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Reviewed by Michael Aronson “Every few years the prestigious Seisou Academy holds a prominent musical competition, and only the very best students at the Academy are allowed to participate. Though all are eligible to apply, only students from the music department actually make it to the competition . . . until now. Kahoko is a normal student in the General Education department with absolutely no musical skill, but all that changes when she catches a glimpse of an elusive fairy who lives on campus. The fairy grants Kahoko a magic violin, and before she knows it, she’s nominated to participate in the school’s music competition with five very attractive boys. Will she win love and fame, or will bitter rivalry rule the day?” Fairies and magic violins. A hard concept to swallow. As awful as the fantasy elements are in setting up a story about musical integrity and passion for the arts, the real flaw in the story comes at the cost of Kure’s admitted lack of knowledge and background in music. The way the characters refer to their love and appreciation of music seems very superficial and, speaking as a former musician, glosses over the fact that it’s the effort and commitment to performance that empowers musicians with the passion and enthusiasm they have for playing their instruments. The ability to hold an instrument correctly and belt out the right notes means nothing if the characters have no reason for doing so, which is exactly Kahoko’s weakness. But perhaps the flimsy premise for the story is the result of the fact it’s an adaptation of the plot of a Japanese dating simulator video game (which is ironic, considering that a magic fairy also appears in the music game Mad Maestro which reached western shores). A dating simulator is clearly more concerned with characters and relationships than plot and technical issues, which makes LCdO that much more curious for its paucity of character development. Characters are overly friendly or overly bitchy and competitive and though the lone female protagonist is surrounded by males, there really isn’t much romantic tension between any of them yet. On the plus side, the art is especially clear, as the bit of research Kure did on musicians and their instruments has paid off on the printed page, and there are a few particularly stunning portrait shots of the characters. Sadly, this is pretty much the fluff one dreads when approaching Shojo manga, but the genre gets a pass as this video game adaptation is nothing more than a poor exception. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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