Tonight, M came over just as I was watching the Proposal Daisakusen SP. Given she sings, I thought I'd show her bits of my favorite JDorama, Nodame Cantabile, just to get an idea of what she genuinely thinks of classical music. Imagine the giddiness I felt when she got hooked to the show almost immediately, and when what I originally planned would be a ten-minute preview turned into a three-hour marathon. Nodame is addictive. Seriously. I mean, the only JDorama M ever enjoyed before it was Absolute Boyfriend, and I've a feeling she only liked that because of Night's abs. Because, well, if I had gotten hooked to that thing, those monay would have been my reason.
Nodame Cantabile is narrated by Chiaki Shinichi, a gifted senior at Momogaoka Music College with a widely-fawned over prince complex. Due to childhood trauma, he is unable to travel to Europe, and improve his skills in the heartland of classical music. Moreover, he is at a rocky point in his studies, as he is putting up with the piano when he really wants to be a conductor. Given he knows he is underperforming in terms of his full potential, Chiaki becomes bitter and miserable whenever he is reminded that he's not moving forward.
After one particularly depressing-wasted evening, he becomes friends with his next-door-neighbor and kouhai in the piano department, Nodame Megumi - or Nodame, as even she calls herself. He takes an interest in Nodame, who has excellent playing technique but little drive to become a professional musician. As he takes it upon himself to tutor her - cooking dinners and cleaning her perpetually trash-packed apartment on the side - he finds more doors opening for him, more opportunities coming his way, orchestrated by no less than Nodame herself.
Originally a bestselling manga by Ninomiya Tomoko, Nodame Cantabile now has an 11-episode live action series (2006) starring Ueno Juri and Tamaki Hiroshi, complete with a 2-part SP filmed in Europe, as well as a 2-part blockbuster movie franchise. It also has an anime spanning 3 seasons, done by one of my favorite anime production houses, JC Staff (Ghost Hunt). Aside from Oricon-topping albums and a special Nodame orchestra, I've heard it's also inspired an actual cafe in Japan. And because of the manga's popularity, Ninomiya-sensei has expanded theNodame universe to include an Opera Hen single volume manga. Last I checked, it wasn't fully uploaded on mangatraders yet, but it should be soon.
If I knew anyone reading this could share my appreciation for Nodame, I'd write down everything I love - and hate - about it. But since I'm not even sure anyone reads this blog regularly - more so reads it for the reviews, which are almost always raves - I'll have to resort to the gasgas advice, "Watch it and judge it for yourself." I can't recommend any good subbing groups for this because my personal copies are only soft subs, and I don't even know who worked on them. But, should you come to love the show - and I highly doubt you won't - you might consider reading Garnet's per-episode recaps and reviews of Nodame Cantabile (Google: Memento, Garnet, Nodame Cantabile). She's also got excellent screenshots, which are now part of my random pictures collection.
Do yourself a favor and watch Nodame Cantabile, live action. Japanese slapstick romcom minus the gag-worthy cheesiness so common in love stories (ehem, Koreanovelas) these days.
NB: Photos not mine. Don't know who owns them.
