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Piano Duo for the Left Hand Vol. 5

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I have a soft spot for stories following protagonists finding and pursuing their passion later in life- Blue Period, Smile Down the Runway (Runway de Waratte); to name a few. So, I went into this excited and expecting to love it. For the most part, it was an enjoyable read, but honestly pretty forgettable. What I loved about this story is that it is essentially a new take on the tale where somebody finally realizes their worth. Shu is cleaning up his act, trying to make a future for himself. It's so heartwarming to see, and I can't wait to see more of it.

Ravel is quoted in one source as saying that the piece is in only one movement [6] :41 and in another as saying the piece is divided into two movements linked together. [6] :41 According to Marie-Noëlle Masson, the piece has a tripartite structure: slow–fast–slow, instead of the usual fast–slow–fast. [6] Whatever the internal structure may be, the 18–19minute piece negotiates several sections in various tempi and keys without pause. Towards the end of the piece, some of the music of the early slow sections is overlaid with the faster music, so that two tempi occur simultaneously. Now, it’s not framed that way. The actual point is using your hands as a gift to play music, not to lash out, and it lets Shu be the mature one in the room with regards to both Gregor and Akari, who lashes out on her own in a fit of rebellion such as she has yet to manifest.The piece was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, a concert pianist who had lost his right arm in the First World War. [1] Paul Wittgenstein at the piano In May 1930 Ravel had had a major disagreement with Arturo Toscanini over the correct tempo for Boléro (he conducted it too fast for Ravel's liking, who said he should play it at the slower speed he had in mind, or not at all). [8] [9] In September, Ravel patched up the relationship and invited Toscanini to conduct the world premiere of the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, but the conductor declined. [10] When tragedy cuts the relationship between Shu (a high school delinquent) and Akari (a piano prodigy) short, Shu is devastated and blames himself. In the midst of this tragedy, he realised his left hand is no longer his own as he begins a journey with music, exploring hope and purpose ... Ho trovato un po' strani gli indumenti dei personaggi che non molto larghi e morbidi. E' davvero uno stile particolare e diverso da quello a cui sono abituata, ma mi piace. What really made this volume memorable was the unexpected emotions that constantly bombarded the reader due to the sudden twist and it’s impact on multiple characters. If the story has continued on as a contemporary exploring grief without the fantasy element it would’ve been an automatic five stars and perhaps a manga to remember. The fantasy element didn’t necessarily detract from the story so much that it took the story in a completely different direction, one that seemed sceptical at first but slowly grew into its own and, by the end, the idea of another person living in someone’s hand didn’t seem so odd.

a b c Masson, Marie-Noëlle (1998). "Ravel: Le Concerto Pour La Main Gauche Ou Les Enjeux D'un Néo-Classicisme". Musurgia. 5 (3/4): 37–52. JSTOR 40591796.The art is beautiful, and especially the scenes where we have Shu and Akari playing together. In general, the composition was always creative and compelling, and the art style was just a treat to look at. However, one of my favourite things about music manga is how the art represents the sound. Aside from with Shu and Akari, I feel the art could have done a bit more to aid us in picturing how the music sounds and should make us feel. Mawer, Deborah (2006). The Ballets of Maurice Ravel: Creation and Interpretation. Ashgate. p.224. ISBN 9780754630296.

Dunoyer, Cecilia (1993). Marguerite Long: A Life in French Music, 1874–1966. Indiana University Press. p.97. ISBN 0-253-31839-4. Throughout the piece, Ravel creates ambiguity between triple and duple rhythms. This example highlights one of the more notable instances of this. The protagonist Shu was a delinquent by circumstance, not by choice, and when he shed his rough bad boy attitude he was rather endearing. His guilt made him pitiable and his dogged determination to honour Akari’s wish was honourable. Really, he was a good guy and a protagonist to root for. His character design was a little questionable. He looked much too big to be a middle schooler and his ridiculous trousers looked like Ali Baba pants three sizes too big for him so that any panel that featured his full frame had him looking like a mushroom cloud. If anything, it was amusing to see. Howe, Blake (April 2010). "Paul Wittgenstein and the Performance of Disability". Journal of Musicology. 27 (2): 135–180. doi: 10.1525/jm.2010.27.2.135. JSTOR 10.1525/jm.2010.27.2.135. The piano element was an interesting choice because it can be hard to convey music through the written medium, however, the author did manage to capture the essence of people’s love for piano music. In fact, as evidenced by the detailed endnotes on the different piano pieces mentioned in the story, it was clear the author had done their research and that really helped bolster the credibility of the piano music inclusion.Zank, Stephen (24 May 2013). Maurice Ravel: A Guide to Research. Routledge. note B206. ISBN 978-1135173517 . Retrieved 25 February 2014.

So, on the whole, this story was very powerful and beautiful in many senses. I think that manga readers who love stories centred around the theme of music and especially of piano players will love this manga. I will finally add that the drawings were very cute, though some things didn't particularly please me in the depiction of women/girls (i.e. the sexy maid with a big bosom was a bit too cliché and a bit sexist in my opinion). Thanks to Kodansha Comics and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own. Which comes to the end of the story and, yeah, my time with this series. I dearly want to follow this, but the mangaka isn’t nearly up to the task of making this as interesting as it sounds. The premise is delightfully wonky, Akari and Shu are a great pair, but the moment-to-moment writing can’t keep pace with the ambitions. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.* Whether you’re down for that or not is going to be the decisive factor in your enjoyment. I mean, this isn’t great storytelling and I don’t know that this is going to be better than the more traditional romance it looked like originally, but I can safely say it won’t be boring and that’s definitely something.I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the art as well. The art in this story has a voluminous quality to everything that makes it look like everybody is wearing clothing three sizes too big that are flapping in an invisible breeze. It’s really fun and fluid and adds a little to everything with its exaggerated nature (it fits right in, truly).

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