The BEST episodes directed by Shin Katagai
#1 - The Beloved Ave Maria
La Corda d'Oro ~Primo Passo~ - Season 1 - Episode 25
It's the day of the last selection and everyone is surprised to know that Yunoki has come back from England. He only went there to cancel the transfer. Hino is in the dressing room to change outfits but is interrupted by Amou and Mori with some bad news. Mori's arm is sprained. She got in a bicycle accident. Making it even worse is that Hino is supposed to be the first to perform. Having no accompanist, Shoji, her former accompanist, replaces Mori. Everyone also agrees to change the order of performance for Hino to practice with Shoji. First to perform is Yunoki. She thanks him because he is the reason that she forgave herself for deceiving everyone because he himself deceives everyone. Second, to perform is Hihara. She says that he is the first person who told her to enjoy music and he has always helped her. She will do her best performance in gratitude of his encouragement. Next is Fuyuumi. She is not as nervous as she was before when the concourse started. Next, to perform is Shimizu. He changed his cello to a baroque style to fit with his song. She thanks him because he taught her many things about music and she learned a lot from him as well. Next is Tsukimori. Hino is called to come back from practice because it's almost time for her to perform. She thanks him because he is the first person who showed her the beauty of the sound of the violin. Second to the last, Tsuchiura. He has always been worried of Hino. She says that she wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't of his encouragements. Lastly, she performs Ave Maria in her school uniform. She thanks the violin for it brought her to many wonderful encounters and memories. She thanks Lili because he was the one who introduced her to music. At the end of the selection, Tsuchiura, Tsukimori, Yunoki, Hihara and Shimizu plays Elgar’s Salut d'Amour for Hino.
#2 - An Uneasy Polka
La Corda d'Oro ~Primo Passo~ - Season 1 - Episode 6
After the first selection, Tsuchiura was added to the participants for the concourse. All the seven participants including Kanazawa went Fuyumi's family villa for four days and three nights. Hino apologizes to Tsuchiura about him being in the concours and he rubs her head and says that its alright and she begins to blush. After a night of sharing a room with each other, i.e Tsukimori and Tsuchiura, they immediately demanded Kanazawa to change their rooms. So,Len is with Azuma and Ryotaro gets a room with Kazuki and Shimizu. Hihara is shown for the first time as being serious in his huge crush on Kahoko, which comes out when he falls on her by accident. He also is shown as someone who thinks of girls as very different from guys....'smell like sunshine and butterflies" to be exact and Tsuchiura gets irritated when that happened.
#3 - The Guilty Pianissimo
La Corda d'Oro ~Primo Passo~ - Season 1 - Episode 12
Yunoki continues to insult Hino, telling her to quit the concourse. The next day, Hino tries to tell her two friends about Yunoki's sudden negative personality but they interrupt her with their love for Yunoki before Hino could tell them. She encounters Amo at the stair way. As she tries to tell her about Yunoki, she hears Yunoki's voice behind her. Surprised, she slips on the stairs and falls down. During the fall, she had acquired a bruise on her knee. Yunoki takes her hand and drags her to the nurse's office. Putting up a smiling facade, Yunoki inquires Hino if she thought about what he said, about quitting the concourse. Hino hesitantly says that she'll stay in the concourse despite anything. Yunoki's facade falls off as he approaches Hino. He pushes Hino onto the bed and threatens her. Hino realizes that she has no choice but to keep Yunoki's personality to herself because she realizes that no one will believe her compared to the perfect, kind student, Yunoki. She feels more dejected and guilty that she's deceiving everyone. Hino decides to skip practice and leave school when she meets up with Hihara. Hihara invites Hino and Yunoki to his orchestra. After hearing a first year try her hardest on a piece of music, she becomes filled with guilt and runs out, resulting in her meeting Shinobu Osaki. He manages to comfort Hino.
#4 - The Heartbreaking Partita
La Corda d'Oro ~Primo Passo~ - Season 1 - Episode 18
Yunoki is the one last to perform. In some way, it seems that he is also affected by what's happening because it is said that his performance was more serious than before. Nevertheless, he says that such things will not affect him. At home, his grandmother tells him that he will continue his high school education abroad. At the waiting room, Lili tries to fix the magic violin but couldn't. After the 3rd selection, Hino goes home. The next day, she lives her life before the concourse. She doesn't play anymore saying that she doesn't have the right to play and love the violin. Tsuchiura confronts her but it's no good because she says that she is going to withdraw from the concourse. Going home, he passes across the soccer club. The team captain says to him that he has to choose. If he decides to continue soccer, he must withdraw from the concourse. If not, he can't return to the soccer club anymore.
#5 - An Unlikely Prelude
La Corda d'Oro ~Primo Passo~ - Season 1 - Episode 1
Episode one introduces the main characters, Lili and Kahoko Hino, and the Seiso Academy setting. Lili is a fairy involved with the school's music contest, the Intramural concours; Hino is a student who is chosen to enter the competition by Lili, despite not being a music student, because she is able to see Lili. Lili presents Hino with a magic violin, which can be played by any true lover of music. Another character introduced is Shoko Fuyumi, a first year student who is bullied by other music students because she was entered into the concours. When Hino defends Fuyumi, the music students challenge Hino to play, and she agrees to play before the concours in one week's time. Also introduced is Ryotaro Tsuchiura, when he accidentally bumped her and she nearly fell off the stairs, but catching her just in time.