Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds of Life

It has been reported that over 7.5 million copies of the manga have been sold. An anime television series adaptation produced by Platinum Vision aired from April to December 2019.

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• Type — tv series • Director — Ryōma Mizuno • Producer — * Ikumi Koga • Kisara Takahashi • Writer — Ayumu Hisao • Music — Kei Haneoka • Studio — Platinum Vision • Licensee — * Crunchyroll (streaming) • Network — Tokyo MX, BS11, AT-X, GYT, Wowow, HTB • First — April 6, 2019 • Last — December 28, 2019 • Episodes — 26

• Type — manga • Author — Amyu • Publisher — Shueisha • Imprint — Jump Comics SQ. • Magazine — Jump Square • First — August 4, 2012 • Volumes — 34

• Name — Kono Oto Tomare! Sounds of Life • Ja Kanji — この音とまれ! • Genre — Music, slice of life

The story focuses on the koto club of Tokise High School in Kanagawa Prefecture. Takezo Kurata, in his second year, is the only member left in the koto club, after all the senior members have graduated. While he is trying his best to recruit more members into the club, Chika Kudo submits his application. However, Takezo is against the idea as Kudo has a reputation as a delinquent, and rumors say he was responsible for the destruction of his grandfather's own koto workshop. Things change when he discovers the truth behind the workshop's destruction and Kudo's resolve to honor his past. Also joining the club is the koto prodigy, Satowa Hozuki, who has her own agenda. Over time, more members join the club, each with their own reasons for playing. Eventually, they come to share a common goal – to play at the Koto Nationals competition.

Suzuka Takinami (滝浪 涼香): • A math teacher at Tokise High and the koto club's advisor. Initially he feigned ignorance of his musical background, though it is later revealed that his parents are world renowned musicians. As a child, he had no interest in playing music whatsoever other than listening to it. When he was seven, his father discovered his talent for writing musical scores and quickly took upon him to brand his son as a child prodigy. Because of this, Suzuka began to disdain music but his interest is rekindled after becoming the advisor for the koto club. He often writes pieces for the club as well as gives practice advice, while leaving the actual koto-teaching to Akira. Akira Dōjima (堂島 晶): • The apparent heir to the Tsubaki School. She became the heir after the death of her parents, causing her older brother to drop out of college and attempt to find a job in order to support her and their grandmother. In her childhood, her brother was a renowned koto player and inspired Akira to pick it up. After her brother had also quit the koto, Akira was forced to become better at playing the koto and became the face of their group. For malicious reasons, she became Tokise High's koto instructor, but later officially took up the position after realizing the club's genuine intent to play the koto.

Tetsuki Takaoka (高岡 哲生): • Kudo's friend from before the series started. He is good at studying, cooking and at fighting too. He is the one who understands Kudo the most. He also explained Kudo's situation to Takezo when he wanted to join the koto club. Kudo hangs out at his place, even when he is feeling off, making him feed him. He also ends up being Kudo and his other friends' cram teacher when exams are due. • Gen Kudo (久遠源): • Kudo's grandfather who passes away before the events of the series. • Takeru Kurata (倉田武流): • Takezo's younger brother. He appears apathetic, almost antagonistic, to the activities of his brother. • Mashiro (真白): Mio Kanzaki (神崎 澪): • Isaki Kudo (久遠 衣咲) • Nana Mizuki (Japanese); Lydia Mackay (English) • Shizune Nishina (仁科 静音, Nishina Shizune): • Kazusa Ōtori (凰かずさ): • Fumi Hanamura (花村 史) • Chika Anzai (Japanese); Dani Chambers (English) • Ōsuke Kiryū (桐生桜介): • Sentarō Miya (宮 千太朗): • Haru Kasugai (春日井 晴) • Yoshitaka Yamaya (Japanese); Stephen Fu (English) • Uta Suzumori (鈴森 詩) • Asano Izumi (泉 朝乃)

Born into a family with a mother who was a koto teacher and a sister who was a professional koto player, Amyu first started playing the koto at 3 years of age. When Amyu was in elementary school, she aspired to be a manga artist, and eventually had hopes to draw a manga using koto as its theme. Afterwards, Amyu debuted as a manga artist with her koto-themed one-shot manga. Thereafter, she spent her days announcing one-shots in Shueisha's manga magazine, Ribon. At the time, although Amyu had the thoughts of having her first serialization to be a koto manga, she did not get a good response from Ribon 's chief editor, deciding to ultimately leave Ribon. While bringing it to other editorial departments, she met an editor for Jump Square, leading to the creation of this current work. In addition, according to Amyu, originally Satowa was meant to be the main character, but it was pointed out that she had too gloomy of a personality, so in response, it was changed to the current main characters, Chika and Takezo.

This work is set in the koto club as a youth group drama, detailing the joys and struggles of boys and girls. Amyu expressed that rather than the focus of the manga being on the koto, she carefully wrote it around the idea of "a youth group drama". As mentioned above, Amyu has had experience with the koto since childhood, with her experience reflected in the work. As an example, the accuracy of the positioning of the koto pillars, as well as the characters' troubles regarding the koto being from a part of Amyu's personal experiences. On the other hand, due to playing the koto at a young age, Amyu says that they did not understand as much the difficulties that beginners may have in learning the koto. To counter this, Amyu deliberately requested for her chief editor not to study the koto and she asked advice from her mother and sister, who have koto teaching experience.

As mentioned above, this work contains various koto pieces, including original koto music. As of this current time, original koto pieces featured in this work include the piece performed by the Tokise High School Koto Club in front of the student body to save the club "Ryūseigun", the piece performed by the Tokise High School Koto Club in the Kanto Music Festival "Kuon", the piece performed by the Hakuto High School Koto Club in the Kanagawa Preliminaries "Katakago", the piece performed by the Tokise High School Koto Club at the Kanagawa Preliminaries "Tenkyu". These 4 pieces are all made by Amyu's family members. • Ryūseigun - Amyu's older sister • Kuon - Amyu's mother • Katakago - Amyu's mother • Tenkyu - Amyu's older sister To commemorate the release of the 5th volume, a video of "Ryūseigun" performed by koto players was released. Afterwards, the sheet music was made available alongside the release of the 6th volume. Similarly, with the release of the 7th volume, a video of "Kuon" performed by koto players were released.

Written and illustrated by Amyu, Kono Oto Tomare began publication in Shueisha's monthly manga magazine Jump Square on August 4, 2012. The series is set to end in three chapters. As of June 2026, it has been compiled into 34 tankōbon volumes.

An anime television series adaptation aired in two parts from April 6 to June 29, 2019, and October 5 to December 28, 2019, on Tokyo MX, BS11, AT-X, GYT, Wowow, and HTB. The series is animated by Platinum Vision and was directed by Ryōma Mizuno, with Ayumu Hisao handling series composition, and Junko Yamanaka designing the characters. Shouta Aoi performed the series' opening theme song "Tone", while Yuma Uchida performed the series' ending theme song "Speechless". Aoi also performed the series' second opening theme song "Harmony", while Uchida also performed the series' ending theme song "Rainbow". Funimation has licensed the series, and released the dub as it aired.

A stage play adaptation ran in 2019 in three locations: August 17–25 in Tokyo, September 7–8 in Fukuoka, and September 14–15 in Osaka. The play starred Takuma Zaiki as Kudo, Kazuki Furuta as Kurata, Hinako Tanaka as Satowa, Kouhei Shiota as Adachi, Kotori Kojima as Sakai, and Tatsuki Jōnin as Mizuhara. In preparation for the play, the cast members trained for four months to learn how to play the koto.