Summary
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- Aoi predicts that Reiji cannot perform with an orchestra. Reiji saves Aoi from drowning when other students from Hokuto throw Aoi's medicine into a pond. When Reiji practises Sibelius' Concerto with the Hakuto Philarmonic Orchestra, he mercilessly orders the other members of the orchestra around. At Nachi's party, the Hokuto faculty criticises Hane for Reiji's behavior and Aoi as a "crowd-drawing panda". Aoi, Reiji, Hane and Nachi go to New York together for the Hakuto Philarmonic Orchestra's performance there. Reiji gets kidnapped by Bartholomew Asakura, conductor of the New York Philarmonic. Bartholomew takes Reiji to perform in front of professional critics. Reiji's performance with the New York Philarmonic was commended. A flashback reveals that Bartholomew had a relationship with Hane when she was in her prime. When Reiji comes back to the concert hall, Hane advises him never to meet Bartholomew again alone. When Reiji questions her, she threatens to quit being his instructor. Then, Reiji realises he is in love with Hane.
- Reiji refuses to perform for Hakuto's biggest sponsor when the sponsor criticises Aoi and Nachi. Reiji performs Brahms's Rain Song in the third round of the contest, coming fourth. Reiji chooses Berg's Concerto for the final round of the concert. Due to a lack of concentration, Reiji visits Aoi, who has taken up gardening. Reiji goes to Hakuto's biggest sponsor and at Bartholomew's challenge, performs Mozart's Concerto. In order to write a report on the image of death in Christianity, Reiji visits a church, where he sees Bartholomew, who reveals his plans to orchestrate an operational take-over of the New York Philharmonic, inviting Reiji to join him. After listening to Bartholomew conduct in a church, Reiji's step-mother attempts to kill him in order to see Miruka. Bartholomew stops the attack but it is revealed that Bartholomew and Reiji are father and son. In a daze, Reiji's violin gets run over by a car. Ha later burns it as a "two hundred thousand dollar pile of kindling". Bartholomew refuses to acknowledge Reiji as his son. Meanwhile, Reiji attempts suicide but is stopped by Hane, who soon faints and falls into a river after wards. Bartholomew saves both of them and takes them both to the cabin.
- Reiji gets reprimanded for his physical assault on Nachi's step-brother. Nachi confesses her love for Reiji. She throws a bucket of water at Aoi when he questions her clamming up whenever something serious happens. Nachi clears the incident with her family but fails to return to her dormitory. Reiji finds her under a tree. He kisses her to change her mind about quitting the violin. Nachi disappears but returns for the Japan National Contest. She withdraws in the second round but is allowed to continue due to her win in the previous contest. Reiji continues to cover Aoi's health problems. When Hane reveals that Aoi's doctor recommended Aoi to retire, Aoi lashes out at Reiji. Reiji performs Beethoven's Kreutzer in the second round of the contest while Aoi gets himself disqualified from it by trashing a hotel room. As a final chance, Hane and Primevera challenge Aoi to beat Reiji in playing all three movements of the Kreutzer if he is to continue performing. Aoi's bow flies out of his hand in the third movement. Then, he promises to never play the violin again.
- Reiji Saioin, a violinist at Hakuto Junior High School, practices a Tchaikovsky piece assigned by Shinohara. At the qualifier for the Japan National Music Contest, Reiji finds out that the assigned piece was Rachmaninoff's Hungarian Dances . Reiji manages to perform the piece by sight reading and is selected to perform in the Japan National Music Contest for a third time. After the performance, Reiji visits his little sister, Miruka, and discovers that her alcoholic father has been abusing her. Meanwhile, Hakuto's conductor, Marco Primavera, fires Shinohara for attempting to sabotage Reiji to prevent him from entering the contest. He also calls his ex-student, Mitsuko Hane, as a substitute teacher for Reiji. Shinohara unleashes his rage at Reiji, slashing at Reiji with a bow. Reiji manages to knock down Shinohara. After Reiji recovers at a hospital, Primavera formally introduces Hane to Reiji as his new personal instructor. Hane teaches Reiji how to play Massenet's Meditation from Thaïs. However, Reiji plays the piece without feeling. From Hane's files, he discovers that she has won the Japan National Music Contest twice by performing Paganini's Concerto for Violin No. 1 before burning her arm in an accident. He requests help from fellow violinist, Nachi Meiya. Meanwhile, Miruka visits Hane to tell her about her abusive father. Hane gives her a phone to call if she needs help. When Miruka desperately calls Reiji for help using Hane's phone, he and Hane rushes to his house. However, the Miruka is unconscious and the house is on fire from a stray cigarette. Reiji rushes into the burning house to rescue his sister. Miruka's father is imprisoned for child abuse and arson. Hane organises Miruka to be adopted by one of her friend's family.
- Reiji asks Marco Primevera, Hakuto's conductor, about Hane's past. Before Hakuto's concert, Reiji instructs Aoi to perform so that her can search for Hane. At Bartholomew's place, he finds out that Bartholomew forced Hane to have sex with him in order to take Reiji on his European tour. Aoi performs a solo of Sibelius' Concerto before collapsing on stage. Reiji performs the same piece, receiving a standing ovation. After the concert, he meets his younger step-sister, Miruka. Reiji refuses Bartholomew's request in front of Hakuto's chairman. Nachi perform's Paganini's Concerto with Reiji as accompaniment. After the performance, Nachi forces Reiji to go to her family's party. There, Reiji stops Nachi's step-brother from sexually abusing her by punching him. Reiji takes Nachi to a cabin in the woods. However, before they get there, both of them get drenched by rain and falling into a lake.
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| - The chapters of VS are written and illustrated by Keiko Yamada. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's shōjo magazine (aimed at teenage girls) Princess Comics. The individual chapters were released in 7 tankōbon volumes between June 1999 and December 24, 2001. The series is licensed in North America by CMX, which released the manga's 7 tankōbon volumes between April 1, 2006 and October 10, 2007. Reiji Saioin, the top violinist in Hakuto Junior High School, is to be kicked out of the school if he does not win the next Japan National Music Contest due to his history of trouble. His private teacher and alum of Hakuto, Mitsuko Hane, is willing to help Reiji overcome his flaws to win the music contest. She wants Reiji to play the violin because she cannot due to her left arm being rendered useless after being burnt. Reiji has his own wishes to keep his sister, Miruka, who is abused by their father, happy. Along the way to win the music contest, Reiji becomes friends with Nachi Meiya, the best female violinist in Hakuto, and Aoi Kenzaki, a pianist-turned-violinist. He also has to deal with Bartholomew Asakura, the man who ruined Hane's arm, as well as his growing feelings for his teacher. __TOC__
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