This one reminded me a little of NANA. You have two characters, Setsu and Yuna, who serendipitously end up living together and are both fighting for their dreams after moving to Tokyo. We're shown the harsh realities of trying to make it in the entertainment biz with Yuna, and sadly, pretty quickly her whole world starts to crumble after a bad week of rejections, but it opens the door for Setsu, since she leaves him her apartment. Things get a little wild after the first couple chapters with the introduction of Setsu's mom who comes in like a whirlwind and helps Setsu set up shop properly in Tokyo and gets him back in school--he is, after all, only 16. The school, of course, has a shamisen club that is failing, but Setsu declines joining. Then, we get a brief little preview of the world of playing the shamisen, but more importantly, we're introduced to a potential rival for Setsu.

Over all, the storyline was a little all over the place and the characters were a little hard to grasp. I've not read many manga that deal with music, but it is hard to imagine the sound of the shamisen and how Setsu's might be different than anyone else. This is an older series that is just now getting a proper translation, and it it perfectly timed with the release of an anime! Having watched the first episode, I can say that the anime really cleans up the story and lets the characters and the music--the most important part--shine! Would I pick up the next volume, probably, but this isn't one that I immediately fell in love with, it just fell a little short.

I absolutely adore this. It’s funny, touching story and has humor in between, I loved the characters is absolutely addictive from the start.
This tells a story of Setsu a 16 year old boy after his grandfather past away he wants to take his advise and find his own voice, his own music through the Shamisen a Japanese instrument.
I loved the graphics design style I’m looking forward to keep following the author

I really adored the art in this one. The main character is also likeable so far and I'm excited to see more of them! However, the plot wasn't quite my cup of tea, but I'm sure the more volumes I read the more my mind will be swayed as the writing, art and characterisation is still great! I also liked how such a simple thing like a manga volume can educate and interest people into the shamisen. This feels to me like a series that you need to read the first few volumes to fully get a grasp on, but I definitely have hope for it!

I received this manga from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
Since I just cannot write a long review for this one, I will write a short one to at least convey my feelings.
Well, this was a disappointment. Too much going on but at the same time also nothing. It started quite nicely with Yuna and Setsu meeting and him living with her. Yuna was such an awesome characters and Setsu was also quite interesting. But then the boyfriend showed up and did things... and later was apparently just forgiven just like that and kept popping up all the time. The story went back and forth at times making it very hard to keep track of things, I would have rather had the story to focus either on Yuna or on Setsu, not on everyone else.
Setsu's mom was the worst. What a witch. When she was added the story just went down and down and down.
So yeah, it was just mostly boring and at other times way too exaggerated! Confusing, I know, that is how I felt about the book. :P

Very interesting. I thought this was going to be a Shounen-esque story of some young prodigy who needs to become better than his father (grandfather in this case) ever was but its not anything like that.

This has likeable characters and a good story and it's about the shamisen which I can honestly say I've never read a manga about before.

Clearly I was underestimating Marimo Ragawa. Previous to Yen Press' publication of <i>The Vampire and his Pleasant Companions</i>, Ragawa's only series available in English was the somewhat maudlin <i>Baby & Me</i>, so reading their works for an older audience is something of a revelation. This story, published in a shounen magazine, follows a young shamisen player as he searches for his definitive sound after the death of his grandfather, the man who not only raised him, but also functioned as his mentor and master.

The story is strongest in the first, and longest, chapter of the book. Titled "Chapter 0," this not only introduces Setsu and his music but also brings them both to Tokyo, where he is rescued by Yuna, a young woman trying to make it as an actress. Yuna leaves at the end of the chapter, which is a real shame, because she's the strongest character in the book - she's a firecracker who learns to stand up for herself even as she's always willing to stand up for someone else. Her scummy boyfriend remains in the story as Setsu's more-or-less friend while the role of "main female character" is taken over by Setsu's horrible mother. It is not a good trade-off.

Fortunately now that Mom's forced Setsu to go back to high school there are more potential characters who are not the dregs of humanity, although it should be noted that the story also takes a dive in terms of interesting plot at this point. It isn't bad; it just isn't as good as the opening chapter. Hopefully Ragawa can recapture that magic in volume two, because there's a lot of potential here, and I'm looking forward to being proven wrong in my earlier assumptions about them as a creator.

In this manga, readers are dragged into the life of a sixteen years old striving for his dreams, and soon find that his goal isn’t something a modern generation would expect . . .

Setsu Sawamura plays the shamisen, a three-stringed traditional Japanese instrument. Probably not so common these days, but sure fascinating. And if the info we get about this instrument during the read satisfies our curiosity, Setsu sparks it some more. He may still not know much about the outside world, but he definitely knows his stuff when it comes to the shamisen. His determination to find the right inspiration to play—and do it well—is admirable. Too bad for the fast pace—events seem to happen in a blink of an eye—but kudos to that good dose of humour in the panels that always provide a nice entertainment. Not to mention the enrapturing melody we imagine coming from the shamisen. I wish I could hear those notes!

An interesting beginning of a journey any of us understand the struggle of, no matter the age. After all, we all try to achieve our own dreams . . . Cheers to that!

Thanks to Kodansha and netgalley for the copy of this manga for reviewing purposes.

I had a great time with this manga. Even though I wasn't familiar with the shamisen, a traditional japanese instrument, the volume gives us a good starting point to know more about it. and it made me actually look up videos of the shamisen being played and found the Yoshida brothers mentioned in the first chapter.

I liked Setsu even though he's a little spacey and I was not expecting him to be 16 years old, especially when I met the girl. I really enjoyed this volume anad I can't wait to read the next one.

This is a slow building story about loss and finding yourself after that loss. This first volume was quite enjoyable. My only qualm is with our main character's age. I feel like that is going to turn into something I don't like later on as the series goes one, but I definitely intend to keep reading to find out. This story revolves around Setsu after the passing of his grandfather. He has lost his "sound" and goes on a journey of self discovery to not only find the sound he's lost but cultivate it into his own style distinct from his grandfathers. Coming from a small town to Tokyo, Setsu meets Yuka and the band members of Pink Punk Gadget. Of course they are all instantly loud and raucous causing shenanigans almost immediately. Yuka's boyfriend is annoying but the rest of the band are adorable. This is a coming of age story and I am interested to see Setsu grow as his journey continues and he meets more people. Definitely will pick up volume 2.

•M A N G A • R E V I E W•
2021 Book #38 out of 80
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THOSE SNOW WHITE NOTES by MARIMO RAGAWA
⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars
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QUICK SYNOPSIS: Setsu wants to be able to play the shamisen just as beautifully as his grandfather used to. But after his grandfather's death, Setsu leaves his hometown and travels to Tokyo. For this change in scenery, he hopes to search for inspiration to help him regain his confidence to play the shamisen.

STORYLINE & THOUGHTS:
~ This manga volume contains two arcs and focuses on realistic events in a fiction setting.
~ The art was very eye-catching and the concept drew me into reading the arcs.
~ Honestly, I feel like I need another volume or two to fully grasp my thoughts and feelings of the series. I do recommend to other manga-readers to check this manga out though.
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Thank you to @netgalley and @kodanshamanga
for this ARC Ebook. All reviews are fair and honest reviews. All opinions are my own.
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#ARC #AdvanceReaderCopy #Netgalley #Bookstagramfeature #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #PNWbooks #Goodreads #TBR #ToBeRead #InstaBook #Bibliophile #Bookstagrammer #bookblogger #currentlyreading #ilovereading #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #bookreview #bookishfeatures

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Marimo Ragawa for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Setsu wants to play the shamisen just as beautifully as his grandfather did. But after his grandfather's death, Setsu isn't quite sure how to find his own sound. He leaves the care of his older brother and moves to Tokyo, perhaps looking for a way to bring his shamisen playing to life.

This volume has two arcs. There is the first, in which Setsu is taken in by a girl dating the singer of a band and there is the arc where he returns to school, where he is invited to join the shamisen club.

I really like the art in this manga and I have a great appreciation that the book features a musician who plays the shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument, as opposed to the overly-popular rock-star manga. This was a very enjoyable read and really highlights the struggle of loss and of an artist finding their way in life. I very much look forward to the second volume.

I wasn't expecting to get completely sucked into this, but I loved this beginning. It's a gritty story with really imperfect people, but their flaws make them unique and interesting. Even in such a short time, I feel like the main characters have been well-fleshed out enough for the reader to get a good grasp of what each character is like at this point in the story.

I also loved how music was described and shown. There was a lot of thought put into how to depict the playing of music when an artist is really in "the zone," and as an artist myself, I genuinely appreciated that. I like all of the discussions around music as an art and an emotion and the way the characters interact with the concepts in the story.

Cannot wait to try out volume 2!

Interesting turn. I thought it was going to be like Nana in the beginning but it ended up more like Kong Oto Tomare! I love shamisan music, particularly tsugaru-shamisan, so the musical elements really spoke to me. The background ponies haven't super won me over yet, but give it time and I'm sure I will love them all.

I think I need another volume or two of this one to get a better read on it. This seemed like a lot of setup. I also didn't really connect with/like many of the characters until the two school girls at the end. Most of the side characters were awful humans and the MC was rather bland and apathetic. I hope he grows more as the story progresses.

Tentatively recommended, but that may change when I read more issues.

Setsu leaves home after the death of his grandfather. He runs away to Tokyo so he can hear again but the lights and sounds of Tokyo overwhelm him. He meets a young woman who has dreams of making it big in entertainment , she gives him shelter and introduces him to her friends. Setsu starts to live again and find himself. This was fun and beautiful , dealing with grief can be difficult but this was handled well.

Wow! This volume blew me away!

Not only did it have beautiful art, I can already tell I am going to be in this one for the long haul. The exploration of the personal journey of music is phenomenal! Please pick this one up!

For more detailed thoughts, please check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ZcsDxr-QA

I wanted to like this, but ultimately I felt that this was just another manga I've read before. It was cute, and I liked the art, but the story lacked for me.

That isn't to say this won't sell or be read by many. I think the audience is out there for this, I just was not into it.

Thank you for the e-galley!

Really fun and educating Manga!

Main character plays Shamisen, after the loss of his grandad he leaves small town in search for inspiration and goes to Tokyo. Tokyo is full of light, voices and things that he doesn't fully understand. He will evolve his musical talents here, make friends and scar his heart.

Great manga, I really enjoyed it! Highly recommended. I loved the way music band has been described! Fun and realistic read!

I have been on a manga streak lately so I was looking forward to starting this one once I finished up the current series I was reading. Sadly, this one just didn’t work for me.

From the blurb I figured this would be an interesting manga filled with emotional topics. Although it does have that, I feel like the comedic relief takes away from the overall plot. It just left it feeling really weird and out of place at times.

I can feel something for Setsu as I understand what it is like to lose a grandparent. Is it very hard and the grief is real. Besides that, I couldn’t really connect to him or Yuna as they just didn’t interest me enough.

Overall, it was okay. It wasn’t for me and that’s okay. Hopefully others will like it much more than I did.

The style for this one was quite classic and was a little like taking a trip back to the 90's and early 2000's, and honestly I quite enjoyed it. I also have a soft spot for music-based manga/anime with Given and Kids on the Slope being favourites, and this manga very much had a similar vibe, and while it was perhaps not the most action-packed story or development, I enjoyed it. There were a few pacing issues, and I didn't feel that some of the characters were as fleshed out as they needed to be, but there were some very meaningful moments and overall I would recommend this one.