Please read "Futsu no Keionbu" (Straightforward)

What I want to say in this article

Please read "Futsu no Keionbu".
To that end, I will talk about its many charms.

Work Information

A serialized manga by original author Kuwahari and artist Tetsuo Ideuchi. Updated every Sunday on Jump+ since January 2023.

Synopsis

Chihiro Hatono, a high school girl who bought an insanely expensive guitar upon entering high school, joins the light music club she has long dreamed of.
Friends who are captivated by Chihiro, who pursues the path of rock with earnest effort despite being a beginner, gather one by one to form the girls' band "Heartbreak".

Explaining the Overview

When it comes to "girls' band" stories, it is recognized as a genre in anime and manga, and it is a field that has produced super famous titles such as "K-On!", "BanG Dream!", and "Bocchi the Rock!".

The promising new star that has dashingly appeared in that girls' band scene is "Futsu no Keionbu".
Let me state clearly, this work will be adapted into an anime within 2-3 years and become a huge hit following K-On, BanG Dream, and Bocchi the Rock!

Features of "Futsu no Keionbu"

Even if we group them together as girls' band stories, the directions vary, so here I will list the characteristics of "Futsu no Keionbu".

1. It has a stronger "club activity" color than so-called "slice-of-life" stories.
In terms of schedule, it is close to that of a sports manga, where time progresses within the framework of student life, and the basic progression involves planning and practicing based on upcoming events.

2. It mainly deals with cover bands.
It could be said that this is a realistic setting that is natural in a sense for a high school club band, but girls' band works tend to include original songs after all, so isn't it quite a rare type to develop mainly with covers?

It is no exaggeration to say that this element determines the characteristics of "Futsu no Keionbu", and "song selection" occupies an important position in the composition of the work.
Existing songs are used as metaphors for the situation of the scene and the feelings of the characters, and it is designed so that readers can deeply share the events in the work through those songs.
If a song you don't know appears in the work, you will be happy if you watch the official MV on YouTube and then read it again!

3. It also has an aspect as an ensemble drama.
The light music club that Chihiro belongs to is quite large, and there are at least 10 bands within the club that can be confirmed, and probably 20 in total. (The total number is constantly changing because everyone forms and disbands them rather carelessly)

The main story is about Chihiro's band and the human relationships (and band trends) surrounding them, but characters who just exchange greetings in the club also hold parts in some band, and they show their presence or get involved in the story in unexpected places.That subtle overlapping forms the breadth and depth of the entire work.

Talking about the charm of the work

I would like to talk about the charm of "Futsu no Keionbu" as I see it, without leaving anything out.

Where it is "normally" serious

The "music" in this work is nothing special, and the passion the light music club members have for music varies from person to person.There are those who don't put effort into practice and just do it casually, those who are distracted by romance within the club, and even those who end up disbanding their band or quitting the club due to romantic entanglements, so if you expect a vibe like "all club members working together toward a big goal," you will likely be disappointed.Even for the main characters, their motives for starting music are "just because of their parents' influence" or "to attract the attention of the opposite sex," and there is nothing particularly dramatic about their involvement with music.

However, that does not mean this work takes music lightly. On the contrary, it faces the fact that "music is always by our side" (i.e., the universality of music) with incredible sincerity.

This is clearly shown in one of the highlights of the work, "Chihiro's singing scene."
Each character in the story carries their own inner conflicts. Even if they seem trivial to others, they are serious problems for the individuals themselves, and sometimes they get stuck and cannot move forward.
At such times, by listening to Chihiro's singing voice, their feelings are loosened just a little. Chihiro's earnestness and enthusiasm are conveyed, the thoughts about music within them are revived, and they regain the courage to move forward.

This is not because Chihiro's singing voice is special, but because it is the inherent power that "ordinary" songs can possess.
We all know the feeling of our exhausted mental state recovering with a sound when we sing at the top of our lungs while speeding along the road on a bicycle on a day when something terrible happened and we were beaten down.

We are normally hurt, suffer, and despair, and then we normally repeat the process of being saved by songs—.
I think that is what the "ordinary" in "Futsu no Keionbu" means.

Careful and sophisticated composition

The original author, Mr. Kuwahari, is a writer from "Jump Rookie!," a site for discovering new talent in the Jump series. "Futsu no Keionbu" also followed the path of having an artist attached to the original work posted there and being serialized in Jump+.

Reaching serialization through this route means they are definitely a rookie with no commercial experience (according to the author, they have no doujin experience either), buthonestly, the composition is so skillful that it's hard to believe.
Even if I concede that the blank background is true, I think they are either living their second life or a tengu in disguise.

Specifically, there is no waste or stagnation in the placement and movement of the characters.
The story is paced so that it progresses at a comfortable tempo until the formation of the girls' band "Heartbreak" centered on Chihiro, and the story is constructed so that band members are introduced little by little without cluttering, increasing their points of contact with Chihiro.

Not only that, but the balance of scattering foreshadowing for developments far in the future is exquisite, and the expectation for what comes next is smoothly imprinted.
Considering the ensemble drama elements mentioned above, I think Mr. Kuwahari has prepared a fairly detailed timetable for each character.

Artwork that depicts characters with rich individuality

Coloring Mr. Kuwahari's highly complete scenario is the artwork of Mr. Tetsuo Uchi.
Mr. Uchi is best known for his stadium food manga "Yakyuujo de Itadakimasu."

As for the art style, the clear lines and eye power are characteristic, and they match the style of "Futsu no Keionbu" perfectly.
They are appropriate lines to express Chihiro's honesty and stoicism toward music, and the strength of the eye power occupies an important position in this work, which values emotions.
Also, the fact that the characters are drawn with rich individuality is worth mentioning, and even supporting characters who appear for only a few frames have designs that leave a lasting impression.

By the way, my favorite character is Rei Tatsumi.
This is because she is a hyper-strong girl packed with the strong points of Mr. Uchi's art style (eye power that is one step away from being completely dilated, rich hair volume, snaggletooth, long limbs).

Deep knowledge of Japanese rock

I am not well-versed in music myself, so I cannot say anything systematic, but even so, Mr. Kuwahari's song selection is exquisite, and I can infer his deep knowledge of Japanese rock and sharp sense.
Every time I look up and listen to the songs used in the work, I think, "Oh, I really love this..." So far, there have been no misses.

In particular, the choice of songs that Chihiro sings when bringing in band members is god-like, accurately expressing the characters' backgrounds and feelings, and the immersion when reading the main story while listening to them is tremendous.

Anyway, that's all for now!
If you read this article and became even a little interested in "Futsu no Keionbu," please read it!