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• Nodame Cantabile Anime Series

The Review

First Impression

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Actually my first impression starts from reading the brief summary of the series - about Chiaki being an arrogant piano student with lots of talent. It wasn't a very good impression.
But after a while I decided to give the series a try (I am, after all, very interested in piano and classical music in general). And it was beautiful from the very beginning.

From just the first few episodes, the story settles you in the dreamy world of aspiring musicians. Reality's presence is almost surreal - people don't bash you for trying to become an artist, and while the financial struggle is still present, it's just a part of the game. You deal with it in whatever way you can, without giving up on a dream.
Romantic isn't it?

The Artwork

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This was originally another turnoff for me. The art style isn't what you'd consider streamline anime, nor would you consider it particularly beautiful. But as the story develops, you come to appreciate the style as its own form of storytelling.
The lighter colors and simplicity end up emphasizing the slice-of-life tone of the series. As if the artist is telling you "that's all there is to it" without words.

But the winning point in the artwork is probably the time the artists took in getting the fingers right for all the instruments, positions and handholding. Most anime will simply cheat and have the hands wave a few times and repeat, or have the fingers move out-of-sync with the music. Here the positioning is actually accurate - even the sheet music's correct!

The Music

Considering that the story is based on young musicians studying classical music, well, you gotta like classical music to enjoy it. There were many time-honored artists showcased in the series, including Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninov, and even the semi-modern Ravel. I actually chose a few pieces to play myself from watching Nodame Cantabile!

Overall Impression

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This is definitely one of the most beautiful slice-of-life anime I've ever seen. Lots of growth, from dreams to struggles to making things come true. What I particularly like about this series is how it addresses real-life problems while at the same time lightening the mood with awesome character development and humor. What better combination for slice-of-life?

The other thing I like is how they address one of the biggest problems of trying to achieve one's dream: you gotta get off your ass and do something about it. One of the biggest gripes that Chiaki had to face was that he had to get out of his comfort zone. He forced himself to practice the piano (something he was originally very weak at), he had to learn to curb his arrogance and deal with people, and he had to deal with his past trauma of flying so he could leave Japan for much-needed international experience. You come to love his character, its arrogance included.

As much as I fell in love with Chiaki's character, I am somewhat disappointed that not as much attention was directed at Nodame, the second main character of the series. While she was certainly eccentric in her own way, her growing piano skills and the way she had to deal with life obstacles along the way was something to admire. I do wish she hadn't gone so gaga over Chiaki and focused more on her own path.

Overall, I have to say this series renewed my desire to play the piano again. Made me ashamed for not practicing as regularly as I probably should have.

Breaking It Down

The Pros Best of slice-of-life Artistic style tells the story as much as story does The fingers and hands are true to the music Reintroduces you to the beauty of classical music

The Cons Ending is beautiful, but somewhat open-ended

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