The Fall 2024 Manga Guide

Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!?

What's It About? 

Chihaya Katagiri has always been the first trumpet in her school's brass band — until Hibiki Aikawa transfers from a prestigious school and takes the spot. Despite initial suspicions, the two quickly become close; Katagiri admires Aikawa's talent and enthusiasm for playing the trumpet, and Aikawa is struck by Katagiri's grounded treatment of her abilities, as well as her love for music.

As their feelings for each other grow stronger, their lives become more complicated with the stress of classes, other relationships, and the last competition of their high school careers drawing near.

Boys Gilding the Lily Shall Die!? has a story and art by Yomogimochi, with English translation by Riley Keenan. This volume was retouched and lettered by Vibrraant Publishing Studio. Published published under Tokyopop's LoveLove imprint. (September 24, 2024).

Is It Worth Reading?

The weight of other people's expectations is crushing. That's where Hibiki is for most of this volume; the daughter of a musical family (as in, everyone's a professional musician), she's expected to stay that course, too. But music is losing its luster for her, although there's some question as to whether it ever had one, and transferring to a new school her senior year isn't helping. The focus of the volume is on Hibiki's crisis of musical confidence and how meeting another third year, Chihaya, helps to make her rethink her stance, with plenty of questions as to whether it's music she's interested in or the other girl.

On paper, this sounds great. Hibiki's dilemma is poignant, especially as we watch her make questionable choice after questionable choice. The biggest one is how she agrees to start dating a second-year boy, Mikoto, ostensibly so that she can decide if music really is the most important thing in her life. But the plot is just disjointed enough that it feels like Hibiki's forgotten that all-important aspect of her own story, gliding along between making out with her boyfriend and trying to lose her position as first trumpet and practicing like a madwoman with Chihaya to maintain her first trumpet role. It's not that that doesn't make sense; if anyone's conflicted, it's Hibiki. But the flow of time is awkward, and I was never entirely sure when anything was happening, making the narrative feel more like a whirlpool than a river.

That's a shame because the bonus comics are really fun. The creator explains that they began creating this work on Twitter in 2020 when they were going through a horrific time at work (and the panel where the workplace rules are listed is insane), so this was a good way to get some emotional catharsis. But after reading the goofy bonuses, I hope they shift to writing humor because the lighthearted silliness felt more natural and much easier to read. The serious parts aren't bad – I really like the basic plot. It's just that the lighter bits are better, even down to suiting the art style.

This series probably deserves a second volume to see where it goes. I am interested in Hibiki and Chihaya figuring themselves out, particularly Hibiki learning to make right choices for her. There's also a potential second yuri story with two teachers which has potential. I don't hate the boyfriend; he's deliberately put himself in a terrible position and I feel for him. But this book badly needs a little polish to make its story flow more naturally, and I'm inclined to suggest seeing if your local library has it rather than buying it yourself.

I don't consider the trumpet to be an especially alluring instrument. But the affection that romantic leads Chihaya and Hibiki feel for playing theirs is making me reconsider. Fans of Sound! Euphonium will want to check out this yuri manga about brass instrument players that actually delivers on the ship it signposts. That said, our girls are in the midst of taking their sweet time to get there. Though the manga is peppered with provocative illustrations throughout, Hibiki is still together with her useless boyfriend by the end of volume one. He's the boy who stands in the way of the central yuri romance to be sure, but I've read the entire volume and I still can't make sense of its dramatic title.

In the author's note, Yomogimochi observes that the manga found popularity thanks to the “suggestive” cover images, which feature Chihaya and Hibiki wrapped in alluring embraces. It's true that the actual content of the manga doesn't reflect that type of closeness at all. In fact, Chihaya and Hibiki aren't even friends at the beginning of the story. Chihaya is an uptight class president type as well as the brass band's hardworking first trumpet. Hibiki is a transfer student with a musical pedigree who snatches the position of first trumpet out from under Chihaya seemingly with no effort, then treats it like it's nothing, making out with her boyfriend in the classroom until minutes before practice. Still, nothing is as it seems: Hibiki secretly envies Chihaya's resolute devotion to music while Hibiki plays in order to fit into her musical family. After their initial misunderstandings, the two become fast friends and Hibiki's boyfriend sure gets tired of hearing about Chihaya all the time. But as Hibiki develops a crush on Chihaya, Hibiki worries that Chihaya only likes her because of her talent with the trumpet.

I'd like to give this a higher rating because I love the way it's offering everything that Sound! Euphonium denied us. But I'm as confused by the order of events as I am by the title. “Gilding the lily” means to add unnecessary embellishments to something that's already beautiful, but Hibiki's boyfriend doesn't enhance her, and I'm not sure why she's even with a guy she keeps vowing to dump. I'm not sure where the threatening “shall die” comes in either, unless it's on the part of the implied audience. I am not sure why Chihaya and Hibiki aren't together yet. I'd be much more satisfied if the manga depicted the kind of relationship its cover images imply.