Shonen note: boy soprano vol 1 by yuhki kamatani

Aoi is starting middle school, and he is supremely sensitive to sound. He's just moved to town and will start middle school with the new term. While exploring his new city, he is drawn to the sound of the choir for his new school during their practice, and he knows he has to join them. Some of the other students, however, resent Aoi’s beautiful soprano voice and his innocent faith. Aoi is also approached by the band's sponsor to join the local Opera association. Her thought is that Aoi needs to show off his beautiful gift before his voice changes and its lost forever, but members of the choir see it as a betrayal, especially because the competition falls on the same weekend as the Opera's performances.

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The poetic language used to describe all the different sounds Aoi hears is beautiful and majestic. As someone who has played instruments and sang in choirs, I enjoyed the way music is portrayed and described in this title. The character development suffers ever so slightly as more space was dedicated to the music - some of the classmates around Aoi are one-dimensional and predictable, so hopefully some of them get some place to shine in future volumes.

The illustrations are also full of beautiful details. There are some really well executed two page spreads, like this one below where Aoi is transported by sound into a lush wilderness.

In the first volume, there's nothing inappropriate for middle-grade readers. The main characters are in junior high, and readers could benefit from a background in music, but it's not required. Overall, this is another wonderful title to add to collections where Your Lie in April is popular.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 6-12

Publisher: Kodansha
Publication Date: September 13, 2022
ISBN: 9781646515011 (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Music, School Life, Friendship, ​Kodansha