Finished Manga
Sakamichi no Apollon

“Socially isolated honors student Kaoru befriends delinquent Sentarou and discovers jazz music, finding true friendship through their musical collaboration.”

Sakamichi no Apollon

8.5
157 rank · 33,921 readers · 1,040 favorites
Josei Love Polygon Music School Award Winning Drama Romance
45 chapters · 9 volumes · 2007 - 2012 · Manga
For you

Add Sakamichi no Apollon to your library

Add to library
Chapters · 45 0/45
CH 01 CH 45

Would You Love or Hate This?

AI-powered analysis tailored to your taste

Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...

However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...

Sign up to unlock
Personalized to you
Honest pros & cons
Based on your library
Get Your Personal Analysis

Synopsis

Socially isolated honors student Kaoru befriends delinquent Sentarou and discovers jazz music, finding true friendship through their musical collaboration.

Constantly transferring schools since childhood, Kaoru Nishimi has always been seen as a social outcast when he transfers due to his intellectual nature and wealthy background. But after moving to Kyushu for his first year of high school, things begin to change. Kaoru befriends the class president, Ritsuko Mukae, and, unexpectedly, the notorious school delinquent, Sentarou Kawabuchi. While Kaoru is an honors student, Sentarou is constantly getting into fights and skipping class. However, these two opposites find a common ground in one thing—music. One day, Kaoru is invited by Ritsuko to visit her family's record store, where he finds Sentarou in the basement showcasing his skill in jazz drumming. Kaoru, being a classical pianist, knows nothing about jazz. But inspired by the performance, he begins to open his mind to the genre alongside Sentarou. The duo begin to practice in after-school jazz sessions in the record store's basement. As he spends more time improving his skills in jazz, Kaoru finds a person whom he can truly call his friend and comes to learn the joys of playing music.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

What people say

Community consensus

Derived from 11 sampled reviews

8.6 /10

What 11 readers settled on.

100% recommend
Score distribution
median 9 mode 9 σ 1.23
1510
Agreement

Mostly aligned

σ 1.23 · some divergence

mixed
The polarity gap

Not enough recommend signal yet

Score over time

↓ 0.36

Running avg · Apr 2012 → Sep 2021

Read Order & Related

Explore the Sakamichi no Apollon universe

If you stay for this, you'll stay for these

See all →

The community pairs this with

See all →

Publication slate

A Manga Publication

  • Format 45 × 9 ch × vol
  • Total read 6h 00m approx
  • Published Sep 2007 – Jan 2012
  • Source Manga media type
  • Ref. BS-M16737 catalog

In the news

See all →