My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Based off a Japanese video game, the TV series was released as the manga series was still in progress. I haven't played any of the games as I've yet to see any English releases for them, though I would be interested. This series focuses on a group of musicians from Seiso Academy as they enter the Intramural Concourse, a music competition. The catch is that every year a "normal" student is entered in with the music school students. This student is chosen by Lili, the school's music fairy that very few people seem to believe is real despite there being a rather large statue of him on the school grounds.
Kahoko, the main female character of the series, is his choice as a violinist, using a magical violin that puts her on par with the other competitors. Through the events, another regular student and friend of Kahoko's, Ryoutarou, gets roped into the competition as well, revealing his piano skills used to be compared with Len's violin when they were children. Hihara is by far the life of the group with his trumpet and exuberance while Shimizu is almost always asleep. Yunoki appears to play the rich boy who secretly just wants to be a musician (or maybe not from appearances) and Fuyuumi is the shy girl (also the only other girl of real notice in the concourse). Of course by the end of the concourse, Kahoko has developed a genuine love of music and begins to play naturally instead of with the help of magic (a change which originally drops her down in ranking significantly during the competition). All of the boys, with perhaps the exception of Shimizu who is too out of it to be much competition and more of a brotherly symbol, seem to have a type of crush or interest in Kahoko. Despite Hihara's cheerful disposition and easy friendship, it appears Ryoutarou and Len are the main two competitors.
The music is all classical given their instruments of choice. Kahoko and Len are both on violin, which originally appears to cause some friction between the two aside from the general disdain for her being a "normal" student instead of a music school representative. Ryoutarou, as previously stated, is a pianist. Hihara is the only brass instrument of the group on his trumpet. Yunoki takes up the flute. Shimizu hauls around his cello routinely, despite his sleepy personality (maybe that's why he's always so tired). Fuyuumi plays clarinet.
The mix of an amusing story with interesting characters and a lot of music with instruments I love make this an easy favorite. If anything, I just wish English releases for the series were easier to come by, including for the games.
