この音とまれ！

KONO OTO TOMARE!

MANGA

STATUS
RELEASING
VOLUMES
Not Available
RELEASE
Invalid Date
CHAPTERS
Not Available

DESCRIPTION

Since the graduation of the senior members of the club, Takezou ends up being the sole member of the "Koto" (traditional Japanese string instrument) club. Now that the new school year has begun, Takezou will have to seek out new members into the club, or the club will become terminated. Out of nowhere, a new member barges into the near-abandoned club room, demanding to join the club. How will Takezou be able to keep his club alive and deal with this rascal of a new member?

CAST

Chika Kudou
Satowa Houzuki
Hiro Kurusu
Takezou Kurata
Suzuka Takinami
Natsu Momoya
Kouta Mizuhara
Saneyasu Adachi
Michitaka Sakai
Atsumu Yoshinaga
Tetsuki Takaoka
Akira Doujima
Isaki Kudou
Mio Kanzaki
Kiriyuu Ousuke
Gen Kudou
Takeru Kurata
Kazusa Ootori
Sei Uzuki
Chiharu Houzuki
Keishi Doujima
Miran Saotome
Luka Chevalier
Sentarou Miya
Mashiro

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO KONO OTO TOMARE!

ANIME DramaKono Oto Tomare!

ANIME DramaKono Oto Tomare! 2

REVIEWS

liujincheng2002
95/100
An emotional and relatable music romcom with the hype and intensity to rival sports mangas.
Disclaimer: I am writing this after having read up to chapter 111.

To preface this review, I’d like to first write a short summary and recommendation for those who haven’t read the manga, but may be interested. \_
Kono Oto Tomare! takes place in Tokise High School’s Koto (a traditional Japanese stringed instrument) club. Takezo Kurata, the only member left after the start of the new year, is desperately trying to recruit members to keep the Koto Club from being disbanded. In his dedication to the promise he made to his seniors to keep the club alive, Kurata runs into the most unexpected of applicants: a delinquent who was rumored to have been charged with criminal activity, Chika Kudo. However, the surprises are far from over - a few days later, Kurata receives an application from a Koto prodigy, Satowa Hazuki. Through the chaotic interaction between this unlikely combination of characters, the Tokise High School’s Koto Club begins to take on a new shape for better or for worse.
\_
What stands out about this manga:
Kono Oto Tomare!, more than any other romcom I’ve read, is able to straddle a particular balance between drama and romance + comedy, interweaving the emotional tensions within the context of Koto playing in a way that makes the series climax when it needs to. The characters both inside and outside the club are as varied as it gets, and yet each one of them is extremely relatable: they cycle through moments of happiness, joy, stress and anger, and experience periods of uncertainty that they eventually learn to grow out of.

Unlike 99% of other rom coms, there is no central “main” character. While we start with the perspective of Kurata, both Chika and Satowa add their own stories and personality to the narrative, developing as story leads rather than simply being a colorful personality for variety’s sake. Oftentimes in other manga, this may lead to the characters being underdeveloped; however, Kono Oto Tomare! is able to balance this interplay of leads such that each of them have their moments in the spotlight, with none of them outshining the others.

The drama tag is on there for a reason - there are definitely moments in this manga that have some heavier connotations than your average slice-of-life light-hearted manga. However, I will disclose (without mentioning specifically for spoiler reasons) that the drama involved has little to no bearing on the romance side of things. You get to have the character and emotional development that comes with these things without having a bitter taste that other drama-romance shows have.

There's so much to be said for the art as well; Amyu is able to depict scenes that rival the hype of Haikyuu and Blue Lock at their peaks. From moments of painful intensity

to the color and imagery of a flowing melody,

the art itself gives almost a tangible feeling to the music being experienced by the characters.

I will now discuss my general review of the story/characters, which will contain some minor spoilers \_
Story: Overall, the story is very solid. One of the most important things I think that Kono Oto Tomare! does well is how it builds characters with realistic and relatable thought processes that fit into the setting provided. At no point does the Koto club feel like a place that exists only as a place for the characters to meet up; rather, the characters are only made complete through their love of the Koto. The romance that arises between the characters is done beautifully: we see the characters initially mischaracterize, work with, and eventually understand if only a bit of each other. Rather than being upfront and center, the romance plays more of a supporting lead - the time the characters spend growing with each other, the awkward interactions that eventually develop into feelings of love - all of these come to form an attraction that feels absolutely genuine and that is well integrated within the plot itself.

The emotions and thoughts of the characters are explored constantly throughout the story as well. Rather than peacefully resolving issues within a chapter or two, they constantly struggle with external and internal conflicts all throughout their goal to reach Nationals, much like a real club. Later in the manga, there is an entire arc/character introduction that deals with clashes between club members, their collective goals, and the miscommunication of intent that is relatable from all perspectives of the issue.

Despite the many things it does well, there were still some flaws that stuck out to me: while I mentioned the excellent usage of drama in developing the characters above, there are points at which I feel the plot was overdramatized. The introduction of Hiro Kurusu mainly served the purpose of exposing Satowa's background to the other club members, but I found the whole "revenge" thing a bit dramatic. Later on, the entire situation with Uzuki and his motivations also seemed a bit cliche:
(How he instigated the fight against Chika's grandfather only because he wanted to keep Chika to himself)
Aside from this (which is mostly just my own taste), I found everything else about the story very enjoyable.
\_
Characters:

What really carries this manga is the quality of the characters. Kurata, Chika and Satowa each have their own backgrounds and goals, yet they learn to work and grow off their experiences in the club together. Through their own mistakes and arguments with each other, they become cognizant to their own shortcomings: Kurata and his confidence to lead the club despite not being the most skilled player, Chika and his abrasive personality that masks his true feelings, and Satowa with her barred nature due to being abandoned by her family. Their issues with each other are not resolved perfectly after a few club meetings: rather it takes practice after practice for them to begin to notice, and address the problems. What this results in is character development that feels real: issues in the real world are not resolved with the end of a chapter or the culmination of some grand event. They appear time after time even after you feel like you've resolved them - this feeling is mirrored in interactions between all the club members.

Beyond this, what really separates this manga from many others is the similar attention to detail given to the side characters:
- Koto, who appears to be a cut-out character of childish innocence and happiness goes through a trial of self-doubt and frustration
- Michitaka, who always performed but never excelled, becomes trapped in a situation that forces him to consider his own abilities, aspirations and pride.
are only two characters among many others in the club who go through similar developments.

Retrospection and doubt are not things experienced only by the leads: they are experienced by every single person in the club. In the end, this all culminates to make the scenes of high intensity that much more enjoyable, as, alongside the characters, you were able to experience the hours of toil it took to produce a single minute of glory.

Conclusion Overall, I would recommend this show to anyone interested in a romance/drama/music manga. Even if you don't typically like one of the tags, give this manga a try - you won't regret it!

Kotos connect the heart of the players and the audience

\- Satowa Hozuki.
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RoseFaerie
100/100
The emotions of the characters resonate with both the readers of the manga and the audience watching them perform.
I don't know if I'll even be able to do this manga justice. It's a beautiful and meaningful story, and it's done something that nothing else that I've read has been able to do: make me cry. And not just once, but multiple times, and that's just shedding tears. That's not counting the number of times I got choked up while reading. You see, the reason why Kono Oto Tomare succeeds is due to how it portrays emotions and how deeply it goes with them.

This is the story of a koto club, a club that focuses on a traditional Japanese instrument, on the brink of being disbanded. Takezou Kurata is the only member left, now all the seniors graduated. In order to keep the club alive, he needs to recruit more members. However, to his surprise the first person who asks to join is the delinquent Chika Kudou. The two of them alongside Satowa Hozuki, a koto playing prodigy from a major koto family, decide to try and bring their little club to nationals.

As I've said before, Kono Oto Tomare's strength is how it can evoke strong emotions. It's fitting since the koto playing is intended to create different feelings within the audience, and how the characters are feeling is reflected in the sound of their kotos. Kono Oto Tomare is able to connect you to the characters' emotions in ways that can emotionally resonate with you. The feelings of not being able to measure up, insecurities, the fear of dragging down other people and burdening them, and feelings of loneliness.

I'm going to go off on a tangent about Haikyuu, the volleyball anime, because of a connection I was able to make. My favorite Haikyuu character is Takashi Yamaguchi. I immediately took notice of him when I heard him say the words, "Am I the only first year who isn't special?" Because I understood him. My parents had me do a lot of sports, but I never really enjoyed them. I did them because I had to. And I wasn't very good at athletics. No matter how hard I tried I would always come in last in my races, be it swimming or track. My younger siblings would usually place in their events, and I would always feel down about that. When I did sports, my only goal was to not be last. Then I wouldn't feel useless or like I was nothing in comparison to my siblings. I didn't care as much about Hinata and Kageyama trying to reach the top with their genius special abilities. I cared about Yamaguchi, trying his hardest to be valuable and not left behind.

That tangent about Haikyuu is valuable because all the characters in Kono Oto Tomare are like Yamaguchi. All of them have strengths and strong weaknesses. Their koto performances have such a strong basis in how they function as a team to create their sounds. One player's weaknesses and mistakes could detract from their performance. Every character in this manga feels insecure about their skills and abilities. All of them have their own weaknesses to overcome. None of them are super geniuses. Even Satowa Hozuki, who is by far the most talented player in the group, reached her level due to rigorous demanding work from an early age. She was basically groomed to become the head of koto group from childhood. All of them have shortcomings in their playing, either by themselves or together. It is as a group that these players must improve, not only for themselves, but for others.

Every character who gets even a hint of backstory or an arc shows me glimmers of emotion that I can understand and hit me hard. Even as someone who has never even heard of koto before reading this, I can understand their deep passionate feelings. The strength with which they're conveyed brings me back to my times of intense insecurity and anxiety. It allows me to connect to the characters on such a deep level that I can feel what they're feeling. I cry for both my past self and for these characters.

I don't think there are many Kono Oto Tomare characters who I hate. Almost every character I disliked in the beginning was able to grow and change in surprising ways. Right off the bat I adored Takezou. He was kindhearted, but weak-willed and easy to walk all over. He knows he has shortcomings, and he wants to be a stronger person and leader for the club. He knows he's weak, but that doesn't stop him from trying to inspire his teammates. Chika Kudou is another character I liked immediately. I think I really like delinquent-y characters with a softer side, and the fact that he tries so hard to rectify his past mistakes is admirable. His growth into a kinder person is subtle, but you will find that Kudou is a completely different koto player and person than he was in the beginning.

Satowa Hozuki was more difficult for me to like. I hated her in the beginning. She was very condescending (and I cannot stand condescending people) and made some jabs toward Kudou that felt extremely low. However, she has a reason for behaving the way she does, since she was under socialized as a child and had to watch her own mother become increasingly cruel to her. With her level of skill, she has a hard time relating to people who are beginners. And the Hozuki in the beginning is nothing like the Hozuki at the end of the series. She grows in empathy and can work on moving past her trauma. Her relationship with Kudou was obnoxious in the beginning, but the way it changes and evolves over time is simply beautiful. She's beautifully written and is probably one of the most complex characters in the series.

The other characters got their own arcs and times to shine. I was expecting the delinquents, who joined the club to pay back a debt, to remain a comic relief trio, only intended to fill seats and remain indistinguishable from each other. However, they grow to love the koto and become passionate about it. They have their own flaws as koto players and people, in addition to separate struggles. Kurusu, the sixth member initially joined with dishonorable motives. She had a traumatic experience with bullying and rumors being spread about her, and she views all relationships as things that can easily be broken. She goes from someone who has spent years destroying friendships to someone whose strength is emotional support.

The other two club members who join are equally beautifully written, and even the side characters are engaging and have depth.

The art is gorgeous. At first, I was a little off about it, but it quickly became visually stunning. The color pictures are to die for. I would hang them on my wall; I'm that obsessed. The character designs actually kind of remind me of the current popular shoujo art style, sort of like what I've seen from Io Sakisaka and Mika Yamamori. All the characters are beautiful or cute, and there's such striking imagery with the koto performances, especially as the series goes on. My favorite parts visually are probably when the music school (whose name I embarrassingly forgot) played Tomfoolery and the conversation between Momoya and Uzuki.

This manga will forever have a special place in my heart due to how much it made me feel. I have never seen so many emotions portrayed in such an effective way as this series did. I could empathize with everyone so well, and I could just gush about this manga for ages. Do yourself a favor and read it. You won't be disappointed.
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