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After the senior members graduated, Takezou is now the sole member of his Japanese string instrument club. Facing termination, he now begins his search for new members when suddenly a wily one bursts right into his club room.
Love anime that makes boring subjects interesting? Stop This
Sound is that. These other anime recommendations are also that.
Chihayafuru
Growing up in the shadow of her older sister, Chihaya Ayase
is strong-willed and a tomboy with no dreams of her own. However, after meeting
a young boy with a passion of a card game called karuta, he inspires her to
become a karuta master.
In both series, you learn about a lesser known traditional Japanese hobby in a way that is made interesting. However, Chihayafuru is a bit more intense with its portrayal, but they both still have their nice slice of life moments.
Kabuki-bu
Kurogu had a love of kabuki instilled in him from a young
age by his grandfather. Now in high school, he seeks to create a kabuki club to
bring an appreciation for it to a wider audience. However, hundreds of years of
strict tradition are harder than these high schoolers expected to deal with,
but Kurogu won’t be deterred.
Both series are about an art form traditional to Japan that people may know of, but probably know little about. Through the pleasant slice of life portrayal, they also slice some good information in there too. Furthermore, they both feature pretty rambunctious characters.
March Comes in Like a Lion
Rei Kiriyama recently started to live alone in his last year
of high school. He is able to financial support himself as a professional Shogi
player, but while he officially became a pro in middle school, he is collapsing
under the pressure to succeed. Burdened with his own problems, Rei has found
solstice among a kind family of three sisters, the Kawamotos. The oldest, Akari,
likes to take in strays and Rei is the latest. While he feels conflicted about
spending time with them, they provide accepting affection that he has gotten
nowhere else.
Shogi is probably the least interesting thing to many viewers, but like Stop This Sound, the series isn’t all about shogi. Instead, March Comes in Like a Lion hides a lot of darker elements inside. Both series feature main characters with tragic pasts and it explores these characters as they explore their hobby.
Tari Tari
Each year, their school does a recital in which music
students perform for their prestigious guests. Konatsu is in her third year and
wants to perform her song, but after a screw up last year, she is barred from
participating. In order to try and get around this, she decides to form her own
singing club.
Both shows, obviously, focus on music. However, what really ties these two series together is the characters and the surprising depth of them. Neither seems like it would be outwardly a dark series, but it has its moments.
Your Lie in April
After the death of his talented mother, the equally talented
Kousei Arima can no longer play the piano, unable to hear the sound. Leaving
the competitive music world behind, he avoids playing for two long years until
by a stroke of fate he meets the beautiful, talented, and inspiring violinist
Kaori Miyazono that makes his world come alive again.
Like music anime with tragic backstory and a lot of drama? Obviously, Your Lie in April is a bit more of this than Stop This Sound, but both series have a great soundtrack and some really beautiful and sad characters.
Haruchika
In an effort to become seen as cuter, Chika joins the Wind Instrument Club to play the seemly feminine flute. It is there she is reunited with her childhood friend Haruta, who is her complete opposite. This causes them to butt heads, especially since they both have a crush on their instructor.
While both series are slice of life, Haruchika is more of a
comedy with some drama added in. However, with both series you also get one
tame character and one that is a little wilder that helps people embrace who
they really are.
Tsurune
Kyuudo is a modern martial art with a focus on archery.
Minato used to be into the sport in middle school, but gave it up after a
certain incident. Now forces conspire in high school to bring him into the
newly founded Kyuudo club.
Both Tsrune and Stop This Sound flew deeply under people’s radar because they don’t sound particularly appealing, but their characters and the tragic drama they carry with them make for an excellent show that you wouldn’t expect to love.
Kids on the Slope
After moving around his entire life, classical pianist Kaoru
Nishimi has abandoned all hope of fitting in as he arrives in Kyushu for his
final year of high school. However, that all changes when he meets the thuggish
drummer, Sentaro Kawabuchi, a man with an immeasurable love for jazz. Over the
music they bond together and Kaoru learns that music should be something to
bring joy to others, not something dictated by hundreds of years of technique.
Both series are about music, obviously, but they also have a similar premise. A more demure boy meets another more outgoing one and together they explore the subject with the solid cast of characters. There is more than just a music story in both, and that is often what makes a great anime.
Anohana
One hot summer day, recluse and truant Jinta Yadomi is
approached by his childhood friend Menma that comes to pester him about a wish
he had long forgotten. However, Menma has been dead for some time. Thinking he
is hallucinating at first, eventually Jinta accepts her as a ghost and begins
to work towards fulfilling her wish with his friends that had long drifted away
from each other.
There is a bit of drama in Stop This Sound, so if you were into that then Anohana is for you. Anohana is the more sad of the two, but both present amazing character that really make you want to explore the story more.
If you have more anime recommendations like Stop This Sound,
let fans know in the comments section below.