thin slicing la corda
Categories: anime, digest of episodes
Tagged: la corda
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One good thing about writing my new season thin slicing posts is that it forces me to actually watch a lot of shows that I probably wouldn’t have bothered to watch otherwise. And, sometimes, I find stuff that surprisingly interests me. This season’s latest surprise? La Corda d’Oro. Of all things, it’s based off a shoujo harem game.
After watching the first episode, I was hooked and prompted blew through episodes two and three instead of watching Bartender and Gift. I felt like I just discovered Firefly. The premise of La Corda d’Oro is an unabashed reversal of the typical shounen harem game turned anime– instead of a parade of eccentric ladies trying to woo the typical male loser, it’s a parade of eccentric men trying to woo the fateful bachelorette.
The story follows Kahoko, a normal student at an academy that caters to aspiring musicians. One day, she meets a music fairy who gives her a magical violin that allows her to play like Yo-Yo Ma. During the course of her transformation from normal girl to musical prodigy, she meets a lot of men. Hence, the shoujo harem game aspect. Because La Corda is such a sausage fest, I had to try to rationalize why I enjoyed watching this series:
1. It’s different yet not. It takes the traditional To Heart / Lamune / Kanon / Da Capo / Sister Princess lightweight harem formula and turns it on its head. Because it follows the harem forumla, it feels familiar, but the gender roles are reversed, hence different.
2. Hino Kahoko is a prize. I’m not sure how else to put it. Let’s say that Ouran‘s Tamaki and Haruhi had a daughter who inherits their best qualities and give that daughter a Lacus-class body. That’s Kahoko. Unlike traditional harem shows (see Bravo, Girls) where I scratch my head wondering the appeal of the male lead, there’s no question about Kahoko’s appeal.
3. Excellent pacing. The episode flows along carried– gasp– by the plot and character interaction. It doesn’t need any extraneous Kyoto Animation-type or Shaft-type moments to keep my interest. Though if Kaho suddenly screamed “FUMOFFU!” during a concert, I think it would be fantastic.
4. Palattable shoujo. Because La Corda is slice-of-life, there’s a lack of supreme angst more prevalent in other shoujo dramas. Also, the character designs are reasonable and not blatantly shoujo style (like the thick lips in PGE) that I don’t like very much.
5. Music. In a sea of jpop… some classical music… though I they do toss up two jpop-ish songs for the OP/ED. Oh, well, Brand New Breeze by Kanon isn’t bad for an OP.
Nevertheless, La Corda isn’t a perfect series– I would, of course, prefer to have more possible lesbian choices (this missing aspect could honestly take this show from under everyone’s radar to smack dab in front of it; if only Kahoko hung around Major Motoko more)– but it is an enjoyable low calorie snack and good for people looking to get away from the traditional shounen harem anime.
16 Responses to “thin slicing la corda”
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OK, you sold me. Can’t stand anime dykes, they are so stupid.
Sorry, shoujo isn’t know for yuri. XD
“One day, she meets a music fairy who gives her a magical violin that allows her to play like Yo-Yo Ma.”
Er, Yo-Yo Ma plays cello. I now imagine Kahoko lifting a cello to her chin, the cello stand pointing thing puncturing her neck …
Which reminds me of a line an orchestra conductor said in rehearsal to a lady cellist: “Madame, you have between your legs an instrument that can give to pleasure to millions. Yet all you do is scratch it.”
Peter Burd
“I would, of course, prefer to have more possible lesbian choices”
Would it help if I you know that in the game, you can get endings with Fuyumi (the clarinet player) and Amou (the photographer).
Not to mention the interesting name meaning…
Amou = Uranus… has blond hair
Fuyumi = Neptune… has sea green hair
ZOMG subtext
>>Er, Yo-Yo Ma plays cello. I now imagine Kahoko lifting a cello to her chin, the cello stand pointing thing puncturing her neck …
To those music buffs out there, let’s say she plays like Paganini then.
…okay, maybe she’s not actually that good, but the point is gotten across nonetheless.
Originally I wasn’t that interested in the reverse harem (although I loved Ouran… granted, that was different), because I love me the womenz. But maybe I should try this out anyway.
I have seen the manga series and the 1st episode of this, and the choice of music totally turned me off. These are supposed to be best of Elite Music High school students, yet all except one ( the violin guy ) plays the easiest repertoire there is. If you want quality music, try Nodame Cantabile Drama. I have seen & HEARD the 1st episode and the music within was marvelous, and the quirks and antics of the players were acceptable. I can hear some Eastern European Pianist passion in some of the piano scene. In La Cordo, the music sounds as if it is a synthesized music they sell for $2 in the streets.
It’s a reversed harem! A reversed harem!
I didn’t find ep 1 all that interesting until near the end when something actually starts to happen. It reminds of Asatte no Houkou ep 1, where everything is so boringly slice of life until the cliff-hanger ending. I’ll admit that Kahoko is pretty cute, though, which is probably the only reason I watched till the end of the ep.
My goodness, one would think that you’ve never seen a bishounen harem before. ;)
Well, technically, Ouran…
I like the seed of knowledge by lili at the end of each episode
Okay I am sold if the Lord of AOMM is willing to post about it despite the lack of meiodo it must have some merits.
First a post advocating futa and now Jason’s cooing over Shoujo!
Just what the heck is going on?
This blog used to be so manly that my chest hair would grow thicker after each and every visit.
There where wonderful posts about meido and twincest, symmetrical docking and threesomes.
It was a rough and rugged manly blog for rough and rugged men.
Now what do we get?
“it’s a parade of eccentric men trying to woo the fateful bachelorette.”
Oh yum! eccentric bishies.
And;
“The episode flows along carried– gasp– by the plot and character interaction.”
So now it’s an Oprah Book Club moment. Since when did real men care about such nonsense when there was large bosomed meido to be viewed.
At least this post was partially redeemed by the bemoaning of the tragic lack of yuri (yuri cures all shoujo); but still, the old Jason would have bemoaned the lack of killer, large-breasted, loli, megane, nekomimi, twincestous, symmetrically docked meido.
Great comment Baka-kun. This is why I keep writing this blog.
Without stepping on my upcoming thin slicing post, one thing that I want to point out is that there’s a complete and utter lack of good fanservice shows this season. I expected Negima!? to be fanservicy… and it isn’t. It’s like having season tickets to the Oakland Raiders– you’re just not going to see a 60 yard pass any more than you’ll see Mikuru-class moe this season.
Also, even though there’s like 50 new shows, there’s a dearth of meido. For the past year, we have been spoiled by the Golden Age of Meido: Wilhelmenia, Ayumi, Mikuru, Mad Dog, and Siesta just to name a few. This season? Seeing Crescent Love’s Mia as the top meido thus far is like seeing Aaron Brooks as your QB. Bad times.
I disagree with Baka-kun’s comments about being less “manly.” Jason is so manly he does not give a hoot in hell about what others think. The Lord of AOMM is not so craven as to deny the fact that he has even touched Ouran, Full Moon wo Sagashite, or any other shoujo. His job also entails intorducing us to new and otherwise possibly ignored things, not simply to follow every anime meido, melonpan, mekomimi, loli, and GSD train wreck like a lost puppy, right…right?
I really don’t see the lack of fanservice this upcomming season as a apocalyptic as my AOR. At any rate I eagerly await the thin slicing post.
â€there’s a complete and utter lack of good fanservice shows this season.â€
“For the past year, we have been spoiled by the Golden Age of Meidoâ€
Too true, and I fear the anime scene will never again be as good as this spring. It may be the bar was set too high that season.
Perhaps in the distant future, when I dandle my grandchildren on my knee’s, I‘ll recount to them the tales from the golden spring of ought-six;
The glorious days when time traveling mascot characters were forced to be meido, and green haired twins wet themselves after slaughtering their beloved missing eunuchs imouto. Warm memories of ex-guerilla meido nannies and dog-girl adopted sister/lovers of amnesiac gods.
Their young jaws may drop in amazement, and as they settle in to watch Naruto episode #23,241, I can only hope they will ponder those tales in hearts.