僕のジョバンニ

BOKU NO GIOVANNI

MANGA

STATUS
RELEASING
VOLUMES
Not Available
RELEASE
Invalid Date
CHAPTERS
Not Available

DESCRIPTION

A young Tetsuou watched a performance by Giovanni Bazonni and was inspired to become a master cellist. But he knows that living as he is in an out-of-the-way Japanese island means his musical aspirations are unlikely to be realised.

One day, a boy named Ikumi comes to stay at Tetsuou's place. Ikumi is the sole survivor of an accident at sea, wherein he saved himself by swimming out to Tetsuou's island.

But he makes a surprising claim: he says he found his way to safety by following the sound of beautiful cello music, and is convinced that the player was Tetsuou.

CAST

Tetsuo Tezuka
Ikumi Tachibana

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

ZokuNeel

95/100

(not spoiler free) Manga that utilizes the "talented vs average people" theme to new heights



 Ikumi Tachibana is the only survivor of a ship accident at sea which was rescued by the people in anearby island. Tetsuo Tezuka, on the other hand, is an aspiring cellist who resides on a Japanese island. Ikumi later on was adopted into Tetsuo's family's home. Now here comes the real deal—the flesh of the story. 
</center>
<center><img width='350' src='https://64.media.tumblr.com/edde3a5d65290c082d2f91ab2892a214/166ca08e0c1f2d1c-96/s540x810/1cd1eece1b2a46bb12409f7309ce993d809fa113.jpg'>
</center>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<center>

Living under the same roof, Tetsuo and Ikumi became close especially when Ikumi expressed his interest in cello when Tetsuo plays. Of course, Tetsuo is excited to have someone to play cello with, considering that they are in an isolated island with ew population. As the time passes, Tetsuo noticed Ikumi surpassing his skills in playing cello. How can someone who is just learning an instrument surpass someone who has been playing for a long time? A prodigy and "simply an average player". This is where the manga's recurring theme of "talented vs. average people" begins to manifest itself.

<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/jHeCsGK.png'>
<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/adTc9Ii.png'>
<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/HOD8lMQ.png'>

Tetsuo developed insecurities after being told by a renowned cellist player that his playing "sounds like a CD" (a.k.a. bland) because a prodigy named Izumi is playing the exact piece he cannot perform and who has only JUST begun training cello. Tetsuo is really...nothing in the broad scheme of things. A simply average and unremarkable child who is only passionate about cello and never stood out. Their relationship became strained as this continued, and he felt estranged from the prodigy. This manga does a fantastic job of addressing vulnerabilities; each panel makes you experience all the feelings and frustrations that have been bottled up.

<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/sowqghh.png'>
<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/YR4JepK.png'>

Tetsuo Tezuka, the protagonist of this manga, is one of the fictional characters that most stood out to me because of how delicately, realistically, and human he is written. He is the epitome of how people act when there is someone better than them, someone, more talented than them, and someone they may and will never surpass. However, despite all of that, despite all of the insecurities he has been experiencing, he just could not give up on the very thing he loves—playing the cello.  Most people would just give up and accept an "it is what it is" mentality, but Tetsuo persevered in pursuing his dream of being a cellist despite being an average person who felt insecure around talented people and possessing the ability to win people over with his playing. No matter how insignificant he may feel he is in the scheme of things, being "average" is no excuse to stop pursuing the things he actually loves.

 I've always thought it would be fantastic to witness a story about a certain kind of character who is not a prodigy, who is not talented, and who is actually quite average, and Tetsuo Tezuka fits with it flawlessly. It is a famous trope to have a prodigy as the protagonist—not that it's bad, but I myself wanted to see something fresh. To see the tropes being flipped around. In this manga, instead of being a prodigy, we are given a main character who is just..... someone average and mediocre, and it is refreshing and exciting to witness how can an average man become so successful.

<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/KXrv47H.png'>
<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/TPBMoUd.png'>

.
.
.
.

</center>__ <center>CAN YOU BE THE THUNDER OF ZEUS?
</center>__<center>

.
.

Timeskip happens. Tetsuo trained under the very person who told him his playing sounded like a CD.  Izumi now is a well-known and renowned cello prodigy. Can Tetsuo Tezuma, despite being average, catch up with the person he grew up with when the two previously close childhood friends are now living in two separate worlds?

<img width='350' src='https://i.imgur.com/zJPyGDO.png'>

_Acceptance_

Tetsuo Tezuka has come to terms with the fact that Izumi is a prodigy and he is a mediocre man. Two men that are in different skill leagues from one another. A talented prodigy who achieved success quickly, and a mediocre man who was only beginning to rise to fame. Because of the dynamic between these two, it is much more intriguing to see how the plot develops. To understand the two sides of the coin regarding how to become a successful cello player.

<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/41KusWO.png'>

We got to witness Tetsuo build his own band and interact with new people.  A trio of losers. It’s interesting to see how a trio of said “losers” are forming their own band to enter the music industry. We’ve got another “Tetsuo” loser who in a  family of musicians, is the weakest among them, and another one who does not want to enter competitions.  It will be interesting to see how these three will affect the music industry with Tetsuo leading this band. However, because this manga is currently on hiatus and we won't ever get to witness how these three can perform as a band more, I truly wish that the manga would dwell more on this.

<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/btCDk15.png'>
<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/ST5eZ6I.png'>

Now to the other side of the coin, Izumi. While he is believed to be the most perfect among the most perfect as he is an actual prodigy, We’ve got to see another side of him. His mental instability of becoming a prodigy has been delicately explored. Tetsuo’s brother was employed as Izumi’s mental trainer. We’ve got to see how much the straining of Izumi and Tetsuo’s relationship impacted Izumi. It feels like this is also that needs to be explored more, but to what it is right now, we are being told that Izumi is not the perfect person people thought he is.

<img width='280' src='https://i.imgur.com/jfEKPMS.png'>
<img width='280' src='https://i.imgur.com/j7DmeCA.png'>

_Reconciliation_

>“It has a feeling of giving up but with your head held high”

Music—an undying art used to express emotions. You can express how you're feeling right now and let out any suppressed feelings through music. Izumi and Tetsuo entered similar competitions. They barely talked to one another because of their strained relationship. Among the recent chapters, this competition segment was really great because it helps both of the characters to communicate and reconcile through music. 

<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/dgaojuD.png'>
<img width='300' src='https://i.imgur.com/3TPZqe4.png'>

If there is one thing about this manga that I don't like, it's that it is currently on hiatus and that it stopped at chapter 33. So basically, all of the plot points are not ended well because it stopped in the middle of the competition mini arc. This is kind of a shame because from what the manga currently has, everything was handled beautifully, especially the theme. I wish the mangaka would be back for more chapters.

 </center>

Continue on AniList