'Forest of Piano': Release date, cast, plot, trailer and everything you need to know about season 2 of the musical anime
The second season of ‘Forest of Piano’ (known in Japan as ‘Piano no Mori: The Perfect World of Kai’) is coming to Netflix. The musical anime is the story of two boys from vastly different backgrounds - one the son of a prostitute and the other the son of a pianist, who are brought together by their shared love of music.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new season:
Release Date
Season Two of ‘Piano no Mori’ premiered in Japan in January 2019 on the national public broadcaster NHK and simulcast on the Japanese Netflix as weekly episodes. The new season will be releasing worldwide on Netflix on Monday, June 24.
Plot
The first season ended with Kai Ichinose performing at the International Chopin Piano Competition to loud applause. The second season picks up immediately after that performance with the judges announcing the results in the first episode. The rest of the season follows the progress of the tournament, culminating in the final round.
While the first season was mostly focused on Kai’s growth into an accomplished musician, the second season pits him against other talented artists, including his friend and chief rival Shūhei Amamiya, and challenges him to truly find his voice and bring real life to the music he plays.
Cast
Sōma Saitō
The voice of Kai Ichinose is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with 81 Produce and Sacra Music. His first major role was in ‘Future Card Buddyfight’ based on the collectible card game of the same name. Saito won an award for his performance as Twelve in the anime series ‘Terror in Resonance’.
Creator
‘Forest of Piano’ was first launched as a manga series created by Japanese artist Makoto Isshiki. She is an acclaimed manga artist and has won multiple awards including the Grand Prize for Manga for her work on ‘Forest of Piano’ at the 2008 Japan Media Arts Festival.
Trailer
The rivalry between Ichinose and Amamiya escalates in the new season, as revealed by the trailer which shows Amamiya’s frustration at not being able to beat his old friend. Meanwhile, the Chopin competition is also heating up, with talented musicians being eliminated after the first round. But Kai Ichinose is less worried about winning the tournament and more focused on finding the music that only he can play. He is encouraged to do this by his teacher who tells him to forget everything he learned and instead draw upon the music that he first discovered in the Forest of Piano.
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