Heroine of Shoujo

La Corda d’Oro volume 14: School festivals are so much fun!

I’m not exactly a fan of shoujo manga series that focuses only on romance, but La Corda d’Oro is one exemption to that preference. Up to now, I’m not sure why I really love this manga. I have been thinking what made me attracted to this manga that I listed it under my ‘minor favorites’. I’m not a fan of Hino Kahoko, the heroine. So maybe it’s because the story has many bishounens you can fangirl about (READ: Kazuki Hihara). Or perhaps I just find it cool that the heroine has so many guys wooing her. But oh well, I guess I’ll just go straight to the review of my most favorite volume (so far)…

Even before volume 14 was released last year, I have already told myself that I am so going have this volume because it has Kazuki Hihara on the cover (how much do I love Kazuki? read here). Although Kazuki looks out of character in the cover (which, the manga-ka, Yuki Kure, herself mentioned in the book), I find it as a cool break from his always smiling face. I’m definitely not a Kazuki-Kaho shipper, but IT HAS KAZUKI HIHARA ON THE COVER so I won’t complain.

[INCOMING SPOILERS!]

Volume 14 was all about the two most awaited and fun school festivals: Sports Festival and Cultural Festival (I love these events too when I was in high school ^_^ A break from all the studying! Fun time with friends! Oh yeah!). I know, I know, ‘school festival’ arc is already a cliche of school drama manga series, but more often than not, school festival arcs are my favorites. I’m glad that La Corda d’Oro didn’t fail me; most of the ‘must haves’ of school festivals were included.

The volume started with Measure 59, the sports festival chapter. The first part was all sports fest comedy: Kahoko cheering Aoi, boosting his will and energy, Kahoko’s stone throwing fight with an Azuma Yunoki fangirl (forgot her name…), and the most humorous in the chapter, Keiichi doing really good in the chicken fight (hahaha! made me laugh hard! I mean, Keiichi? Doing good in the sports festival? Surprising…).

The chapter progressed from comedy to romance when the accidentally injured Kahoko visited the clinic. Well, call it fate, or coincidence or whatever because the nurse was out, and there in the clinic was Ryotaro. Ryotaro, of course, being a gentleman, tended Kahoko’s injury much to her shyness. I find that scene too cheesy but nevertheless it provided a stage of attention to Ryotaro. He was able to hint that he wants to tell ‘something’ to Kahoko, but he decided that it can wait until after the music contest (the contest that the two of them are joining).

Immediately after Measure 59 is the Sports festival special edition, with trumpet major Kazuki Hihara on the spot light (oh yeah!). I don’t really want to comment about this special chapter; my words are definitely going to be too biased because it was full of Kazuki Hihara. But anyway, it was fun to see Kazuki, Ryotaro, and Aoi to be getting along so well, despite the fact that each of them are very aware of each other’s feelings for Kahoko. I think it is better that rivals in love are friendly towards each other.

Nothing big happened in Measure 60, though I think I can consider the confrontation talk between Ryotaro and Len as something major. That dialogue made me look at the worse side of Len… I didn’t really find it cute that Len asked Ryotaro what he loves about Kahoko, as if it was nothing. Len is too dense for a male character; I can’t believe that he has the slightest of idea of Ryotaro’s feelings for Kahoko. And I won’t take his ‘too focused in music’ excuse — it isn’t enough for be a rich boy to be ignorant of others’ feelings.

Moving on… Measure 61 marks the start of the school festival (/cultural festival). I think it’s the ‘Aoi Chapter’ in volume 14. Kahoko had forced Aoi to play Romeo and Juliet on the viola. What’s more, she asked her to lead them (music competition students) in playing the piece on front of the study body. Well, what do you expect; Of course, the music competition students (READ: Kazuki Hihara) were surprised after knowing that General Education student Aoi Kaji knows how to play an instrument, so they insisted him. They played Romeo and Juliet, but ended with terrible results, as it was only an impromptu show. But nevertheless, I find it very true that even the music students, with the exception of Keiichi and Yunoki, make major mistakes during impromptu presentations (the looks on their faces were really funny when they made the mistakes )

After the failure presentation, as Kahoko, Aoi, and Ryotaro have decided to get snacks, the after-school-festival-dance topic came up. Ryotaro said he can’t dance so he isn’t going. Kahoko said she had completely forgotten the dance event, and she doesn’t have a date (like her last year). And so, Aoi, very straightforward as always, asked Kahoko to go with him to the dance (despite the fact that, as Ryotaro mentioned in his mind, half the female population of the school asked Aoi to the dance). With his sweet tongue saying, “It’s my first school festival in Seisou… I want to make it a night to remember,” Kahoko accepted. I felt that the ‘un-romantic’ Ryotaro was thinking “I should have asked her to the date beforehand!”, but he’s too slow (and I think he has no intention of inviting Kahoko, anyway). Well, way to go, Aoi; that’s what you get when you are straightforward and aren’t afraid of being ashamed in front of a girl. Ryotaro, take notes.

There was another special chapter after measure 61, which was all about the individual class’ booths during the school festival. The booths were introduced when Kahoko, Len, Ryotaro, and Aoi, went to check out the festival. I see this special chapter as a comic relief break; take the Butler Cafe (Kazuki and Azuma as butlers) and the Horror House (with Keiichi as a ghost) and you’ll know what I mean .

The last chapter of volume 14, Measure 62, is all about the last events of Seisou Academy’s school festival: the concert and the dance. The contestants of the music competition played a piece together in the concert. Though Kahoko was very nervous, she did her best because it might be the last that they [music competition contestants] will be playing together. Len had a solo performance; he played Scherzo Tarantella, the piece he wasn’t able to play during the second selection. It was expected of Len, performing a piece that is hard play. But his second piece surprised the students and the teachers (and I know will be surprised too if I were a Seisou student watching the concert), because he played Ave Maria, which was a piece that isn’t as flashy and fast-paced as his previous performances. Many noted that there was something different in Len when he was playing Ave Maria. I guess even I was moved by his performance (though it is manga, no actual music you can hear), because Ave Maria was the piece Kahoko played during the fourth selection of the music contest; meaning he is finally realizing his feelings for Kahoko, bit by bit… Well, to summarize, I developed a soft spot for Len, thanks to that performance. (And he looks so handsome while he was playing )

After the concert was the dance party. It was another comedy break, as the boys take turns to dance with Kahoko. Keiichi, expressionless as usual, took Kahoko’s hands right after the announcement of the start of the dance, but of course, Aoi as Kahoko’s date, immediately took Kahoko away from the dumbfounded Keiichi. But just as Aoi and Kahoko were getting used with the dancing, a blushing Kazuki Hihara came and asked Kahoko to dance with him. Aoi was like, “You can’t butt in on us, Kazuki!!” Oh well. (But I really want to smack Ryotaro in the face for not wanting to dance with Kahoko. Oh come on, Ryotaro! Show some romantic side!)

The dancing didn’t end with the dance party, as Kahoko who was supposed to be practicing, met Azuma in the rooftop. I guess it is Azuma’s stage in volume 14; it turned out that he was Kahoko’s last dance (well, I know that this isn’t a prom night but never mind). He even gave Kahoko a little kiss on the forehead, which enraged (I don’t know if ‘enrage’ is the right term…) her a bit.

Volume 14 ended with Kahoko and Azuma’s dance. It’s not much of cliff hanger, but of course, a reader will want to know what will happen next, right?

(Oh I forgot, there was also a Special Chapter after Measure 62. But it was only about Kanazawa and Kira’s high school days so I’m not writing about it)

To summarize, nothing major really happened in volume 14; but it was  fun to read because of the fun high school events associated with comedy scenes. But the greatest thing in the fourteenth volume is that the boys get to have their own respective spot lights.

I’ll have my summary/review of La Corda d’Oro Volume 15 next ^_^