so tough to become edgy it's an entire block. The numbers are boring and also plain also it just does not make me desire to proceed analysis. If you must be below for that titties then appreciate them because it can obtain boring although it continues. Please head over to https://bestlightnovels.site123.me/blog/every-tiny-technique-is-utilized for other relevant information

[kotos-and-smiles]

Earned Second Chances

Looking back through kot chapters the other day, realizing this idea that Chika has had with Uzuki about having to move on from the past, that the past won’t disappear so all we can do is act from where we are right now, all that is the same attitude we saw Satowa have in ch.104 towards herself, when she expressed her regret over the way she treated Chika in the past, and came to the realization that there was nothing she could do about that past treatment, all she can do is act in the here and now and never let go of his hand again (a promise she’s kept). Like these panels are near paralleling what people’s attitudes have been to Uzuki lately, and something that Uzuki himself seems to be trying to take in and believe himself worthy of. This also honestly could relate quite well to Tomoe, though on a very different scale as it has for Satowa and Uzuki. Also an interesting difference is that this is something Satowa took on entirely herself, this feeling of responsibility and realization that it was up to her to change her current actions and be better now and in the future despite the past, because there’s nothing she can do about the past. Whereas Uzuki has to be told that he doesn’t just have to wallow in self-hatred, not even he deserves that, and that he and Chika both need to move on because that’s all they can do now. That’s really all there is to do. Chika is the one with enough maturity and desire to not let this have power over him anymore to be able to say that to Uzuki. So interesting that in some ways, both Chika and Satowa have realized this about certain situations, while Uzuki is in a very different place to them. 

Of course, this isn’t the first time redemption has been explored in this manga. Not nearly. Hiro, Akira, and Chiharu (Satowa’s mom) have all had similar treatment. It isn’t really about righting past wrongs, cuz sometimes you can’t, it’s all about moving forward and treating each other better now with the acknowledgment that the past happened but doesn’t have to determine their future.

As Isaki mentioned in ch.124, it really does take great strength to be able to face what you’ve done to people in the past, and also great strength to give people second chances. But it is also extremely powerful to decide to act differently now than you did in the past. It is powerful that Chika and Satowa can both realize and be in a place to not let the past hold the reins on their present life and try to move on from it, with the people who have wronged them and with themselves. And both Chika and satowa have had to find ways of forgiving themselves and moving forward for their mistakes in the past for a better future, and knowing they deserve that which was a hard journey for both, as well as having to do that with other people.

I think this is what makes characters getting second chances so believable. They aren’t just given a free pass and forgiven. Their past actions are acknowledged by both parties, it just doesn’t stop either of them from moving forward and deciding a better future. Slates aren’t wiped clean, a conscious decision is made to move beyond the past. This also involves in depth understanding of the characters on both sides, has to be mutual, and forgiveness and second chances feel so earned. It’s not perfect, but it doesn’t have to be, both parties just have to put in the work and open to doing so. And again, it just feels so earned. It’s not that the characters who made mistakes aren’t at fault, it’s that the people they wronged are able and willing to move on from the past together with them.

Anyway, this was far longer of a ramble than I intended and I kinda lost focus, but there are a lot of mistakes made and redemption to be earned in this manga, and it works so incredibly well.

[kotos-and-smiles]

Chapter 107 Analysis and Rambling

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CH.107 OF KOT!

I’ll be referring to the translation by @tessenpai​, which you can click here to read if you haven't already.

Oof, what a chapter. Uzuki’s backstory always gives me so much to analyze. One of the things that honestly interested me the most in this chapter is Abiko’s role in all of this. He is certainly an agent of destruction but is also more aware of some things than I thought. I’ve been working on a full character analysis of Uzuki for a while now, which I’ll post a bit later, but I really wanted to examine this chapter on its own because there’s quite a lot here.

This chapter starts off with flashbacks from Uzuki’s perspective that pick up from ch.103. We see more of Uzuki inserting himself into Chika’s crowd and how Abiko helped him with that, which I find quite interesting. In all this, Uzuki says that he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, which is very telling of his family situation because we know his family is financially well-off and yet Uzuki still feels he has nowhere, he absolutely does not want to return home of all places. This acts as an interesting comparison to Chika and his family situation and even how Chika felt about it. (side note: I find it kind of funny that even though Uzuki is from a well-off family he still emphasizes that Satowa is from a higher class, different world. I know Satowa’s world is different from Uzuki’s as well, but I’ve just never thought of the fact that both of them came from a different socio-economic class than Chika, yet Uzuki thinks it’s fine for him to be with Chika but strange for Satowa to be.) As Abiko starts spreading rumors about Uzuki, we see Chika’s true nature shine through in that he’d be willing to deny those rumors if they aren’t true, as always he’s looking to hear the truth from the person themself before believing things he hears other people say. Then we see Chika defending and looking out for Uzuki when people essentially try to take advantage of him. This is when we really see Uzuki get not just intrigued by Chika, but attached. Beyond the cold exterior and dead eyes, Uzuki feels Chika’s warmth. He finally feels cared for in a way his parents never cared for him. He can belong in this place beside Chika. But Chika gets pulled away from him, into the light, by a person who cared enough to help. Uzuki doesn’t have a person who would help him like that, the only person he might have that’s like that would be Chika, and now Chika is leaving. It’s just so interesting to see some of Chika’s backstory from Uzuki’s perspective and how completely different they feel. As the title of this chapter “Moon and Sun” even suggests Chika and Uzuki contrast each other in interesting ways, both glowing brightest at different times, in different situations, providing different amounts of light.

This is such a beautiful look at this same event through different perspectives

While Chika’s world got lighter and full of people, Uzuki’s world only got lonelier and darker.

Now, just as what happened with his parents as they continually found different partners to be with, Uzuki is abandoned once more, and Abiko basically rubs it in his face. Something I find fascinating is that Abiko is entirely aware that “Chika hated this place to begin with. But I am sure he will be very happy at that old man’s place.” I don’t know why it always surprises me that Uzuki and Abiko actually did know Chika a bit, but I just find this line really interesting. Uzuki is in denial that Chika has left, whereas Abiko is entirely aware that Chika probably won’t be coming back because he never liked it there and that he’ll be happy with his grandfather. I guess I just assumed for a while they completely didn’t know Chika at all and were just caught up with a twisted picture of a different version of Chika, but they actually do see some of who he really is. In fact, Abiko kind of hits the nail on the head, except for the fact that Chika never intentionally abandoned Uzuki, he just moved on. Abiko, however, decided to highlight the most painful thing for Uzuki, which is that he’s not even worth the trouble for Chika to come back for. Now, Uzuki is mad at Chika for what he looks at as a betrayal (which in large part comes from a lack of communication because Chika never intentionally meant to hurt Uzuki and didn’t even know that he was because he didn’t realize how much Uzuki cared about staying with him). Uzuki feels like he’s always the one being left alone, and he’s tired of it, so he tries to take back what he feels has been taken from him. With a push from Abiko, Uzuki decided to do what he’d never done with his own family, which is to destroy it, thinking that breaking Chika again would force him to come back so that Uzuki could be the person that’s there for him. But, as Uzuki realizes by the end of the chapter, and has been realizing through chapters 105 and 106, he can’t be there for Chika in the same way others are.

That’s the end of the flashback, so now we return to the current confrontation in which Tetsuki and the rest of the club (minus Momoya and Yoshinaga) have shown up. Tetsuki’s speech is probably one of my favorite moments of the entire manga (which I feel like I say every other post, but these chapters have been amazing and important). I just can’t get over how good it is. It encapsulates Chika and Tetsuki’s entire relationship so, so well, and is just such an amazing moment. “If we fell down together, then I wouldn’t be able to pull him up,” is such a great line. “But I decided to stand in the light with him. Don’t mess with me,” I love this sentiment so, so much. It’s such a beautiful way to look at friendship in my opinion. Like, yes, you’ll always be there for that person, maybe you fall down together or more likely when one falls the other is always there to pull you up, and both of you can stand in the light together. I truly adore this part so much. And I love how Tetsuki says it. He’s mad and so done and just stating the way he sees things, and those things happen to be really great. And then after all that he’s like “oh, yeah, and I called the police,” *queue intimidating Tetsuki smile*. I still desperately want to learn more about who Tetsuki contacted. Like, now I’m pretty sure we’ve seen him, but I need a lot more questions answered.

I loved seeing the whole club (again, minus the two newer members) together again. I love how Hiro and Takezou are protectively in front of Satowa and Chika respectively, like, my babies protecting my babies, I love them all! I am so happy that Satowa was actually recording the confrontation with Uzuki and that they now have evidence against him. Like, thank god. I love this panel of sparkly koto club being all happy about this, too.

I hope I’m not the only one who found it really funny when Abiko looked over to Uzuki for a plan and was like “damn, okay, he finally actually broke? Time to fuck shit up on my own then.” Obviously, I hate that Abiko once again tried to hurt anyone in the club or Tetsuki, but it was oh so satisfying to see Tetsuki punch him in the gut like that. Also love how they’re all thinking this through so well. I’ve been thinking for a while now that Tetsuki could potentially beat some people up if need be because he isn’t part of the koto club (not that I wanted him to get in trouble), so I’m glad they pointed that out. And I like that Takezou got the evidence that it was out of self-defense. We coverin all our bases.

After the police come in and apprehended Uzuki, we come to the final conversation of the chapter between Uzuki and Momoya. This conversation shows just how much Momoya has come to treasure his memories with the club and his place in the club. But this is particularly interesting from Uzuki’s perspective in my opinion because this is the first time we see Uzuki acknowledging who he actually is to Chika.

This made me look back to a couple moments from chapters 105 and 106.

First is this one, in which Chika says he won’t come back because he wants to be with the club. This moment takes Uzuki aback. It’s the first time I think Uzuki realizes that Chika maybe has changed. But while Uzuki does seem shaken it doesn’t sway any of his decisions. When Satowa shows up, Uzuki is once again shaken because I don’t think he was expecting anyone would actually come to defend Chika like this, much less an upper class girl from a “polar opposite world.” He’s repeatedly surprised at her actions, doesn’t understand what could motivate her or why she would do this for Chika of all people, which is when she conveys that she loves Chika. She loves Chika in a way that Uzuki could never dream to because it is not a selfish love, it is a love in which she truly wants him to be happy and to protect him. Uzuki doesn’t understand that type of love. Satowa is expressing her genuine love for Chika, how she wants him to be happy and smile, and Uzuki simply can’t love like that. No one has ever loved Uzuki like that either, enough to run into danger and risk everything just to protect him. I think that’s why he looses it and tries to get violent. Satowa is trying to take away the one person Uzuki felt cared for him in a gesture of such pure caring that Uzuki can’t hold his anger back anymore. 

How does Chika keep finding people who care about him this much when Uzuki has never been able to find that for himself? Why can’t he care for Chika like that? And with the entire club coming to protect Chika and Tetsuki’s speech in this chapter as well, Uzuki witnesses a type of friendship that he’s never thought of before. Once he sees what Chika has, I think Uzuki realizes why Chika wouldn’t choose to be beside someone like him. With Momoya, too, Uzuki knows that he can’t be that person for Chika, the one who accompanies him into the light. And it seems that Uzuki now wishes he could be that person. Uzuki is still in so much darkness and pain that he can’t simply wish for Chika’s happiness. There are still too many selfish emotions involved: a desire for Chika to keep being the same person that Uzuki liked, show the same caring for him, be in the same place as him.  Perhaps there’s regret and remorse over the fact that he wanted to drag Chika back to the dark because that’s where he still resides. Maybe he wishes he could meet Chika in the light, too. “I wish I could’ve taken your place…because I couldn’t wish for Chika’s happiness like that.”

But Uzuki has seriously fucked up. Perhaps he can heal someday, maybe Momoya could try to help him or at least be there for him, but honestly I still don’t know if I want a redemption arc for Uzuki, at least not one where he’s anywhere near the club. He’s done too much, and while he may have had some realizations over the past couple chapters, that is not nearly enough to have really changed him as a person. I think that, much like Chika when he started hurting people, Uzuki’s desire for destruction comes out of pain. There are ways to grow from it, and pull away from that, but I just don’t want to see Uzuki anywhere near the club and I don’t think they should necessarily have to forgive him for what he’s done. The main confrontation is done, but there’s going to be a lot of interesting aftermath to go through, and I’m excited to see it.

I’ll probably post my Uzuki character analysis soon. Hope it won’t be too repetitive though, so I might post something different next. We shall see. 

[kotos-and-smiles]

Chika and Satowa’s “Opposite Worlds”

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR KOT! Especially ch.69, some of ch.105, and a bit of ch.106

So, I was thinking about maybe doing a post not so centered on Chika and Satowa, even though they really are my favorite characters both individually and together, but then the last chapter happened, and if I was never gonna shut up about them before, I’m certainly not gonna shut up about them now.

Once again, in ch.106 it is mentioned that Chika and Satowa are from opposite worlds. This reminded me of one of my all-time favorite pages from the entire story in ch.69 which I’ll delve into more in depth in a bit.

We’ve seen from the beginning that neither of them really let this whole “different world” thing affect the way they treat each other. Sure, Satowa was a little entitled in some ways at first, and Chika used to tease her about being rich before he learned her family situation, but they didn’t really treat each other all that differently because of it. Satowa joined the club and stayed in the club because that’s where she wanted to be. All the talk about how she was from a different world than the others hurt her because she’d always been isolated because of her high skill and “different” stricter world. Of course, as the club has gotten closer and just more familiar with each other, this whole “different worlds” thing and different skill levels thing has become almost a non-issue at this point. Satowa never really wanted to be looked at differently because of her background, and she isn’t really now.

The main point we see this “different worlds” idea show up in the story now is in regards to Chika and his idea of being worthy to stand beside Satowa as he so wants to. Ch.69 is where we see this come out most clearly, as earlier on Chika didn’t really care about the whole “opposite worlds” bullshit. But things are different by ch.69 than they were when Hiro first came in, or when the club first had to deal with Kasuza. When they were first introduced, Hiro and Kasuza both championed the idea that Satowa didn’t belong because she was from a different world. When it came to Hiro, these comments got to Satowa, but then she was able to triumph over them, and Chika was just annoyed by this idea that Satowa was so different because of her skill or upbringing. He’s never underestimated her skill, but he’s also going to believe what she tells him first and his own experiences with her rather than what someone tell him. By the time Kasuza comes to the club, Satowa is more confident in her desire to stay in the club because that’s where she can find the sound she’s looking for. Chika is once again aggravated that people are acting like Satowa shouldn’t be with the club just because of her skill or upbringing because that’s where she wants to be and that’s what should matter. But by ch.69, Chika has gotten closer to Satowa. In ch.59 he promised her that he’ll catch up to her by nationals. Now, he wants to stand beside her and isn’t sure he’ll be able to. Whereas Kasuza is now happy that Chika is the one standing beside Satowa, playing with her, essentially finishing up Kasuza’s arc in that regard as she goes from hating that Satowa is playing with the club to being glad she’s playing with the club.

The point of Kasuza’s presence in this arc is so that she can basically come full circle and think of Chika as worthy of playing with Satowa. In some way, he is being accepted and being deemed worthy even if he doesn’t know it. He may be struggling with it, which shows the progression of his relationship with Satowa and how he’s come to care about and respect her even more now, enough that he’s worried about how he might be affecting her, but for Kasuza she started out believing that Chika and the rest of the club shouldn’t be anywhere near Satowa, and in ch.69, she’s accepting and even glad that they’re the ones standing beside Satowa. Kasuza realizes that the club makes Satowa stronger. She recognizes that the club has given Satowa what she really needed to make her sound grow even better which was an environment in which there was no hierarchy and everyone can work hard together. Kasuza, in the end, is even happy that Satowa has the club to play with and Chika by her side.

Now for one of my favorite pages in the chapter, and probably the manga (I really love and also cannot handle comparisons between younger Chika and Satowa)

In short, I love this page because it shows just how similar Chika’s and Satowa’s stories are even if they were in quite different life situations.  They may be from “different worlds” but they’ve had very similar experiences in some significant ways.

This page comes when Chika and the club are at Satowa’s performance to celebrate her reinstatement as the Houtsuki heir. This is a fancy koto event, which depicts the type of world that Satowa comes from. And, very importantly, it’s an event that Chika feels very out of place attending. He doesn’t know the norms around this group of people, he doesn’t understand this world, and Kasuza has to stop him from doing something bad that he didn’t even know would cause that much of a problem. He’s only wearing a suit and only brought a gift because it’s what Isaki told him to do. But he’s there for Satowa to hear her play. He’s there to celebrate her. She walks in, and looks amazing, but different to how she usually looks, like it’s not the same person Chika has gotten comfortable spending time with everyday at club. Then she starts playing and it’s the first song he ever heard her play, and she plays so well, and at this event where he feels very uncomfortable, Satowa begins to seem very far away. “I’ve gotten too close to her. I didn’t realize at all. Just how… far away you were.”  

He feels like this is really the world she belongs in, and there’s no place for him in that because he doesn’t belong. But of course, she actually loves the club. It’s where she feels most herself, most comfortable. She loves playing with everyone, and has since very early on, and she knows how big a part they all are in her life. So really, he’s gotten close to the real her.

Then the page shows a series of images from Chika’s and Satowa’s lives, from their childhood through middle school, and it shows just how similar their experiences are even if they lived in different or opposite worlds.

They both lost a parent at a young age. Chika’s mother abandoned him when he was two, and he has no memories of her. Satowa’s father died when she was quite young, though she does have memories of him. From everything that’s mentioned or shown about Satowa’s father, it seems he was a good dad, one that Satowa has good memories of, and there certainly isn’t anything that implies she has any trauma related to him. Except that she did lose him, leaving her with just her mother and putting a strain on their relationship.

Both Chika and Satowa were isolated from their respective social groups, outcasts. It’s mentioned in ch.99.5 that Chika was an outcast in school, people thought badly of him, and Tetsuki points out that people had the wrong idea about him and that he was just awkward and bad with words. Other than Tetsuki, Chika had no friends. Satowa had no friends at all. As she’s stated before, she lived in an adult’s world. Her seriousness toward koto and her ability set her apart from people her age, so she only ever really played or interacted with adults.

Then comes the neglect from each of their parents. Chika’s father was probably never really there for him, but as Chika got older his father started pulling away more and more. This is also the time Satowa’s mother stopped listening to her as much, and Satowa started growing apart from her mother as she couldn’t get through to her. Both Chika and Satowa were each trying to be good for their parents, but as they grew older it backfired, creating distance between themselves and their parents. Satowa turned to koto, trying her best to make her mother proud. Chika began to realize that his father would never love, accept, or support him, much less be proud of him. As the fights with his father ramped up, Chika began to hang with a bad crowd and get into fights as a way of lashing out and expressing his pent up emotions. Satowa tried to express herself through koto but it miserably failed to get through to her mother. So, both Chika and Satowa ended up alone and hurting, until they both found the club. Well, for Chika first he had his granddad and then he found the club after his death, but you get it. For Satowa she really had no one until she joined the club. So really, Chika and Satowa are so much closer than they realize.

Also of note, is the fact that both of them lost someone important to them due to illness, with Satowa it was her father and with Chika it was his grandfather. Two parental figures that were taken too quickly.

So, for each Chika and Satowa, people talked about them behind their backs, each of their parents ignored them, Satowa ran to the koto to express her voice, Chika ran to a bad crowd and fighting to have some sort of voice, and each of those voices reached no one. Finally, in the club, they’ve each found a voice that’s their own with koto. Satowa has always had a voice in koto, but this one is uniquely her own as she’s playing for herself and playing with the club, she’s not playing for her mother or to uphold any status. She’s gotten back to some aspect of how she used to play as a child with both her parents which was to make them happy and share a beautiful sound with people she cares about. Both Chika and Satowa spent so much time alone dealing with their shitty parents and hold a lot of trauma from those relationships, except Satowa has been able to work through and hopefully heal aspects of that relationship with her mother, whereas Chika’s father better stay far, far away.

They each were so excluded from their peers, but now with the club they have found their place, the only place they need, want, or care about keeping. It’s a place where Chika can stand tall and be proud of himself and be completely himself. It’s a place where Satowa isn’t judged for her seriousness in koto and practicing and she’s included and cared for and can be completely herself and do things for herself without feeling bad (something she still struggles with, but that doesn’t make it less true).

In ch.69 though, Chika proceeds to be hard on himself, doubting that he could ever catch up to Satowa, much less by nationals. But then he remembers that she made it into a promise with a smile, that she enjoys having him as a companion and would like him as an equal. That’s when Chika squares up, as he always does, sits up and listens, determined to get closer to her, even though in some ways there’s very little distance.

I absolutely adore this entire chapter, but there’s something about this one page that shows their pasts that just always strikes me.

I think one of the many reasons Chika and Satowa are my favorite ship is because they don’t lose themselves in each other. They’re a huge part of each other’s journey, they mean so much to each other, but they only gain a better sense of themselves rather than lose any part of it to each other. They enhance and embrace each other.

For so long, they were both just trying to find their voices, ones they can express and that people will listen to. Satowa was losing her voice with her mother. Never being listened to caused her to lash out and try in a last ditch effort to use her koto’s sound to be heard. Chika arguably never had a voice when it came to his father. And both Chika and Satowa wanted to please their parents, so for a while they muted themselves until it became obvious their parents would never change. Chika finally turned to fighting to scream out in some way, to express himself even if in violence because that’s the only way he’d found that made an impact. I think this is also one of the reasons the moment in ch.105 when Chika is talking about how he has the koto now and says that he no longer needs fists to speak, he can shout on his own, is so impactful, and I think Satowa can connect to what he’s saying. Koto has always been her voice, her way of shouting or expressing, and knowing that he’s found that too is beautiful. First, Chika found people who would listen to him and through them he found a means to communicate his emotions.

In ch.106, Uzuki tries to use this “opposite worlds” argument against Chika again, implying that Satowa, from her sheltered world, would never defend, much less come to the rescue, for someone like Chika, for someone from Chika’s world. But Satowa is having none of that. She doesn’t even let Chika go there. She knows him, and he knows her, and they want to stand beside each other, so it doesn’t matter what damn “worlds” they’re each from. She’s more than willing to step out of her “world” to bring Chika back to the one they both belong in.

Chika wants to stand beside Satowa, and has promised her that he will come to be able to, a promise she’s reminded him of and is holding him to. Satowa does not want Chika to stand alone, and she won’t let him.

[tessenpai]

Uzuki and the reason of his actions and obsession

Uzuki is a kid that grew up out of touch with his emotions. He has very clear psychopath tendencies. His parents did not provide any kind of emotional support, and he didn't get to develop any kind of genuine affectionate relationship with anyone. Moreover, for him, all people do is lie and hurt other people in order to gain something.

So, when Chika first saves him, he thinks he did it for money. Why else would he have stepped up for him? And so, he was puzzled when Chika just frowned at the money Uzuki offered and walked away.

The second time he sees him, when he saves that child from getting burnt with the cigarrette, and again, he just walks away without expecting a thanks, Uzuki is incredibly touched, cause he realizes Chika's kindness doesn't have a prize, or is for any kind of profit.

He goes meet him to thank him for saving him (and out of curiosity), and Chika once again tries to help Uzuki, by driving him away because that place is dangerous and Uzuki, looking like a guy from a good school and good family, could actually get hurt.

And then Uzuki's obsession starts

For the first time, someone is sincerely worried about him, just out of kindness.

And he wants that for himself.

And so he joins the gang, where he can be with Chika

But the Chika that was in the gang was not the true Chika. He was a boy hurting and desperate for his voice to be heard

And when his gramps hears that voice (and then the koto club), Chika has no need for the fights or the gang. He now has a place to go home to, where he doesn't have to shout out with his whole being by throwing out fists.

But Uzuki has no place in that new life

And he resents and attacks what "took Chika away"

The way I see it, Uzuki created who Chika is as a person, and if Chika changes from that, then that's not the "true" Chika. So when Chika DOES change, and as a result steps away from the gang life, Uzuki is desperately trying to bring him back to who thinks Chika really is.

The Chika he could be with, and whose life he could be part of

And he thinks by "showing" how Chika does not belong to the koto club, he can make him come back

But of course Chika says: "Even so, I still wanna be with them. I don't want to ever come back."

And Uzuki snaps. And is trying to get Chika banned from the club

And Abiko is plain psycho and trying to make him physically unable to play.

Until Satowa has enough and steps in.

I get why Uzuki is doing what he is doing. Chika was his only source of sincere kindness, and he found the contradiction Chika was quite beautiful.

He hit people, but he was the kindest person he ever met. And hitting people was how Uzuki saw Chika's real emotions

In a way, Chika's voice did reach Uzuki, but he didn't interpret it as the shout out for help that it really was. And he won't listen to the real meaning of his shouting out.

But here comes the quote Takinami said in ch 104: "There's people who just won't listen, no matter how much you talk to them"

That's just life.

Because Uzuki is out of touch with his emotions, he tries to just label everything using his own logic and rationality. In his mind, Chika was who he was "Covered in blood and mud, loved by no one and unable to trust nobody". To him, Chika was in the wrong by changing. By going to a place that "didn't fit him", turning into someone that, according to Uzuki, was a lie.

Uzuki is incredibly possessive and arrogant.

He is intelligent, and knows this. He also thinks he knows better than anyone.

In reality, he is unable to understand the real emotions that drove Chika away from the gang and the fights, or his need to be in a place where his voice was heard

He can't understand it, because the place where Uzuki's needs (or one of them) were fulfilled was precisely with gang Chika

So he doesn't get how that Chika is not the "true" Chika. Someone else is turning Chika into a fake version of who he really is.

And he thinks he cannot be wrong thinking that

He is trying to "correct" those wrongs

All and all, Uzuki is darn interesting to analyze. As messed up as he is...

[tessenpai]

Chika and Satowa: Skinship

I absolutely love Chika and Satowa's relationship, to the point, it's probably the one I like most in manga. There are several reasons for that: The respect they have for each other, the understanding, the deep care... The way Amu-sensei has developed it over the years makes it one of the best slow-burn romances I've ever seen, one in which it never feels like it's dragging you along. No, they are not an official pair as of yet, but the process and the growth we witness as readers is so beautiful in itself, so inevitable, that you just enjoy every second of the ride.

This topic has come up recently in the Discord KOT server, and I must say it was such an interesting conversation that I had to write a post organizing my thoughts about it.

Skinship is something that any romance fan swoons about. We all love a hug, a caress, a sign of affection when we see our OTP. Skinship is especially important in Chika and Satowa's relationship, and it is something that has developed splendidly while revealing some other complicated stuff.

Going back to chapter 2, Chika and Satowa's first impressions of each other was... not ideal. They fought all the time and didn't seem to see eye to eye. That of course changes throughout the manga, as we all know. However, the skinship between the two, and the meaning of touching each other also changes dramatically.

In the early chapters of Kono Oto Tomare! neither of them seems to feel like touching each other is much of a big deal, yes he notices that her hand is small, but what really interests him is how her hands show her hard work. Touching her, at this point, doesn't really hold any romantic feelings on either side. He even takes care of her fever and stays over at her place, and it was no biggie!! But then a change commences happening.

The first one to change is Satowa. She starts to get to know Chika better, and learns about his kindness and his dedication to Koto, as well as how caring he is towards his friends (took care of her when she was sick, told her she could talk about her family situation whenever she was ready, pushed her to have lunch with her school friends...), Satowa starts being aware of Chika as a man. Things that before wouldn't face her, now feel completely different for her

Chika, on the other hand, still seems fairly unaffected by physical contact with Satowa at this point. He is not a guy that goes out of his way to touch people and is not a touchy-feely person anyways. However, when Satowa falls on his arms and very much reacts, Chika doesn't know what to make of that and mistakes her reaction with anger/embarrassment. When Sane comes through the door and sees them in that position, he scolds Chika, but Chika isn't really listening to him and instead is trying to understand the reason for her reaction. In the end, he concludes he must have touched her breast on accident and decides to receive Sane's punishment in silence. Because for him there is no other reason for her to react that way... it was a very innocent exchange on his part after all.

It all changes after The Incident. Yes, it requires capital letters and bold cursive letters, because when Chika's lips end up in Satowa's brow, a huge turn is made in their relationship. It was a very innocent accident. No real meaning behind it. But at this point, Satowa, who was doing fine in ignoring the awareness and keeping Chika as only a friend and clubmate, is unable to do so any longer. She didn't expect it, and she did not know how to react to it. For her, it was not only physical awareness anymore. And she had no way to ignore the feelings that were developing towards him.... although she gave it an honest try there, much to Chika's dismay, who couldn't understand why Satowa was suddenly avoiding him.

Let's take a moment to remember Chika is a kid that grew up with a parent that blamed him for everything that went wrong in his life, he was blamed for the trashing of his grandfather's shop, and he carries a lot of self-blame for his gang days when he used to hurt people on the daily with his fists. So of course, the only reason he can think for Satowa's sudden avoidance is that he must have hurt her. Tetsuki, an innocent bystander, tries to be a supportive friend and recommends Chika to give her time.

You see, ever since he first heard Satowa play the koto, Chika has had as a goal to be able to stand by her side. For him, there is no one above her in the koto world and, the way I see it, Chika believes that if he can be acknowledged as fit to be a koto player by her side, then without a doubt he has earned the right to play it. After all, if he caught up to the person he most admires, anyone who said differently was not worth listening to. So when suddenly Satowa pushes him away, not only is he surprised, but he is hurt and lost.

After the school festival, Satowa is able to put in order her feelings. Hiro does this by "turning her feelings into her strength". Satowa's way leans more towards "the competition is near and I can not be distracted by these feelings. I don't even know what they are and I don't want to think about it. Koto and club come first anyways". Chika is giddy that their dynamic is back to normal. She has "forgiven" him and is not avoiding him anymore.

As with music, Chika is a step behind Satowa when it comes to the milestones in their relationship. While Satowa was very much aware of Chika as a guy, he just admired her as a musician. But The Incident not only was a turning point for Satowa in realizing her feelings... But for Chika as well to start being very much aware of Satowa.

It is interesting to see the difference in this awareness compared to Satowa's. I believe Chika's feelings go hand in hand with his admiration towards her. The more he admires her, the more she observes her, and as a consequence feelings develop. But with that comes one thing Satowa did not have: the urge to touch. Satowa was always aware of why she was flustered and of course, would not willingly put herself in a situation where she would not be able to handle her feelings (by touching him). Chika on the other hand does not really understand the why of his sudden impulses, but he is VERY aware he has them... Because he needs to control them or otherwise Satowa could start avoiding him again.

He becomes acutely aware of wanting to touch Satowa all the time because he fears her rejection. He fears he can no longer be by her side if he gives in to his impulses. And we see several examples of this happening.

Chika, in fact, believes him touching her makes her scared/uncomfortable with him. So any time he does end up touching her, he is very scared he has hurt her or scared her because he was careless.

In this second incident, Satowa for the first time assures him that she is NOT scared of him. Granted, she was surprised, but not SCARED. "We spend all the time together, I am not scared of you in any way". And the relief Chika feels by her words is so sweet! He did not hurt her or scare her in any way, and she is not pulling away!! But of course, this was just an accident, not Chika actively giving in to his impulses. So he STILL has to control himself.

This second incident lets us know where Satowa stands where skinship with Chika is involved. What she says while running IS significant: "When you don't even know how I feel---". The problem is not Chika touching her (even though hugging/cuddling in bed might have been a little too much too soon for her), but the fact that that touch does not mean the same for him. From Satowa's perspective, Chika is still unaffected by the physical touch, while SHE IS IN LOVE WITH THE GUY and can barely contain her feelings as it is. Little does she know Chika does think touching her is a huge deal. To be clear, boy can barely keep his hands to himself half of the time. And only because the other half his hands are busy playing the koto.

And then, The Third Incident happens. It is so huge it shall be referred to as TTI. Yes, it gets it's own acronym:

There is so much to analyze here. Oh boy. I'm going to give it my best attempt.

First off, this scene is parallel to the first time they touched (the first pic in this post). We have come a long way since then... They were two strangers at that time... In fact, they didn't really like each other. But now... They VERY MUCH like each other now. While Chika only knows he wants to touch her so bad that he has to stop himself from doing it because he does not think it would be welcomed, Satowa is aware of her own feelings and Chika's and does not find his touch unwelcome per se... is just that it would be better if they were on the same page as of what it makes her feel. What a catastrophic combination, because as a result Chika pushes her hand away, and Satowa thinks he is rejecting her. And when they are at granny's it all blows out.

Satowa is unsettled because he is suddenly physically rejecting her. Chika is once again scared of having hurt her. And he says aloud what his problem is: "It's for me, so I don't put my hands on you all the time".

Satowa... didn't really get his meaning. We all collectively facepalmed with Hiro and went together to scream into the void when Satowa said "Don't lie, you are not the kind of person who hits girls". But she DID get what he said afterward, or more like, what he did NOT say. When Chika apologized and stated he was "the germ", Satowa was absolutely heartbroken that her attitude made Chika apologize and think he had done some terrible thing to her. So the next day, and after reflecting on what to do with her feelings to not hurt him nor the club anymore, she tells him that he didn't do anything wrong that the TV program put her on edge and she dumped it on him. That he has never made her feel uncomfortable, not at all.

While, as an audience, we tend to focus more on Satowa in this scene, and how she is going by what Hiro went through when she tried to suppress her feelings for the sake of the club, this is a deal changer for Chika. And it's EVEN MORE of a deal changer after going to Satowa's house.

Remember when I said Chika is always one step behind Satowa?

Well, it's still true:

These panels have so much significance... Chiharu asked Chika what he thinks of Satowa... And we can follow Chika's train of thought and how he derails it. He can only think about her when she received that flower, that moment when he could barely contain himself from dragging her to him... and then the "Win the Nationals" club poster flashes through his mind. Chika is not exactly the same as Satowa here. Satowa knew in a way what was going on with her but didn't want to acknowledge it. Chika on the other hand absolutely cuts that train of thought as soon as it goes in that direction. Is not that he doesn't want to acknowledge it... It's that he won't even allow himself to think about it. And it's to be expected from a guy who struggles to see himself as fit to play koto besides her... how to allow himself to openly be in love with her?

And somehow, Satowa gets it... Not that he is cutting the train of thought that leads to "I am in love with her", but the fact that he sees himself as below her. And she understands the only way for them to be together is for him to feel like they are on equal footing: "You have to catch up to me by Nationals. Catch up."

You see, in the same way The Incident made Satowa realize very real feelings were getting involved while for Chika it made him be aware of her physically, TTI let us see Satowa really wants Chika to be besides her... not just following behind her, while for Chika, is his moment to realize very real feelings are involved. See? One step behind. Hiro pushes Satowa even further when she helps her treasure those feelings instead of suppressing them.

But back to skinship... What did TTI do for their skinship? Well, after TTI Chika allows himself to touch her, and we can see him being more open on his protectiveness and how touching her, or her touching him brings him calm:

And post-TTI/conversation with Hiro, we have a Satowa who is very aware she is in love and fully embraces those feelings as something beautiful. Uzuki's incident has even pushed her to STOP letting go of Chika's hand, physically and metaphorically. This is not the Satowa who would cower because she could not handle her feelings when he touched her... this is the Satowa who will grab Chika's hand no matter what. And following the theme of "Chika being one step behind", I wouldn't be surprised if one of the conclusions of the current arc is Chika acknowledging the fact that he is in love with Satowa. Letting himself feel it, without derailing that train of thought.

That theme is also the reason I believe Satowa will be the one to confess first, pushing Chika on the final step for them to be on the end line (or start line depending on your perspective). But it could also be Chika the one to confess, representing him having caught up to her... Symbolism, symbolism everywhere.

BONUS TRACK: While rereading the whole manga to put in order my thoughts for this essay, I just find hilarious how Luka hugged Satowa out of nowhere and Chika went: "Oh heck no, I have to control myself all the time and this dude comes and does WHAT?". Then, Luka referred to Satowa without honorifics, and Chika was downright IRKED (Chika, you don't use honorifics for anyone sir...). Is worth noting Satowa uses honorifics for absolutely everyone except Chika. To be fair, everyone uses honorifics with her, except Chika.

BONUS TRACK 2: Tetsuki the innocent bystander. Whenever Chika feels insecure about touching Satowa or having hurt/scared her? Ask Tetsuki, he has the answers. A true BFF.

[kotos-and-smiles]

Chapter 111 Analysis and Rambling

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR CH.111 OF KOT!

Welp, time to put the ole Uzuki analysis hat back on, which I can’t honestly say I was expecting to have to do again, but Uzuki disappearing from the story altogether felt a little abrupt, so I guess I’m glad we get a bit more resolution with it. Anyway, let’s get right into it.

I don’t really have much to say about the very beginning. It’s nice to get a short review of who’ll be at Nationals as it gets me very excited. I still love Takinami’s stance that the club doesn’t need to prove anything to the people who don’t know them because it won’t really do the club members any good. I like seeing the reporter Tsukaji again because this man has invested his heart and career into Tokise now, and I love to see it. It’s also exciting to learn that Nationals will be held in Hokkaido! I’d been thinking that Nationals probably wouldn’t be super far for Tokise to travel, so this changes the way I’ve imagined it in really fun ways. We can also see that Nationals starts just after Satowa’s birthday (Satowa’s birthday is the 29th of July, Nationals will start on the 31st) which probably won’t be addressed but I still think it’s interesting and it’s nice to have some concrete dates.

I freakin love this panel so, so much! And I’m so happy and proud that everyone’s finally figured out how to play the song, for the most part. It’s nice to see Akira, too. Just a nice wholesome club moment and it’s gorgeous. Also, love how Chika and Takezou have the same reaction here

Takinami loves these kids, but he will absolutely not let them off easy. It’s his way of pushing them to be their best.

Okay, so now let’s talk about Momoya, because his struggle with the fill-in part is something that I actually really appreciate. Disclaimer, Momoya has become my baby, but I like Momoya’s humility when it comes to him not getting the fill-in yet.  Okay, not really the comment about how he’s never once had trouble with the drums, but other than that he’s pretty humble about it, and I love to see it. When it comes to characters like Momoya, I like to see them struggle at some point with what they’re usually good at. I don’t just want to see them succeed as expected, and kinda like when they’re taken down a notch and realize they still have work to do. When it comes to Momoya, I like that this acknowledges that while he’s been doing the amount of work he’s found necessary for achieving his sound, he realizes that he needs to put more time and devotion into it now. The entire club is extremely dedicated, and while Momoya has been able to pull off his sound while spending less time on it, I like that he, too, needs to fully devote himself to practice with his sound more like the other club members. Them being devoted is important to their sound, after all, and maybe it’ll help Momoya figure out how to fill in better. It’s not that he hasn’t worked for it before, but he needs to do so now in a more intense way to not pull the club down, and he’s recognizing that.

I love that Chika once again acts as a big brother to Momoya and tries giving him advice. I do find it funny though that Chika gave music advice to Momoya as if he didn’t only just figure out his solo. Like, I know we don’t know exactly how much time has passed since the last chapter, but Chika’s talking like it’s something in the past, but like yesterday he still had no idea how to play it. It’s just a really funny idea to me.

Chika now: giving sage-like advice.

Chika not 24 hours ago: crap, how the hell do I play my solo?!?

I just can't get over how grown up Chika looks. Like, for a little while in chapters like 90-101 or so he was looking really baby to me (part of that was seeing young Chika in 99.5) but now he just looks so damn grown up. Like, hello?!??? But he's still such a precious baby (as he always will be). Specifically the way he was teasing Momoya only to then smile like this

Honestly, everyone's been looking a bit older, or at least the original trio of Chika, Takezou, and Satowa.

Fascinating to learn that Chika was thinking about Uzuki when he finally figured out his solo, and it puts that whole part from last chapter into a slightly different perspective for me. Last chapter where Chika puts his forehead to one of his last physical connections to his grandpa, (other than the club sign Chika always stops to touch and the land for sale sign) the koto his grandfather made him, the instrument that allowed him to get close to everyone and express himself, the symbol representing both his name and love that his grandfather put there, all becomes even more significant with the knowledge that Chika figured out his solo while thinking of Uzuki’s words. Uzuki has never been loved like that. Uzuki doesn’t understand that type of love. But Chika does, because he has it and had someone willing to show him that love, in his grandfather and the club and everyone else in his life. Remembering what Uzuki said I think allows Chika to really connect to that love in his music. Despite what Uzuki did to his grandpa, Chika can find his solo through Uzuki’s words and the connection to his grandpa. And everything that Chika figured out with the solo, that Uzuki’s words helped him to figure out, he wants to show Uzuki in his and the club’s performance.

One thing I’ll give Uzuki is that he’s always a fascinating character to analyze. And the interaction between Uzuki and Chika in this chapter has a whole lot to unpack. I was surprised to see how Chika reached out to Uzuki, but it really shows how mature Chika has become and that he’s now in a place of power, even when facing Uzuki. I also knew that if Uzuki was going to come back in the story, then it’d be on Chika’s terms because no one was going to force seeing Uzuki onto him, not Momoya and not Uzuki himself. The whole mood that Chika is approaching Uzuki with is amazing, and I love that Chika decided to meet on his own terms. Chika really had a straight up epiphany at that underpass, being able to tell Uzuki that he wants him to feel sorry for what he’s done, but also doesn’t want him to be unhappy, because ultimately everyone’s deserving of happiness, even when they’ve made mistakes (at least in this manga), and that’s something Chika has had to learn for himself. It’s the perfect way a to approach it in my opinion. Uzuki’s actions aren’t simply excused out of sympathy or chalked up to circumstance and youth. He is held accountable, but that doesn’t mean it should make him miserable forever. I also like that Chika brings up Momoya and is able to point out to Uzuki that someone is worrying about him. Chika frames it in the way that someone cares for Uzuki in the terms of Momoya, in terms of a brother, in terms of someone who does care about him, and I think that’ makes it an important if small line. I’m very glad to see Uzuki actually be able to communicate with Chika. For Chika to actually be able to hear that Uzuki wanted to be friends I think it gives Chika the understanding and clarity of the situation that he deserves. Uzuki’s whole little ramble finally let Chika see why Uzuki has done what he’s done. Reading Uzuki spiral like that really reminded me of how young Uzuki still is, and while rereading I really just realized how much Abiko was manipulating a desperate child. Doesn’t excuse Uzuki’s actions, but it does make it sadder on his side, too. Then we get back to really what I consider the core of Uzuki’s conflict, which is that he doesn’t understand the type of love and connection some people have with each other, in large part because he’s never had someone care for him in such a way, so he attaches himself unhealthily to anyone who shows him kindness (which thus far has basically been Chika and Momoya). He doesn’t understand Satowa’s declaration of love. He doesn’t understand Tetsuki’s friendship with Chika. He doesn’t understand how they both can stand beside Chika like that. And then, for whatever it’s worth, we do get an apology from Uzuki and admittance that he was wrong.

There’s been a recurring theme lately of ‘you can’t change the past, but we can start doing things differently now and that’s what matters.’ We’ve seen it quite a bit throughout the manga, but specifically we’ve seen it with Chika and Satowa in ch.104. Satowa regretting how she treated Chika in the past, but realizing that what she can do now is never let go of his hand again. Chika dealing with his past and how it will never go away, but with a focus on the present. Yoshinaga in ch.106 telling Momoya that he hasn’t lost anything yet and that he can still rectify things with Uzuki and be there for him now. And with this chapter, we see Chika telling Uzuki that the past will never disappear, but there are things they can start doing now.

Once I saw that Uzuki was gonna be in this chapter, I figured out pretty quickly that Chika was gonna invite him to Nationals, so that didn’t come as a surprise, though it is really interesting. I wonder how that’ll tie in to it all, and if Uzuki will meet anyone else or have more interactions with some of the club.

The physical interaction between Chika and Uzuki is so damn important. Firstly, Chika reaching out and catching Uzuki before he can fall, like that says so much about Chika and not letting people just fall. In fact, catching Uzuki is exactly the type of act that first endeared him to Chika. I feel like so much of the power dynamic between them can be found by simply looking at these panels and comparing them to the ones in ch.105 and ch.106. Chika approached while Uzuki was sitting, surprising Uzuki enough to start falling, but then Chika catches him. Then they both sit on the railing together, on the same level or at least seemingly so. Chika isn’t trying to intimidate Uzuki at all, he tries to get on the same level but through the dialogue we can see that Chika is still the one running the conversation before Uzuki gets off on a tangent.

Then when Uzuki starts crying, Chika grabs his wrist to get his attention. Basically all the physical interaction was not only surprising but also really interesting to see. And finally, and probably most importantly, seeing Uzuki on his knees and then just on the ground in front of Chika while Chika is either still sitting or standing.Chika is not gonna let Uzuki fall, but he’s also not gonna pick him up, either. The different imagery that depicts the change in who holds the power is incredible.

Chika crouching on the ground and getting on the same level as Uzuki, trying to meet him where he is, is a stark parallel to they way Uzuki acted when Chika was on his knees in ch.105. Uzuki was only on the ground after he'd been knocked down or to threaten Chika.

Uzuki didn't meet Chika where he was at all, whereas we saw Satowa certainly did at that time. But Chika bending down and making the effort to be on a similar plane as Uzuki, but also standing up and setting boundaries with his farewell is so important. There's so much to read into just that, honestly.

The, power play feels like the wrong way to put it, but the interaction and distribution of power in this conversation/relationship is very significant. Chika so obviously holds the power in this conversation, but at the same time you can tell he's not necessarily trying to lord it over Uzuki, and it's all so beautifully expressed with their physical orientations throughout.

I love Chika's precious smile as he's saying goodbye to Uzuki. I feel like Chika was able to explore a little of what he was saying to Takinami in ch.104 when Chika was wondering what would've happened had he been friends with Uzuki and talked to him like he talks to the club now. I think Chika was glad to be able to actually hold a real conversation with Uzuki, even down to the detail of Chika noticing that Uzuki speaks in a more formal way and how it fits him better because it’s more authentic instead of something he’s trying to change to fit in with Chika.

Also, it's been mentioned before that Chika feels like it made sense that Uzuki came back because he never really settled that part of his past, and so now he isn't just dropping it. He wants resolution, not just for him but for Uzuki as well I guess, and Momoya is a part of this, too, now.

The fact that the conversation between Uzuki and Chika was at a playground also holds some great imagery. Momoya even says at the end that it’s like Uzuki is shedding the tears he couldn’t as a child, and he’s literally a kid who’s just fallen down in a playground. In fact, the whole thing of Momoya and Uzuki usually meeting at that playground almost shows that due to lack of a good household environment from childhood, it’s almost like they’re stuck in their childhood to some degree. Momoya is only just starting to feel the joy of being close to people and seeing the value in the somewhat childish songs that Yoshinaga sent him. And Uzuki is able to express his emotions and even has someone who’s trying to show him what real connection is like through song. And hopefully this could be the start of a real connection between these two brothers, neither of which knows how to deal with close connections.

Wow, the rest of the club really do be snooping, which is honestly understandable considering how Chika really just ran off on his own in earlier chapters. I love that Takezou says that it's Chika's decision as to how to deal with all this, so they're alright with it. I love that entire aspect of Takezou's character, actually, as this reminded me of when Akira first became the club's teacher. Everyone was worried about how it would affect Satowa, but Takezou asked Satowa if she was okay with it once, and when she answered that it was, he moved on and didn't ask her again, trusting that she'd be able to handle it. Takezou puts a lot of trust in people, and I really love that.

So I know that there wasn’t much Chika and Satowa this chapter, but I’ve, of course, still been thinking about them lately. I think the storyline of Satowa accepting both Chika’s and her own feelings and being able to reciprocate what Chika is seemingly already ready for could be a very important aspect of Satowa learning not to be afraid to express her own feelings, which is still a big thing for her. So basically, to say it more succinctly, I think Satowa accepting her own feelings towards Chika and his towards her will help her move beyond her fear of hurting people with her emotions or sound (not that much more succinct, but hopefully clearer). I think when Satowa decides she wants to be with Chika in a ‘more’ kinda way, she’ll be completely clear on it and be strong in that decision.

Don’t know if this is worth mentioning, or could really even be considered a parallel, but I thought I might shove the images in here for consideration cuz I thought it was interesting

Anyway, new chapter doesn’t come out til May. So…is it May yet? Me wants new chapter now

[tessenpai]

Thoughts about Satowa's confession (rant and lots of fangirling)

DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T REACHED CHAPTER 106 OF KONO OTO TOMARE!

I began reading Kono Oto Tomare! back in 2015. I was a high school student, who was just scrolling through the MangaRock app (or whatever manga app I was using at the moment) for something to read. The old TL (That dropped the manga later on) had just released a new chapter. I fell in love with this manga at first sight. With the relationships, the dynamics, the themes, the dialogue, the ART. You can imagine how sad I was when the old TL quit the manga cold turkey.

I started reading raw manga because of Kono Oto Tomare! I started to seriously study the Japanese alphabet because I had no patience to wait for a TL to translate this masterpiece. I started reading this manga when the raws were in the middle of the Akira introductory arc.

Today, I mod a KOT Discord server with 1.5k members, have a Japanese Language Proficiency N4 (on my way to N3 fingers crossed) level and write KOT Rough TLs on release date for everyone to enjoy (I also recently became a proofreader but that's a secret).

I have been following Chika's and Satowa's journey for almost 7 years. In that time I graduated High School, took a sabbatical year, got a degree in Computer Engineering (along with said N4 Japanese level), and am now working as a Junior Developer... And Kono Oto Tomare! has been a constant in my life throughout it all. I will mourn greatly when I read 'The End' on the last page of the final chapter. However, this post is not to mourn. This post is a celebration. Because after 7 years following the slow burn that is Chika and Satowa's relationship, a confession happened. And it was beautiful.

The thing about Chika and Satowa's romance line is that it's not pretentious. It is a quiet love that grows over time, companionship and admiration. It never feels like those two weren't meant to be together, or that their love for each other didn't make sense, or that they were rushed into a romance narrative. For us readers, it was inevitable, just meant to be. Just two individuals who met, began to really know each other and loved everything the other was, with their flaws and their pasts.

Chapter 106 has such good art, such good storytelling and writing... in just 33 pages and little dialogue, Amu-sensei has gotten so much across. So in this post I will try and do an in-depth analysis of this chapter and WHY this confession might be one of the best confessions in manga.

Chika suffered for a long time. The people who were supposed to give him love neglected him, and even told him he was responsible for their suffering. That abuse resulted in him failing to see himself as necessary or important to other people. He honestly believes, even now, that he doesn't belong in the koto club.

What Uzuki said in chapter 105 really got to him: The fact that Chika's past conditioned him from really belonging to the koto club, that someone like him had no part in a world of brightness and that he had to stop that pretense. Chika doesn't deny it, not once... But for the first time, he decides not to throw himself away. He went to that underpass with the intention to do just that. To detach himself from the club and face Uzuki on his own, even if that meant he had to leave the club... But Uzuki's words made him realize what Takinami meant. "When you fought, it was like you were shouting with your whole being" "That is why you can't perfect your solo. You have to think about what you mean to other people". Chika shouted out his feelings because there was no one there to listen to his pain. He vented them waiting for someone to listen. But now he doesn't need to do that, because there is a place that has taught him to use his words. That has taught him that koto and music are a way for him to express those feelings and for them to be heard. He decides to tell Uzuki that even if he doesn't belong to the koto club, he still wants to be with them because that is the choice his gramps gave him and that is what his friends taught him. Abiko & Co. are about to seriously hurt Chika then, and Satowa sweeps in with furious tears streaming down her face.

She is DONE. Done with Uzuki telling Chika that all the suffering around him is his fault. Done with Chika running headfirst into danger on his own because he wants to shoulder everything by himself. And done with them both acting like Chika is alone.

The first reaction Chika has seeing Satowa there is distress. He knows what those guys are capable of and doesn't want Satowa anywhere near them. But then Satowa clarifies she is DONE with him trying to put himself between her and danger. When Abiko points this danger out, Satowa's reaction is to physically shield Chika and she is even willing to get hit and seriously hurt because that would put an end to the stupid plan they got going on to frame him. This puts Chika even more on edge because, by nature, he despises seeing the people he loves in harm's way. That is the "bad habit" Tetsuki was talking about in chapter 103. Chika is willing to suffer alone and throw everything away just so the people he loves are not harmed. He doesn't understand the fact that his getting hurt IS what would hurt them.

And this is when Satowa's confession becomes more significant. You see, Uzuki doesn't understand why she would go to such lengths to protect Chika. In his eyes, people who belong to different worlds simply don't care for each other that way. Going back to how Uzuki met Chika and came to be interested in him, we see how Chika tells him that "he shouldn't be in a place like that because he doesn't belong there". That is key for Uzuki... "belonging". So he changes himself in order to fit in with the gang, and the world Chika belonged to at the time. Because otherwise, there is no common ground and no way Chika would let him be by his side. So why is Satowa going so far to protect Chika, someone who just happens to be his class and clubmate? There is no reason for her to do it.

And then she says it: "Because I love him". It is so simple. There is no pretense in it. She loves him and doesn't want to see him hurt. She wants to protect and treasure him. And she wants him to always laugh and be happy. Such stark contrast to Uzuki, who believes forcing Chika to be by his side in a world of darkness is the right thing for him, no matter if Chika is hurt or unhappy.

Here is the thing about confessions in manga (usually): They are done with an objective. The person who confesses either wants to get noticed by the person they love or they are not satisfied with their relationship and want to change their dynamic. Those reasons are very licit: A friendship simply doesn't cut it anymore, and they want the other person to love them back and to be in a relationship with them.

Satowa's love declaration, however, is done with none of that in mind. Moreover, she would have said the exact same thing even if Chika wasn't present. Her feelings just are. It doesn't matter if Chika sees her the same way or not, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or does... because her feelings are not going to change. She will continue to be by Chika's side because his happiness is her happiness. And she won't let go of his hand. It doesn't matter what people on the internet think. It doesn't matter that dangerous people may want to hurt her... Uzuki is the one who is making a very simple matter more complicated than it is. When you love someone, you thrive in that person's happiness. Satowa's feelings are unselfish. She just treasures Chika and her love for him. And is never about her happiness or comfort. Is always about Chika.

And when Chika hears her, he remembers his grandfather telling him the only one who can fight for his own happiness is him. That there are people who will extend their hand, but the choice to take that hand, is only his to make... And Chika, with eyes full of tears, decides to hold in his arms the girl who said she wasn't going to let go because all she wanted was to see him happy.

It is amazing to see how Satowa took a stance and hasn't gone back from it: She hurt Chika in the past because she put her judgment on a guy she didn't really know. She said and did things that hurt him. And she doesn't forget it. Is the one thing she will never forgive herself. But the past cannot be changed, and only what she does from now on is what counts... And so she chose to stop letting go of Chika's hand. The shy Satowa that would ask Chika to let go when he held her hand or who would avoid him because she couldn't deal with her feelings when he got near her is gone. This is a girl who is not ashamed of her feelings. There is nothing wrong or to be embarrassed about the love she feels about a boy she treasures.

There is no "belonging to different worlds". There is no "past". Only a future where Chika doesn't walk alone again.