Ordinary Light Music Club [Famous Quotes V] "Can you really succeed just by changing your environment!?"

It seems that "Ordinary Light Music Club" (Original story by Kuwahari, Manga by Tetsuo Ideuchi) has placed 3rd in the "Manga Taisho 2025".

And what's more, they've even released a guitar instruction book titled "Start with Ordinary Light Music Club! Easy Electric Guitar Practice Book".

Some of you might be thinking, "What are you talking about at this late stage?"

That's right! I am a "newly-minted Ordinary Light Music Club fan" (in the style of the strange old man).

That said, I have read the comics properly. Rest assured that although there is a time lag, I have grasped the content.

The characters' situations

Volume 6 of "Ordinary Light Music Club" focuses on two bands made up of first-year students: "Heartbreak" and "protocol."

Heartbreak
Protagonist Chihiro Hatono (a.k.a. Hatochi) (Guitar/Vocals), Rin Kouyama (Bass), Momo Uchida (Drums), and Ayame Fujii (Guitar).

protocol.
Koki Takami (Guitar/Vocals), Ryuya Taguchi (Bass), Gen Tono (Drums), and Shunichi Mizuo (Guitar).

The season is autumn. It feels like they are burning with rivalry ahead of the light music club's annual Halloween live concert.

Intro

The "Ordinary Light Music Club" [Famous Quotes] series barely touches on the story. It is a collection of lines that I (Yushinken) picked out while reading the comic version that struck a chord with me, thinking, "This is good."

I trust you understand the purpose, as I am explaining the relationships between the characters as necessary.

I have included "usage examples" as an appendix, but please understand that these are also my own arbitrary creations, based mostly on my own delusions.

Now, let's get started with the Ordinary Light Music Club [Famous Quotes V]!

I drew my own conclusions to protect myself

Before "Heartbreak," Momo Uchida was in a three-piece band called "sound sleep" with Yuki and Maika. However, Momo was more obsessed with the band than with romance. She ended up having an argument with Maika, who wanted to quit the band due to romantic issues, and things became awkward.

One day, Yuki arranged for them to meet, hoping to reconcile the two.

Momo and Maika both apologized for the past, saying things like "I was being immature" and "It was my fault," and it seemed like things had settled down. But then, Maika declared that there was no need for the three of them to get together like they used to.

(*I will omit the details around here as they are complicated and involve the pasts of Koki Takami and Ayame Fujii.)

"I know I'm saying something childish... I know that I'm the one who's being unreasonable!!" Maika pleaded.

Momo remembered how she had once told herself, "Maika isn't at fault... I'm just the one throwing a tantrum like a child..."

And then, she saw her past self in Maika.

"I drew my own conclusions, saying 'I'm the one who's being unreasonable,' and protected myself so I wouldn't get hurt any further." she realized.

[Usage Example]
I started distancing myself from music and novels, saying things like "I don't get the appeal of Vocaloid" or "I don't feel like reading recent award-winning books." I realized that I was drawing my own conclusions, saying "It's because of my age," to protect myself from exposing my lack of taste.

☆ Derivative Pattern
Trying to look good by being pushy

Yuki, who had plotted to reconcile the two. She realized that Maika had been keeping her distance out of concern so as not to interfere with Momo's band activities, and she reflected on her own actions.

"I'm always trying to look good by being pushy, and I end up hurting people... I'm the worst person of all."

*By the way, the depressed Yuki is saved by the words Momo says to her. I'll stop here, as I'm likely to get a warning for "too many spoilers."

Just practice. You'll get better eventually.

One month until the Halloween live concert. Heartbreak's band practice is heating up.

Hatono, whose trademark is her unique and intense vocals, was getting impatient because her guitar skills weren't improving. Meanwhile, Ayame Fujii is good at guitar.

Fujii thinks to herself while watching Hatono struggle as she plays and sings.

"You're not exactly the most efficient person. Even things you thought you could do, you realize you can't do them again... I was like that at first too..."

After band practice, they were walking home together and encouraging Hatono. Then, Fujii said this to her face.

"Hatono. Practice. You'll get better eventually."

[Usage Example]
My daughter came home from kindergarten and started crying. I was worried she might have been bullied, but she said, 'Mom, why can't Yumi skip?'

Apparently, during play time, only my Yumi and the Kawada family's Hiromi-chan couldn't skip well.

So, when I tried to show her how, well, it had been so long that I'd forgotten how to do it myself.

After I found a video online and practiced, I was finally able to skip, so I put my own issues aside and spoke to her like I was some kind of expert.

"Yumi. Practice. You'll get better eventually."

The teacher also says, 'Even if it's difficult, it's important to do it a lot.'

I wasn't thinking for myself at all

In the Light Music Club, the second-year students basically serve as officers. The club president is the older twin brother of the Kameya siblings, Kazushi Kameya. There are two vice presidents: the younger twin sister of the Kameya siblings, San Kameya, and Asaka Tsuru, a "go-getter" (who becomes student council president in the fall) who manipulates the members' relationships behind the scenes.

The club president, Kazushi, was intimidated by Asaka, who spoke up proactively, and introduced section-specific practice. However, only a small fraction of the members practiced seriously. Complaints started to emerge, and cracks began to form among the members.

According to Rin Kouyama, the "reliable first-year" who was consulted by the vice president, San, "I think it would be better to stop the section practice for now and start over so that it doesn't have a negative impact on the future."

Kazushi, having been pointed out, hangs his head in self-reflection and then has an epiphany.

"Yeah... you're right. I wasn't thinking for myself at all... It's my responsibility as president that I couldn't manage things. I'll apologize to everyone with all my heart!"

[Usage Example]
When several members of the Diet were asked if they had a "My Number health insurance card," it is said that not a single one of them answered, just "..."

What does that mean? How would they respond if pressed with, "Do you really think the public will be satisfied with that?"

"Well, I really wasn't thinking for myself..."—I won't let them get away with saying that!

If you can't work hard where you are now, do you really think changing your environment will make things work out?

Hajime Tono, the drummer for the band protocol., is quite skilled. He also has an extraordinary passion for the band.

One day, during section practice, he voices his opinion to some second-year seniors who aren't taking it seriously, which earns him their resentment.

When asked about the matter by Momo Uchida, the drummer for Heartbreak, Tono reveals his inner thoughts: "I don't see the point in working in the same place as people who are just slacking off."

Momo's response to that.

"If you want to go somewhere else, I think you should just go. If you can't work hard where you are now, do you really think changing your environment will make things work out? Is the world really that simple?"

Momo continues, saying that even if they are slackers, they are still her fellow club members. She says it's fine to complain, but it's wrong to just easily cast them aside.

Tono tries to reply, "No... that's an old-fashioned way of thinking. That's just guts-theory..."

But Momo retorts, "What's wrong with being old-fashioned? I think those things are important, and I don't think there's anything wrong with being that way."

[Usage Example]
I'm not cut out for office work. I repeat the same kind of work every day, and I can't accept being evaluated by a boss who doesn't even know what I'm doing.

When I consulted my colleague A about "thinking of changing jobs," this is what I was told.

"If you can't work hard where you are now, do you really think changing your environment will make things work out?"

Admittedly, if you looked at my work, you probably couldn't say I was working as hard as I could. But I chose to change jobs.

Ten years have passed since then. I had a chance to have a drink with A, who had become a department manager.

"A, I've realized after changing jobs several times since then. It's not so easy that just changing your environment will make things work out. No matter what you do, you get back exactly what you put into it."

"I see. But I'm glad you seem well," said A.

"Yeah. I had a hard time after changing my environment, but I think I've become more at ease mentally."

Bonus

About the band called andymori.

In "Ordinary Light Music Club," songs and artist names by Japanese rock bands often appear. For "rock maniacs," that has become one of the charms of the series.

Among them, in volume 1, the protagonist Hatochi sings "everything is my guitar," and in volume 6, there is a scene where she sings "16." Both are songs by andymori.

At first, I had heard of the band name "andymori," but I didn't know their songs. That was the extent of my knowledge.

Recently, however, I listened to a solo album released by the leader, vocalist, and guitarist Sohei Oyamada after the band broke up.

First, I empathized with the overall worldview, thinking, "He must be singing about his own experiences and desires." Then, from the lyrics and sound, I was convinced, "He really loves the guitar."

With that in mind, listening to andymori's "everything is my guitar" again makes me grin.

Setting aside the impressions of someone like me.

According to a rock-savvy YouTuber, while they didn't have explosive hits, they are "in a sense, a rock band that built an era in Japan." This is because they are "a band that current young artists have been influenced by."

For example, Aimyon talks about her own song "Yumeoi Bengal" in a 2019 interview article.

The author of "Ordinary Light Music Club," who is likely a fan of young artists, must also be influenced by andymori.

Encore

You might be thinking, "I didn't ask for an encore," but I just wrote this on a whim (sweat).

Thank you so much for reading these rambling thoughts this far.

To finish, please let me introduce the videos for the songs that appeared in the text.

It's also included on andymori's 1st EP, "Andy to Rock to Bengal Tora to Whiskey."

The song Hatocchi sings in a good mood on her way home in volume 6 of "Ordinary Light Music Club." The rhythm of "16." How did that go again?

"I don't think Sohei Oyamada would sing it this explicitly. I feel like he would sing it in a way that lets it drift softly." (Personal opinion)

☆ You can view the Ordinary Light Music Club [Famous Quotes] series in this magazine.

[Videos and articles referenced]

[Related articles]

*This article is participating in the "Kataribe" activity.

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