Piano no Mori: The Perfect World of Kai
Also known as
The Piano Forest
The wolf
Synopsis
Kai Ichinose, the abandoned son of a prostitute, escapes his difficult life in the red light district by taking refuge in a forest that mysteriously houses an abandoned piano. Meanwhile, Shuhei Amamiya, the pampered son of a famous concert pianist, has just transferred to Kai's Moriwaki Elementary School. Shuhei is a sensitive boy and quickly targeted by the class bullies who challenge him to venture into the spooky forest and play the abandoned piano. Submitting to the challenge, Shuhei eventually meets Kai, who is the only one capable of playing the piano everyone thought was broken beyond repair. Kai's musical abilities convince Shuhei to introduce him to his piano teacher, Sousuke Ajino. Sousuke and Shuhei do their best to convince Kai to take real piano lessons, but he is reluctant to interfere with his natural playing technique. However, upon hearing Sousuke play a haunting Chopin piece that he can't play on his own, Kai gives in...
Background
Piano no Mori: Kai's Perfect World is an adaptation of Makoto Isshiki's manga, serialized in Tops for Young Magazine and later Weekly Matinée between 1998 and 2015 before being published by Kodansha in 26 tankobon volumes. The manga also won the Manga Grand Prize at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2008.
The series was previously adapted into a popular animated film in 2007 by Masayuki Kojima for Madhouse and starring Aya Ueto and Ryunosuke Kamiki. The television anime adaptation is scheduled to air on NHK in April 2018 and will be produced by Fukushima Gainax with Gaku Nakatani directing.
Aoi Yuki will sing the ending theme, "Kaeru Basho ga Aru to Iu Koto," which will be released as a CD single by Nippon Columbia on April 25, 2018.
Characters
Ichinose Kai (CV: Soma Saito / as elementary school student: Ryoko Shiraishi)
Kai Ichinose (nicknamed Kai) is a young man with untapped potential as a natural pianist. Stunningly handsome, just like his mother, Kai is often mistaken for a girl. Ever since he was little, Kai has lived alone with his mother, Reiko, on the second floor of a bar and helped out with odd jobs at the sex establishment where his mother has worked since he was 11, sometimes even having to help hostesses go door to door. Disparaged by his classmates due to his poverty and unusual background, Kai runs away to the forest to play the piano in secret, where he meets Shuhei, the son of a concert pianist. Impressed by his talent, Shuhei encourages him to take lessons, but Kai refuses due to his lack of money. Introduced to Shuhei's teacher, Sousuke, Kai finally relents after hearing him play a complicated Chopin piece and decides to devote himself to becoming a concert pianist.
Shuhei Amamiya (CV: Natsuki Hanae / as an elementary school student: Yo Taichi)
Kai's best friend, Shuhei, also considers himself his rival. Shuhei is the son of a famous concert pianist and has just transferred to Kai's school, Moriwaki Elementary School, where he is quickly targeted by bullies and dared to play the creepy abandoned piano in the woods. When he meets Kai, he is struck by his musical potential and introduces him to his piano teacher, Sousuke, who also encourages him to take proper lessons to push Kai toward his musical destiny.
Sosuke Ajino (CV: Junichi Suwabe)
Ajino Sousuke, Kai's future piano teacher, was once a successful concert pianist, but was forced to abandon his career after losing his fiancée and injuring his left hand in a car accident. Amid his despair, Ajino became a music teacher at Moriwaki Elementary School, where he met Shuhei and Kai, and later recognized Kai's genius in playing the piano he himself abandoned in the forest.
Reiko Ichinose
Kai's mother, Reiko, has lived near the forest her entire life and works in the sex trade. She gave birth to Kai when she was only 15 years old and does not know the identity of Kai's father. Although he learned that his mother was a sex worker through the taunts of a local resident, Kai feels a deep love and respect for Reiko.
Namie Amamiya
Namie is Shuhei's mother, obsessed with education. Namie doesn't look down on Kai because of his past, but as a loving mother, she puts her own son first.
Yoichiro Amamiya
Shuhei's father, Yoichiro, is a renowned concert pianist. Once a rival of Sousuke, he remains envious of his talent and somewhat hostile to his son's piano teacher. While recognizing Kai's talent, Yoichiro also fears that he will overshadow his own son and destroy his musical dreams.
Casting
Sôma Saito: Kai Ichinose
Ryoko Shiraishi: Kai Ichinose (as an elementary school student)
Natsuki Hanae as Shuhei Amamiya
Yo Taichi: Shuhei Amamiya (as an elementary school student (
Sousuke Ajino as Junichi Suwabe
Staff
Original manga: Makoto Isshiki
Director: Gaku Nakatani
Series composition: Aki Itami, Mika Abe
Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Sumie Kinoshita
Animation production: Fukushima Gainax
News
Piano no Mori confirms the cast of the TV anime!
