Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter, Nodame Cantabile Pari-hen

Japanese: のだめカンタービレ巴里編

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 11

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 10, 2008 to Dec 19, 2008

Premiered: Fall 2008

Broadcast: Fridays at 00:45 (JST)

Producers: Dentsu, Genco, SKY Perfect Well Think, Kodansha, Fuji TV, Asmik Ace, Sony Music Entertainment

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: J.C.Staff

Source: Manga

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Themes: Adult Cast, Music

Demographic: Josei

Duration: 23 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.14¹ (scored by 73,288 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #416²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #1648

Members: 120,830

Favorites: 281

Available At

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Resources

AniDB

ANN

Synopsis

Shinichi Chiaki conquers his fear of flying, and Megumi "Nodame" Noda's exceptional performance at a piano competition earns her an invitation to study at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris. The pair go to Paris together to take the next step in their careers: Chiaki as a new rising conductor under the wing of the great maestro Franz von Stresemann, and Nodame as a pupil of the esteemed piano professor Charles Auclair.

But, of course, the music world is much bigger than the two of them could have ever imagined. Chiaki and Nodame, alongside old friends and new rivals, must fight and persevere to reach the dazzling musical heights that await them while never losing sight of what matters most.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Nodame Cantabile
Prequel:	Nodame Cantabile
Other:	PuriGorota: Uchuu no Yuujou Daibouken
Side story:	Nodame Cantabile OVA
Sequel:	Nodame Cantabile: Finale - Mine to Kiyora no Saikai

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Noda, Megumi

Main

Kawasumi, Ayako
Japanese

Chiaki, Shinichi

Main

Seki, Tomokazu
Japanese

von Stresemann, Franz

Supporting

Ogawa, Shinji
Japanese

Kuroki, Yasunori

Supporting

Matsukaze, Masaya
Japanese

Auclair, Charles

Supporting

Kiyokawa, Motomu
Japanese

Vishneva, Tatiana

Supporting

Itou, Shizuka
Japanese

Son, Rui

Supporting

Ohara, Sayaka
Japanese

Li, Yunlong

Supporting

Hino, Satoshi
Japanese

Miyoshi, Seiko

Supporting

Mitsuishi, Kotono
Japanese

Benoit, Pierre de

Supporting

Aoyama, Yutaka
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Yamamoto, Kouji

Producer

Jouno, Masato

Producer

Matsukura, Yuuji

Producer

Oosawa, Nobuhiro

Producer

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Opening Theme

"Sky High!" by The Gospellers

Edit

Ending Theme

"東京 et 巴里 (Tokyo and Paris)" by Emiri Miyamoto x Solita

More reviews

Reviews

May 24, 2010

Archaeon

Recommended

Sequels are always a bit of a problem when it comes to matters of continuity, depth of story, character development, and sometimes even the look and feel of a show. All too often will the viewing public find the first season of a given franchise to be very good, only to be served a huge helping of mediocrity when the sequel comes around.

There is hope though, as while there are plenty of shows that let the viewer down in this way, there are a growing number that actually manage to equal, if not better, the original series, and one such example is Nodame Cantabile: Paris ... Chapter.

Now as fans of the franchise will already know, the story is about the eccentric (or slightly mad, whichever takes your fancy), and thoroughly otaku musical genius known as Noda Megumi (Nodame is her nickname), and her reluctant, long suffering love interest Chiaki Shinichi. As the title of the series suggests, this time the pair have moved to Paris to continue their studies. Nodame will attend the music conservatory under the tutelage of the reknowned Charles Auclair, while Chiaki will continue to his apprenticeship under the erstwhile maestro Franz von Stresseman.

Unlike the original series, the plot is far less derived in Paris Chapter. The main reason for this is because a good portion of the original was spent setting the scene and introducing the characters, so by the time Paris Chapter came around much of the hard work had already been done. The story is thus able to continue from where it left off at the end of Nodame Cantabile, however the second series is also reliant on firsthand knowledge of the original as there is very little time spent on pointless flashbacks scenes. While there is a degree of scene setting and character introduction, this is handled in an expedient manner that helps to maintain the flow of the plot.

As far as looks go, Paris Chapter is actually a little better than the original series. While both retain the same atmosphere, the second series has a far more continental look due to the location, which is also reflected in style of clothing. Both Nodame and Chiaki look much the same as they did at the end of the original anime, while the new characters (Tanya, Frank, Yunlong, etc), follow the style of the series to a tee (i.e. highly expressive yet slightly "cartoony" features). The animation is a step up from Nodame Cantabile in that the strange CG used during the musical set pieces is actually smoother and more fluid than before. That said, much of the remaining character animation is pretty much what one would expect from the franchise, and many of the visual gags are well timed and choreographed.

Once again though, the areas where the series really excels are with the sound and music. The voice acting is as good as before (if not better), especially in the roles that continue on from the first series. The newcomers manage to fit in to the cast rather well, and while their performances are loaded with expression, they manage to capture that quirky, eccentric atmosphere that is a hallmark of the franchise.

In terms of music, Paris Chapter is far more focused on delivering set pieces than the original series, and the difference is palpable. This show literally oozes classical music from every pore, so much so in fact, the variety of tracks on offer in Paris Chapter easily rivals that of the first season.

As before though, this is very much a character driven show, and while season one managed a good degree of development for both Nodame and Chiaki, Paris Chapter takes it to a whole new level. In addition to this, the show spends a fair amount of time developing the supporting characters in much the same way as the original. The downside though, is that where the first series had 23 episodes to play with, Paris Chapter only has 11. Now one would think that there is no way to provide any meaningful growth to new characters in such a short time, however this is not the case as the nature of series two is to follow directly on from the original. The benefit of this is that both leads only need to build on their development from the first season, so more time can be spent refining the characters and strengthening their presence in the story, as well as focusing more on the supporting cast. Ironically, this is also the main reason why it is essential to have watched the first season beforehand as much of Nodame and Chiaki's characterisation in Paris Chapter is dependent on the viewer knowing their history.

Now it should be fairly obvious that I enjoyed Paris Chapter, and to be honest I found it to be as good as the original series. While the show continues to develop the plot and characters, it also manages to retain the eccentric charm of the original without miring itself in melodrama. The new characters are a boon to the series as they complement the story in some novel ways that may not be obvious at first. One example of this is Frank, a music student and European "otaku", who learns firsthand what otaku power is really capable of (thanks to Nodame and an episode of PuriGorota).

What I've always liked about the Nodame Cantabile franchise are the lengths the anime goes to in order to stay true to the manga, and Paris Chapter only serves to reinforce this. The plot is literally taken straight from the pages its paper based counterpart, and while there are some differences due to time constraints (amongst other things), anyone who has read the manga should find themselves on very familiar ground.

As far as sequels go, Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter is pretty much everything fans of the original could hope for.

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Dec 27, 2008

Stormy_77

Recommended

Story and Character

Paris Chapter is a direct sequel to Nodame Cantabile and picks up where the previous anime left off - with Nodame and Chiaki journeying to Paris to continue their musical education. Besides our two main protagonists a whole slew of new secondary characters are introduced.

You'd have to have a heart of stone not to enjoy the development of the relationship between Nodame and Chiaki. Parts were truly hilarious (episode 5-6), some bits were sad and others were "aah" moments that let you reflect on just how much both of them have grown as people. Their music has also evolved throughout this arc.

That being ... said, there are several weaknesses in the Paris Chapter. First of all, the series is TOO short to fully tell the story in all its glory. Paris Chapter could have been 24 episodes and still we would have wanted more. Because of the shortened length a lot of stuff felt compressed and there wasn't nearly enough plot, or music (we need MORE music) to satisfy me or most Nodame fans. *sigh*

Secondly, none of the secondary characters (fun though they are) quite GRABS you the way the secondary characters did in the original Nodame Cantabile. For example, there is no comic relief that comes even close to Timpanist Masumi Okuyama - I miss him so much! Also the developing romances between any secondary characters in Paris Chapter pales in comparison to the Mine - Kiyora Miki Violin Romance. As for Rui Son - what a wasted opportunity, another plot thread started that just seemed to fizzle into ???

Basically with a little more running time I believe the plot and character development would have been perfect. It only scores as high as it does because Nodame/Chiaki are a truly brilliant pairing.

Art/Animation

The art was very much in the style of Nodame Cantabile Season 1 so there is no incongruity. Paris is lovingly depicted - watching this anime brings me back to when I visited Paris, I could see some of the places I had been and it was easily recognizable. The animators got the "feel" of Paris close to perfect - I guess nothing can compare with the romance of actually being at the river side at night.

Sound

Great soundtrack and sound effects fitting with the anime - I doubt I'll be the only one wishing for more music. Episode 10 is definately the highlight music showcase wise. OP quite ordinary (disappointing really) but the ED is fantastic, one of the more catchy ones I've heard.

Enjoyment

Loved loved loved it. I laughed, cried and anxiously awaited every new episode. Would have been a masterpiece if it were just a little bit longer, enough to make up for some of the "hanging" developments. Still, this did a great job of whetting my appetite for Season 3, I need more Nodame!

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Dec 27, 2008

kiriska

Recommended

I usually don't expect much out of sequels, but slice-of-life stories seem like they should have an advantage in that department, don't they?

STORY - This Paris Chapter picks up pretty much right where the first season leaves off. Chiaki is still working to advance towards his goal of being a renowned conductor, and even Nodame seems to have something more concrete in mind for an end result. The general idea of the story is more or less the same, but unfortunately, I think a lot of the charm is lost in the overseas transition -- mostly because their dreams don't seem quite so distant anymore. ... Chiaki is already fairly well known and well connected; as such, the things that stand between him and what he wants don't seem to be that big a deal anymore. We all know he's capable. This second season gives a little more spotlight to Nodame and her development, but even she seems to have made peace with herself for the most part, so the progression just doesn't seem as interesting.

Episode-to-episode, since it remains quite slice-of-life, the series is still pretty fun and entertaining, but the depth and relevance of the over-arching plot isn't nearly what it was in the first season. It feels more like a continuation of antics because the story had already matured to its height and there's no where else to go. I suppose that's a little disappointing, but at least it doesn't take away from the original series.

CHARACTER - Like the story, I feel like both Chiaki and Nodame had finished all their significant growth and development in the first season and that there wasn't much else to address in the second season. Despite having become an official couple somewhere along the way, there were only small differences in the way they interacted with each other. It was still ridiculously adorable for sure, and it could be said that we do gain some insight on Chiaki's regard of Nodame and their relationship, but I don't really feel much was explored beyond what we could have already figured out on our own. I suppose slow and gradual progression was part of what made their relationship so appealing in the first place though.

Sadly, most of the secondary cast from the first season stays in Japan, and we're greeted with a mostly fresh assortment of support characters in Paris (Kuroki the Oboeist is the only character that reappears). And they aren't nearly as interesting or entertaining as their predecessors. I don't really think there's a specific reason though, honestly; I just had a much harder time caring about them...maybe because they weren't featured as prominently and because none of them really seemed motivated? If they don't care about themselves, then why should I care about them? It also bugged me a little that almost all of them were pianists; variety is good!

ARTSTYLE & ANIMATION - At first glance, Paris-hen seems to have gotten a step-up in budget as far as animation goes. Where season one had still frame after still frame for musical performances, season two has none of that whatsoever. Instead, we're met with a lot of computer-generated music-playing that's fitted in rather awkwardly with the cel animation. Every single performance is animated in the Paris Chapter. Violins move! Fingers glide over piano keys! Chiaki's arms actually wave around when he's conducting! It's pretty neat; I was excited to see instruments move, but after a while, you really start to notice how awkward it looks.

The difference between the CG animation and everything else is too obvious. Chiaki's arms are too stiff. The pianists' fingers are look strange when they move; they're robotic. It isn't terrible, but it's noticeable, and it becomes a little distracting. I think the general character animation took a hit because of it, even in scenes that didn't involve performances. More proportions were off than usual, etc. The animation was never amazing to begin with, so those small things stand out. I'm not really sure whether the still frame panning is better or worse than the awkward CG, but at least they're trying.

MUSIC - You know, for a music anime, Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter has a pretty terrible opening theme. The animation is uninspired, and the song is just... not good. Thankfully, the ending theme is much cuter, and I really enjoyed the multilingualism of it all. We don't see as much variety in musical selections throughout this season as in the first, but that's probably because it's half the length. Almost all of the performance scenes are also markedly shorter, which may bode well for those that got a little bored before, but I was actually kind of disappointed. Even though most of them had been still pans, it took these shortened pieces to make me realize I did really enjoy all those long performances in the first season. I think there's just something cool about seeing characters perform. It's inspiring. In all though, there really isn't much to complain about.

VOICE ACTING - Tomokazu and Kawasumi are still doing a great job with their leads. Chiaki's noise of disbelief is just priceless every time, as is Nodame's "gyabo!" It really impresses me that they manage to find that perfect middle where she says it just enough times to be endearing, but not enough times to be annoying. The rest of the cast's voice acting was pretty average.

One thing I really wish they addressed better was the bilingual nature of the story though. Sure, they're Japanese characters and thus speak Japanese, and obviously, a show airing in Japan will be in Japanese, but still. The way the series starts off is actually really neat as far as this goes -- Nodame is learning French through dubbed anime and it's really hilarious. There are captions indicating when conversations are actually taking place in French but are being "dubbed" in Japanese. But after a while, these indications disappear, and I get confused, especially when random sniplets of French get woven in to the spoken Japanese. Especially when French characters speaking in Japanese weave French into their Japanese!

I have to admit that it was pretty fun hearing the Japanese butcher another language besides English though. XD

OVERALL - Nodame Cantabile Paris-hen was enjoyable. It didn't quite live up to the standards set by the first season, but it was far from being a straight-up failure. As I haven't read the manga or seen the drama, I'm not quite sure how all this matches up with the events there, but it is a smooth follow-up to the original anime. The story doesn't move much, but the characters are still fun and their interactions cute. The visual aspects could stand a bit more improvement, but the sound is still pretty damn solid (excepting the opening theme).

I'm pretty excited for the third season, anyway. Slice-of-life could conceivably go on forever, and I know I said that both the story and characters feel like they've matured to some kind of climax... but despite that, I'm still having fun with them. There's always room to grow. Maybe there wasn't much movement in this season, but who knows what the third season could bring? I have faith. For sequels, that's a pretty rare thing.

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Noda, Megumi

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von Stresemann, Franz

Kuroki, Yasunori

Auclair, Charles

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Son, Rui

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