HARD BEAT

Nana

Nana Komatsu is a cheerful but naive twenty-year-old who has spent years chasing one failed romance after another. Hoping to start fresh, she boards a train to Tokyo to be with her current boyfriend and build a more stable life. On that same train is Nana Osaki, a determined punk vocalist from a small city. After ending a relationship with her band's bassist to pursue music, she heads to Tokyo with one goal: to make it as a professional singer. The two women, who share a name but little else, meet by chance during the journey. When they later cross paths again while apartment hunting, they decide to become roommates. From that shared home, their unlikely friendship grows as they navigate l

Given

Ritsuka Uenoyama is bored with everything: school, his basketball club, and even the guitar, which used to be his true passion. One day, he finds his favorite hidden napping spot occupied by Mafuyu Sato, a strange boy holding a guitar with broken strings. Initially put off by Mafuyu's odd behavior, Uenoyama asks him to sing on a whim and is struck by the raw power of his voice. Uenoyama plays guitar in a band with kindhearted bassist Haruki Nakayama and rough-looking drummer Akihiko Kaji. They have done well as an instrumental group, but Uenoyama sees a chance to reach new heights when he hears Mafuyu sing. He invites the reluctant Mafuyu to join the band as vocalist. As they work together

BECK

Yukio Tanaka is a fourteen-year-old boy with no hobbies, an unremarkable taste in music, and a quiet, neurotic personality that keeps him from chasing the exciting life he dreams of. His days pass in monotony until a chance encounter with Ryusuke Minami, an unpredictable sixteen-year-old who has just returned from America, turns everything upside down. Ryusuke plays guitar in a rock band named Beck, after his patchwork dog, and introduces Yukio to the raw energy of western rock music. Inspired for the first time, Yukio picks up a guitar and discovers a passion that gives his life new meaning. As he joins Ryusuke in pursuit of the ultimate band, Yukio must balance school, work, and friendsh

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan

Juri is the daughter of a once-famous pianist whose career ended after giving birth to her. Traumatized by events in her teenage years, she has attempted suicide three times and harbors a deep resentment toward her mother. Her aunt Monica, a member of the clergy, invites her to visit a prison and meet a death row inmate. Yuu is a convict sentenced to death for murdering three people. He has tried to end his own life multiple times inside his cell. When he finally agrees to meet Monica, intending to ask her to stop writing letters, he encounters Juri instead. Their meeting forces them to confront the deep scars they both carry. Slowly, the violent rebellion in their hearts gives way to a sh

Whisper Me a Love Song

Himari Kino is a bubbly first-year high school student who falls head over heels for Yori Asanagi after hearing her band perform at the school entrance ceremony. She confesses her feelings right away, and to her surprise, Yori says she loves her back. But the two quickly realize they are not feeling the same kind of love. While Yori's feelings grow romantic, Himari discovers that what she admired was Yori's music, not the girl herself. As they grow closer, Himari begins to question what love really means.

Stop at This Sound!

Takezou Kurata is the sole remaining member of his high school's koto club after the seniors graduate. As the new president, he must recruit enough students to keep the club from being disbanded, but few show interest in the traditional Japanese instrument. His quiet efforts are interrupted when Chika Kudou, a student with a reputation as a delinquent, barges in and demands to join. Though wary of the rumors surrounding him, Takezou begins to see a different side of Chika, especially after discovering his unexpected connection to the koto. With the arrival of koto prodigy Satowa Houzuki and Chika's lively friends, the club finally has enough members to survive. Satowa immediately sets an a