Gauche the Cellist

The story centers on a young man named Giuseppe, who is called "Toristukare Otoko" by the townspeople because once he gets absorbed in something, he cannot look at anything else. One day, he falls in love at first sight with a girl selling balloons named Pechka. He goes crazy and tries to get closer to Pechka, but she has a sadness in her heart and... For the sake of his beloved Pechka, Giuseppe and his partner, the mouse Cielo, secretly solve her worries by using the many tricks he has been obsessed with.

When you’re a bored teenager looking for thrills, sometimes the only thing you can turn to is rock ‘n roll. Having no skill, money, or even a full set of drums, a feared trio of high school delinquents nevertheless decide they are destined for musical glory in a quest to impress their only friend Aya, avoid a rival gang, and – most importantly – jam out. Animated almost entirely by director Kenji Iwaisawa, and featuring a lead performance by Japanese alt-rock legend Shintaro Sakamoto, ON-GAKU: OUR SOUND brings its own sound and vision to the Hiroyuki Oohashi manga from which it was adapted. With pitch-perfect deadpan humor, the film presents a highly original take on the beloved slacker comedy: a lo-fi buddy film with a blaring musical finale that will leave you wanting an immediate encore.

Amamiya Shuuhei moves from Tokyo to the country side due to his grandmother's bad health. His father is a famous pianist and Shuuhei has taken strict piano lessons since he was very young, aspiring to follow in his footsteps. In school, he is teased by his classmates and is dared to play the piano in the forest. This piano is said to be cursed: if you play it, no sound will come. After school, Ichinose Kai, a boy in the same class, takes Shuuhei to the forest. When Shuuhei tries to play he fails, but Kai plays a wonderful song. This is the beginning of a strong friendship, and a story of two very different boys developing their skills as musicians.

Animated musical by Makoto Wada.