Noboru Taki

Noboru Taki is a tall man, standing at 184 cm.

He has black hair and always looks very neat and clean.

He often wears a white shirt and cardigan when teaching, but switches to a black tuxedo for official music events.

In the anime, he wears stylish half-rim glasses.

He has a calm smile and is known for his good looks, making him popular with female students.

His birthdate is August 23. His star sign is Virgo and his blood type is A.

Taki acts kind and gentle as a teacher, always calm and polite to everyone.

But when he is conducting the band, he becomes strict and serious, focusing hard on perfecting the music.

He doesn't sugarcoat his advice and can sound blunt or even cold.

Students are sometimes shocked by how different he is in rehearsals, but they come to trust him deeply.

He values the students' independence, encouraging them to set their own goals.

He is sometimes awkward with students and not always good at handling their feelings.

He is dedicated and charismatic, inspiring students to work hard.

Noboru Taki is 34 years old when he arrives at Kitauji High as the new music teacher and band director.

He is a trumpbone player and was skilled with the trombone and horn during his music college days.

He likes coffee, matcha, pickles, and Japanese yatsuhashi sweets, but dislikes black vinegar and raw yatsuhashi.

He enjoys visiting shrines and temples in his free time.

Taki's wife, Chihiro, died five years earlier, leaving him deeply sad and distant from music for a while.

His father, Tooru Taki, was the former celebrated director of the Kitauji band and is now retired.

Taki is great at teaching music based on clear theory.

He can spot small mistakes quickly and helps the band improve little by little until their sound is much better.

He is known for being very strict but also very effective, and his students grow a lot under his leadership.

He spends almost all his time at school with the band, studying and preparing lessons.

He is skilled at playing the trombone and the horn.

Father: Tooru Taki

Tooru Taki was also the band director at Kitauji High School years ago.

He raised the band's level to be one of the best in the region and sometimes to the national contest.

Noboru and his father did not get along well when Noboru was young, mostly because his father was always busy with the band.

Wife: Chihiro Taki

Chihiro was small, cheerful, and caring, and helped both Noboru and his friends during college.

She was also a music teacher and Kitauji band graduate, dreaming of leading the band to gold at nationals.

Chihiro fell seriously ill and died quickly a few years after marrying Noboru.

Her loss left Noboru lost and he stopped doing music for a while.

He still wears a silver ring and brings white flowers to her grave on her birthday.

Michie Matsumoto

Michie is the veteran teacher and assistant band advisor at Kitauji.

Taki trusts her and is grateful for her steady support.

Masahiro Hashimoto

A pro percussionist and Taki’s former college classmate.

Taki often brings him in as an outside coach for the band, and trusts his different approach and advice.

Satomi Niiyama

A professional flute player and Taki’s college junior.

She also helps as an outside coach, especially with woodwinds.

She knew both Taki and Chihiro in college.

Taki teaches 2nd year, class 5 at the high school.

He enjoys coffee with milk and sugar, but will drink it black when he is tired.

He commutes to school by Citroën Ami 8, which appears a few times in the anime.

He is calm and rarely raises his voice, but can be firm and strong if problems arise.

• "What is this?"
• "Please don't waste my precious day off."
• "If the performance accuracy does not improve before the next rehearsal, you are not qualified to participate in Sunfes (Sunrise Festival)."
• "If you gather up all the time you throw away for being young, practicing this much should be easy."

Arrival and First Impression

When Noboru Taki arrives at Kitauji High School, he introduces himself as the band's new advisor and conductor.

He gives the students a choice: to aim for the national band competition or just to have fun as a band club.

The students choose to aim for nationals, but many only see it as a dream.

Soon after, they have their first rehearsal with Taki.

He is friendly and gentle at first, but when he hears their poor playing, he is strict and blunt.

He tells them they wasted their time and must improve if they want to perform in the Sunrise Festival.

The students are shocked by his harshness but determined to prove themselves.

Strict Teaching and Growth

Taki visits each band section, teaching basics like breathing and singing.

Although the students find his methods tough, they work hard to improve.

After a week, Taki admits they have reached a passing level, but reminds them this is just the starting line.

He sets a busy practice schedule and pushes them with challenging words.

Taki also holds auditions to select band members for competitions, causing some drama and tension in the group.

With his support and outside coaches, the band wins gold at the Kyoto contest and goes to the Kansai competition.

Success, Crisis, and Recovery

For the Kansai contest, Taki asks his friends Masahiro Hashimoto and Satomi Niiyama to help as coaches.

The band’s playing gets much better, and they make it to the national stage.

But during nationals, after some internal drama when vice captain Asuka Tanaka almost quits, the band loses focus.

Even though they work hard to recover, they win only bronze at nationals.

Still, everyone is proud of coming so far in just half a year under Taki’s leadership.

Second and Third Years

In the next school year, Taki again lets the students choose the band’s goal and supports them while keeping the right distance.

He chooses challenging music for the competitions, based on the students’ strengths.

The band is trusted by upperclassmen and guided by the talented new captain Yuuko Yoshikawa.

That year, they earn a "dame gold" award at the Kansai contest, just missing out on nationals.

As the years go on, the band becomes known as a top school.

Taki tries different new strategies, balancing what judges want with his own musical ideas.

Some students question his choices, leading to new challenges within the band.

Past and Wife’s Influence

Taki's wife Chihiro was once Kitauji’s band director, but struggled with being too gentle.

She fell sick and died suddenly, leaving Taki heartbroken.

He stopped working with music for a while and was convinced by his father to take over as band director.

He remembered his wife's dream to lead the band to gold at nationals, and tries to fulfill it for her.

He visits her grave every year and wears his wedding ring on that day, showing he still loves her dearly.

• Taki is often seen with an orange coffee mug at school.
• He sometimes raises his voice only when he is very upset, usually staying calm.
• His car, a Citroën Ami 8, is seen in the anime and even appears in a car safety poster.
• He never treats boys and girls differently and is always polite.
• Taki spends more time with the band than with anything else in life.