Characters
- Hidetoshi Sena (24)…An ambitious pianist with dreams of the big time. After graduating from music school, he teaches at a children's piano school for a small income. He lives in an apartment with a baby grand piano in the living room. Sena practises for piano competitions throughout the series. Despite his seemingly very adept technical ability and Sasaki's high opinion of Sena's playing, Sena constantly meets with failure. The reason for this becomes clearer as the story unfolds. Momoko calls him "Ayrton" because his surname resembles that of former motor-racing world champion Ayrton Senna. He suffers many harsh remarks from arrogant student Takako, but still helps her in her struggle with life.
- Minami Hayama (31)…An independent and uninhibited 30-year-old woman. Once in demand as a fashion model, she now works as a small-time model on increasingly infrequent jobs. She is unlucky in love; her fiance elopes with a younger girl on their wedding day. Through a series of circumstances, Minami comes to stay in Sena's house. Their deepening relationship is a main thread of the drama.
- Shinji Hayama…Minami's younger brother. A loafer and notorious womanizer, he is also a talented pianist who is later revealed to have had a promising piano career. He comes to Tokyo with his girlfriend Rumiko, relying on pachinko winnings to foot the bill. He later buys a bar and runs it with her.
- Ryoko Okusawa…A very talented pianist but shy with a sheltered upbringing. She is a student in the same music school that Sena graduated from, and considered a future star. Sena develops a crush on her but she seems indifferent towards him. Shinji briefly seduces her but later leaves her.
- Momoko Koishikawa…Minami's junior in the modelling company, and a close friend of Minami. Despite her ditzy manner, she sometimes makes insightful observations and offers useful advice.
- Rumiko Himuro…Shinji's girlfriend.
- Professor Sasaki…Sena's mentor and former professor. He often encourages Sena to enter piano competitions.
- Takako Saito…A child prodigy who is taught by Sena for a brief time. Initially, her attitude towards Sena is disrespectful.
- Tetsuya Sugisaki…A dashing professional photographer who later falls for Minami.
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Famous quotes containing the word characters:
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—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)
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“What makes literature interesting is that it does not survive its translation. The characters in a novel are made out of the sentences. That’s what their substance is.”
—Jonathan Miller (b. 1936)