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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane 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. Music can last forever--but magic can't. In the middle of the Third Selection, Kahoko's magical violin finally loses its power. Can Kahoko complete her performance on heart alone? Will she be able to pursue her newfound love of music any further? I read the first volume of La Corda d'Oro a few months ago, and frankly, it didn't exactly blow me away. But here's one of those mysteries of storytelling: despite not having read vol. 2-7, when I opened vol. 8 I found myself enjoying it much more than should reasonably be expected after such an inauspicious start. Obviously I wasn't in a position to pick up on the subtleties of most of the characters' relationships, but frequent glances at the character list let me follow this particular volume's action with no trouble. (The attractive artwork and very readable script didn't hurt, either.) Most relevantly, Kahoko was the clear focus of most of the volume, and while there were side trips to deal with her feelings (platonic or otherwise) about other characters, the driving force of this volume is the question asked in the back cover copy: "Will she be able to pursue her newfound love of music any further?" Having a magical instrument until now has given her a chance to explore the world of music and develop a connection with it, and as that window of opportunity draws to a close, she reacts to the loss of the music instead of the loss of the magic. Maybe at some point I'll get a chance to go back and read the volumes I missed, but for now I'll sum up by saying that this was an enjoyable book, and that if anyone only read the first volume or two and stopped (reviews of the first volume were apparently very mixed, if the two on this site are anything to go by), you may want to give it another try and see if it grows on you. This volume includes a page of translation notes, a bonus stand-alone story, and the author's behind-the-scenes description of visiting the recording studio for the anime version. Review copy provided by VIZ Media. 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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