Those Snow White Notes

After the death of his grandfather, legendary shamisen player Matsugorou Sawamura, Setsu Sawamura leaves his quiet hometown behind. Matsugorou’s final words cut deep: if Setsu can only mimic others, he should put the shamisen down. Carrying his grief to Tokyo, Setsu searches for a sound that’s truly his own—only to find the city’s relentless clamor threatening to swallow the instrument’s voice altogether.

Before he can drift too far, his wealthy, accomplished mother Umeko reappears and pushes him into enrolling at Umezono Academy. There, Setsu crosses paths with Shuri Maeda, whose fascination with the Tsugaru shamisen leads her to form a shamisen appreciation club, hoping to play a song her grandmother once heard long ago. As Setsu begins teaching the club’s members, he’s drawn back toward the music he’s been trying to escape—and toward the question of whether he can reclaim his passion and uncover the distinctive style he’s been missing.