The best parts of this series are the sequences when the protagonist plays piano and we jump from character to character -- on stage and in the audience -- as they think about what the music is expressing or revealing about him and, in this case, the girl with whom he is playing a duet. It's heavy-handed and manipulative as the author basically tells us how to feel, and I'm sure it won't work for everyone, but it hits me directly in the right spot.

Also, the love rectangle is firmly entrenched and ready to drive the drama of the final volumes. ( )