Kids on the Slope

Kaoru Nishimi, a quiet honors student trained in classical piano, arrives in Kyushu to start his first year of high school. Used to moving from place to place, he expects to spend yet another year on the sidelines—until he crosses paths with Sentarou Kawabuchi, a feared delinquent with an overwhelming passion for jazz.

Drawn in by Sentarou’s devotion to the music, Kaoru begins exploring a world far from concert halls and practice rooms. He joins after-school jam sessions in the basement of classmate Ritsuko Mukae’s family record shop, where playing for the sheer joy of it helps him open up and form his first real friendships. Set against a historical backdrop, *Kids on the Slope* follows the ties that grow between three students as jazz, romance, and shifting emotions shape an unforgettable summer.