Fujimi Orchestra is a series of Yaoi light novels by Akizuki Kō, following violinist Yuuki Morimura and conductor Kei Tonin, their musical careers, and the orchestra they work together at. There are currently over fifty volumes of the series, with the first published in 1994 and the run continuing to this day. The series also has a 2005 manga adaptation, an 1997 anime OVA, and a live-action film.
The series begins with Kei, a musical prodigy, beginning a job as the conductor of the amateur Fujimi Orchestra, at which Yuuki is the concert master. They have a rough beginning, with Yuuki taking a strong dislike to Kei's conducting and leadership style, and believes the amateurs in the orchestra, most of whom have day jobs and participate only for fun and have little experience with music, will not be able to keep up. Yuuki, with a degree in music who works as a music teacher, is by far the best musician in the orchestra.
However, it becomes clear that the other musicians quite like being treated with the expectation that they can really be something and Yuuki's concerns were poorly-founded. It also becomes apparent than Kei has strong feelings for Yuuki, going so far as to track down the sound of his music after hearing his violin while Yuuki was practicing outdoors, just to meet the violinist who so impressed him. However, Yuuki believes himself to be straight and Kei ends up assaulting him under the understanding that their feelings are mutual.
With such a rough start, it's difficult to believe the two could found a solid relationship, but after a number of trials, much devotion shown by Kei, and some self-introspection, Yuuki grows to accept Kei's affections and even return them, and Fujimi Orchestra blossoms under their attentions.
Unlike many Yaoi series, the novels also deal realistically with the struggles gay people would face in Japan and the queer community there, including other queer people the two meet and make friends with, and the gay bar Yuuki grows to learn a lot about himself and Kei at.
Fujimi Orchestra provides examples of:
- Anger Born of Worry: Yuuki throws a fit when he finds Kei constantly using headphones after leaving the orchestra, claiming he couldn't hear properly enough to conduct, thinking it was damaging his hearing. Kei was using headphones so Yuuki would have quiet to practice of his own in, but often kept turning the music off to only listen to Yuuki, and his difficulties conducting were because of his fixation on Yuuki's violin.
- Affluent Ascetic: Kei has plenty of family money and makes quite a bit as a regular conductor at a famous orchestra outside of working with the amateur Fujimi Orchestra, but his luxuries are mostly limited to expensive instruments and good sound equipment.
- The Casanova: Kei used to be one of these before finding Yuuki. He and a friend had a competition to see who could sleep with more men, and he's afraid to tell Yuuki.
- Cast Full of Gay: Despite being a very common trope in the Yaoi genre, this is averted here, as most of the side characters are the other musicians at Fujimi. That said, there are still other gay characters.
- Elegant Classical Musician: Yuuki, interestingly enough. He's a magnificently talented violinist whose music attracted the prodigy Kei's attention even without seeing him and a poor-quality instrument.
- Gayngst: With Yuuki, so much. Being attracted to men was never on his agenda, and he even gets fired for it.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Yuuki absolutely has no faith in himself or his abilities at the violin, even when he sometimes acts superior and condescending because of it. Kei is working very hard on fighting his brain worms.
- Ladykiller in Love: The gay version, with Kei, as he'd had no trouble getting men before falling for Yuuki, a man who doesn't really want him.
- Love at First Note: Kei heard Yuuki practicing violin in public well before he saw or met him, and absolutely had to meet the amazing violinist in question and searched him out until he found Yuuki—finding Yuuki to be exactly his type physically, too.
- Quarreling Song: Yuuki has one of these with Kei's pianist friend, another musical prodigy, refusing to be outdone. They compete to keep up with each other until Kei's friend give sup and becomes frustrated, vowing to get even better.
- Rape as Drama: Very unfortunately, Kei rapes Yuuki in the very first book, and it takes a long time for Yuuki to forgive him, even once Kei realizes what he did and endeavors to atone.
- Seme: Kei takes the active role in their relationship, both in pursuing Yuuki and in the bedroom.
- Sex for Services: Extremely downplayed. Kei asks kisses as repayment for giving Yuuki an incredibly valuable violin, after Yuuki insists on paying him somehow, although the relationship does progress to sex, Kei doesn't actually demand it as terms of the loan.
- Signature Instrument: Yuuki breaks his beloved violin in one volume, believing others to be making fun of him when they compliment his playing as it does not live up to his own standards, until Kei gives him a much better one that matches his skill level.
- Simple, yet Opulent: Yuuki's violin from Kei, at least to people who don't know near enough about music to realize how valuable the thing is.
- Spoiled Brat: Kei. Interestingly enough, this doesn't actually seem to be intentional—he just has no social skills because he never really needed them and doesn't understand people well enough to know why they might find his personality off-putting.
- Transparent Closet:
- Of a sort, for Yuuki, who adamantly insists he's straight. He's actually attracted to a woman at first, who he intends to propose to before even asking her on a single date, and she fully believes he's gay and encourages Kei to take a chance with Yuuki, leading to the misunderstandings that lead to Yuuki's assault.
- Yuuki also gets fired for being gay, as a substitute teacher, as there are concerns with him influencing children. While he is in a relationship of sorts with Kei at the time, it's hardly romantic and he's still well in denial of his feelings. However, the event does convince him to stand up for queer people.
- Uke: Yuuki, the pursued, although he rather wishes he wasn't at first. He seem to enjoy it well enough later.
- Where Everybody Knows Your Flame: Downplayed. The gay bar Yuuki and Kei frequent is heavily interested in music and only slightly flamboyant. Still, it's a place they can be comfortable not being outed.
