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Nodame Cantabile - First Impression
Who knew orchestras could be so much fun? 
Studio: GENCO, J.C. Staff Format: 23 Episodes Episodes Watched: 9 Written by: Aisakku 
Shinichi Chiaki, a musical academy student known for his piano skills, has had the same dream since he was a child: to become a conductor. After getting in a fight with his instructor one day, Chiaki is thrown out of the class and demoted to the bottom class crushing his spirits and dreams of becoming a great conductor. Until by chance he meets with Megumi "Nodame" Noda, his new classmate and next-door neighbor. Forming a most unusual and humorous relationship, the two continue on with college, and push to make Chiaki's dream a reality.
With the good word I had heard about the manga and live action, and the atypical plot (how often do you watch anime about orchestras?), I was immediately interested in Nodame. Before the first episode was over, I was already hooked. The characters are lovable, the voice-acting is well done, the J.C. Staff animation is wondefully reminiscent of Honey and Clover, and most importantly: the comedy is wonderfully timed and extremely plentiful. The combination of unusual characters - Chiaki, the arrogant-but-skillful musician, Nodame, the estranged girl with surprising piano skills, Ryuutaro Mine, the wannabe-rock-star violinist - combine to create such a fantastic comedic potential that makes it difficult to not like the show. From Nodame's insane thoughts and antics to the debauched Franz von Stresemann's hardly conductor-like behavior, Nodame is worth watching for the simple fact that it absolutely overflows with hilarity. Though I typically like to see a bit more drama from the slice-of-life variety shows, as long as Nodame is able to continue with its comedy, I will not be too disappointed. It is, however, slightly disappointing that JC Staff doesn't seem to have the budget to fully animate most of the orchestra scenes. Logically thinking, I do expect to see more animated concerts towards the end of the series, figuring that the producers are saving the budget more for the end of the series. Nodame Cantabile will hopefully bloom with drama, more comedy and further use of animation in concerts as the series continues along. I can only see great potential in Nodame, and expect plenty of entertainment to come. So far: Above Average Posted: Monday, March 26, 2007
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