Piano no Mori Episode 1 Review: The Chosen Hands

This week’s debut episode of Piano no Mori (The Piano Forest) was a bit of a change of pace for me, but the dulcet melodies of Episode 1 were more than enough to keep me entertained. This promises to be a rather heartwarming coming of age story that will give viewers a new appreciation for music and the influence it has on one’s life.

Japanese Original Episode Title: 選ばれた手

Plot

Piano no Mori is a relaxed coming of age story about two boys from very different walks of life, brought together by their shared love of music. Kai is the son of a prostitute who secretly steals away to the forest near his home to play an abandoned piano seemingly no one else can play, while Shuuhei is a young boy groomed to follow in the footsteps of his pianist father. Both Kai and Shuuhei strike up a friendship that will change the course of their lives forever.

Episode Highlights

English: Early on in the episode during a recital flash forward, the announcer speaks in English when he introduces the musical compositions that Kai will play.

Musical Cliffnotes: When a musical piece is played, the title of the piece and the composer will be displayed on the screen, kind of like what you’d see at the beginning of a music video.

Noticeable Art Shift: There’s a bit of an art shift when Kai starts playing the piano. Rather than sticking with the usual animated style, it’s more of an exaggerated 3D CGI style that I’m assuming better mimics the movements a real-life musician would make… It’s especially noticeable when the focus is on Kai’s hands.

Music: It’s a music anime. Of course, there is plenty of piano playing going on. The songs range from classical pieces to jazz and everything in between. The piano music is top notch in this episode, with much of the action of the episode dedicated to long stretches of people (mostly Kai) playing piano. The plot literally comes to a halt whenever anyone sits down to play.

Themes & Trivia

Are You a Boy or Girl?: During their first meeting, Shuuhei mistakes Kai for a girl, because of his long hair. Even I will admit that Kai has some distinctly feminine features.

Urban Legend: There’s a rumor that there is a haunted piano in the forest near the school that doesn’t play a sound, that is until nightfall when the haunting sounds of a piano can be heard echoing through the forest. Of course, the playing people hear is really just Kai practicing…

Child Prodigy: Kai, despite having no formal training whatsoever, is a bonafide musical prodigy. He can hear a song once and have it memorized. When listening to music, he can pinpoint playing errors and the reasons for those errors without actually having to see the person playing.

Opposites Attract: Kai is the son of a prostitute and Shuuhei is the son of a famous pianist, a match made in anime heaven!

Little Brown Jug: The song that features most prominently in the episode, ‘Little Brown Jug’ was originally a drinking song about the hardships of alcoholism, composed by Joseph E. Winner in 1869. The song has been adapted several times over the years, reaching prominence in the US during the Prohibition Era in the 1920s.

Chopin: Frédéric François Chopin is a Polish piano composer from the Romantic period (late 18th and early 19th centuries) renowned for his artistic solo piano compositions. Like many famous composers, Chopin was considered to be a child prodigy, giving many performances throughout his early childhood. Many of his pieces are well known, most notable among them being his Nocturnes, Minute Waltz, and his Etudes, but his compositions were all considered revolutionary in their time.

Fallen from Grace: Kai and Shuuhei’s music teacher Ajino was a renowned pianist before he had a tragic accident that robbed him of his career and his love. He is now known as the ‘Tragic Prince’ and teaches music in a country elementary school about as far removed from the limelight as one could get.

Comments

I didn’t know what to expect from this anime as I have never read the manga, Piano no Mori: The Perfect World of Kai, nor had I seen the 2007 animated film, Piano no Mori. All I knew going in was that this anime’s about a kid that plays the piano, and as someone that played an instrument for most of their childhood, I was curious to see if I could recapture a bit of my love of music from watching this… and I can honestly say that this anime definitely gave me a few nostalgic tingles for the whimsy and magic of a childhood long gone and the music definitely had me itching to listen to some piano music on Pandora. So, I suppose the anime accomplished something…

The music was fantastic. I assumed that this would be heavy on the classical piano pieces, and don’t get me wrong, it’s there, but there were some nice faster paced, jazzy renditions in there too. The characters are interesting, and there’s a lot of potential for some phenomenal character development, especially with the two leads, Kai and Shuuhei. I like the whole ‘opposites attract’ relationship they have going on and I can’t wait to see how they grow as musicians and individuals. Plus, the teacher, Ajino, was FINE back in the day. Yeah, he’s got that whole matureworld-wearyy look now, but in his prime… he was a looker! I am not ashamed to admit that a fictional character made my heart skip a beat…

Dancing to the beat of your own drum

This is a much slower anime than the ones that I’ve covered for MANGA.TOKYO in the past and a welcome change from some of the more in-your-face anime offerings this season, but that is no reason to pass on Piano no Mori. It’s a coming of age story with a sophisticated musical accompaniment that is sure to delight musicians and non-musicians alike. I’m definitely looking forward to next week’s episode and the development of Kai’s musical journey.

What do you guys think of Piano no Mori’s debut episode? Do you think it has the makings to be the next anime classic? Let us know in the comment section below! And don’t forget to check the rest of the Spring 2018 anime reviews on MANGA.TOKYO!

NEXT TIME: Chopin wo hiku tame ni (ショパンを弾くために)