Those Snow White Notes, Vol. 1

ましろのおと [Mashiro no Oto] #1

by Marimo Ragawa

When Setsu's grandfather died, so did Setsu's "sound" -- his unique creative spark. Grieving, he goes to Tokyo to find himself... but manages to become totally, literally lost on his first day. Only a chance meeting with Yuna -- aka Yuka, the hostess -- saves him from being robbed. At first glance their lives seem totally different, but they're both striving for their dreams -- hers, of being an actress, and his, of developing his talent with the shamisen -- and it could just be that life in the raucous, unfeeling urban sprawl of Tokyo could just be what binds their fates together...

Genres: Manga, Contemporary, Young Adult, Slice Of Life, Music, Shonen, Graphic Novels

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2010

About the author

Marimo Ragawa 羅川真里茂 was born on September 21 in Hachinohe, Aomori, but her age is not disclosed.
Marimo Ragawa first started submitting manga to comic magazines when she was only 12 years old, which is when she was in 6th grade of elementary school. She continued to send her manga to the same magazine for four years, but a positive critical reception was yet to come. Ragawa then decided to switch to a different magazine. Surprisingly, her first submission to this magazine, Hana to Yume, won a prize called the Top-prize. She succeeded in achieving her debut with her first manga, Time Limit.

Marimo Ragawa continues to draw other manga such as Aka-chan to Boku (Baby and Me), New York New York, and Itsudemo Otenki Kibun. She received the 1995 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Baby and Me. She continues to draw a tennis themed manga, Shanimuni-Go in Hana to Yume (Flowers and Dreams).

Marimo Ragawa's calm and cute design is one of the traits of her drawings. Her energetic drawing and characters are very attractive, even to non-manga readers. She is widely known for her great ability in describing complicated emotions, especially in New York New York and Baby and Me.
Her manga Mashiro no Oto has been nominated for the 4th Manga Taishō.

Reviews

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This volume blew me away!

Not only did it have beautiful art, I can already tell I am going to be in this one for the long haul. The exploration of the personal journey of music is phenomenal! Please pick this one up!

For more detailed thoughts, please check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Zcs...

[Jungian.Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Marimo Ragawa and Kodansha Comics for making this book available via #Netgalley.

I really watched to read the manga nice I enjoyed the anime. Here we follow Setsu who has always wanted to play the Shamisen as beautiful and inspiring as his grandfather did. The death of his grandfather who played both the role of his mentor and master took a toll on him. He felt he was losing touch with his sound. He leaves the care of his older brother and makes his way to Tokyo in hopes of finding his own sound. Hoping to perfect the craft of playing the Shamisen. Once he gets to the city, he quickly realizes that it is more than he had prepared for and he is met with robbers. He is saved by Yuka who is living in Tokyo with her boyfriend Taketo. She takes him in after he got injured in a scuffle. This is when he meets Taketo and they somewhat bond over their love for music.

Things seem to be going well until his mother shows up in the picture and all his plans seem to go awry. She insists he comes live with her and goes to high school. When he gets to school he is invited to join the shamisen club. Honestly, the story is a bit all over the place and unfortunately, this book took a dive after the first few chapters for me. I did quite enjoy this volume and I cannot wait to read the others.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly I was underestimating Marimo Ragawa. Previous to Yen Press' publication of The Vampire and his Pleasant Companions, Ragawa's only series available in English was the somewhat maudlin Baby & Me, so reading their works for an older audience is something of a revelation. This story, published in a shounen magazine, follows a young shamisen player as he searches for his definitive sound after the death of his grandfather, the man who not only raised him, but also functioned as his mentor and master.

The story is strongest in the first, and longest, chapter of the book. Titled "Chapter 0," this not only introduces Setsu and his music but also brings them both to Tokyo, where he is rescued by Yuna, a young woman trying to make it as an actress. Yuna leaves at the end of the chapter, which is a real shame, because she's the strongest character in the book - she's a firecracker who learns to stand up for herself even as she's always willing to stand up for someone else. Her scummy boyfriend remains in the story as Setsu's more-or-less friend while the role of "main female character" is taken over by Setsu's horrible mother. It is not a good trade-off.

Fortunately now that Mom's forced Setsu to go back to high school there are more potential characters who are not the dregs of humanity, although it should be noted that the story also takes a dive in terms of interesting plot at this point. It isn't bad; it just isn't as good as the opening chapter. Hopefully Ragawa can recapture that magic in volume two, because there's a lot of potential here, and I'm looking forward to being proven wrong in my earlier assumptions about them as a creator.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Setsu lives in the country. He is raised by his grandfather who is also his master of playing the shamisen, a musical instrument. When his grandfather passes away Setsu looses all will to play and he runs away from home. He ends in Tokyo, a place far too strange for him. On his first day there Setsu almost gets robbed, but he is saved by the girl named Yuna.
The synopsis is sort of vague, so I didn't really know what to expect. But I loved this, it was such a surprise. First of all, this is not a kid story, it is very much adult in its themes and content. Secondly, it was deeper than I expected. Both Setsu and Yuna deal with depression and inferiority complex. Yuna wants to be an actress but she is constantly rejected. The only reason why she took in Setsu was because she thought he was more miserable than she is. Both of these characters have this emptiness inside of them, both of them don't feel good enough to do what they love most. And Setsu also constantly compared himself to his grandfather. What I liked most about this was the fact that they would have to deal with their issues separately, to then meet again later on as new people. I am desperate to continue reading this.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Mehsi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this manga from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
Since I just cannot write a long review for this one, I will write a short one to at least convey my feelings.
Well, this was a disappointment. Too much going on but at the same time also nothing. It started quite nicely with Yuna and Setsu meeting and him living with her. Yuna was such an awesome characters and Setsu was also quite interesting. But then the boyfriend showed up and did things... and later was apparently just forgiven just like that and kept popping up all the time. The story went back and forth at times making it very hard to keep track of things, I would have rather had the story to focus either on Yuna or on Setsu, not on everyone else.
Setsu's mom was the worst. What a witch. When she was added the story just went down and down and down.
So yeah, it was just mostly boring and at other times way too exaggerated! Confusing, I know, that is how I felt about the book. :P

[Curious Madra · Rating 5 out of 5]

So basically I have watched the first 2 episodes of the anime that pretty much covers the whole volume 1 and my god, the anime as well as the manga are both equally as excellent as each other. I’m a very picky anime watcher and manga reader so this is a rare sight boys for me to say how wonderful it is. I would compare this series to Kono Oto Tomare! in terms of the somewhat involving “same types of instruments” but at the same time, they are both unique. I just effing wish this type of a musical opportunity was offered in both my secondary and primary schools. Anyways I’m getting carried away. I could be too early to say that it’s near to a masterpiece but like you hardly see a young person/s playing a musical instrument in the anime/manga world.

I would definitely recommend this series in its anime or manga format to all if you really need that coming of age goodness!

Thank you so much to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for supplying me this wonderful manga ❤️

[Jungian.Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Marimo Ragawa and Kodansha Comics for making this book available via #Netgalley.

I really watched to read the manga nice I enjoyed the anime. Here we follow Setsu who has always wanted to play the Shamisen as beautiful and inspiring as his grandfather did. The death of his grandfather who played both the role of his mentor and master took a toll on him. He felt he was losing touch with his sound. He leaves the care of his older brother and makes his way to Tokyo in hopes of finding his own sound. Hoping to perfect the craft of playing the Shamisen. Once he gets to the city, he quickly realizes that it is more than he had prepared for and he is met with robbers. He is saved by Yuka who is living in Tokyo with her boyfriend Taketo. She takes him in after he got injured in a scuffle. This is when he meets Taketo and they somewhat bond over their love for music.

Things seem to be going well until his mother shows up in the picture and all his plans seem to go awry. She insists he comes live with her and goes to high school. When he gets to school he is invited to join the shamisen club. Honestly, the story is a bit all over the place and unfortunately, this book took a dive after the first few chapters for me. I did quite enjoy this volume and I cannot wait to read the others.

[Vendea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've received an e-arc from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

I am strongly biased on this one because I absolutely loved the anime adaptation and I couldn't wait to read manga for this one. This might not be a series for everyone because it focuses on shamisen players (traditional musical instrument) and it won't probably pick your interest right away (that's why it's better to watch anime first to experience the beauty of shamisen and then read manga).

That said, story follows Setsu, a shamisen prodigy, who is trying to find his own playing style after the death of his grandpa, who also was his teacher and famous shamisen player. First volume is merely introductory. We get to meet our main cast, Setsu's family and neighbours who'll end up having an important role further in the story.

Artstyle is not your typical average shounen one either and won't suit everyone but I liked it. I've already purchased following volumes and can't wait to get on journey with Setsu.

4/5*

[Dani(elle) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a music manga about a wide neck shamisen player that blends genres - I wonder if I wrote this in my sleep and don't remember. Seriously, the only thing that would make this more "For Me" is if it was gay. So, yeah. Get on that mangaka. Thanks!

EDIT: I did not realize this was by the same mangaka who wrote a BL series I read. Seriously, there is no reason not to make this Peak Dani. Add some lesbian witches who sing showtunes in there for good measure why dontcha

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Marimo Ragawa for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Setsu wants to play the shamisen just as beautifully as his grandfather did. But after his grandfather's death, Setsu isn't quite sure how to find his own sound. He leaves the care of his older brother and moves to Tokyo, perhaps looking for a way to bring his shamisen playing to life.

This volume has two arcs. There is the first, in which Setsu is taken in by a girl dating the singer of a band and there is the arc where he returns to school, where he is invited to join the shamisen club.

I really like the art in this manga and I have a great appreciation that the book features a musician who plays the shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument, as opposed to the overly-popular rock-star manga. This was a very enjoyable read and really highlights the struggle of loss and of an artist finding their way in life. I very much look forward to the second volume.

[Yub Yub Commander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to get completely sucked into this, but I loved this beginning. It's a gritty story with really imperfect people, but their flaws make them unique and interesting. Even in such a short time, I feel like the main characters have been well-fleshed out enough for the reader to get a good grasp of what each character is like at this point in the story.

I also loved how music was described and shown. There was a lot of thought put into how to depict the playing of music when an artist is really in "the zone," and as an artist myself, I genuinely appreciated that. I like all of the discussions around music as an art and an emotion and the way the characters interact with the concepts in the story.

Cannot wait to try out volume 2!

[Lissa Hawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I need another volume or two of this one to get a better read on it. This seemed like a lot of setup. I also didn't really connect with/like many of the characters until the two school girls at the end. Most of the side characters were awful humans and the MC was rather bland and apathetic. I hope he grows more as the story progresses.

Tentatively recommended, but that may change when I read more issues.

[Lanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

*DISCLAIMER* I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. I only accept books I think I’d like because life is too short to waste on bad books. That said if I don’t like a book, I’ll say so, free or not. With that out of the way, onto the review:

The story begins in February. Setsu’s grandfather has died. Setsu feels like their is nothing left for him at home so he heads off to Tokyo in search of some place louder.

Meanwhile in Tokyo Yuka is wishing for more. She’s dating Taketo, a musician in a band that’s just starting to get attention. Since he’s not making any real money yet, Yuka is stuck working as a hostess to support them both. She’s frustrated as she is not getting any of the roles she’s auditioned for and her agent’s plans for her aren’t anything she’s interested in.

Then Setsu, distracted by the lights of the city, bumps into Yuka. It should have been a 30 second interaction but fate had other plans for these two.

Yuka notices Setsu may need help after also bumping into some guys who seem dangerous and who clearly intend on stealing from Setsu. Yuka defends Setsu but injures him accidentally so she feels obligated to take him back to her home.

Setsu and Taketo meet while Yuka is out. While they somewhat bond over music, they don’t seem to like each other much. Taketo thinks Setsu is taking advantage of his girlfriend’s generosity. Setsu thinks Taketo is a jerk. Yuka is just excited to find the boys seem to be friendly.

Enter Setsu’s mom and brother. Mom hasn’t really played a role in her sons lives but with their grandpa gone, she’s,shown up to mourn her father. Realizing her youngest is all alone in the big city, she insists he move in with her and attend school. Knowing their mother’s parental track record, Setsu’s older brother shows up, to play guardian.

At times this book feels a bit all over the place, but that’s life. Certain aspects of the story work better than others, but overall I’d read volume two at least as I liked the main characters and their relationships with one another.

[Knigoqdec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Тази манга е по-класическа на вид (като под това определение имам предвид, че изглежда като творба, създадена някъде в края на 90-те и началото на новия век). Донякъде е сходна на заглавия като Nana и дори Given, само че ако последното беше писано в посочения период. Историята пък има някои мънички сходства с неща, които би написал Харуки Мураками... което допълнително доказва, че си имаме работа с нещо като цяло доста класическо.

Главният герой е объркан младеж, който след смъртта на дядо си (много добър изпълнител на шамисен) е много разстроен и е загубил мястото си в живота. Решението му е да замине за Токио, защото в Аомори вече "не чува нужните мелодии". В Токио, както може да се очаква, му се случват куп странни неща - попада на едно момиче, което иска да успее в живота (но вместо това работи като хостеса) и гаджето ѝ, което пък си има музикална банда. Сецу, иска или не, се включва в живота им и проблемите им, докато се опитва да преоткрие страстта си.
Оттук нататък имаме малък проблем, тъй като времето в историята започва да тече по странен начин, според мен. Минават разни седмици в разстояние на страница-две и отношенията на героите, както и вътрешните им чувства, се променят доста бързо. Което е жалко, тъй като не ни дава особена възможност да ги опознаем и да са ни симпатични. За мен това е големият минус на творбата като цяло.
Честно да си призная, на мен най-симпатичен ми стана Уакана, "настойникът" на Сецу. Харесва ми, че му дават толкова "екранно време", изглежда най-жив и добре изграден. (Анимефенска бележка: Ако някой ден се направи аниме, стискам палци това да е Кояма Рикия, просто го чувам!).

Идеята е симпатична, покрай успеха на Given смятам, че заглавието ще се приеме доста добре. А и включването на традиционен инструмент като шамисена в комбинация с модерната музика е предизвикателен елемент. Може би е в плюс за по-порасналите читатели това, че артът напомня добрите стари заглавия - носталгията по миналото и така нататък... влияят си.

[Hanii Aburame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone has their own sound, you just have to find it.
3.5* stars

After a great familial loss, Setsu also lost his sound, his "uniqueness", with his prized shamisen. To understand more of the world and find his sound once again, he leaves his small town and his brother for an adventure in Tokyo where he meets a kind girl who helps him along the away. Until the girl's, Yuna's, life also takes her away from Tokyo to better her career and find her own "sound," leaving Setsu her apartment and with no idea on what to do next.

Within the first few pages I was hooked. Things moved at a good quick pace, which was good as by the middle of the book things jumped to a completely different scenario making the beginning feel like an elongated prolog or one shot. By the end I felt like I was reading a completely different book than I was at the beginning, the "first story" could have been told effectively in flashbacks in my opinion, and I did not like the feeling of a new story beginning at the last chapter and leaving me hanging.

My issues with the pacing aside, I really do like the story being told in both parts of this volume, I would also like to see Yuna come back. The art is beautiful and illustrates music and the sound from the shamisen wonderfully.

I would like to keep reading to see where this goes, hoping that things improve and can stay on a steadier track in following volumes.


Check out my bookstagram! @Witchy.Otaku

[Emma Stallwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really didn't know much about this manga when requested to review an arc, however thought that a musical story sounded interesting. I didn't know I would enjoy this so much and not only for the storyline, characters and illustrations but alo for the fact I become interactive with the manga. I found that I wanted to research more into the main characters instrument, where it came from and the sound it made. In the story the main character talks about certain songs which I then researched and listened to during that part of the book. I believe that if the story didnt have this or I knew more about the instrument, that I wouldnt have enjoyed the manga as much. The learning aspect really hightened the manga.

[Kate Church · Rating 5 out of 5]

I volunteered to read this book through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This manga is so enjoyable. I enjoyed Setsu's character. The characters are described well and it is well written. I enjoyed how this book is set in Tokyo, Japan. I would highly highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. The artwork is absolutely fantastic. This ebook is in stores now for $10.99 (USD).

[Kye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slow building story about loss and finding yourself after that loss. This first volume was quite enjoyable. My only qualm is with our main character's age. I feel like that is going to turn into something I don't like later on as the series goes one, but I definitely intend to keep reading to find out. This story revolves around Setsu after the passing of his grandfather. He has lost his "sound" and goes on a journey of self discovery to not only find the sound he's lost but cultivate it into his own style distinct from his grandfathers. Coming from a small town to Tokyo, Setsu meets Yuka and the band members of Pink Punk Gadget. Of course they are all instantly loud and raucous causing shenanigans almost immediately. Yuka's boyfriend is annoying but the rest of the band are adorable. This is a coming of age story and I am interested to see Setsu grow as his journey continues and he meets more people. Definitely will pick up volume 2.

[Mark Alpheus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I underestimated this book. I thought it'll be just a cheesy manga about music, finding the sound that you lost because you also lost someone you love. But yo, it was more.

It felt satisfying to read, even if the ending was far from a conclusion yet. There are cheesy moments too, and still I like it because it was well told. There's humor and drama and between them, its themes about abuse and abandonment and coming-of-age shenanigans about finding what you want to do in life.

So, yeah, I really liked this manga. Thank you the publisher for the arc thru netgalley.

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The style for this one was quite classic and was a little like taking a trip back to the 90's and early 2000's, and honestly I quite enjoyed it. I also have a soft spot for music-based manga/anime with Given and Kids on the Slope being favourites, and this manga very much had a similar vibe, and while it was perhaps not the most action-packed story or development, I enjoyed it. There were a few pacing issues, and I didn't feel that some of the characters were as fleshed out as they needed to be, but there were some very meaningful moments and overall I would recommend this one.

[Mar*Grieta* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fun and educating Manga!

Main character plays Shamisen, after the loss of his grandad he leaves small town in search for inspiration and goes to Tokyo. Tokyo is full of light, voices and things that he doesn't fully understand. He will evolve his musical talents here, make friends and scar his heart.

Great manga, I really enjoyed it! Highly recommended. I loved the way music band has been described! Fun and realistic read!

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The loss of his grandfather meant Setsu also lost his sound when it came to playing the shamisen. Adrift in Tokyo, he falls in with Yuna, whose own dreams of making it big are slowly decaying. Then we get rock concerts, bad boyfriends, SWAT teams, bondage, and really bad parenting, since... I’m not really sure...

There is a kernel of a good book here, buried deep, nestled within layers of strange digressions and narrative choices that just outright do not work and a tone (there’s that word again) that has the consistency of watered down tapioca.

So when the book starts, it’s actually quite enjoyable. Setsu’s not the first person to take the loss of a relative hard, but seeing it manifested in terms of his ability to play the shamisen is a nice touch and gives us a ready means of gauging how he’s doing.

In fact, during one of the rare moments he feels like playing it is an excellent change to the art style showing just how into it he gets. I chalk up the fact that he doesn’t get beaten to death by the audience at that particular venue as a cultural difference.

Yuna and Setsu make for a great pairing - she’s worldly and wise yet losing her dreams, while he is naive and foolish, but possibly on the cusp of realizing his. They have a solid chemistry, which is why it’s a total bummer that she vanishes for half the book.

Once Setsu’s misery of a mother shows up, this book really starts to grate. Yuna’s boyfriend is an obnoxious bore of a prima donna, but at least he’s a useful foil. The mother character just destroys the reality of the book for comedic purposes that aren’t really necessary or particularly funny. It’s so over the top it robs a lot of the drama of any juice.

It’s even more annoying because in her few grounded moments you can see potential for the character, but mom is too busy raining down destruction and treating her kids inappropriately (VERY inappropriately, in one instance).

The back part of the book, without Yuna, starts to go in a weirdly traditional high school direction that I felt came out of nowhere and seems to introduce even more characters into the mix, even before doing enough with the old ones.

There’s just a balance missing to this story - it tries to do too much and plays too much too broad. I’m going to give it another volume to see if it narrows down the focus because I do like Setsu and I think his personal journey is interesting. I’m expecting them to bring back Yuna too and that will help things if it happens.

3 stars. Ironically, the parts of this that are so annoying completely overcome the fact that this is a music based story in a printed medium in terms of my strikes against it. I don’t know that that’s a compliment.

[Veronica Villar · Rating 4 out of 5]

[English below] (Gracias a Netgalley por la copia avanzada)

4/5 estrellas

El primer tomo de Those Snow White Notes nos habla de Setsu, un músico que toca el shamisen, cuya vida cambia tras la muerte de su abuelo. A partir de ahí Setsu decide mudarse solo a Tokio, por la necesidad de estar rodeado de ruido, ya que siente que ha perdido su "sonido" y cree que allí lo puede encontrar.

Está dividido en tres capítulos. El primero es sobre Setsu y su llegada a Tokio. Allí conoce a una chica que trabaja como modelo que lo acoje en su piso hasta que encuentre un lugar. Además conocemos al novio de esta chica y su banda de música, que son los que dan un empujon a Setsu para que vuelva a tocar. En el segundo capitulo Setsu ya lleva tiempo en Tokio y aparece su madre. Sabremos un poco más de la relación o "no relación" existente entre ambos. Y por último, en el tercer capítulo Setsu es llevado al nuevo instituto por su hermano mayor y conocerá a ptra chica que también toca el shamisen.

Este manga me ha parecido muy curioso, ya que conocía el shamisen por otros mangas, pero no se profundizaba en él como instrumento protagonista. Además se puede ver la evolución de Setsu y los vínculos que va creando con gente nueva en Tokio, además de afianzar los de su familia.

Ameno y divertido, os lo recomiendo.

-------------------------------------

(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC)

4/5 stars

The first volume of Those Snow White Notes tells us about Setsu, a musician who plays the shamisen, whose life changes after the death of his grandfather. From there Setsu decides to move alone to Tokyo, out of the need to be surrounded by noises, since he feels that he has lost his "sound" and believes that he can find it there.

It is divided into three chapters. The first one is about Setsu and his arrival in Tokyo. There he meets a girl who works as a model who takes him into his flat until he finds a place. We also meet this girl's boyfriend and his music band, who are the ones who push Setsu to play again. In the second chapter Setsu has been in Tokyo for a long time and his mother appears. We will know a little more about the relationship or "non-relationship" between the two of them. And finally, in the third chapter Setsu is taken to his new high school by his older brother and he will meet another girl who also plays the shamisen.

This manga has seemed very curious to me, since I knew the shamisen from other manga, but did not delve into it as the main instrument. You can also see the evolution of Setsu and the bonds that he is creating with new people in Tokyo, in addition to strengthening those of his family.

Entertaining and fun, I recommend it.

[Whimsy Dearest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setsu is a shamisen player living in the Aomori countryside. However, after his grandfather passes away, his creative spark leaves him too, so he moves to Tokyo to try and find a source of artistic inspiration again. There he stumbles across a hostess named Yuka who dreams of becoming an actress, and together, they try to pursue their dreams.

Those Snow White Notes by Marimo Ragawa is a manga posed with the unique challenge of conveying music without, well … actual sound, and in my opinion, this manga succeeds. It portrays sound though visual allegory and I can feel Setsu’s love of music pouring through its pages. It truly manages to capture the struggles and joys of an artist.

However, I do have one main issue with the story so far, and that is with its pacing. I think volume 1 is way too fast-paced, and I wish it had hit the brakes in parts to allow the story time to breathe and for characters and relationships to better develop.

Lastly, I think it’s important to note that although this is technically a shonen, this is a coming-of-age story that centers around more mature themes. Essentially, this is a story about two lost souls trying to find their place in the world and pursuing their creative dreams—all the while struggling with inferiority complexes. I think that’s something I can personally identify with, so this story really resonates with me right now and hit hard in parts, and I hope to continue following Setsu and Yuka along on their journey.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kodansha, for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Tayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received an e-copy of this manga on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This didn't work for me. I feel like there were multiple storylines going on that weren't properly shown and it all just became very confusing and messy.

The main character Setsu is 16 when his grandfather passes away. He runs away from home to Tokyo to find himself and his sound. While there he meets Yuna, a young woman trying to get into entertainment with a controlling, vile boyfriend who is the lead singer of a band. Honestly after this, I just got confused and there was a lot of dramatic scenes which made little sense to me.

This was a shame as I was really intrigued in the description of this manga but it just didn't meet my expectations.

[Mavel Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a great time with this manga. Even though I wasn't familiar with the shamisen, a traditional japanese instrument, the volume gives us a good starting point to know more about it. and it made me actually look up videos of the shamisen being played and found the Yoshida brothers mentioned in the first chapter.

I liked Setsu even though he's a little spacey and I was not expecting him to be 16 years old, especially when I met the girl. I really enjoyed this volume anad I can't wait to read the next one.

[MoonChild · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore this. It’s funny, touching story and has humor in between, I loved the characters is absolutely addictive from the start.
This tells a story of Setsu a 16 year old boy after his grandfather past away he wants to take his advise and find his own voice, his own music through the Shamisen a Japanese instrument.
I loved the graphics design style I’m looking forward to keep following the author

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly, it was really good. The art style is good. The plot is interesting. The main character is likeable. Can't wait for next volume.






ARC provided by NetGalley.

[nekoneko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one reminded me a little of NANA. You have two characters, Setsu and Yuna, who serendipitously end up living together and are both fighting for their dreams after moving to Tokyo. We're shown the harsh realities of trying to make it in the entertainment biz with Yuna, and sadly, pretty quickly her whole world starts to crumble after a bad week of rejections, but it opens the door for Setsu, since she leaves him her apartment. Things get a little wild after the first couple chapters with the introduction of Setsu's mom who comes in like a whirlwind and helps Setsu set up shop properly in Tokyo and gets him back in school--he is, after all, only 16. The school, of course, has a shamisen club that is failing, but Setsu declines joining. Then, we get a brief little preview of the world of playing the shamisen, but more importantly, we're introduced to a potential rival for Setsu.

Over all, the storyline was a little all over the place and the characters were a little hard to grasp. I've not read many manga that deal with music, but it is hard to imagine the sound of the shamisen and how Setsu's might be different than anyone else. This is an older series that is just now getting a proper translation, and it it perfectly timed with the release of an anime! Having watched the first episode, I can say that the anime really cleans up the story and lets the characters and the music--the most important part--shine! Would I pick up the next volume, probably, but this isn't one that I immediately fell in love with, it just fell a little short.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those Snow White Notes, Volume 1, by Marimo Ragawa is a manga style graphic novel recently translated into English. When Setsu's grandfather died, so did Setsu's "sound"—his unique creative spark. Grieving, he goes to Tokyo to find himself, but manages to become totally, literally lost on his first day. Only a chance meeting with Yuna—aka Yuka, the hostess—saves him from being robbed. At first glance their lives seem totally different, but they're both striving for their dreams—hers, of being an actress, and his, of developing his talent with the shamisen—and it could just be that life in the raucous, unfeeling urban sprawl of Tokyo could just be what binds their fates together.

Those Snow White Notes is a story that started rather rough for me, but did capture my attention. The first few pages had me uninterested- so I took a break and switch reading material. But, I am glad that I came back to it. When I gave the book a second chance I was introduced to a variety of characters that had me interested and engaged in their interactions. By the time the volume was over I was disappointed that I did not have more to read about how these people would all continue to interact and how some of the newer characters would play into the story. The art was hit and miss for me- some of it was perfect- capturing the emotion of the music on the page- but some of the character features just did not work for me. However, that is all about personal preference not the skill or quality of the work.