Nodame Cantabile

I have yet to watch the concluding episodes of the live-action and the rest of the anime series (thanks to those who provided for the fansubbed versions) of Nodame Cantabile. I have just finished watching the live-action version (at least up to episode and the first six (6) episodes of its anime (continuing series) last weekend (March 17-18). I could have written a review the day after but this melancholy feeling would not go away so I am slowly taking my time. I want to write my most candid feelings about Nodame Cantabile, so I believe, no second is wasted even if I do not actually write (something that I learned from watching the live-action). All that I wanted to say is contained inside my heart…Mind you, I am not saying this because I’m living up to my reputation as the queen of procrastination. This is different.

Nodame Cantabile is actually my first taste of a Japanese drama manga adaptation. I was actually hesitant to watch it, or any jdorama for that matter. I have this belief that it would be hard to surpass the authentic feel of an anime series if it is turned into a live-action. I mean, real people acting out the scenes would appear cheesy and awkward. However, watching Nodame Cantabile made me a believer of live-action series. All my negative perception about live-action series were easily obliterated by Nodame Cantabile. It exceeds all of my expectations and I even fell in love with it from the moment the first scene was shown. I will tell you all the reasons why.

The series opens in Prague, where we see the main character, Chiaki Shinichi, as a young boy. Born in a family of famous musicians, Chiaki becomes the student of the world-renowned conductor, Viera-sensei. His musical bliss was cut short when Chiaki’s parents divorced. His mother drags him back to Japan and is forced to part with Viera-sensei. Before he left, he made a promise that he will be back when he grows up and asked Viera-sensei to accept him as his student in conducting when he does.

However, his dreams of returning to Prague and reuniting with his sensei becomes an impossibility for Chiaki. Apparently, he experienced a near-death experience while flying back to Japan which caused his extreme fear of flying. After ten (10) years, unable to return to Prague and fulfill his dreams of conducting, Chiaki remains stuck in Japan.

The young boy Chiaki then is now the revered Chiaki-sama, the best piano student in Momogaoka Music University. Cool, indifferent, with a fierce, defiant and an almost regal, but haughty, bearing. Charismatic, musically gifted and not to mention, endowed with classic good looks. Throngs of admirers, women and men alike, gather wherever Chiaki-sama can be found. His talent is unrivaled and he is even handpicked by one of the greatest piano maestros in Japan, Eto-sensei, or more commonly known as Harisen-sensei, as his student. Although even if Chiaki-sama is the best in Momogaoka University, he cannot leave Japan due to his phobia of flying. He also has a phobia of water since he was almost drowned when he was still a kid, so he cannot even board a ship. Worse, the feeling of insecurity is slowly seeping into Chiaki-sama’s heart after he has learned that a stout conducting student has been chosen for an overseas study in Europe to meet with Viera-sensei.

While Chiaki-sama’s world seems to fall apart, he gets into a heated debacle with Harisen-sensei and consequently, got kicked-off his class. His unlucky streak continues like a the black plague. Saiko, the Madonna of classical voice, dumps him again for good and calls hims a loser. As if the universe conspired against him, he wakes up the next morning hearing a piano played melodiously, albeit in a very messy, and incidentally, in a very weird room. Baffled, he sees the other main character of the story, Noda Megumi, fondly called as Nodame, smiling at him. From then on, his misery and charity work starts.

Apparently, Chiaki-sama collapsed outside the door of Nodame, his next-neighbor. Nodame recognized him and brought him inside her apartment. Thereafter, Nodame has a sudden and unexpected romantic inclination towards Chiaki-sama and clings onto Chiaki-sama as if she’s a parasite. Chiaki-sama, on the other hand, starts to have a weird relationship with Nodame. He cleans Nodame’s apartment (only because he cannot stand the stench that reaches into his own flat), he cooks for her, teaches her piano, and even to the extent that he grooms her. Yes, Chiaki-sama once forced Nodame to wash her stinking hair. It seems that Chiaki-sama has “maternal instincts” and looks after Nodame because Nodame cannot take care of herself properly. Likewise, Chiaki-sama is so stuck-up that he thinks Nodame’s life would be worse without his help.

While Nodame feels Chiaki-sama as his slave, and she as the princess, she quickly falls in love. However, Chiaki-sama has no feelings of romantic love for her, and he actually feels that he is like a pet groomer taking care of a dog, the dog being Nodame. For what it is worth, Chiaki-sama remains rude, and even physically attacks Nodame constantly (not sexual harassment but three stooges-like attacks).

After Chiaki-sama met Nodame, his life makes a drastic change. He becomes Nodame’s classmate in the underachiever piano class, he attracts and eventually takes care of more weirdos like Nodame (probably because of her influence) namely, Ryutaro Mine, the rock-violinist and Masumi Okuyama, the retro-look campus queen of percussions who is deeply, madly in love with Chiaki-sama despite the fact that he is gay (he is referred to as a man with a mustache). Chiaki-sama even begins to fulfill his dreams when the world-renowned conductor, Stresseman-sensei comes to Momogaoka University and creates an orchestra, the S-Oke, composed of weirdos and known underachievers, such as Mine and Masumi, with the undisputed queen of weirdos, Nodame as a mascot girl.

In a twist of fate, Chiaki-sama becomes the conductor of S-Oke and they will be competing against the resident orchestra of the University, the A-Oke. In essence, Chiaki-sama is becoming closer and closer to his dreams of being a conductor.

I would like to stress that this story is a comedy, and a very hilarious one at that. In fact, it literally made me roll-over laughing. The timing, the facial expressions by the actors, their movements are all exceptionally well-executed. There could have been no better actors fit for the roles of Nodame other than Tamaki Hiroshi (Chiaki) and Ueno Juri (Nodame). Even the puffy and pouty look that Nodame has as portrayed in the manga was captured by Ueno Juri perfectly. The cynical and haughty expressions of Chiaki were dead-on. Even the slightest details were absolutely depicted, living true to its manga predecessor.

Most people would probably concentrate on the story’s comedic content, but not me. I have to say that the story has a deeper meaning, at least, that is what I think.

Perhaps, I am the only one who shed a tear watching the live-action (at least up to episode 8). There is no reason for me to deny it. The moment when Stresemann told Nodame that she cannot play the piano in the S-Oke because there is no piano in an orchestra just crushed my heart. Masumi’s woes that he cannot play the timpani solo because professionally, a timpanist is always a part of an orchestra. Unlike Nodame and Mine who can make it is as solo musicians. However, it was Nodame’s frustration of not being able to keep up with her beloved Chiaki-sempai hit the softest part of my heart.

As Chiaki-sama’s talent becomes known to the world of classical music, Nodame feels that she gets farther and farther away from him. She was told that by the way she plays the piano now, she cannot be alongside with Chiaki-sama. Understanding its meaning, Nodame falls into seclusion to practice her piano skills. She desperately wants to become the best, just like Chiaki. She wants to play the way the world wants her to play even if it may not be the way she wants it to be played.

I told the story of Nodame to a friend, and after hearing all my thoughts, he asked me if it was a drama. I told him that its actually a comedy. He was aghast and could not help himself but laugh at me. He told me that perhaps, I am the only one who could make a comedy sound and feel like a serious and tear-jerking drama. Perhaps, that is the absolute truth, but for me, to be able to convey the deeper meaning of the simplest or the funniest things, is pure, genuine talent. I highly commend the writer/creator of Nodame Cantabile for a job exceptionally done. Hence, it is but proper to tribute this live-action series a 9.8.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007 at 1:09 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.