I went into this volume completely blind, having seen the art on the cover and found interest - I have to say I was quite surprised by the turn it took. I was expecting it to go in a very different direction than it did, and I am somewhat grateful - though it contains tragedy, the story reads almost like a rom-com in its tone at parts, with playful and cheerful characters contrasted to the experience of grief and the different forms that can take. Howe, Blake (April 2010). "Paul Wittgenstein and the Performance of Disability". Journal of Musicology. 27 (2): 135–180. doi: 10.1525/jm.2010.27.2.135. JSTOR 10.1525/jm.2010.27.2.135. Ivry, Benjamin (28 February 2009). "Sound of One Hand Playing". Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 20 April 2017.

The protagonist Shu was a delinquent by circumstance, not by choice, and when he shed his rough bad boy attitude he was rather endearing. His guilt made him pitiable and his dogged determination to honour Akari’s wish was honourable. Really, he was a good guy and a protagonist to root for. His character design was a little questionable. He looked much too big to be a middle schooler and his ridiculous trousers looked like Ali Baba pants three sizes too big for him so that any panel that featured his full frame had him looking like a mushroom cloud. If anything, it was amusing to see. Shi is a delinquent, but when he meets one of the top middle school piano players, Akari, he starts to find friendship in an unexpected place. After a tragic accident, Akari's spirit lives through Shu's left hand, controlling his every action and playing the piano with finesse. As Akari's wish is to make people smile with music, so then becomes Shu's goal.By the time Shu and Akari plan to save Akari’s rival via music, Akari’s dad is on board and notices Shu’s unusual ear for music, and we start seeing various classical pieces being used like shonen fight moves, this thing has firmly announced that it is here to go as big as it can. I don’t really want to have to take this off my reading list, but I honestly can’t justify spending the money on something that’s coming off so aggressively mediocre at best and irritatingly turgid at worst. It’s a situation I have rarely found myself in - rooting for the leads, but not wanting to see any more of their story. Ravel: Piano Concerto in D major for the Left Hand". San Francisco Symphony. October 2015. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017 . Retrieved 20 April 2017.

This leads to a rather decent recital in the auditorium and, whatever else one can say about this series, it is trying hard. It continues to blend in actual music as part of its story and I do appreciate that. Taking time to remember that the grieving process is still ongoing for a lot of these people is also a very welcome touch.

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In preparing for composition, Ravel studied several pieces written for one-handed piano, including Camille Saint-Saëns's Six Études pour la main gauche (Six Études for the Left Hand) (Op. 135), Leopold Godowsky's transcription for the left hand of Frédéric Chopin's Etudes (Opp. 10 and 25), Carl Czerny's Ecole de la main gauche (School of the Left Hand) (Op. 399), 24 études pour la main gauche (Op. 718), Charles-Valentin Alkan's Fantaisie in A ♭ major (Op. 76 No. 1), and Alexander Scriabin's Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand (Op. 9). [2] Zank, Stephen (24 May 2013). Maurice Ravel: A Guide to Research. Routledge. note B206. ISBN 978-1135173517 . Retrieved 25 February 2014. In May 1930 Ravel had had a major disagreement with Arturo Toscanini over the correct tempo for Boléro (he conducted it too fast for Ravel's liking, who said he should play it at the slower speed he had in mind, or not at all). [8] [9] In September, Ravel patched up the relationship and invited Toscanini to conduct the world premiere of the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, but the conductor declined. [10] a b c Masson, Marie-Noëlle (1998). "Ravel: Le Concerto Pour La Main Gauche Ou Les Enjeux D'un Néo-Classicisme". Musurgia. 5 (3/4): 37–52. JSTOR 40591796.