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I started reading Kono oto Tomare! about 4 years ago and it was easily one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

At first glance, one would easily pass this over as "dull" or "predictable". However, that is not the case. Along with its amazing characterization, the plot is engaging, patient, and bountiful. Within the story, you will find many literary devices. Motifs, symbols, imagery, etc... are neatly placed to create a well-paced story that is meaningful. This can only be done if the mangaka treats their characters and story with great care and patience.

STORY: 10
The story starts off very ... cliché, with the main characters embodying examples of typical stereotypes and character tropes. These characters all want one thing: to play koto music. Thus, they manage to create a chaotic koto club. The first few chapters are funny, chaotic, and enticing. But it takes quite a turn in the later chapters and we start to see the love, pain, desperation, and hope embedded within the story. The explanation of koto and how it works isn't boring at all. It fits seamlessly within the story, allowing the audience to grow with the characters on their journey to Nationals. The story is also well-paced, but slow. However, it's certainly worth the wait.

CHARACTERS: 10
The characterization is what makes this story amazing. Each character embodies common character tropes in manga. These unique, but very different characters clash with one another, making it hard for them to get along and work together. As time progresses, they soon grow out of the character tropes and become more complex and relatable. All of the characters are given a proper backstory, and we can't help but root for them. The relationships that develop between the characters are authentic, genuine and honest. The bare bones we get from the beginning evolve into a strong foundation that sets such a strong tone for the story and characters. What do we get from these relationships? We see the importance of respect, trust, honesty, empathy, and dependability. We also see love. These characters love and respect each other (whether it be through friendship or romance). They treasure the finite time they have, which is expressed gracefully within the dialogue and art.

ART: 10
Amyuu sensei has a beautiful and clean style of art. The art evolves over the years and becomes even more gentle and careful. The characters are gorgeous and their expressions are drawn so detailed and delicate. Since we can't hear the koto music, we instead see the depiction of what it would sound like through visual imagery. Hidden within the visual imagery are metaphors, parallels, and motifs that are depicted with excellent visuals. It's incredibly hard to draw music, but Amyuu sensei does it flawlessly. To sum it up, her art style is clean, detailed, and delicate. Most importantly, we visually see everything expressed through koto music.

ENJOYMENT: 10
I personally enjoyed this manga. The characters are hilarious and have unique quirks that make them charming. The story is engaging and has its nuances that are distinguishable. I could go on and on, but I've already written so much! I've laughed, cried, and smiled numerous times. Long story short, Kono oto Tomare! brings in so many feelings.

OVERALL,
If you want to invest in an emotional story with compelling characters, this is your best bet. You learn so much about life and what it means to treasure the finite time we have. I truly respect and admire this body of work. Kono oto Tomare! will forever be included in my collection of literary masterpieces.

This is my first MAL review and honestly, I am sad. To say this manga is "appalling" is not enough. This manga is an absolute disgrace. Let's take a quick and shallow dive.

Plot: 2/10 --> The premise of the manga is actually very interesting. You have your stereotypical male MC: a loser who gets dumped by a really popular (and annoying) girl and finds comfort in using a rental girlfriend service. Chizuru, the rental girlfriend, keeps up the charade of her and Kazuya being in a relationship to appease Kazuya's doting grandmother. I really hoped that the plot would develop further than "OMG we have ... to keep this a secret or our grandmothers will hate us" but it never did. 200 chapters of torture really did me a number.

Character Development: 1/10 --> If I could give this 0 stars, I would. Kazuya does not grow AT ALL as a character. He is the same self-deprecating fool from the beginning. Chizuru is the only likeable main character. And for that reason, I feel so bad for her in the beginning. But after passing 100 chapters, I realized she'd go nowhere with this fool Kazuya. What a shame. Sumi is great (I guess). Ruka is very annoying and only used as a plot device to make Chizuru somewhat jealous and make Kazuya feel like crap. Mami is also used as a plot device to expose the fake relationship between Chizuru and Kazuya. NONE of these characters learn from their mistakes or do anything substantial to progress their character arcs.

Art: 3/10 --> Chizuru's fashion designs are great. That's it.

Overall: 1/10

In short, what makes this manga horrifically bad is the lack of character and plot development. Why did this mangaka purposefully draw out each chapter to make this nightmare last longer? This is very interesting indeed. And why did I read this manga? I'm not sure to be quite honest. I hate myself for reading 200 chapters but I don't regret it. I was able to read the most appalling thing ever in my entire life. What an impressive thing to triumph (I've read some truly awful things that were published). It had massive potential to be so much better. The first 50ish chapters are pretty decent. But the rest is just very bad. You have a very good premise and fail to deliver simply because you want to dish out more volumes. I wish everyone who still reads this manga the best and to take care of their mental health!