Thursday, October 8, 2009

Sixteen Blog Post- Nodame Cantabile (2007)


It has been a long time since my last blog post on anime recommendation. I was tied up with work and personal issues. Well, to reopen my new post for the month of October, here is a light-hearted anime for you guys.

Story/Dev: 75%
Nodame Cantabile is very much a simple story of students in a School of Music; of the students pursuing their passion in music. What really made me give this section such a high rating, was watching how the story progressed, which was nicely done. No over the top melodrama and heart wrenching romance, simple yet emotionally touching. Anime often has the tendency to exaggerate even simple events, sports or activities. Unlike PoT, the stunts are over-dramatic and impossible to achieve. Nodame Cantabile, however, has none of those. Nodame Cantabile has plenty of hilarious scenes, well complimented by that of romances, all superbly perfected by the music used in the background. I particularly loved the ending, which is simple but really captures the emotion well.

Animation/Graphics/Design: 75%
The design and animation quality are simple, but nevertheless effective in bringing out the light-hearted atmosphere. However, one must take note of the realistic animation sequence when closing up on the actions of the characters playing the instruments, notably the piano and violin.

Characters/Dev: 85%
I like how the story progress with Chiaki starting out as being arrogant, but throughout the series we can see the gradual change in his personalities, like how he learns to accept others' talents, learn to be more sociable. Then of course there is the lovable Nodame, herself, with her unique trademark of weird noises. Ayako Kawasumi did a really wonderful job as the seiyuu of Nodame, in bringing out the laidback personality of the character. Then there's also the rest of the eccentric cast to contibute to the success of the series.

Music: 100%+++
The main highlight of the series, featuring Classical masterpieces such as Mozart, Brahms etc. The music itself already commands a certain ambience and serve as an attention grabber on its own. What's even more impressive is how the pieces are cleverly chosen for the scenes: no music in the series is there merely for the characters competition; every piece chosen and played at a selected scene accurately reflects upon the thoughts and feelings of the characters as well as the atmosphere of the situation. Tranquil piano pieces, to grand and majestic concertos, to elegance of the violin pieces, bewitchingly enchanting!

Summary:Indeed, the music is really influential in making the viewers really feel for the characters, drawing the audience into the story and be indulged in it. The way the story plays out along with the pieces are just so emotionally captivating and refreshing that I was totally engaged by this series, no dull moments.However, l have to say that if you're not into Classical music, you may not enjoy this series. After all, it is how the music and the story combine to deliver such a masterpiece is what really mesmerizes. It certainly was no joke with the saying, "Music is magic."

Personal overall rating: A Solid 100% for a work of such caliber