Sakamichi no Apollon

Hi hi ^-^ Sorry it's been so long since I've posted XD I won't lie and say I was busy, because I haven't been, but I will say that I had nothing particularly interesting to report. However, that's changed now ^-^ I just finished the anime Sakamichi no Apollon (the last episode came out on Anime Season today). First, I'll give you a trailer summary ^-^ The main character is a high school transfer student named Kaoru Kawabuchi. His mom died giving birth to him, and his father is in the military. Because of this, he gets shunted from relative to relative, hoping that each one has a piano. Wait, a piano? Yup. His only solace in his ever-changing scenery is his music. At the beginning of the anime, he's only ever played classical music. However, on his first day at his new school, when he tries to run to the roof (the only place he can be alone at school, to get away from the pressure of new people), he finds that there's a boy up there. The boy is huge, compared to his other classmates, and a first year, like Kaoru. He's fighting three upperclassmen at once, and winning. The boy is Sentaro (his last name is only mentioned in the first episode for, like, three minutes XD After that, he's Sentaro and "Sen"), and his best - and only - friend is the pretty class representative, Mukae Ritsuko (family name first). Kaoru starts hanging out with Sen to get close to Ritsuko, but the two boys quickly become friends. Together, Sen introduces Kaoru to jazz, and they play together. The anime is full of drama, intrigue, family struggles, and all the trappings of a good high school romance (and bromance, since there's that, too XD). I can definitely recommend this to anyone who likes shows like Nana (or other Josei anime), but it also has potential for those who like Naruto, and I think those who like Gakuen Alice can also find things they'll love in this anime. In other words, everyone who likes anime or manga should watch this anime!! It's sent me fangirling on more than one occasion, and it even had me crying once (I don't cry very often). Sakamichi no Apollon is definitely an anime that I would recommend to everyone =)