Anime Completed 2012-2018

Kids on the Slope Watch Order

Kids on the Slope in order: the 12 episode 2012 anime plus the 2018 live action film retelling. The Watanabe and Kanno series is the complete path through Kaoru and Sentaro jazz friendship in 1960s Kyushu.

Last updated September 30, 2026

Watch Order (Release = Chronological)Recommended

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Anime then film retelling.

Kids on the Slope 2012 · series Anime. 12 episodes, April to June 2012.
Kids on the Slope (Live-Action Film) 2018 · movie 120 minute retelling. Same school arc.

About Kids on the Slope

Sakamichi no Apollon ran 12 episodes from April to June 2012 as a MAPPA and Tezuka co production for Noitamina, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe with music by Yoko Kanno. Classical pianist Kaoru meets drummer Sentaro in 1960s Kyushu, and jazz sessions carry each term.

The live action film from March 2018 retells the same school years in 120 minutes with Yuri Chinen, Taishi Nakagawa and Nana Komatsu. The manga by Yuki Kodama ran 2007 to 2012 and finished in 10 volumes. Sentai Filmworks holds the anime, with no sequel announced.

Good to know

Watch the 12 episode anime first for the full story. Its session scenes need full length to breathe, and the film compresses them hard into highlights. The film works as a reminder visit afterward, not a continuation, since both end at the same graduation point. Either version stands alone without manga homework.