from wiki:

Piano Forest (ピアノの森, Piano no Mori^?) is a manga by Makoto Isshiki. It was adapted into a 2007 Japanese animated feature film by director Masayuki Kojima and production company Madhouse. The film featured performances by the renowned pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Kai and Amamiya became instant friends the moment they knew they are both interested in playing piano. The former was born with natural talent and the latter was born into a family of pianist.

Destiny led the young Kai to a piano which was already left behind in the forest. Since then that piano became his toy and was the only person who can play it. When other people tried to play it, it does not emit any sound as if the piano knows who its true owner is.

Amamiya is a son of a famous pianist and so he was expected to be able to follow his father’s footstep. Too much expectation and pressure from the people around him made him slowly hate his piano. He moved to his grandmother’s place with his mother to take care of his sick grandmother. There in his new school he met Kai.

Ajino is a former world renown pianist who due to an accident badly damaged his left hand. He quit and disappeared from the limelight. He gave away his piano and in the end that same piano was left behind in the forest. He tried to know the whereabouts of his piano, and when he found it again in the forest he could no longer played it, broken like him. After 20years, it was known that the scary music teacher in Kai and Amamiya’s school was the same pianist.

Amamiya’s parents asked Ajino to be his tutor which he refused. Amamiya then told him about the piano in the forest and how Kai was the only person who can play it. Ajino then convinced Kai to be his pupil and take lessons from him.

With Kai’s passion and love for his music and piano, Amamiya realized that unless he learn to love his piano he will never be able to surpass Kai. To Amamiya, Kai was his ultimate goal. To Kai, Amamiya is going to be the number one pianist in Japan. Amamiya taught him the hardship of learning to play the piano.

The movie ended after the competition, and Ajino decided to come out again into the open as Kai’s guardian and he said that he would show Kai’s talent to the world. Amamiya moved back to Tokyo and Kai made Amamiya promised that the next time they will meet, Amamiya should be the top pianist in Japan.

from AnimeNewNetwork:

Miyori’s Forest (ミヨリの森 Miyori no Mori )

After being deserted by her parents, 11-year old Miyori shuts her heart from the rest of the world and denies any form of human relationships. She was entrusted in the care of her grandmother who lives near a forest. Miyori will take a walk in the forest where she felt a strong sense of loneliness in the forest which seems to have nothing. However, she soon encounters unbelievable things and gradually realizes that the forest is more than what it seems…

Miyori blamed his parents for her bad attitude. She forgot the incident that happened when he was still a baby. The forest’s spirit was confused and saddened that the same child who was chosen to be the forest guardian was a brat and does not care a wee bit about them. Miyori soon found out that living in the countryside is not so bad after all. Together with her classmates,friends and forest spirit they must fight off a group of people who is trying to build a dam in the forest. Join Miyori as she meet all kinds of creature inside the forest.

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