PG for Parental Guidance, R for Reality

Recently, I read a manga named Piano no Mori, or The Perfect World of Kai, or The Piano Forest. It's a story about two fifth-grade boys from very different backgrounds and their journeys learning the piano. Although it's a story about two children, this is not a story written for children. If this were a movie, it would be rated R - for language, for sex, and maybe for violence, too. There's an animated movie based on this manga - The Piano Forest - that's rated PG. In the movie, they've taken out all of the R-rated material, in order to protect children from the uglier aspects of life. But in doing so, it becomes less real.

The main character of this manga is Ichinose Kai. He's the son of a prostitute and has no idea who his father is. He lives at the edge of the forest in a neighborhood that all of the other children are warned away from. Because of this, Kai is bullied at school. "My mom says whores are human trash, so the son of a whore is even worse!" This is something Kai has to deal with on a daily basis, and is a very real aspect of children. And this is where the story gets ugly. We follow Kai home and see what goes on in the makeshift "brothel". The story hides nothing. We see how the prostitutes are treated by the customers and by the woman who runs the brothel. Some of the women enjoy what they do, and some hate it. They are whores, and they are human beings. Here, Kai picks up his language and his manners, and we see how the customers treat Kai. This is why I would rate the manga R.

But Kai's world is beautiful, too. His mother loves him, though she was only 15 when he was born. Many of the women keep an eye out for him. Most of all, though, when he was three, he found a piano abandoned in the forest, and ever since, the piano has been his toy, and more than his toy.

The other boy, Amamiya Shuhei, is new to the school. He is the latest in a long line of pianists. You could say that music is in his blood. He has a typical Asian upbringing - emphasis on obedience to his parents, a good education, and hard work. He wants to, and is expected to, become a great professional pianist. He and Kai quickly become friends and team up against the bullies. After all, Amamiya is new.

Although this is only the second manga I have ever read, I'm sure that I have found a gem. Reality is harsh, and nothing is softened. There is everything from hurtful words and jealousy to attempted rape. Throughout all this, we ask ourselves, what is the meaning of music? Is it a skill? A profession? An art? Do we play to please others? Or is it for our own enjoyment? What will you do in order to survive? And what does it really mean to play Mozart?