Aki Miyagawa has loved the sound of traditional Japanese drums ever since she first heard them in her youth. Now a professional drummer in Tokyo, she struggles to keep her passion alive while also having to work a second job to make ends meet. When she gets a call from Michio Yoshioka, the teacher who introduced her to drums, Aki has a chance to return to her hometown and reflect on the path she took to reach where she is now, reigniting her passion in the process.

Aki no Kanade was one of the four films of Anime Mirai 2015 (Young Animator Training Project), a project funded by the Japanese government's Agency of Cultural Affairs in order to support training animators.