Nodame Cantabile OVA

This OVA is a side story to the paris chapter of the "Nodame Cantabile" franchise. Unlike the other side stories, it does not focus on Nodame and Chiaki or the regular side characters such as Mine. Instead it's a short side story about Yukihisa Matsuda who, for those that have a good eye for detail and are better at remembering Japanese names than I, will recognise as the replacement for Chiaki as conductor for the Rising Star Orchestra, briefly mentioned towards the end of the first season of "Nodame Cantabile".

The upside is that this is an entertaining side story, retaining a lot of the quirky ... humour and much of the feel of the series. The downside is that the main focus Matsuda who, in addition to not having appeared in the franchise previously and making me wonder "who the heck is he?!", is a character that simply can't match the charm exhibited by the majority of the regular cast of the series. Rather than a side story about Matsuda, I'd rather have seen a side story about Nodame or Chiaki, or Mine, or Kuroki, or just about any other more established members of the cast. As it is, there's a certain emotional detachment about watching this feeble Matsuda guy for the measely 25 minutes he's in for the entirety of the franchise.

Still, at the end of the day, it's an enjoyable if not spectacular standalone episode of the franchise, and it's certainly a lot better than that 10 min DVD special for the first season. But I doubt I'll be revisiting this when I'm rewatching the franchise...