TV-Series
Description
Aoi Saitou is a student at Kitauji High School who is two years above Kumiko Oumae. She is a third-year student and a former member of the school's concert band, where she played the tenor saxophone. She has a slim build and stands at 155 centimeters tall. Her appearance is marked by black hair, which fades to dark green at the tips, and is typically styled into two braids. She has light green eyes and often wears her bangs back with light blue barrettes.
Known for being friendly and disciplined, Aoi presents herself as a calm, mature, and reliable individual. She is rarely seen upset and often takes things in stride, which makes her an approachable figure for underclassmen. However, beneath this composed exterior, she is a serious and hardworking student who can be quite reserved, tending to hide her true feelings behind a neutral facade. She is diligent and honest, preferring to achieve things through steady effort rather than natural brilliance.
Aoi grew up as a childhood friend of both Kumiko Oumae and Shuuichi Tsukamoto in the same neighborhood. Though they grew apart over time, they reconnected when Kumiko entered Kitauji High School. She originally aspired to attend the prestigious Horiyama High School but failed the entrance exam, leading her to enroll at Kitauji, which she considered a less academically rigorous school. This disappointment, coupled with her struggles to balance her studies with band practice, forms a core part of her personal conflict.
The primary motivation for Aoi's actions stems from her decision to quit the concert band. While she publicly announces her departure to focus on her university entrance exams, her true reasons are more complex and rooted in guilt. During her second year, a major conflict occurred in the band where unmotivated third-year students bullied hardworking underclassmen. Aoi, feeling powerless, failed to intervene or support the motivated first-years, who subsequently quit the band en masse. Now that the band has a new, dedicated teacher and is seriously aiming for the national championships, Aoi feels she has no right to share in that dream or success after having remained silent in the face of past injustices. Her departure is therefore an act of self-punishment and honesty, as she believes she does not deserve to be part of the band's new journey.
Her role in the story serves as a realistic counterpoint to the main narrative of striving for national competition. Aoi represents the students for whom the pressure of entrance exams and personal guilt outweigh their passion for music. She demonstrates that not everyone can or will make the same sacrifices for club activities, highlighting the often-painful choices students must make about their futures.
Aoi has several key relationships that influence her character. She shares a close bond with Kumiko Oumae, who looks up to her as a kind and trustworthy senior. They often chat and spend time together, with Kumiko feeling comfortable seeking her advice. Her most complex relationship is with her classmate, the highly talented and charismatic Asuka Tanaka. Aoi admires Asuka's natural genius but also feels jealousy and a sense of inferiority, as she herself must work tirelessly to achieve what seems to come easily to Asuka. Later, learning of Asuka's personal struggles, Aoi feels a sense of relief, realizing that even someone she considered "special" is human like herself. She also shares a supportive friendship with her section leader, Haruka Ogasawara, who she consults before quitting the band.
In terms of development, after quitting the band and graduating from high school, Aoi successfully enters a private university's literature department. Her story does not end with her abandoning music entirely. In university, she is invited to visit the campus concert band, where she rediscovers her passion for playing and reunites with Haruka. She eventually joins the university band, resolving her past regrets and finding a way to enjoy music again on her own terms, free from the pressures and guilt of her high school experience. She later returns to support her old high school at competitions, showing that she remains on good terms with her former bandmates.
Aoi possesses several notable abilities. Academically, she is an excellent student, consistently ranking within the top ten of her school on national mock exams. She plays the tenor saxophone, specifically a YAMAHA YTS-82Z model. Outside of music, her hobbies include drawing, and she is capable of creating portraits, though she considers her skill level to be average.
Known for being friendly and disciplined, Aoi presents herself as a calm, mature, and reliable individual. She is rarely seen upset and often takes things in stride, which makes her an approachable figure for underclassmen. However, beneath this composed exterior, she is a serious and hardworking student who can be quite reserved, tending to hide her true feelings behind a neutral facade. She is diligent and honest, preferring to achieve things through steady effort rather than natural brilliance.
Aoi grew up as a childhood friend of both Kumiko Oumae and Shuuichi Tsukamoto in the same neighborhood. Though they grew apart over time, they reconnected when Kumiko entered Kitauji High School. She originally aspired to attend the prestigious Horiyama High School but failed the entrance exam, leading her to enroll at Kitauji, which she considered a less academically rigorous school. This disappointment, coupled with her struggles to balance her studies with band practice, forms a core part of her personal conflict.
The primary motivation for Aoi's actions stems from her decision to quit the concert band. While she publicly announces her departure to focus on her university entrance exams, her true reasons are more complex and rooted in guilt. During her second year, a major conflict occurred in the band where unmotivated third-year students bullied hardworking underclassmen. Aoi, feeling powerless, failed to intervene or support the motivated first-years, who subsequently quit the band en masse. Now that the band has a new, dedicated teacher and is seriously aiming for the national championships, Aoi feels she has no right to share in that dream or success after having remained silent in the face of past injustices. Her departure is therefore an act of self-punishment and honesty, as she believes she does not deserve to be part of the band's new journey.
Her role in the story serves as a realistic counterpoint to the main narrative of striving for national competition. Aoi represents the students for whom the pressure of entrance exams and personal guilt outweigh their passion for music. She demonstrates that not everyone can or will make the same sacrifices for club activities, highlighting the often-painful choices students must make about their futures.
Aoi has several key relationships that influence her character. She shares a close bond with Kumiko Oumae, who looks up to her as a kind and trustworthy senior. They often chat and spend time together, with Kumiko feeling comfortable seeking her advice. Her most complex relationship is with her classmate, the highly talented and charismatic Asuka Tanaka. Aoi admires Asuka's natural genius but also feels jealousy and a sense of inferiority, as she herself must work tirelessly to achieve what seems to come easily to Asuka. Later, learning of Asuka's personal struggles, Aoi feels a sense of relief, realizing that even someone she considered "special" is human like herself. She also shares a supportive friendship with her section leader, Haruka Ogasawara, who she consults before quitting the band.
In terms of development, after quitting the band and graduating from high school, Aoi successfully enters a private university's literature department. Her story does not end with her abandoning music entirely. In university, she is invited to visit the campus concert band, where she rediscovers her passion for playing and reunites with Haruka. She eventually joins the university band, resolving her past regrets and finding a way to enjoy music again on her own terms, free from the pressures and guilt of her high school experience. She later returns to support her old high school at competitions, showing that she remains on good terms with her former bandmates.
Aoi possesses several notable abilities. Academically, she is an excellent student, consistently ranking within the top ten of her school on national mock exams. She plays the tenor saxophone, specifically a YAMAHA YTS-82Z model. Outside of music, her hobbies include drawing, and she is capable of creating portraits, though she considers her skill level to be average.