Nodame Cantabile (のだめカンタービレ ,Nodame Kantābire)

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Romantic Comedy

I've seen some episodes of the anime and all of the live-action series.
I haven't read the manga though. So here's some background at the start.

From wikipedia:
The Nodame Cantabile manga is written and illustrated by Tomoko Ninomiya. It has been serialized by Kodansha in the biweekly josei (aimed at younger adult women) manga magazine Kiss since January 2001, with publication ongoing. The untitled chapters have been collected in 21 tankōbon volumes as of August 2008. It is licensed in North America by Del Rey Manga, in France by Pika Édition, in South Korea by Daiwon C.I., in Thailand by NED Comics, in Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo, and in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics. All volume covers feature Nodame with a musical instrument.

The live-action drama received the 2007 Japanese Drama Academy Awards for Best Drama, Best Lead Actress (Juri Ueno), Best Direction (Hideki Takeuchi), Best Music (Takayuki Hattori), and Best Title Song; the show was also recognized overseas as Best Miniseries at the 2nd Seoul Drama Festival. Juri Ueno also was named Best Newcomer at the Élan d'or Awards for her performance, and the next year was named Best Actress at the International Drama Festival in Tokyo Awards for reprising her role as Nodame in the television special. The first soundtrack album for the drama, Nodame Orchestra LIVE!, reached number seven on the Oricon album chart, breaking the record for highest ranked classical music album.

The last time I had given comment on a music-related anime was the La Corda d'Oro Primo Paso anime based on the RPG. Though that I think was more prone to pairings, romance and fantasy, the story for Nodame is not.

The series unfurls the relationship burgeoniing between two aspiring classical musicians, Megumi "Nodame" Noda and Shinichi Chiaki, as university students and after graduation.

“Nodame” is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend’s lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.

Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka’s top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy (namely Prague), he is trapped in Japan because of his childhood phobia.

For those who love classical music, you will get to hear and enjoy selections from Rachmaninov, Listz, Brahms, Gershwin, Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, Ravel - to name a few - that are performed by the characters in the manga series.

What I like about this story and series is the character development and again the lessons learned or lessons re-learned. At first glance, while Nodame seems to be a very strange creature, she is also an extremely talented and natural pianist.

Chiaki-kun or Chiaki-sama is also super-talented, playing the violin and piano and his ultimate ambition is to be a conductor. Due to a series of twists and turns in the story (not too complicated really), he is given the chance to follow his dream, c/o Nodame who really seems to be crazy about him, as well as other characters who become friends of his as the story unfolds.

This is not some sappy dramatic series out to twang on your heartstrings. There are a lot of laughs on how the characters interact and develop their personalities as the story goes. However two points I would say make me think this is worthwhile seeing by other anime or manga-loving people.

For one, I agree from what one character said that no matter how talented you may be, its the "encounters" you have with the other people that open up new worlds and opportunities for you. In the first season, Chiaki-kun overcomes his phobia (whose underlying reason is also a bit sad) of flying and is helped by other people into fulfilling his dream, simply because they think his talent should be shared with other people. He in turn and in his own way, pushes Nodame into coming on her own.

Secondly, because Nodame cannot "stand" by Chiaki the way she is now, she shows great determination in overcoming the barriers seen by other people between them. She may be very talented but unless she puts herself at a level of seriousness and focus, she is not recognized nor can she share this genius playing of hers with other people - how would they get to enjoy it?

This was also an eye-opener for me, in that I now appreciate the difficulty and level of skill to be a good and talented conductor. I had really underestimated the skills one must have to be able to conduct an orchestra at a level for public viewing. While at first I was somewhat proud to imagine them as being sort of project managers in the sense of coordinating and making sure of the music output of an orchestra, the tests undergone by Chiaki-kun makes me do a double-take and realize it takes more than that - a deep understanding not only of the music but of the people who make up the orchestra.

All in all a very enjoyable story. Fun and seemingly lighthearted, but with a sense of purpose if one takes the time to ponder on the episodes shown which showcases how each character grows. The music is uplifting (I love violins!), the competition is rewarding, and you get to see two people gently (or violently?) falling in love with the unlikeliest person and ultimately helping each other on their own way to greatness.