The Beauty that is Kono Oto Tomare

This is not really a shoujo manga but I think enthusiasts of shoujo would love and appreciate the beauty that is Kono Oto Tomare.

It is a slice of life manga but unlike most slice of life mangas, it doesn't really focus much about the daily life of the characters. What I mean is, the characters each have their own problems and complexities and that's what the manga focused on.

It is also a music manga, the focus instrument is Koto, a traditional Japanese spring instrument. The story is about the Koto club who is in the verge of termination, since the only member left is third year student, Takezou.

Out of nowhere while recruiting for new members, delinquent student Chika Kudo applied to the club, surprising Takezou. 

The manga already started with a lot of drama between the dynamic of Chika and Takezou. What I really love is how Amyuu Sakura fleshes out her characters. There's always improvement, and growth whenever they face struggles.

Chika is introduced as a delinquent student who has a lot of anger issues but the way the author made him more than that. He may be a bit of an idiot in understanding about Koto, however there are times we could see his wisdom. 

Takezou was shown at first as a timid student but he grows past from that and able to overcome his fears and lead the club.

Basically, Amyuu Sakura has done such a good job in writing the characters that each of these characters, despite being introduced as comedic relief are also complex characters who have their own insecurities and problems. 

The way how Amyuu doesn't stop letting the characters grow up in each problems, in each challenges they face and in each new people they meet. It just sometimes tears me up how these characters are beautifully written.

When it comes to romance, the author has written it in a way a hopeless romantic like me would gush over. I really would want to show everyone some cute scenes between the characters but I don't want to take away your experience in reading the manga. 

I'll just have to warn that this manga is a music manga and focuses on the characters' passion in Koto. So, if you expect there would be a lot of romantic scenes, well there's really not much. It really focuses on music and self growth. However, once these moments come by...we romantics must appreciate it as much as possible.

Now, to talk about the visuals. The manga is visually pleasing, aesthetically fulfilling... yeah, something like that and I am a sucker for good art. 

I can't really explain it well but Amyuu has a way in beautifully illustrating what the characters' emotions while playing the Koto. So, here's a preview of what I'm talking about. Read it to find out when this beautiful panel comes out. 

The manga is a mixture of comedy, romance, self growth and some drama. It's visually stunning that leaves my mouth parted because how the author can show peacefulness and frustration through visual metaphors. 

It is written in a way where you could easily understand the terms used for the Koto. I would also like to put emphasis how the illustration, especially when they are playing the Koto, makes me wish to hear what they are playing. 

Good thing there's an anime adaptation! I'm not sure if it's completed but I would still recommend to read the manga, I just saw the visuals of the anime and kinda didn't meet the beauty of Amyuu's style.

Final notes:

I'll probably do this kind of thing from time to time. I'll do this if I really like the manga and it's worth having its solo recommendation.

The reason why I've written about Kono Oto Tomare because I think it's underrated. Yeah, I don't know man... it's still underrated for me or maybe it's just me I don't know, I don't know. I think it just doesn't get much exposure despite how good it is.