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 month ago

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Genre

Comedy Drama Seinen Slice of Life
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Kokken

Venus Kisoukyoku

Nodame Cantabile

Kiniro no Corda - Daigakusei Hen

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 #786

(-7)

Monthly Pos #1506

(-292)

3 Month Pos #3186

(-357)

6 Month Pos #3812

(-537)

Year Pos #4476

(-1185)

List Stats

On 1821 reading lists

On 1200 wish lists

On 508 completed lists

On 91 unfinished lists

On 476 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 time added ]

Such a touching story...

by making_mooz
16 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

So my first point is that this is certainly NOT a comedy. Certainly, there are a few laughs here and there to keep the mood not so serious all the time, but Piano no Mori is definitely a serious kind of story.

That being said, whoever said this was filled with shounen cliches obviously hasn't actually read the manga. Certainly, there's a rival and the main character is very talented. But to be honest, that "rival" isn't even the biggest point of the story. Rather, it's the growth and development of Kai into a professional pianist. And certainly, Kai is very talented and a prodigy, but he doesn't play the piano just based on that. I don't recall if the eng scans have shown this yet, but he works so hard for everything. He really deserves all that he has, especially considering his background.

What I also like about this manga is that Kai isn't the person winning the awards all the time. Certainly, he always manages to awe the audience, but so far, he's never actually won a competition. And he's not without faults either. Although I suppose I can understand why people would regard him as an emo Gary Sue, but hey, he's a very likable one. 😀

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simple but perfect

by silleri
16 years ago

Rating: N/A

This manga is my favourite, through it's drawings it shows, how simple a child's point of view is. Also the differences between Kai and Shyuhei life is very prominent.
Kai's mother is very beautiful in a whore life, she also uses Kai's piano skills to make her forget all of her troubles. where Shyuhei's mother isn't as pretty and uses Shyuhei's skill to make her husband and mother proud.

This also is seen in there piano's Shyuhei see pianos as a tool, where Kai sees them as a part of him.

Kai and Shyuhei lives are so different yet they connect so well.

This manga is piece of art. I always treasure every chapter I read, this is one of the best manga's ever made

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My my

by justlooking
17 years ago

Rating: N/A

Now THIS was a shocker. I'm not a fan of Nodame (sorry to all the raving fans who already posted), so I didn't know what to expect from this. In short:
Art- 7
Story-10
Characters-10

The art was lacking...in depth, realism, etc. etc. Just above mediocre, but it wasn't annoyingly bad, as with some manga I have read. The art has faults, but is nice in the way that it doesn't distract readers (especially critics) from the story. The story, I must say, blew me away. Yes, cliches are present, but there are different twists that make the situation unique and doesn't veer off the road of plausibility. Also, the characters can be easily related too, and I find that such an interesting and diverse cast of characters is a tough thing to find...even if some of them are a bit crude 😉
I love this manga, can't wait for more. The artist needs some work on his technique, but his storytelling is phenomenal. Bravo!

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Poignant, touching and deeply inspirational.

by JHax9999
17 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I fell in love with this manga after only 3 chapters. Although the art is simplistic, the setting of the story is nothing less than mesmerizing. The first time I saw the piano standing amidst the forest trees, I was captivated. It was so enchanting, it made me wish I could actually sit beneath the trees and listen to Kai play.

Some people are put off by the art, but I disagree. I rather like it. The simplistic art, although not as vividly detailed as other manga, is actually charming in its own right. Personally, I think it is a conscious choice on the part of the mangaka to draw the manga very simple. Because every once in a while, you'd get these incredibly detailed drawings, so intricate and vivid that it takes your breath away. The effect wouldn't be as strong if the entire manga was always drawn that way. But because most of the manga is looks simplistic, and only the important scenes are drawn with incredible details that the effect it has on the reader is so strong.

But all that aside, this manga is an example of how good storytelling can make even simplistic art come alive. Kai is an incredibly well written character. You'll definitely fall in love with him.

The tone of the story is very mature, although it features little kids. Actually, because of how serious and crude some themes are, it's recommended for people 15 years +

... Last updated 17 years ago

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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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A favorite.

by barbapapa
19 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

Gorgeous manga, in a "less is more" sense. Don't expect this to blow you away, more let it win you over with its subtle touches of magic. It's also hard to label this manga, as pretty much any kind of reader (shounen, seinen, shoujo, josei) can enjoy this.
A very wholesome read, similar to the works of Masahito Soda, Hitoshi Ashinano, and even Mitsuru Adachi.

... Last updated 18 years ago

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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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Really beautiful!

by elalendi
16 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

The characters are great... something about it just totally captures your heart. I'm sure even those who don't know anything about music will find it very touching. There's lots of rivalry stories out there but this one is really unique. I love Kai! Even though the series is long, so far I don't feel bored at all. I thought the art is quite nice too, just different, funny and cute in its quirky way, like the art from Gokusen. Like others said, the art suits the story.

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Annoying!

by yuno19
16 years ago

Rating: N/A

when the main character grown, the enthusiasm for how the story develop is present, but unexpectedly bland storyline as the follow up, this manga became annoying.

The childhood story of Kai and Shuuhei surely enticing to the point made anybody fall in love with this manga. The serenity and excitement continues up until when the two separated (after the contest). But when they actually met up, all grown, the focus shift to which one of those can play better, how the contest held, and many unimportant knick knack. All the attractive element of piano no mori suddenly vanish, replaced by meaningless episodes.

I can only managed to read up to volume 15. I became too bored of it and decided to stop reading. for the people who want to get the most of this manga, read only up to the point when Kai lost his first contest and resolute to study seriously under the teacher (who his name again?). After that point, you will only read story that makes your hopes high but presented with disappointing follow ups.

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majestic

by itachi187
17 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

beautiful, i stopped watching nodame coz of that mustache girl wtf?? and apparently its good so mite pick itup...but this manga is the best music one ive ever read...prob the only one...but its nice...its real...hes a genius...and his life is tough...real tough...but he keeps his positive tude to the max at most times which is cool.

... Last updated 17 years ago

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