La Corda d'Oro #7

Five stylish young musicians are arranged front and center on this volume's cover, their varied personalities hinted at through casual, fashionable outfits — a warm ensemble portrait that captures the blend of competition and camaraderie at the heart of this Shojo Beat series. Yuki Kure's clean, expressive character designs give each figure a distinct presence, from a relaxed figure in a baseball cap to a more reserved young woman at the group's edge. Volume 7 of La Corda d'Oro looks to be right in the thick of the drama, and this confident, character-driven cover makes it easy to see why the series earned such a devoted readership.