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- JoinedMar 8, 2016
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Mar 29, 2018
Look, just gonna write a short review here that I think sums it up enough, the rest can be left to the series itself.
This anime is, in my personal experience, the first series that successfully delivers a series of short stories (almost each episode having some kind of mini story) and still make every minute of it worth the time. It elicits emotions you could never imagine was possible with a character(s) you have seen for less than an episode. In that sense, this series is an absolute masterpiece. Putting the sound and art aside (which are obviously great), the way they managed to make
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me cry and feel so attached to characters in short periods of time is great proof to the mastery in storytelling techniques employed during this entire series. The start may be a little slow, but just trust me and give it time.
Yeah, I think that suffices it, just like how each episode packs its own unique punch, hopefully this short review can convince you to enjoy this beautiful art :)
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jul 17, 2016
This is about the story of a person who knows absolutely nothing about classical music (and who constantly listens to electronic music) and his journey with this magical series known as Nodame Cantabile.
***************** Overall ********************
It has been a good 9 years since the production of this anime, it is a long time indeed, but there is just something about this anime that I cannot fully explain, in a good way. Normally, classical music only appear in anime series when the MC enters the house of his rich friend, or when characters with high social status appear. In other words, classical music becomes the thing that
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creates a distance between the viewer and these characters (or surroundings). Words like extravagant, over-the-top, infinite wealth often hover around this genre of music in terms of its usage. However, with this series, these pieces, one after another, is used to communicate with the viewers. These characters are not your prince and princesses, they resonate somewhere within you. Often, they fill your heart with warmth. Classical music, it has seem, became more like a window through which we can escape into our imaginations and feelings. The previous notions I had about them being cold, and perhaps superficial, has faded away.
So then why should you give up some of your time for these 24 episodes?
It is quite simple, really. It has been quite some time since I last find myself immersed in a series that is neither overly rushed, nor overly boring due to its length. In fact, it almost appears as if these 24 episodes have the effect of 50 episodes in some other series. Less action and round-the-bush drama, and more subtlety and good story telling. This subtlety is in terms of character growth, character development and the conveying of the message behind this series. If you want to peacefully enjoy a series that will still somehow manage to send chills down your spine and warm your heart, this is honestly quite the perfect series for you.
Moreover, this series delivered something rarely ever delivered by other series: actually impacting the viewers with music, and music alone. No need to fear, there is no 30 minutes concerts in here, but just a couple of minutes every once in a while. These couple of minutes, however, is enough to make you appreciate classical music so much more, and for you to immerse yourself in some epic pieces that has lived on for decades, if not centuries.
Furthermore, behind these pieces, the series carry a few messages that I find quite inspirational.
***************** Life Lessons?? *******************
First of: just be you. In this series, we are introduced to many different and unique characters. They may be (very) weird, but somehow, you can still relate to them. The message here is: you really don't have to be the best at everything to be the best of yourself. As much as Chiaki is very much successful thanks to his (super duper) high ability in playing the piano, violin and also conducting, I dare argue that Megumi, in her own way, is just as impressive a character. And even though she is really bad at being neat, or at cooking, she manages to find happiness is what she does and what she likes: playing the piano. Chiaki, on the other hand, only manages to realize this thanks to Stresemann (when he told Chiaki to just enjoy playing music during performances instead of worrying too much).
However, this is where character development really kicks in. Throughout the series, Megumi slowly comes to terms with her ability. It is a process of recognition. Since the beginning, she already knew that she learns particularly fast by ears, but has yet to recognize her incredible skills. By the end of the series, she agrees to try her best to enter a school in Paris. However, unlike Chiaki, I feel that Megumi does not aim or ultimately want to be the best in the world. Instead, she came to terms with her skills and has accepted that she is a very gifted pianist (thanks to both her talent and hard work). Hence, her agreement to want to study abroad is more about wanting to discover how far her skills and hard work can take her, and not about chasing a dream. Of course, it is also because Chiaki is going to Europe as well. But unlike Chiaki, even if she is not chasing the sun, she is just as strong and impressive. The moral of the story? If you fear being too unrealistic (or being let down by your hopes) to want to be the best, try believing in your own ability and work up from there. At least, that is what I took away from this series.
************** Romance *******************
As far as relationships in this series go, it takes quite the unique direction. What can I say...this series is a lot more real. Say bye bye to the cliches of your ordinary series, and hello to more.....ordinary relationship developments?! This series feature a very unlikely couple (to quote Misty Chronexia) but progresses their chemistry and closeness really smoothly. This series allows us to see how, slowly but surely, their fate, lives and future becomes intertwined with one another. It is like seeing a pair of dancers slowly becoming one. I am not really good with words, but I will say this much: it is awesome, and you will sincerely want to support them :)
************** Some last comments ***************
This series feature quite the daily-life-type plot. However, the characters and music of this series is what makes it so special, as if telling us that there is always a way to make out everyday lives special and interesting as well. Its art is really good in my opinion for a series that is about to celebrate its first decade. It really is not disappointing at all. Sound? Well, do I really have to answer this?! Very good, of course. This combination gives rise to a very enjoyable series which I highly recommend if you want a peaceful (yet not slow or boring) and solid series.
PS: I am giving classical music a try and am listening to Brahms as I write this. I am honestly surprised that I would one day enlighten my ears with this genre, considering that I listened to electronic music usually. It just speaks to how impressive this series is!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jul 12, 2016
This is not going to be the super long types of review, but I'm writing it anyways. I guess I have some words and thoughts to put off my chest.
This anime is really awesome, and I mean it in every sense (just look at the scores I gave). Very few anime can adapt a light novel based story and plot that well; the execution in this series is just golden. Seriously, the perfect mix of light-hearted moments and tense situations greatly elevates my experience watching it. Moreover, the delicate balance between plot progression and character development is well achieved. Unlike many series these days,
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this series is arguably compact, you won't catch yourself wanting the series to be faster. However, it also sparred a good amount of time just adding some little details to the plot (be it conversations, thoughts or additional scenes) which allows for great character development. This means having 4 arcs in just 17 episodes (yeah, I know, it sounds insane), but with characters you can relate to on a deep level thanks to the abundance of character development.
Basically, if you are considering this series, please just watch it, I can guarantee it is worth every minute of yours.
Then again, each series have their own flaws, and so does this. However, it is one very tiny detail that I don't think it deserves to be called a flaw, but it sure is a hole that I fail to overlook. This series is so satisfying that I am actually going over the little details one would not even give any attention to for series which are badly done.
******* SPOILER ALERT ************ PERSONAL RANT ALERT ******
This weakness, to put it simply, is the lack of scenes and situations that allow us viewers to have a better grasp the change in Iori's personality. Yes we know that she no longer compares herself to what is called as "normal" and what is "ideal", and that these points are well illustrated. But, we are not shown a few things. First, how her thoughts have changed, if any. During the 4th arc, we know that she has some pretty dark and negative thoughts. But if she really decides later on to not give a damn about wanting to be someone she is not, does that mean she becomes the cold and dark person her thoughts probe her to be? No, she kinda got back to cheery Iori, kinda, at least. Then does that mean she changed how she thinks?! Unfortunately, we don't know.
And you may ask why this matters so much that without writing this, I am probably going to have a sleepless night, I mean, the story was good, right? Well yeah, but this has its implications. By only telling us that she no longer wants to try too hard to become her ideal self, we don't see to the full extent of how she has changed. We were not given any chance to really compare the old Iori vs the new Iori. We are confused over what really changed. And the implication that I can't get over with is the relationship between the characters.
Yes, we get it that the love between Iori and Taichi was innocent and naive (like how someone lost would fall in love with their savior), but I just really wished that more details on that were given. Like how does Iori feel about Taichi after everything that has happened? How does Iori think of having her best friend date Taichi? Just the process of moving on from liking someone to another person was not done as well as when Aoki moved on from Nana to Yui. And given that it did not take super long to show us how Aoki moved on, it would probably be very viable for these details to be added in a couple of minutes. After all, the execution of this anime is golden. It is a real waste, as the lack of details makes me a tiny bit confused. And this made me fail to fully accept the TaichiXInaba route taken. After all, the plot has strongly convinced me to support the TaichiXIori route. So yes, it all came down to the little disappointment in me towards the ending. And yes, I may be the only one thinking about this small, tiny detail, but regardless, just a little better presentation during the ending episode would really have boosted my overall perception of this anime.
If you have read all the way....thank you very much, you are a very patient person, and you are awesome for lending me your ears (more like eyes actually). I will still firmly say that this is an AMAZING series, and that small lack in details would not change the fact that it is good, but legendary series end with a bang (meaning a great level of satisfaction), and thus the 9 instead of 10 for the overall score. Call me irrational, well, you are probably correct, but I just can't ignore the part of me who is annoyed by the ending ;)
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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