La Corda d'Oro Volume 10 cover image is courtesy of barnesandnoble.com.

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Kahoko Hino wanted to enter a prominent musical competition at Seisou Academy, a high school which is divided into the General Education School and the Music School.  Kahoka, a General Ed student, couldn’t play any musical instruments until a music fairy named Lili gave Kahoka a magical violin that had her suddenly playing like an expert.

In La Corda d’Oro, Vol. 10, the Final Selection, the important musical performance competition by Seisou Academy’s top musical students, arrives at long last.  The event is complicated by a sudden change in the order of the performances.  For Kahoko, there is even more pressure as this is the first time that she will perform without magical assistance.  For Kahoko and her classmates, the Final Selection is a turning point.

THE LOWDOWN:  Based upon the Japanese role playing game, Kin'iro no Corda, La Corda d’Oro (an Italian phrase that translates to “the golden string”) brings readers into a world of musical performance that is defined by beauty and somewhat infused with magic.  With each volume, I become more impress by manga-ka Yuki Kure’s beautiful art and her handsomely composed characters, with their wavy hair, large expressive eyes, and gorgeous faces.

What makes this an excellent high school drama, however, is that element which is necessary to make a high school drama excellent – endearing characters.  Complicated, egotistical, ambitious, insecure, etc.:  the characters in La Corda d’Oro can be as mesmerizing as great music.  Kure has created a cast that you want to follow, characters that are as interesting as they are pretty.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Shojo readers who live for engaging characters will like the golden strings of the elaborate high school drama that is La Corda d’Oro.

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