Otamatone, a unique Japanese instrument, will receive its own anime.
As reported by Anime News Network, Maywa Denki, the company behind the Otamatone, announced a music-only anime based on the synthesizer. Otamatoon, Maywa Denki’s first animation credit, follows an Otamatone named Otamatõn and his musical instrument friends. In addition to Otamatōn, Otamatoon includes Knockman, Chiririn, Chan, Beromin and Pororon. Each companion represents various categories of instruments, like percussion and strings.
Introduced in 2009, brothers Masamichi and Nobumichi Tosa developed the Otamatone in collaboration with the CUBE toy company and Maywa Denki. The electronic synthesizer resembles an eighth note that requires two hands for users to play. One hand changes the pitch on the ribbon controller, or the stem, while another squeezes the head. With several switches on the back of the head, players can change octaves, adjust the volume and turn the device off and on. While the Otamatone gained popularity on social media, Juanjo Monserrat won the Golden Buzzer on Season 6 of Got Talent España for his performance of Nessun Dorma.
The World of Musical Anime
Besides Otamatoon, the anime industry has frequently used musical instruments at the forefront of various shows. One example includes K-On!, Kakifly’s four-panel manga series that ran in Houbunsha’s Manga Time Kirara magazine between May 2007 and October 2010. In 2009, Kyoto Animation produced a 13-episode anime based on the manga. Following the success of the first season, K-On! aired another 26 episodes and received a film adaptation.
K-On! follows four high school girls who join a light music club. Yui Hirasawa, along with bassist Mio Akiyama, drummer Ritsu Tainaka, and keyboardist Tsumugi Kotobuki spend countless hours rehearsing. The group later welcomes more members to the club and another guitarist named Azusa Nakano. In July 2018, the spinoff manga K-On! Shuffle began serialization and introduced characters from a different high school after the original anime’s students inspired them to create a light music club.
In addition to K-On!, other anime involving music include The Piano Forest and Your Lie in April. The latter series follows a young pianist named Kōsei Arima, who can no longer play the instrument after his mother’s death. After meeting violinist Kaori Miyazano, she teaches him to love the piano again, and Kōsei develops feelings for her. Unfortunately, Kaori needs routine testing due to her anemia and undergoes a risky surgery to perform with Kōsei again. Tragically, Kaori does not survive the surgery, and Kõsei notices her spirit next to him at the Eastern Japan Piano Competition.
There is currently no release date for Otamatoon.
Source: Anime News Network
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