Nodame Cantabile

There's a couple different adaptation of Nodame Cantabile beside the original manga, including two anime (Chapter Japan & Paris), one Japanese drama (Chapter Japan), and one Japanese drama special (Chapter Paris). My pilgrimage started with the manga, then the drama, then the first anime, then the drama special, and then the second anime. While each medium has its strengths and weaknesses, this is one of the few works that actually excel in all versions.

I don't consider myself musical, especially when it comes to playing any musical instrument, but Nodame Cantabile easily opens the door to classical music for me. The manga orchestrates an interesting cast of characters with a fascinating story line to make up a unique melody. Even with all the classical music terms and names, it's attractive rather than intimidating. Of course, being a romanticist, the relationship between Nodame and Chiaki is one of the main driving forces for me as well. XD

While the manga is loaded with knowledge of great composers and music pieces, it lacks the audio component which is critical for a music-themed work. The anime and drama may not adhere to the original as closely, but it's invaluable to be able to see the characters come to live and hear the music. Instead of names consisted of letters and numbers that mean nothing to me (e.g. Etude Op.10-4 in A flat major), I can immerse myself in the melody and just enjoy the experience.

The drama version was quite intense, with deliberate gag and comical effects. I had a bit of trouble adjusting from the princely image of Chiaki in the manga to a real person, but Tamaki Hiroshi pulled off the prestige bearing rather nicely. Ueno Juuri's Nodame was so dramatic that she almost overshadowed Kawasumi Ayako's Nodame in the first anime. The biggest point going for the drama version for me was actually Takenaka Naoto's Milch, which the anime's Milch just couldn't compare.

The anime version is close to the original art style and uses a soft palette and lighting. The quality is pretty consistent and the instrument playing seems genuine to me. The second anime season, Chapter Paris, retains the same level of quality but at the same time also employs CG rendering for a lot of the conducting scenes and flowery effects, which I'm not particularly fond of. Seamless implementation of 3D CG into a 2D art medium with a harmonious result is very difficult, but Chapter Paris is within tolerable range for me.

Chapter Paris has a much smaller cast, so the seiyuu's acting skill becomes critical. Nodame has calmed down quite a bit and grown more mature in Chapter Paris, and Kawasumi Ayako really shines as Nodame here. Seki Tomokazu is exceptional as usual, and Itou Shizuka and Matsukaze Masaya are great as supporting characters.

Due to the time constraint, both the drama special (total about 5 hours) and the second anime (total about 4 hours) have to omit quite a lot of scenes and details and focus on different aspects. In this respect, while the drama special version is lively and entertaining, it pales when compared to the anime version for me. My brother would probably think otherwise, though, as he usually prefer story-driven than character-driven stuff.

All in all, I highly recommend Nodame Cantabile and all its adaptation for anyone whether music is your thing or not.

Why hasn't anyone licensed the anime yet? orz