This
is the first time the musical genre has been my first love: classical music. :3
STORY
- "Work hard and you'll achieve your dream!" It's a very cliche and
often-used storyline, right? Well, yes. Yes, it is, but that hardly means that
the subsequent series has to be old and tiresome. The
best stories take something that's been done a thousand times already and
somehow manage to tell it in a way that's better and more interesting. In a
genre dominated by high school drama, Nodame Cantabile steps it up and uses
college students, something I'd love to see happen more often. The storytelling
happens in a mostly slice-of-life format, but it doesn't shy away from
progressing significantly in time -- weeks pass, months pass, whole seasons and
school years pass, and it's great to be able to follow the characters for these
longer periods of time, especially since it emphasizes the fact that change and
progress take both hard work and time.
Nodame
Cantabile is very focused for a slice-of-life series in that almost all of the
characters are very serious and motivated by their goals; there are notably few
subplots that veer away from the main points. I think this can make it a bit
more attractive to people that are generally bored by a wandering plotline, but
it's pretty easy to get engaged in this series regardless. Reading summaries
for Nodame Cantabile can only bring skepticism and doubt considering the
frequency of the main plot, but watching it? I was charmed by episode one.
CHARACTER
- Without a doubt, most of Nodame Cantabile's appeal is in its characters. Though
it feels a little odd to use the adjective on him, Shinichi Chiaki is
definitely gar: all the girls want him, and all the guys want to be him (actually,
wait, some of the guys want him too). This most likely includes the members of
the audience! He's a genius at what he does and furiously motivated; everywhere
he goes, people throw themselves at his feet and do everything in their power
to push him forward. You're compelled to cheer for him every step of the way. It's
funny sometimes how that much charisma can make it through the screen, but it's
there, and it's because despite Chiaki's exceeding excellence at everything, he
remains a very accessible character. His weaknesses are just as glaring and
significant as his strengths, and they're what balance him out.
Nodame,
strangely enough, is very much the same. She's crazy, quirky, wild, and
questionable, but once again, she's very human. Her antics are never so over-the-top
that they're utterly unbelievable, and her hopes and dreams are notably muddled
alongside her classmates' -- something a lot of people can also relate to. The
differences between Nodame and Chiaki made them perfect foils, and it was
really fun watching all the drama and interaction between the two. Despite the
frequency of Nodame's claims on Chiaki, I really felt like this was one of the
least forced-feeling romances I've ever seen. At no point did their
relationship feel cheap, contrived, or overly convenient. Because so much time
passes during the series, the relationship felt like it progressed at a much
more natural place; it was great (and adorable).
All
of the support characters are nice in their own way, and I don't think there
was a single one I disliked.
love love chiaki-senpai <3 muehehehe