erlkonig_gheyn: The first three bars of Schubert's Fantasia in f minor for four hands. (Default)
erlkonig_gheyn ([personal profile] erlkonig_gheyn) wrote in [community profile] yuletide 2022-09-11 07:10 am (UTC)

Piano no Mori (anime)

Title: Piano no Mori | Forest of Piano
Media: anime
Approx length: 24 episodes of about 22 minutes each (about 9 hours total)
Where to find it: Netflix

What is it, in summary?: It's about Kai, who is super-mega-talented, becoming a great pianist. But for me, it's about Shuuhei, the son of a famous concert pianist, having a one-sided rivalry with Kai. The anime follows the two of them preparing and competing in the International Chopin Competition.

What do you love about it?:
I love Shuuhei's arc. He's good but not miraculously so. He's nowhere near comparable to Kai, but he tries. He tries so hard, and he despises himself terribly, and his parents are so disappointed. And he is so, so envious. That really resonated with me: someone of ordinary talents facing an impossible goal, and not in an uplifting or inspiring way. No, Shuuhei faces Kai in self-loathing and despair, and I love that.

I also love the attention to the pieces it showcases. There's one scene where Kai snaps a string in the piano as he's performing, rendering that key unusable. The scene then shows him improvising to avoid the broken key, and the arrangement faithfully avoids that middle G# for the rest of the piece. They wrote a whole new arrangement and performed it, and it's gorgeous.

I love that they actually showed Concerto in e-flat minor being performed like 10 times in the second season, and never worried that the audience might tire of it. I love that piece and would love to listen to it a hundred times more.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Kai and Shuuhei kissing and getting together and playing the piano together. For Kai to think Shuuhei is brilliant and inspiring. Probably some angst with a happy ending. I have simple tastes :)

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Hmm, probably season 2 episodes 6 and 7.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): none

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