- Mangaka : Kanato Oka
- Publisher : Yen Press
- Genre : Music, Slice of Life
- Published : February 2021
There isn’t any lack of music manga out there, which we think is quite amusing. We mean, manga doesn’t come with a player that allows us to listen to what they are playing. Nevertheless, we get titles like Blue Giant, Kono Oto Tomare!, and Sakamichi no Apollon. The similarities amongst these titles is that they all focus on the protagonist playing their hearts out. They are the ones performing and catching the hearts of the readers. When they play, we get weirdly enthralled by their music. However, what if we take the view of a music fan for once?
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
Days on Fes follows the story of Kanade Sora as she discovers the colorful life of rock and roll. She gets her first taste of rock and roll life when she gets lured by her friend, Otoha, in accompanying her in a music festival. Even though she isn’t a big fan of music, Kanade had a blast listening to all the performances during that day. She basically falls in love with the lifestyle at first try. What’s more, is that Otoha and his brother invite her to go to a big overnight event!
1. Chill and Pure Enjoyment
First and foremost, Days on Fes is basically what the title is. It’s the tale of Kanade’s days during Fes. It tells the story of how a high school girl gets to know a newly found passion and enjoys the most out of it. The good thing is that we get to experience the fun and joy of her experiences too. From the hassle of getting tickets, problematizing about the budget, choosing food, and even picking the correct outfit. The series covers pretty much everything.
2. Experiencing the Life of a Fan
As we’ve stated earlier, most music manga focuses on the performer's point of view. For once, we get to see how the fans take in and consume music. That means there’s no need for endless practice, family drama, competition, and whatnot. Instead, we see hustle and bustle, financial problems, and overthinking outfits. We’re not pitting the two against each other. We’re just saying it’s nice to have a change of pace every once in a while. It’s refreshing too.
1. Not Much of a Story
If you’ve missed it, then we’d like to remind you. Days on Fes is a slice-of-life genre. There really isn’t much of a plot other than Kanade learning the ropes of enjoying music festivals and Otoha’s brother dragging his employee to festivals with him. If you’re looking for big problems, huge character development, and even intense action scenes, then Days on Fes isn’t the title you’re looking for. But if you want a light, giddy read, then join us as we giggle with Kanade and the gang.
Final Thoughts
Days on Fes is refreshingly nice. Even though there isn’t much of a story given the slice of life tag, it’s still really refreshing seeing Kanade enjoy herself. The series is really fun in its own right, but we do understand if some people aren’t really much into it. But for us, we recommend at least giving it a try before deciding to trash the series.
Author: Christian Markle