Kin'iro no Corda

Infobox animanga/Header
name = Kin'iro no Corda


caption = La Corda d'oro characters
ja_name = 金色のコルダ
ja_name_trans = The Golden String
genre = Neoromance, MusicInfobox animanga/Game
title =
developer = Koei
publisher = Koei
genre = Console role-playing game, life simulation game, visual novel
ratings = vgratings|CERO=A
platforms = PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
released = PlayStation 2:
vgrelease|JP=March 18, 2004

PlayStation Portable:
vgrelease|JP=November 16, 2005Infobox animanga/Game
title = Kin'iro no Corda 2
developer = Koei
publisher = Koei
genre = Console role-playing game, life simulation game, visual novel
ratings = vgratings|CERO=A
platforms = PlayStation 2
released = vgrelease|JP=March 15, 2007

Infobox animanga/Manga
title =
author = Yuki Kure
publisher = flagicon|Japan Hakusensha flagicon|United States Viz Media
flagicon|Italy J-Pop Edizioni
publisher_other =
demographic = Shōjo
magazine = LaLa
first = 5 March 2004
last = ongoing
volumes = 11

Infobox animanga/Anime
title = Kin'iro no Corda ~primo passo~
director = Reiko Yoshida
studio = Yumeta Company
network = flagicon|Japan TV Aichi TV Hokkaido, TV Osaka, TV Setouchi, TV Tokyo, TVQ Kyushu Broadcasting Co., Ltd.flagicon|Philippines Animax
first = 1 October 2006
last = 25 March 2007
episodes = 26 (25 + 1 special)

nihongo|"Kin'iro no Corda"|金色のコルダ|Kin'iro no Koruda, is a role-playing game from Koei's Neoromance series. An alternative title for it is "La Corda d'oro", Italian for "The Golden String".

The story has been adapted into a shōjo manga series by Yuki Kure serialized in the Japanese shōjo manga magazine LaLa. Currently, ten volumes have been released in Japan with more on the way. The manga series has also been licensed by Viz Media and released its first volume on October 3, 2006. Chuang Yi English manga has also recently licensed the manga series in Singapore.

An anime series based on this manga called "Kin'iro no Corda ~primo passo~" aired its first episode on October 1, 2006.

Plot

;SummaryKahoko Hino is a student at a Seisou Academy, one with an ordinary life. One day, Lili - the mischievous musical fairy who had blessed the original founder of the school - finds Kahoko running late to class. Delighted that she is able to see him, Lili grants Kahoko a magical violin, and a place in the school's annual musical competition, which many students in the music department vie to partake in.

Kahoko refuses, only to be pressed on by the fairy, who constantly nags her until she finally gives way to his pleads. She reluctantly accepts the instrument. As she practices her pieces, Kahoko is amazed that she can play any piece on the violin as long as she knows the tune and plays it with her heart.

The Academy

;DepartmentsSeisou Academy is separated into two departments: General Education and Music Education. Those in the General Education department study as regular students. Meanwhile, those in the Music Education major in the study of Music on top of the other regular subjects.

;ClothingStudents of the General Education department wear grey. Depending on their gender, they wear white pants or skirts. The Music department is almost the exact opposite. They wear cream blazers and grey pants or skirts.

For those of the Music department, boys wear kerchiefs while the girls wear ribbons. The students of the General Education department wear neckties and short scarfs for males and females respectively.

To identify which year a student originates from, each year has been given a certain "color" on the kerchiefs, ribbons, neckties or short scarfs. Those of the first year wear light indigo, those of the second year wear red and the third years wear dark green.

;SettingSeisou Academy seems to be a very prestigious and elite school. There are music rooms for those wishing to practice after school hours, complete with either grand or upright pianos. There is also an auditorium, which is where the concours were held throughout the series. Students of the General Education and Music departments do not share classes. They are separated into two blocks, one for each department.

Characters

; nihongo|Kahoko Hino|日野 香穂子|Hino Kahoko
*anime voices|Reiko Takagi|
*"Violin by:" Yuuki Nakajima

*Year: 2nd Year, General Education Department
*Class: 2-2
*Age: 17
*Instrument: Violin
*Birthday: February 27
*Horoscope: Pisces
*Hair Color: Scarlet
*Eye Color: Gold

Kahoko is the main female protagonist of the series. She has a warm, friendly personality and is very honest and straightforward, as shown from the way she expresses herself through her violin. She is a second year at Seisou Academy and is in the General Education department. Kahoko has never played or touched a violin in her life until she meets the strange music fairy, Lili. Though at first reluctant about playing the violin, she soon begins to love music. She is a polite and considerate girl who puts others' feelings before her own, though at times she can appear rather naive, especially in music. The boys involved in the concours have obvious crushes on her, though Kahoko is unable to figure that out. She lives in a house with her mother, older sister and older brother. She confesses to have a strong craving for sweet things.

;nihongo|Lili|リリ|Riri
*anime voices|Kaori Mizuhashi|

*Hair Color: Blonde
*Eye Color: Purple

Lili is the fairy that lives on the campus of Seisou and is the one who gives Kahoko the magic violin. Lili is the same fairy that promised the creator of the academy that he would bless the school with the gift of music, as a sign of thanks for taking care of Lili. He flies around the school waiting for people to notice him, and if they respond, he blesses them with a "magical" musical talent or whim.

;nihongo|Len Tsukimori|月森 蓮|Tsukimori Ren
*anime voices|Kishou Taniyama|
*"Violin by:" Kouichirou Muroya

*Year: 2nd Year, Music Department
*Class: 2-A
*Age: 17
*Instrument: Violin
*Birthday: April 24
*Horoscope: Taurus
*Blood Type: A
*Hair Color: Blue
*Eye Color: Gold

Len is a surly, quiet and rather cold violinist who normally behaves contemptuously toward and around everyone. He is a child prodigy, coming from a family of renowned musicians. His mother, Misa Hamai, is a very famous pianist and his father is a well-known violinist. Because of this, many people take his brilliance for granted. He seems very cold towards those that he comes into contact with, even his admirers, to whom he rarely pays any attention.

Before he met Kahoko he didn't believe music was enjoyable, though after spending time with her, Len slowly began to enjoy music and his music changes because of her. He slowly warms up to Hino and even gives her advice on how to hold and stand properly with the violin. People think that he acts harshly towards Hino, but deep down in his heart he is really concerned about her (though he may not show it). As the series progresses, he realizes his feelings for her. He never openly confesses to have such feelings for Kahoko, but he sometimes show his concern for her by helping her get her violin fixed when the strings snapped, and giving advice on violin playing. He's slowly affected by Hino and his mother says that he has changed his character. He can play the piano as well, which may be due to the influence of his mother (who is a renowned pianist).

;nihongo|Ryotaro Tsuchiura|土浦 梁太郎|Tsuchiura Ryōtarō
*"Voiced by:" Kentarou Itou and Ayumi Tsunematsu (young Tsuchiura)
*"Piano by:" Masaru Okada

*Year: 2nd Year, General Education Department
*Class: 2-5
*Age: 17
*Instrument: Piano
*Birthday: July 25
*Horoscope: Leo
*Blood Type: O
*Hair Color: Green
*Eye Color: Gold Another second year General Education department student, and one of Kahoko's close friends. He and Kahoko met after he ran into her, nearly knocking her down a staircase, saving her in the nick of time, by wrapping his hands around her waist. Their friendship eventually grows, and she even confesses to him that she knew nothing about the violin. He looks out for her and often helps her. Their relationship is often mistaken as that of a couple by other people in the school and even by Ryotaro’s ex-girlfriend, Mizue Sakimoto, in the anime. He is popular among the other students and had the respect of most male students. The female students admire him but find him a little hard to talk to.

Ryotaro is the star of the soccer team, being very skilled at the sport (and even outdoing some third years). He is a gifted pianist but quitted playing in public because of an unpleasant experience at a junior competition. Kahoko accidentally discovered his hidden talent, and he forced her not to tell anyone. He, however, revealed that secret in public when he helped Kahoko in the first round of the concours by being her accompanist, after which he, as well, was chosen to join the concours. He doesn't get along with Len, and they often get into disagreements over petty matters. His feelings for Kahoko seem to gradually deepen as the series progresses, and in the manga he confessed having such feelings to Mizue after their outing to the amusement park. In chapter 46 to 48 of manga, he begins to display jealousy and overprotectiveness when Aoi begin to get close to Kahoko.

;nihongo|Kazuki Hihara|火原 和樹|Hihara Kazuki
*anime voices|Masakazu Morita|
*"Trumpet by:" Kazuki Abe

*Year: 3rd Year, Music Department
*Class: 3-B
*Age: 18
*Instrument: Trumpet
*Birthday: December 12
*Horoscope: Sagittarius
*Blood Type: B
*Hair Color: Light Green
*Eye Color: Gold

Kazuki is an energetic third year who plays the trumpet. He is tall and in shape (he runs every morning). He's very friendly - in an almost aggressive way - and outgoing. He has little sense of social boundary. Kazuki has an enormous appetite, as he is constantly eating (especially baked goods). In episode 7 of the animation, he fell and accidentally lay on top of Kahoko, and the two nearly kisses (they blushed), though Ryotaro hold up back up. He deeply apoligise to Kahoko, and he cited how nice smelling girls are afterwards. He quickly befriends Kahoko. Because of him, Kahoko learned the true meaning of music, that it is enjoyed by everyone. After that Kahoko began to love and enjoy music better. In the middle of the series,he starts to call Kahoko "Kaho-chan", instead of the usual "Hino-chan", thus suggesting he has a rather obvious crush on her. He also admits to Azuma that he has a crush on Kahoko, saying "don't make fun of me" when he asked. Basketball is one of his favorite sports. He has an older brother named "Haruki" in the series (Episode 15).

He has a close relationship with Azuma, whom he once mistook for an upperclassman in the entrance ceremony. However in the manga, their relationship is shown to be somewhat strained especially after Kazuki found out that Azuma won't be pursuing music in the future. In the later chapters of the manga (chapter 50), Kazuki received an offer to become a commercial star for an music player product. Afterwards, he gained almost the same popularity as Azuma in their school, much to his dismay. Later in the same chapter, his strained relationship with Azuma were mended after the two have a talk, which was what Kahoko requested both of them do.

;nihongo|Azuma Yunoki|柚木 梓馬|Yunoki Azuma
*anime voices|Daisuke Kishio|
*"Flute by:" Shin Endou

*Year: 3rd Year, Music Department
*Class: 3-B
*Age: 18
*Instrument: Flute
*Birthday: June 18
*Horoscope: Gemini
*Blood Type: AB
*Hair Color: Purple
*Eye Color: Gold

A student in his third year and a flute major, he appears to be a very considerate and kind, this helps to hide a meaner and more intimidating man. He is considered very smart, as he had passed the entrance test for the school with the best grades. Due to his calm demeanor, Kazuki mistook him as an upperclassman when they first met. Azuma comes from a family of flower arranging. He used to play the piano, but due to a family rule that the youngest son cannot be better that his brothers, he turned to the flute by his grandfather's suggestion. He is the charming and considerate flutist is the "prince" of the harem; he has a worshipful trio of fans that hate any girl he shows any attention to, Kahoko in particular. He has strong feelings for Kahoko, but acts like he hates her and enjoys teasing her whenever they're alone.

Different from his peers, Azuma decided to not pursue music after he graduate and chose the Business major instead. It was a decision his grandmother made for him. In the anime, his grandmother even arranged for him to study Business earlier and Azuma was forced to drop the music competition to go to England. He later returned for the final stage of the concour (much to everyone's surprise and delight), confessing that he only went to England to cancel his transfer.

;nihongo|Keiichi Shimizu|志水 桂一|Shimizu Keiichi
*anime voices|Jun Fukuyama|
*"Cello by:" Tomoki Tai

*Year: 1st Year, Music Department
*Class: 1-A
*Age: 16
*Instrument: Cello
*Birthday: August 26
*Horoscope: Virgo
*Blood Type: A
*Hair Color: Blonde
*Eye Color: Pale Blue

Keiichi is a first year and is the youngest male competitor. He plays the cello. He is very drowsy all the time and often seems confused or in a daze. Keiichi speaks slowly and politely, in a quiet voice, and can be found sleeping anywhere, anytime. Kahoko first met him lying on the ground, fast asleep. His life seems to revolve around music - he tells Kahoko that he sleeps, wakes up, plays the cello, then repeats the process, other than eating, going to concerts with his family and visiting the library - and he loves to play the cello. He enjoys reading as well as studying the history of music and structures of instruments. In time, he becomes interested in Kahoko because of her carefree music. He has an older sister, a younger brother and a younger sister. They are mentioned, usually his older sister, but never seen. He is shown to often mispronounce Kanazawa-sensei's name.

;nihongo|Shouko Fuyuumi|冬海 笙子|Fuyu'umi Shōko
*anime voices|Akemi Satou|
*"Clarinet by" Tomoko Nishizaki

*Year: 1st Year, Music Department
*Class: 1-B
*Age: 16
*Instrument: Clarinet
*Birthday: November 3
*Horoscope: Scorpio
*Blood Type: A
*Hair Color: Cyan
*Eye Color: Pale Pink

The only other female competitor from the school, Shouko plays the clarinet and is also shown to play a little piano from Episode 26. Shouko is a first year at Seisou, a small, slim and extremely shy girl. She is very hesitant and easily intimidated. During the training camp, her vacation house was used, indicating she comes from a very wealthy family. She looks up to Kahoko as a role model and wants to be like her. She and Kahoko are good friends. As the series progresses, Shouko begins to display more confidence in her music and is able to express more into her playing.

;nihongo|Nami Amou|天羽 菜美|Amō Nami
*anime voices|Yuki Masuda|

*Year: 2nd Year, General Education Department
*Class: 2-1
*Age: 17
*Instrument: None
*Birthday: February 9
*Horoscope: Aquarius
*Blood Type: B
*Hair Color: Light Brown
*Eye Color: Light Blue

A General Education student, Nami is in her second year. She is from the journalism club and is set to report on the contest. She does the craziest things, just to get her hands on the "juiciest articles". Extremely outgoing, she is close friends with Kahoko and Shouko.

;nihongo|Hiroto Kanazawa|金澤 紘人|Kanazawa Hiroto
*anime voices|Hideo Ishikawa|
*"Tenor Vocal by:" Naoki Tokorodani

*Job: Music Teacher
*Birthday: March 1
*Age: 33
*Horoscope: Pisces
*Blood Type: A
*Hair Color: Grey-Lavender
*Eye Color: Gold

Hiroto is the teacher put in charge of the concours, nicknamed 'Kanayan' by his students. A rather lazy man, he has a technical assistant: Shinobu. He is always seen smoking, and sometimes when outdoors, he is seen feeding his cat. He seems to know about Lili, but claims that he cannot see him. He used to be a famous tenor. He had gained fame in Europe and had a beautiful soprano as his girlfriend. But one day, his singing career crumbled because his voice gave out and his girlfriend left him afterwards. The incident caused him to indulge himself in alcohol and smoking. It was revealed in the game that it is Akihiko, his old friend, who offered him the teaching job in Seisou Academy, their almamater. Kanazawa is very determined to keep his past a secret and had snatched his old vocal tape that Kahoko and Nami found by accident.

;nihongo|Shinobu Osaki|王崎 信武|Ōsaki Shinobu
*anime voices|Katsuyuki Konishi|
*"Violin by:" Kouichirou Muroya
*"Viola by:" Yuri Matsumoto

*Year: 3rd Year, College
*Instrument: Violin, Viola
*Birthday: October 17
*Age: Around 20-23
*Horoscope: Libra
*Blood Type: O
*Hair Color: Red-Orange
*Eye Color: Gold

Shinobu is a Seisou graduate, who is in his 3rd year of college currently. He comes over to the academy three days a week to observe and lead practice in the Orchestra Club. He is the one of the characters who plays more than one instrument, majoring in violin and playing a little of the viola. In the past, when he was still a student at Seisou, he won the music competition. His sole reason for playing the violin is for others to enjoy music the way he does. He has a gentle heart, and was the one who cheered Kahoko up after she started questioning her abilities when relying on the magical violin compared to the music department's students who hard work in Episode 12. He teaches children who hope to be violinists in the future, and has requested help from the concour participants to help him with it.

;nihongo|Aoi Kaji|加地 葵|Kaji Aoi
*anime voices|Mamoru Miyano|

*Class: 2-2
*Age: 17
*Instrument: Viola (previously Violin)
*Birthday: November 12
*Horoscope: Scorpio
*Blood Type: AB
*Hair Color: Blonde
*Eye Color: Emerald green

Aoi is one of the new characters who appears in the second game and was introduced later in the Chapter 47 of the manga. He's a new student in the General Education department, who transfers to Seisou from a top school in Tokyo and is sorted into Kahoko's class. When Kahoko first saw him (in class, when their teacher introduced him as a new student), she cited that he has very long eyelashes, as tall as Ryotaro, and looks very pretty (handsome). He shows his feelings to Kahoko right from the start, as he kisses Kahoko's hand like a gentleman, and said that he transfered here only because he want to see her, in front of the whole class (which sparked jealousy from other female students). He previously played the violin but dropped it and now plays the viola because of an incident in the past. He first met Kahoko on the local park when he overhears her playing the violin and he was so captivated by it that he openly declares himself her number one fan. He admits that he doesn’t have confidence in his own performances since he lacked training, but he has very sharp hearing and can easily spot flaws in others’ performances. He is also very fast in tuning his instruments. He addresses everyone politely, as he (like Azuma) was also brought up in a respectable and wealthy family. Aoi, however, was allowed more freedom by his family. He doesn’t get along with Azuma, often exchanging cynical remarks with the upperclassman, and he is perhaps the only one other than Kahoko to know Azuma’s true personality.

His grandfather owns a hospital and his father is a politician. His grandfather hopes that Aoi will major in medicine, so that Aoi will someday take over the position as head of the hospital. Aoi is extremely smart and athletic, though has a rebellious streak of his own.

;nihongo|Akihiko Kira|吉羅 暁彦|Kira Akihiko
*anime voices|Yuuya Uchida|

*Job: Director of Seisō Academy Board of Trustees
*Age: 31
*Instrument: (previously) Violin
*Birthday: January 3
*Horoscope: Capricorn
*Blood Type: AB
*Hair Color: Black
*Eye Color: Scarlet

Akihiko is the other new character who appears in the second game. He doesn't remember people's faces and names all that well, so even if someone had met him before, he won't remember them. He is the son of the family that founded Seisou Academy. Akihiko is the most recent and youngest director in the history of the school and was asked to solve a financial crisis that befell the school. In the game, he made a decision to separate the school into two different schools: a music school and a general education school. Kahoko opposed this, and Akihiko challenges her to create a successful Christmas concert with an ensemble of other musicians from the school. It is revealed that Hiroto was his senior when both of them were still in school. He used to play violin in the past, but dropped it because of a tragedy in the past, and had also come to hate music. It appears that Akihiko has some obscure relationship with Lili.

The Selections

*Opening Theme - "Brand New Breeze" by Kanon
*Ending Theme - "Crescendo" by Stella Quintet (consisting of the voice actors of the 5 male protagonists)

Music Played On The First Selection
*Theme: Opening Up

* Kahoko: Tristesse (Étude Opus 10 No.3) by Frédéric Chopin
* Kazuki: Unter dem Doppel Adler (Under The Double Eagle) by Josef Franz Wagner
* Keiichi: Cello Concerto No. 9 in B Flat Major (G.482) by Luigi Boccherini
* Azuma: Morning Mood by Edvard Hagerup Grieg
* Shouko: Romance in G Major by Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger
* Len: Polonaise Brillante No. 1 in D Major (for violin and orchestra - Opus 4) by Henryk Wieniawski

Music Played On The Second Selection
*Theme: Something to Believe In

* Kahoko: Canon in D Major by Johann Pachelbel (Anime) Liebesfreud (Joy of Love) by Fritz Kreisler (Manga)
* Ryotaro: Fantasie-Impromptu by Frédéric Chopin
* Kazuki: Auf Flügen des Gesanges (On Wings of Song) by Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
* Keiichi: Le Cygne by Charles Camille Saint-Saëns
* Azuma: Thais Meditation by Jules Massenet
* Shouko: Romance by Charles Camille Saint-Saëns
* Len: Chaconne in G Minor by Tomaso Antonio Vitali

Music Played On The Third Selection
*Theme: Irreplaceable Parts

* Kahoko: Mélodie by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (anime) Après un rêve by Gabriel Fauré (Manga)
* Ryotaro: The Revolutionary Étude by Frédéric Chopin
* Kazuki: Serenade by Franz Schubert
* Keiichi: Sicilienne by Gabriel Fauré
* Azuma: Partita in A Major by Johann Sebastian Bach
* Shouko: Three Romances No. 2 by Robert Schumann
* Len: Tzigane by Maurice Ravel

Music Played On The Final Selection
*Theme: Irreplacable item(Manga); Setting Free(Anime)

* Kahoko: Ave Maria by Schubert
* Ryotaro: La Campanella by Franz Liszt
* Kazuki: Jupiter from the Planets Suite by Gustav Holst
* Keiichi: Prelude from Suites for Solo Cello No. 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach
* Azuma: Vocalise by Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov
* Shouko: Clarinet Polka by K. Namyslowski
* Len: Caprice No. 24 by Niccolò Paganini

Music Played On The Special Episode - Episode 26

* Kahoko: Opus 12 Salut d'Amour by E. Elgar (accompanied by Shouko)
* Ryotaro: S.541 Liebestraume (Dreams of Love) No. 3 in A Flat Major by Franz Liszt
* Kazuki and Kahoko: Gavotte in D Major by F.J Gossec
* Keiichi: Prelude from Suites for Solo Cello No. 1 by Johann Sebastian Bach
* Azuma: Notturno d'Amour (Serenade) by R. Drigo
* Len: Opus 50, Romance No. 2 in F Major by Beethoven

External links

* [http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/corda/ TV Tokyo's La Corda D'Oro Website]
*ann manga|id=6543
*ann anime|id=6859
* [http://www.baka-saru.net/icerydragon/corda.php Crescendo - A La Corda D'Oro fansite]
* [http://my-neoromance.com/ My-Neoromance - A general site on all the Neo Romance games]