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さよならピアノソナタ [Sayonara Piano Sonata] #1
さよならピアノソナタ [Sayonara Piano Sonata]
「六月になったら、わたしは消えるから」転校生にしてピアノの天才・真冬は言い放った。彼女は人を寄せつけずピアノも弾かず、空き教室にこもってエレキギターの超速弾きばかりするようになる。そんな真冬に憤慨する男子が一人。大音量でCDを聴くためにその教室を無断使用していたナオは、ベースで真冬を“ぶっとばす”ことにより、占拠された教室の奪還をめざす。民俗音楽研究部なる部活の創設を目論む自称革命家の先輩・神楽坂響子とナオの幼なじみ・千晶も絡みつつ、ナオと真冬の関係は接近していくが、真冬には隠された秘密があって―。恋と革命と音楽が織りなすボーイ・ミーツ・ガール・ストーリー。
315 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2007
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42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2012
Hikaru Sugii is best known for his KamiMemo series, which was ranked 14th in the 2012 This Light Novel Is Awesome survey, beating out notables like Spice & Wolf and Durarara, however I have to say I prefer this book, Sayonara Piano Sonata (English version available here.
The premise is a lot like K-ON -- group of high school kids form a rock band under the guise of a school club so they can use the music facilities to practice. But in this case the protagonist is a guy, the band members actually do practice instead of eating cake, and they aren't protected from bad things by their innate cuteness.
Okay, so it's nothing like K-on.
Our protagonist is Nao, the son of an influential classical music critic. When he discovers the music department has a disused sound-proof room, he decides to requisition it for his own use so he can listen to his rock CDs without disturbing his dad's work. This works well until Mafuyu Ebisawa transfers into his class. Mafuyu is a piano prodigy -- sort of a Japanese Hilary Hahn -- but she's recently dropped out of the classical music scene and no one knows why. Shortly after enrolling, she takes over the soundproof room for herself and uses it to practice -- guitar. But since she went through official channels, there's not much Nao can do about it.
Meanwhile Nao's pal Chiaki has fallen in with an upperclassman named Kagurazaka who wants to form a rock band. To get official school recognition they need two more members, and Kagurazaka has decided upon Nao and Mafuyu. To do this, she's hatched a plan for getting them into a guitar duel, which Nao goes along with in hope that he can dislodge Mafuyu from the room and then renege on his commitment to Kagurazaka.
Anyone familiar with KamiMemo, either through the novels, manga or anime adaptation, will spot immediate similarities between Nao and Narumi -- antisocial loners who are dragged into a school club by one girl and beset by another who is equally antisocial. But where KamiMemo is a plot-oriented series where Narumi's psychological issues have to take a back seat to the mysteries and Alice's eccentricities, SPS is entirely character driven. Why Nao and Mafuyu became so screwed up is an important part of the story, rather than a mystery to be eked out over the course of the series.
The other way in which this series beats out KamiMemo is Sugii's descriptions of music. Though he's a good mystery writer, that's nothing compared to the clarity with which he describes both rock and classical pieces -- and he clearly knows his stuff. The guitar duel (guitar vs bass, actually) involves Mafuyu and Nao playing Beethoven's Eroica Variations (op.35), with an intricate description of each variation and how it favors either the bass or regular guitar. It helps that the scene takes about as long to read as the piece does to play, so you can follow along as you read (though sadly there's no guitar version out there, so you'll have to maked do with a piano recording and imagine which parts are taken by which instrument). But even without listening along, I think the scene would be as exciting as an actual action sequence.
The premise is a lot like K-ON -- group of high school kids form a rock band under the guise of a school club so they can use the music facilities to practice. But in this case the protagonist is a guy, the band members actually do practice instead of eating cake, and they aren't protected from bad things by their innate cuteness.
Okay, so it's nothing like K-on.
Our protagonist is Nao, the son of an influential classical music critic. When he discovers the music department has a disused sound-proof room, he decides to requisition it for his own use so he can listen to his rock CDs without disturbing his dad's work. This works well until Mafuyu Ebisawa transfers into his class. Mafuyu is a piano prodigy -- sort of a Japanese Hilary Hahn -- but she's recently dropped out of the classical music scene and no one knows why. Shortly after enrolling, she takes over the soundproof room for herself and uses it to practice -- guitar. But since she went through official channels, there's not much Nao can do about it.
Meanwhile Nao's pal Chiaki has fallen in with an upperclassman named Kagurazaka who wants to form a rock band. To get official school recognition they need two more members, and Kagurazaka has decided upon Nao and Mafuyu. To do this, she's hatched a plan for getting them into a guitar duel, which Nao goes along with in hope that he can dislodge Mafuyu from the room and then renege on his commitment to Kagurazaka.
Anyone familiar with KamiMemo, either through the novels, manga or anime adaptation, will spot immediate similarities between Nao and Narumi -- antisocial loners who are dragged into a school club by one girl and beset by another who is equally antisocial. But where KamiMemo is a plot-oriented series where Narumi's psychological issues have to take a back seat to the mysteries and Alice's eccentricities, SPS is entirely character driven. Why Nao and Mafuyu became so screwed up is an important part of the story, rather than a mystery to be eked out over the course of the series.
The other way in which this series beats out KamiMemo is Sugii's descriptions of music. Though he's a good mystery writer, that's nothing compared to the clarity with which he describes both rock and classical pieces -- and he clearly knows his stuff. The guitar duel (guitar vs bass, actually) involves Mafuyu and Nao playing Beethoven's Eroica Variations (op.35), with an intricate description of each variation and how it favors either the bass or regular guitar. It helps that the scene takes about as long to read as the piece does to play, so you can follow along as you read (though sadly there's no guitar version out there, so you'll have to maked do with a piano recording and imagine which parts are taken by which instrument). But even without listening along, I think the scene would be as exciting as an actual action sequence.
December 31, 2025
This book explores a lot of teenage problems in a way that feels honest and relatable, and it really made me reflect on my own life. It also does a great job portraying the emotional depth of each character, making their experiences feel real and nuanced. The parts related to music are especially accurate and well done, which I really loved. Overall, it’s a great read.
August 20, 2015
see full review @ Katie's Corner
From the time I started the manga corner on my blog, this is either 4th or 5th manga about music that I am covering here. To say the truth, when I first started it I only finished the first volume and didn’t go further, said I will finish it later. My later became a year, but I’m still pretty proud of myself for not giving up and taking it up again to read. I do not even remember why I stopped reading it, guess at that time I was more interested in a different genre either seinen or smut. Who cares about that now! Let me get back to the story, introduce the characters and say why I loved this manga so much. Ready?
The story starts with Nao going to a so-called “store for everything” in search for some spare details. There by chance he sees a girl, who is playing piano in the middle of junk. Oh, right I forgot to mention that the “store for everything” is a junkyard.
(see pic on the blog)
Who’s the girl playing the piano? It’s a famous Mafuyu Ebisawa, a genius pianist, who hasn’t appeared on stage for a long time. Their relationship doesn’t start good. Nao is labeled as stalker, and it doesn’t help that Mafuyu was just transferred to his school and steals Nao’s room to practice playing guitar. So, now it’s up to Nao to get his room back and teach Mafuyu what rock is. Why rock music? Are you a fan of classical music? Well, I am, and even if I am not a big fan of piano, being a violin player had its toll on that matter.
The thing is that at the time that I was reading this manga I was already not thinking about my violin, but my university studies. And when I was reading this story, everything that I loved about music came back to me. I can’t really explain this, but throughout the pages I was hearing all classical composers but not played on piano, but on an electric guitar. Amazing? As if, it was more than amazing! The way music was described, was absolutely like I myself was thinking about.
(Picture on the blog)
This story is more about music, than the relationship between Nao & Mafuyu. There is a line about their relationship and it is amazing, though music was the main theme. I hope you will find some time to read this great work! Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below. Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book. Happy reading!
XOXO
Katie
From the time I started the manga corner on my blog, this is either 4th or 5th manga about music that I am covering here. To say the truth, when I first started it I only finished the first volume and didn’t go further, said I will finish it later. My later became a year, but I’m still pretty proud of myself for not giving up and taking it up again to read. I do not even remember why I stopped reading it, guess at that time I was more interested in a different genre either seinen or smut. Who cares about that now! Let me get back to the story, introduce the characters and say why I loved this manga so much. Ready?
The story starts with Nao going to a so-called “store for everything” in search for some spare details. There by chance he sees a girl, who is playing piano in the middle of junk. Oh, right I forgot to mention that the “store for everything” is a junkyard.
(see pic on the blog)
Who’s the girl playing the piano? It’s a famous Mafuyu Ebisawa, a genius pianist, who hasn’t appeared on stage for a long time. Their relationship doesn’t start good. Nao is labeled as stalker, and it doesn’t help that Mafuyu was just transferred to his school and steals Nao’s room to practice playing guitar. So, now it’s up to Nao to get his room back and teach Mafuyu what rock is. Why rock music? Are you a fan of classical music? Well, I am, and even if I am not a big fan of piano, being a violin player had its toll on that matter.
The thing is that at the time that I was reading this manga I was already not thinking about my violin, but my university studies. And when I was reading this story, everything that I loved about music came back to me. I can’t really explain this, but throughout the pages I was hearing all classical composers but not played on piano, but on an electric guitar. Amazing? As if, it was more than amazing! The way music was described, was absolutely like I myself was thinking about.
(Picture on the blog)
This story is more about music, than the relationship between Nao & Mafuyu. There is a line about their relationship and it is amazing, though music was the main theme. I hope you will find some time to read this great work! Enjoy it to its fullest and don’t forget to share your thoughts below. Stay tuned for more reviews as well as promos. Don’t miss your next favourite book. Happy reading!
XOXO
Katie
May 28, 2016
"I'll disappear when June arrives." This is what Mafuyu said.
The story was full of music, really. You cannot avoid one of them in every single chapter of the entire series, including this book. Well, most of the musics were classical but there are a few classical rock music as well, if you refer to the back of the light novel before author's afterwords.
This story was set during spring and the story begins with our pessimistic (I mean really, I also read Heaven's Memo Pad and the main character is dense more or less the same) main character named Naomi Hikawa met Mafuyu Ebisawa playing a piano in a garbage mountain which he called 'The Everything Hypermarket'. And they met again when she transferred to Naomi's school. And their story begins there.
The story was rich and full of emotions inside besides music. The only thing that I hate Naomi is his pessimistic and dense personality but it won't be interesting without one. Plus, Mafuyu is quite a tsundere but she has a good personality once she was 'tamed'. I'm quite sympathy to her as her mother left her due to a 'reason' which caused her inability to play the piano. Well, both main characters' mother left them.
Go to the next side, his childhood friend - Chiaki Aihara and the music rebel, a senior who loves stick her nose into something - Kyouko Kagurazaka definitely added some spice into the story. Especially Chiaki's martial arts against Naomi and Kyouko's sly plan to form their own music club. I don't want to talk about Naomi's teacher as well... read on your own!
Not forget to mention, never forget the illustration - it was a beauty. Ueda Ryou's illustrations are simple but enjoyable.
In conclusion, I recommend it to those who loves romance and music together. Plus, I also recommend to those 'Your Lie in April' readers to read this light novel too as it carries the same settings on the two main character as well. Also, try read the manga version if you are not fond of digesting words.
*The book I read was translated and published by Kadokawa Taiwan Corporation.
The story was full of music, really. You cannot avoid one of them in every single chapter of the entire series, including this book. Well, most of the musics were classical but there are a few classical rock music as well, if you refer to the back of the light novel before author's afterwords.
This story was set during spring and the story begins with our pessimistic (I mean really, I also read Heaven's Memo Pad and the main character is dense more or less the same) main character named Naomi Hikawa met Mafuyu Ebisawa playing a piano in a garbage mountain which he called 'The Everything Hypermarket'. And they met again when she transferred to Naomi's school. And their story begins there.
The story was rich and full of emotions inside besides music. The only thing that I hate Naomi is his pessimistic and dense personality but it won't be interesting without one. Plus, Mafuyu is quite a tsundere but she has a good personality once she was 'tamed'. I'm quite sympathy to her as her mother left her due to a 'reason' which caused her inability to play the piano. Well, both main characters' mother left them.
Go to the next side, his childhood friend - Chiaki Aihara and the music rebel, a senior who loves stick her nose into something - Kyouko Kagurazaka definitely added some spice into the story. Especially Chiaki's martial arts against Naomi and Kyouko's sly plan to form their own music club. I don't want to talk about Naomi's teacher as well... read on your own!
Not forget to mention, never forget the illustration - it was a beauty. Ueda Ryou's illustrations are simple but enjoyable.
In conclusion, I recommend it to those who loves romance and music together. Plus, I also recommend to those 'Your Lie in April' readers to read this light novel too as it carries the same settings on the two main character as well. Also, try read the manga version if you are not fond of digesting words.
*The book I read was translated and published by Kadokawa Taiwan Corporation.
March 17, 2018
An okay read, I like all the music references but the story can be a bit slow and comes off as a bit too childish and cartoony for it to strike any real depth or believability. That's pretty typical of Japanese young adult romance lit though, there may be some standouts, but this wouldn't be one of them. It's thankfully not contrived in a sexual way though, more of a lighthearted storyline, that decides to focus on music/romance rather than school/romance (it still hits on a plethora of cliched storytelling in the romance department though, like: ). // Have finished the novels so this would cover my opinion of all 4 books.
September 13, 2012
An amazing light novel series; the main character is a son of a known music critic. He mostly spends his time listening to music and helps repairs any of his father's equipment. One day, he meets Mafuyu in a junkyard and their story begins from there. I really love the fact that there isn't much "eechi" elements in these light novel series.
Most of the information regarding music is quite spot on; the author put a lot of work looking up the information.
Most of the information regarding music is quite spot on; the author put a lot of work looking up the information.
November 1, 2012
1st Volume - 4.5/5
2nd volume - 3.5/5
3rd volume - 4/5
4th volume - 3/5
Average - 3.5/5 ~ 4/5
2nd volume - 3.5/5
3rd volume - 4/5
4th volume - 3/5
Average - 3.5/5 ~ 4/5
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews