English Dub Season Review: Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life Season Two

What is a koto? A koto is the national instrument of Japan — it’s a board with multiple strings spread across it, and whether you’ve seen one or not, you’ve definitely heard one. In Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life, they’re a pretty big deal. The show stars a cast of characters who, for one reason or another, wound up playing the koto. They’re all brought together by the school’s koto club, and eventually, they learn a lot about each other through the instrument and become close-knit friends. Their goal this season is to go to Nationals — in order to do so, they must go up against two other schools with their own emotional narratives. Only one can be the winner, though, and through the power of anime protagonist magic, they successfully make it to nationals.

See, playing the koto is really about the friends we made along the way. Joking aside, this show is pretty rich in character and plot to the point where even if the cast didn’t make it to nationals, it would have confidently made a good ending out of the outcome. The show definitely didn’t skimp on development for the secondary characters, either — in fact, watching the other schools lose is almost just as emotional as watching the protagonists win. Beyond the main cast of characters, certain others — such as Akira, Mio, and Satowa’s mother, Chiharu — really got to shine this season. Akira went from being someone with a low amount of self-worth — someone who felt as though she had nothing to offer — to feeling completely at peace and accepting of herself. Seeing her reaction to the koto club’s passion for the instrument really held a lot of emotional weight, and this definitely carried through in the voice acting aspect.

Then there’s Mio, who basically had synesthesia. One of the hardest parts about writing a show like this is getting people who don’t care/know anything about the koto…to know and care about the koto. The visual depiction of Mio and how it all feels to him when he plays was as beautiful to the ears as it was to the eyes. This was one of the moments in the show where the viewer themselves feels uplifted and moved by the koto itself.

Finally, the finale of Satowa reuniting with her mother was basically the cherry on top of the koto cake. The emotion that rang through — especially with Satowa’s voice acting performance — was exactly what the show needed.

Plot-wise and character-wise, this season really came together to make something beautiful.  Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life is an anime for music lovers, and maybe even those who have become closer to their loved ones through music. Does it do anything groundbreaking? Not really, but as far as slice-of-life anime goes, it’s decently worth the recommendation. The voice acting is decently plain, but when it needs to be emotional, everyone pretty much hits the mark. The bonds within this show are bound to make anyone feel warm and fuzzy — it’s like The Breakfast Club, except instead of sitting in detention being emotionally vulnerable, they’re playing the koto and being emotionally vulnerable.