Ao no Orchestra
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Hajime Aono
青のオーケストラ
(Ao no Ōkesutora)
Genre
Manga
Written byMakoto Akui [ja]
Published byShogakukan
ImprintUra Sunday Comics
Magazine
  • Ura Sunday [ja]
  • MangaONE [ja]
DemographicShōnen
Original runApril 25, 2017 – present
Volumes11
Anime television series
Directed bySeiji Kishi
Written byYūko Kakihara
Music byAkira Kosemura
StudioNippon Animation
Licensed by
Original networkNHK Educational TV
Original run April 9, 2023 – present
Episodes24
icon Anime and manga portal

Ao no Orchestra (Japanese: 青のオーケストラ, Hepburn: Ao no Ōkesutora, lit. "Blue Orchestra") is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by Makoto Akui [ja]. It has been serialized on Shogakukan's online platforms Ura Sunday [ja] and MangaONE [ja] since April 2017. An anime television series adaptation produced by Nippon Animation aired from April to October 2023. A second season has been announced.

By December 2021, Ao no Orchestra had over 3.3 million copies in circulation. In 2023, the manga won the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category.

Plot

Hajime Aono, a boy who loved to play his violin and one who used to win many prizes in violin competitions, had greatly admired his father a professional violinist. After a bittersweet divorce of his parents, caused by headlines of his father's scandalous affair, Aono swears to never touch the violin again. In his last year of middle school, Aono comes across an aspiring violinist Ritsko Akine, who loves to play in the infirmary. After meeting a few times, and Aono showing interest in her 'horrible' playing skills, he is set up to teach her by a teacher. This teacher later pushes him to regain his talent by joining the orchestra club at a prestigious high school, which have won national competitions eight years in a row. Once persuaded, Aono and Akine manage to get accepted to this prestigious school after diligently studying. After his opening ceremony into high school where the orchestra club gave a performance, he has a look around the orchestra club along with Akine where he meets Nao Saeki, a violin genius who has achieved the top score in many competitions and was admitted to the school purely on musical talent. From there on, they compete in their violin skills within the orchestra club.

Characters

Hajime Aono (青野 一, Aono Hajime)
Voiced by: Shōya Chiba[3]
Hajime's violin performances are performed by Ryota Higashi.[3]
Ritsuko Akine (秋音 律子, Akine Ritsuko)
Voiced by: Ai Kakuma[3]
Ritsuko's violin performances are performed by Yurie Yamada.[3]
Nao Saeki (佐伯 直, Saeki Nao)
Voiced by: Shimba Tsuchiya[3]
Nao's violin performances are performed by Takuto Owari.[3]
Haru Kozakura (小桜 ハル, Kozakura Haru)
Voiced by: Minako Satō[3]
Haru's violin performances are performed by Kyoko Ogawa.[3]
Ichirō Yamada (山田 一郎, Yamada Ichirō)
Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa[3]
Ichirō's violin performances are performed by Harumi Sato.[3]
Shizuka Tachibana (立花 静, Tachibana Shizuka)
Voiced by: Lynn[3]
Shizuka's violin performances are performed by Karen Kido.[3]
Yō Hatori (羽鳥 葉, Hatori Yō)
Voiced by: Shintarō Asanuma[3]
Yō's violin performances are performed by Tomotaka Seki.[3]
Sō Harada (原田 蒼, Harada Sō)
Voiced by: Junya Enoki[3]
Sō's violin performances are performed by María Dueñas.[3]
Ryūjin Aono (青野 龍仁, Aono Ryūjin)
Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu[3]
Ryūjin's violin performances are performed by Hilary Hahn.[3]
Mari Tateishi (立石 真理, Tateishi Mari)
Voiced by: Konomi Kohara[4]
Chika Yonezawa (米沢 千佳, Yonezawa Chika)
Voiced by: Kaori Maeda[4]
Osamu Shibata (柴田 修, Shibata Osamu)
Voiced by: Jun Fukushima[4]
Hajime's mother (青野の母, Aono no Haha)
Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō[4]
Takeda-sensei (武田先生)
Voiced by: Hayato Kaneko[4]
Hiroaki Ayukawa (鮎川 広明, Ayukawa Hiroaki)
Voiced by: Daisuke Ono[4]
Mizuki Machii (町井 美月, Machii Mizuki)
Voiced by: Chika Anzai[5]
Tsubasa Takahashi (高橋 翼, Takahashi Tsubasa)
Voiced by: Ruriko Aoki[5]
Takami Kimura (木村 隆美, Kimura Takami)
Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto[5]
Himeko Susono (裾野 姫子, Susono Himeko)
Voiced by: Mai Kanazawa[5]
Kayo Takimoto (滝本 かよ, Takimoto Kayo)
Voiced by: Mai Fuchigami[5]
Sanae Iida (飯田 早苗, Iida Sanae)
Voiced by: Rumi Okubo[5]
Tsutomu Kikuchi (菊池 努, Kikuchi Tsutomu)
Voiced by: Takahiro Mizushima[5]

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Makoto Akui [ja], Ao no Orchestra started on Shogakukan's online platform MangaONE [ja] on April 25, 2017;[6] it also started on Ura Sunday [ja] a week later on May 2.[7] Shogakukan has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on July 19, 2017.[8] As of March 31, 2023, 11 volumes have been released.[9]

Elex Media Komputindo has licensed the manga in Indonesia since 2019.[10]

Volumes

No. Release date ISBN
1 July 19, 2017[8]978-4-09-127744-2
2 November 10, 2017[11]978-4-09-128019-0
3 May 11, 2018[12]978-4-09-128295-8
4 September 12, 2018[13]978-4-09-128517-1
5 January 18, 2019[14]978-4-09-128757-1
6 August 8, 2019[15]978-4-09-129378-7
7 May 12, 2020[16]978-4-09-850113-7
8 September 11, 2020[17]978-4-09-850239-4
9 April 19, 2021[18]978-4-09-850506-7
10 April 19, 2022[19]978-4-09-851078-8
11 March 31, 2023[9]978-4-09-851759-6

Anime

In April 2022, it was announced that the series would receive an anime television series adaptation.[20][21] The series is produced by Nippon Animation and directed by Seiji Kishi, with scripts written by Yūko Kakihara, character designs handled by Kazuaki Morita, and violinist performances for the character Hajime Aono by Ryota Higashi.[22] It aired from April 9 to October 8, 2023, on NHK Educational TV,[23] with Plus Media Networks Asia handled Southeast Asia release for simulcast premiere on Aniplus Asia.[24] The opening theme is "Cantabile" performed by Novelbright, while the ending theme is "Yūsari no Canon" (夕さりのカノン) performed by Yuika.[25]

After the final episode of the first season, a second season was announced to be in production.[26]

Episodes

No.Title [27]Directed by [a]Written by [a]Storyboarded by [a]Original air date [28]
1"Hajime Aono"
Transliteration: "Aono Hajime" (Japanese: 青野ハジメ)		Jinya IchimuraYūko KakiharaSeiji Kishi, Kunpei Maeda, Takahiro TanakaApril 9, 2023 (2023-04-09)
2"Ritsuko Akine"
Transliteration: "Akine Ritsuko" (Japanese: 秋音律子)		Kunpei MaedaYūko KakiharaKunpei MaedaApril 16, 2023 (2023-04-16)
3"Umimaku High School Orchestra Club"
Transliteration: "Umimaku Kōkō Ōkesutora-bu" (Japanese: 海幕高校オーケストラ部)		Shigeki AwaiYūko KakiharaJun KamiyaApril 23, 2023 (2023-04-23)
4"Nao Saeki"
Transliteration: "Saeki Nao" (Japanese: 佐伯直)		Masanori MiyataYūko KakiharaTakahiro TanakaApril 30, 2023 (2023-04-30)
5"Sou Harada"
Transliteration: "Harada Sō" (Japanese: 原田蒼)		UnknownUnknownTBAMay 7, 2023 (2023-05-07)
6"Rainy Day"
Transliteration: "Ame no Hi" (Japanese: 雨の日)		UnknownUnknownTBAMay 14, 2023 (2023-05-14)
7"Haru Kozakura"
Transliteration: "Kozakura Haru" (Japanese: 小桜ハル)		UnknownUnknownTBAMay 21, 2023 (2023-05-21)
8"Air on the G String"
Transliteration: "G-senjō no Aria" (Japanese: G線上のアリア)		UnknownUnknownTBAMay 28, 2023 (2023-05-28)
9"Senpai"
Transliteration: "Senpai" (Japanese: 先輩)		UnknownUnknownTBAJune 4, 2023 (2023-06-04)
10"The Novices and the Experienced"
Transliteration: "Shoshinsha to Keikensha" (Japanese: 初心者と経験者)		UnknownUnknownTBAJune 11, 2023 (2023-06-11)
11"The Night Before the Decisive Battle"
Transliteration: "Kessen Zenya" (Japanese: 決戦前夜)		UnknownUnknownTBAJune 18, 2023 (2023-06-18)
12"Audition"
Transliteration: "Odishon" (Japanese: オーディション)		UnknownUnknownTBAJune 25, 2023 (2023-06-25)
13"My Own Timbre"
Transliteration: "Jibun no Neiro" (Japanese: 自分の音色)		UnknownUnknownTBAJuly 2, 2023 (2023-07-02)
14"Compromise"
Transliteration: "Ayumiyoru" (Japanese: 歩み寄る)		UnknownUnknownTBAJuly 9, 2023 (2023-07-09)
15"True Feelings"
Transliteration: "Honne" (Japanese: 本音)		UnknownUnknownTBAJuly 16, 2023 (2023-07-16)
16"Concern"
Transliteration: "Shinpai" (Japanese: 心配)		UnknownUnknownTBAJuly 23, 2023 (2023-07-23)
17"Another Truth"
Transliteration: "Mō Hitotsu no Honne" (Japanese: もう一つの本音)		UnknownUnknownTBAJuly 30, 2023 (2023-07-30)
18"The Truth"
Transliteration: "Shinjitsu" (Japanese: 真実)		UnknownUnknownTBAAugust 27, 2023 (2023-08-27)
19"As Yourself"
Transliteration: "Kimi to Shite" (Japanese: 君として)		UnknownUnknownTBASeptember 3, 2023 (2023-09-03)
20"Summer Location"
Transliteration: "Natsu no Ibasho" (Japanese: 夏の居場所)		UnknownUnknownTBASeptember 10, 2023 (2023-09-10)
21"Humoresque"
Transliteration: "Yūmoresuku" (Japanese: ユーモレスク)		UnknownUnknownTBASeptember 17, 2023 (2023-09-17)
22"Words to Give"
Transliteration: "Okuru Kotoba" (Japanese: 贈る言葉)		UnknownUnknownTBASeptember 24, 2023 (2023-09-24)
23"The Regular Concert"
Transliteration: "Teiki Ensōkai" (Japanese: 定期演奏会)		UnknownUnknownTBAOctober 1, 2023 (2023-10-01)
24"From the New World"
Transliteration: "Shin Sekai Yori" (Japanese: 新世界より)		UnknownUnknownTBAOctober 8, 2023 (2023-10-08)

Other media

A promotional video featuring Star Wars musical theme "The Imperial March", composed by John Williams, and including illustrations from the manga, was uploaded by Deutsche Grammophon's YouTube channel on May 4, 2022, to celebrate Star Wars Day and Williams' 90th birthday.[29][30]

Reception

By December 2021, the manga had over 3.3 million copies in circulation.[1] In 2023, Ao no Orchestra won the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category, along with Call of the Night.[31][32][33]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.

References

  1. ^ a b c "青のオーケストラ" 原作公式キャラクターグッズがマイム・コーポレーションより発売決定！２０２１年１２月上旬より先行予約開始！. PR Times (in Japanese). December 3, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  2. ^ 「青のオーケストラ」6巻発売で新作コラボPV公開、198ページの試し読みも. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 24, 2023). "Blue Orchestra TV Anime Reveals Main Cast, Visual, Promo Video". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Dennison, Kara (April 6, 2023). "Blue Orchestra TV Anime Tunes up with Six New Cast Members". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Mateo, Alex (June 2, 2023). "Blue Orchestra TV Anime Reveals 7 More Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Makoto, Akui [@akui_m] (April 25, 2017). 新連載始まりました！青のオーケストラ(作者：阿久井 真) #青のオーケストラ #マンガワン http://manga-one.com/info.php?title_id=288 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved April 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
  7. ^ 青のオーケストラ. Ura Sunday (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  8. ^ a b 【7月19日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. July 19, 2017. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  9. ^ a b 【3月31日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. March 31, 2023. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 8, 2019). "Elex Media Begins Releasing Makoto Akui's The Blue Orchestra Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  11. ^ 【11月10日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. November 10, 2017. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  12. ^ 【5月11日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. May 11, 2018. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  13. ^ 「青のオーケストラ」幕張総合高校シンフォニックオーケストラ部とのコラボPV. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 12, 2018. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  14. ^ 【1月18日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 18, 2019. Archived from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  15. ^ 【8月8日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  16. ^ 【5月12日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. May 12, 2020. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  17. ^ 【9月11日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. September 11, 2020. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  18. ^ 【4月19日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 19, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  19. ^ 【4月19日付】本日発売の単行本リスト. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 19, 2022. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  20. ^ Mateo, Alex (April 11, 2022). "Makoto Akui's Ao no Orchestra Manga Gets TV Anime (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  21. ^ 「青のオーケストラ」TVアニメ化、強豪オーケストラ部を舞台に描く青春物語. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. April 12, 2022. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  22. ^ 「青のオーケストラ」制作陣に岸誠二・柿原優子・日本アニメーション、PV第1弾も公開. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. October 23, 2022. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  23. ^ Mateo, Alex (February 8, 2023). "Blue Orchestra Anime Premieres on April 9". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  24. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 3, 2023). "Aniplus Asia Airs Simulcast of Blue Orchestra Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 18, 2023). "Novelbright Performs Opening Theme for Blue Orchestra Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  26. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 8, 2023). "Blue Orchestra Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  27. ^ "Sutōrī | Anime "Ao no Ōkesutora" Kōshiki" STORY | アニメ『青のオーケストラ』公式 [Story | Anime "Ao no Orchestra" Official]. aooke-anime.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  28. ^ アニメ 青のオーケストラ (in Japanese). NHK. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  29. ^ ジョン・ウィリアムズ×人気漫画『青のオーケストラ』、スター・ウォーズの日を記念したコラボ実現. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). May 4, 2022. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  30. ^ 『青のオーケストラ』が「帝国のマーチ」を演奏 “スター・ウォーズの日”コラボアニメ公開. Oricon News (in Japanese). May 4, 2022. Archived from the original on May 9, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  31. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 2, 2022). "Chi, Blood on the Tracks, Sakamoto Days, More Nominated for 68th Shogakukan Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  32. ^ Mateo, Alex (January 18, 2023). "Call of the Night, Blue Orchestra, Medalist, Ui×Kon Manga Win 68th Shogakukan Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  33. ^ 第68回小学館漫画賞はメダリスト、初×婚、よふかしのうた、青オケ、明日カノ. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 18, 2023. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.

External links

Ura Sunday series
Shogakukan Manga Award – Shōnen
Works directed by Seiji Kishi
Nippon Animation television series
Categories