Piano no Mori

Description

From Kodansha:
This is a story about a piano, pitifully abandoned in the woods, and a young boy, Kai, who grew up playing it as his favorite toy. While Kai cannot even read sheet music, one day, he meets Shuhei Amamiya, an aspiring child pianist who transfers schools from Tokyo, and their music teacher, Sosuke Ajino. Ajino was also once a gifted pianist, until a tragic accident stole his promising future from him forever. Each from a different background, the trio’s personalities gravitate to one another and rebound. All the while, the piano sits patiently, awaiting a hand to play it.

Official English

Note: Received the Grand Prize for best manga at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival in 2008.

Type

Manga

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

Forest of Piano

Piano Hutan

Piano no Mori: The Perfect World of Kai

The Piano Forest

Рояль в лесу

غابة البيانو

วัยกระเตาะ ตึ่งตึงตึ๊ง

ピアノの森 - The perfect world of KAI

Groups Scanlating

Latest Release(s)

v.26 c.241 (end) by Easy Going Scans 9 years ago

v.26 c.240 by Easy Going Scans 9 years ago

v.26 c.239 by Easy Going Scans 9 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

26 Volumes (Complete)
18 Bunkoban Volumes (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1 (Movie/TV)

Ends at Vol 6, Chap 41 (Movie) / Vol 26, Chap 241 (S2) Both heavily abridged

User Reviews

Piano no Mori by Unproductive

Piano no Mori by barbapapa

Forum

3 topics, 6 posts

Click here to view the forum

User Rating

Average: 8.8 / 10.0 (560 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.67 / 10.0

39%

27%

18%

Last Updated

November 9th, 2025 6:27pm PST - 1 week ago

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Genre

Comedy Drama Seinen Slice of Life
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

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Recommendations

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Kodansha

Serialized In (magazine)

Morning (Kodansha)

Uppers (Kodansha)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

INKR

Kodansha USA (10 Bunko Ed. Vols - Hiatus; Digital)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #754

(-5)

Monthly Pos #1714

(-230)

3 Month Pos #2685

(-858)

6 Month Pos #3510

(-839)

Year Pos #5575

(+32)

List Stats

On 1820 reading lists

On 1200 wish lists

On 507 completed lists

On 91 unfinished lists

On 475 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

The Piano Forest Gets TV Anime

8 years ago

Piano no Mori Manga to End in Its 26th Volume

11 years ago

latest scanlated chapter

16 years ago

User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

Music

by eluhil
8 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I could literally hear the music inside my head when reading this.
It's not only the story and character development that are amazing but also the panel "directing" of this manga.

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surprising

by Romashk
9 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Watching the anime I never thought that it will grow this big. It's a complete story filled with all kinds of different emotions. And I know, that it looks a bit shounen'ny, but it's totally a fulfilling experience despite your preferred genre.

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For some reason, this captivated me....

by chineserider
10 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I can't say why, for this manga hasn't the exquisite talent in characterization that is present in true magnus opera, nor a truly original and flawless plot, and yet, I was drawn into the story, and couldn't stop until I had finished (hunting down various raws) up to what I could find. I tried to read this story many years ago, but never got past the first chapter...but during this weird time when I should be studying for exams, I took a chance and couldn't stop my curiosity. I wanted to know how Kai's path to a pianist goes. I wanted to get a closure of Ajino's story. I wanted...to follow this journey and see where it ends.

Did the ending disappoint me? Yes and no. In many ways the last 10 volumes focused on just one competition, and it would have disappointed me if Kai did not emerge victorious in his goals. However, I was left bewildered by Ajino's story (this may be due to my not finding the final chapter - I found chapter 238 at the time of this review) and the myriad foreshadowing in the story regarding his fate did not come to fruition. So, this was a story of disappointment and rejoice, but for some reason I couldn't stop reading it. :)

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I'm in love

by ShizukaSana
10 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I've just found this manga 4 days ago, And I'm just in vol9, but this story caugth me form the beginning.
I don't even know how to hold a guitar or even why are those keys under the piano, but I love music and I love how the mangaka create the atmosfere to enjoy it even without hearing it.
And also I love the characters evolution, and how she create the enviroment for the tense escenes, the funny scens. I don't have the exact words to descrive this manga, Just that You'll love it one you read it!.
I've never write a review before, but this manga deserve to be known, so it can reach even more hearts 🙂
Thanks for this manga Isshiki-sensei ♥

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Why havent I written a review??

by demonofchaos
11 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

This manga is amazing. The characters and plot are well written and the author makes music interesting without bringing in magic or supernatural elements like seeing the audiences heart. There are many emotional and touching moments as we see the hardships kai's life and how he perserves through it.

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Not yet a masterpiece, but almost there

by asnanime
11 years ago

Rating: N/A

This is a great musical/art based manga. The story is engaging and there is a good amount of complexity surrounding each character. I read a lot of manga and this is one of the top ones for sure.
The story is about Kai and how he developed his passion for piano. I love the rivalry that Kai and Shuhei has. They are friends but also "rivals",at least according to Shuhei. It's definitely a manga worth reading. Give it a try.

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Hmm...

by Baniita
13 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

Interesting read, definitely. I can't put it down, until it gets to the romance, which is a complete joke. They pop out of nowhere and the couples have no chemistry whatsoever. Kai's paired with a girl and he's way prettier than her, and we have no idea why he likes her--what. As usual, the male bonds are more interesting and have much more depth.

Kai's teacher is probably the most interesting character, followed by Kai himself. ...ugh, please don't DARE put him up with Kai's mom. It's total BS.

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Finally!

by Choreboy
13 years ago

Rating: N/A

After sifting through all the ecchi, hentai, harem, and cliche knock-offs, I've finally found a gem! It's heartwarming without the romance and the cliche incidents that go along with it. It's so very real. There doesn't appear to be any pointless fan service, aside from a bit of nudity that adds greatly to the substance and struggles of the pianists, and the artwork is quite original. Ah, yes... the artwork. Finally an artist who doesn't portray an adolescent girl as something of sexual desire. I did find it weird how Kai's shirt magically changes it's lettering over and over. I've noticed it in chapters 3, 4, and 5. It even changes on one page a twice in one chapter. Maybe the mangaka is trying to say something through it, or maybe it's just a terrible case of the bloopers. In any case, I'm glad I checked this manga out. I really just can't stop reading. I may stay up all night just to catch up to the releases (chapter 105, 73 to go) and that's very unusual for me. The depth of each character slowly comes out and you really do feel for them. For anyone looking for a change of pace from the vast majority of sexually oriented manga, this is definitely an excellent read. I can tell that much only 22 chapters in. I can see why it won grand prize in 2008. This one is a keeper.

... Last updated 13 years ago

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Not up to the good part of the meat, so don't think this is a bad manga

by HanaTenshiHimeko
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Meh, I like it. I can see why some people hate it after the timeskip. This isn't going to be an indepth review for the time being since I feel the story is still developing and I feel that I can get into the good part of the meat really soon.

Basically a story of a son of a famous pianist and a no-named boy; both had been playing since they were young. The only difference is the environment they grew up in since one fell in love with piano because it was fun for him and the other just played piano because he just did.

People probably feel frustrated and that after the timeskip, it more about teenage love and their life rather than their music. Currently at vol 11 and waiting for the next vol, I have to say it only got started. The good part of the meat is coming up soon and I know I can't wait for it.

So I'm going to drop this manga for the time being (because I absolutely hate driving myself crazy for the next update if I catch up) and come back to it in the future.

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by Phooeyish
14 years ago

Rating: 7.0 / 10.0

I fell in love with this manga when I first read it, but as the story has progressed, it (in my opinion) has grown a bit stale. The beginning of the story was absolutely amazing, which is all a result of Kai and Shuuhei's drive and passion for the piano, their conflicting friendship, and their resolve to pursue a life of music. But in the second part of the story, when the main characters are teenagers, their love music seems to have dissipated. Kai and Shuuhei are dull and lifeless. The plot is a mess. And overall, it just seems like the manga is going nowhere.

... Last updated 14 years ago

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