Nodame Cantabile Live Action ep.09

December 18, 2006 | 40 Comments

Sorry for the late entry but this has been a rather busy week for me since Christmas is just around the corner. Anyway, this feels like a pre-cursor to the end where everything has been written so that the series can end conclusively in the next 2 episodes. After reading the manga, I think the writers can end this on a satisfying note. I just lament the fact that we won't get to see the Paris arc. I supposed it would have been costly to do the Paris arc since they would have to shoot in Paris and includes a few foreigners in the story. In addition to this, they would have to train Tamaki Hiroshi and Ueno Juri to speak French and prepare subtitles for every episode. As difficult as it may seem, I would love to see an OVA showing the Paris arc. A TV show might have been too costly but a 1 hour OVA could be feasible.

The episode opens with Chiaki waking up from his hypnosis and is surprised when he finds himself clutching Strezemann's watch. Back in Uraken, Kiyora is still basking from the limelight of the last concert when Masumi tells her that they should be preparing for their next performance. At first Kiyora is not sure until Masumi shows her the critical reviews and the amount of money that they get from their first concert. Kuroki agrees to do it right away while Kikuchi agrees but hopes that the next one will be Cello concert. Kimura has even posted notices that they are going to hold another concert. Meanwhile, Chiaki finds himself wondering why he's in Haneda Airport with Mine. Mine is confused about this since Chiaki was the one who wanted to eat Ramen in Hokkaido. As it turns out, this is the result of Nodame's hypnosis. She suggested that Chiaki tries going to Hokkaido first. Since Chiaki is afraid to go on his own, he decided to drag Mine along with him.

When the two are about to enter their plane, a kid carrying a model plane drops said plane and as a result, it gets squashed by another kid walking nearby. Chiaki immediately becomes terrified upon seeing this and as a result, ends up clinging onto Mine inside the plane. When a Stewardess spots the two of them, an embarrassed Mine has to explain to her that they are not in that kind of relationship. As soon as the plane is about to take off, Chiaki suffers from a complete panic attack until he hears Nodame's voice in his head, assuring the guy that he'll be okay and to give airplane another try. A few hours later, Chiaki looks happy when he realises that he can now go anywhere with a plane. His thought about going overseas comes to a halt when Mine happily informs him that everyone is planning the next R☆S performance. He even calls the Orchestra, "An Everlasting Orchestra". All of a sudden, Chiaki stands up and tells Mine that he must buy Crabs.

Mine tries to remind him that their destination is Ramen but Chiaki continues to look possessed and starts looking for a place to buy Crabs. As it turns out, during her hypnosis, Nodame told Chiaki to buy her some Crabs once he arrived in Hokkaido. Because of this Chiaki proceeds to buy some expensive Crabs at a local fish market. Mine is horrified upon seeing the price and even more so when Chiaki starts buying 15,000 Yen Uni (Sea Urchin) because Nodame also wants them. Nodame also asked for Ramen, Melon, and famous Hokkaido chocolate, "Shiroi Aijin". Back in Tokyo, Saiko is shocked to know that Chiaki took a plane so Chiaki's mother tells her that it's all thanks to Nodame. Eventually Chiaki makes his way back to Tokyo carrying the foods that Nodame ordered. However, he soon realises that Nodame is not around. She has left a letter and a potted plant in front of his apartment, asking him to take care of it while she's away.

Chiaki finds out from Mine's father that Nodame has been staying at Etou-sensei's house. Because of this, he heads towards the house carrying all of the Crabs and the souvenirs. At the same time, Nodame is in the middle of practicing her piano with Etou-sensei. Etou is not impressed upon hearing this and asks the girl what was it that she's playing, wanting to know if it's supposed to be Schubert or Beethoven. Instead of answering the question, Nodame ends up falling asleep because she ate too much during breakfast. In order to wake her up, Etou shakes her body around. When Etou asks her again if she's going to play Schubert or Beethoven for the Concours, she says that she is going to play Schumann. Etou is annoyed about this and tells her that it's "Schubert" not "Schumann". He also wonders if she's serious about this but Nodame tells her with straight face that she's really going to do this and starts practicing the song again.

Etou is surprised to know that Nodame has been practicing but he can't help wondering why she suddenly wants to enter Concours. Once Nodame finished playing, she asks Etou if she can win this but he points out that Nodame has only practiced briefly. That's not enough to win the competition. He thinks she'd be better off taking her chance next year but Nodame tells him that next year will be too late. One way or the other, she intends on winning the Maradona Piano Concours since the 1st prize will be 2 million yen as well as a scholarship to study overseas. Etou is surprised upon finding out Nodame's intention but Nodame is determined to win the 2 million yen. She thinks the amount will be enough for her to follow Chiaki to Europe. As soon as she said this, Nodame realises that she just gave too much information. Outside the house, Chiaki can't believe his eyes when he sees Nodame studying piano with Etou-sensei.

His thought is interrupted when Etou's wife, Kaori, thinks that he's a peeping tom. When she comes closer, however, she realises that the peeping tom is just Chiaki. XD Upon seeing Kaori, Chiaki decides to hand over the Crabs and the souvenirs, instructing her to make sure that everyone eats them during dinner. Chiaki is shocked when Kaori informs him that Nodame tells him that Nodame came here because she wants to practice for the Maradona Piano Concours. Chiaki remembers how Nodame rejected the idea of entering Concours and insisted on becoming kindergarten teacher instead. As the two listen to Nodame's performance, Kaori realises that Nodame's version of Schubert's Sonata sounds a bit different. Chiaki believes that it's impossible for Nodame to do this since her style is not appropriate for a musical performance. Having said that, he admits that Nodame's technique is great and he understands what Etou feels.

Halfway through the performance, however, Etou becomes frustrated because Nodame's Schubert is now sounding more like Chopin. Upon seeing this Chiaki wonders if Etou can fix Nodame's weakness. Because he has nothing to contribute, Chiaki decides to go home right away. Kaori tries to invite him to eat Crabs with the rest of them but Chiaki refuses because he doesn't want to disturb Nodame's lesson. He believes if Nodame is really serious about studying piano then he'd be better off leaving her in the hands of Harisen. As Chiaki walks away from Etou's house, Nodame can be seen following the musical note closely. By the time Chiaki returns to his apartment, he finds out that Masumi has left countless messages on his phone box. After deleting every single one of them, Chiaki eventually gets the message that his mother sent him. She congratulates him and tells him that this means he can go to Europe now. Chiaki smiles upon hearing this.

During dinner time, Nodame and Etou are surprised to see large Crabs waiting for them on the dinner table. Upon finding out that the Crabs are from Chiaki, Nodame realises that he went to Hokkaido as requested. Etou tells Kaori that the Crabs are Chiaki's presents for his girlfriend. Inside Classic Life magazine, Keeko is trying to get Sakuma to hand in his manuscript when she receives a phone call from Elise. The next day, Nodame wants to know if there is some underhanded money involved the competition. For example, she wonders if the students of the judges will be favoured to win. If that's the case, she thinks maybe Etou should start bribing them too. XD Etou yells sat her upon hearing this, telling her that participants are known by numbers and the judges are usually foreigners. Upon hearing this Nodame tells Etou that if no one can bribe the judges then she has nothing to worry about. XD

Etou is shocked to hear this and wonders how confident Nodame really is of her ability. He also wants to know why Nodame is so insistent on Schubert. As it turns out, she wants to do it because it feels as if she's dating a guy she never dated before. Suffice to say, Etou is pissed off upon hearing this silly rationale. That day Chiaki receives a text message from Nodame telling him that because Schubert is a difficult person to please, it's hard to talk to the person even when you make your best effort. And oh, lunch was crab omelette. Chiaki unconsciously smiles upon receiving the message and tells himself that he didn't know that Nodame has a mobile phone. Chiaki is startled when Kuroki appears and asks him if the message is from "Megumi-chan". Chiaki envies this but Kuroki assures Chiaki not to worry about him. Chiaki is horrified when Kuroki calls Nodame "Wonderful" and thinks that he and Nodame are involved in a relationship.

Their conversation comes to a halt when Masumi and Mine drags him out of the building to see a group of people who want to join the R☆S Orchestra. This includes several people from outside the school as well as several ex-members of S Orchestra. Mine is excited and invites everyone to audition and also reminds them that R☆S Orchestra will have concert in Suntory Hall on the 25th of December. All of a sudden Chiaki receives a call from Keeko, who informs him that Strezemann is back in Japan. True enough, when Chiaki turns around, he and everyone else finds Strezemann approaching them. Not surprisingly, the first thing on Strezemann's mind is why Chiaki didn't send him that Nagaoka Mami's photo album. The next thing on his mind is to ask everyone to go partying. During the party, Strezemann asks Chiaki what is Nodame doing right now so Chiaki informs him that Nodame is now practicing for her Concours.

Strezemann also knows that Chiaki can leave Japan now. Because of this, he wants Chiaki to go to Europe right away. Strezemann himself is going back to Europe next week so he wants Chiaki to follow him because there is a Conducting Concours next Spring. Because of this, it is imperative that Chiaki starts practicing now. Chiaki tries to tell Strezemann that he has an Orchestra to conduct but Strezemann insists that he follows what his teacher says. Meanwhile, Nodame is still not doing really well in her practice. She decides to take a break and is surprised when she receives a reply text from Chiaki. Chiaki asks her if she thinks Schubert really is a difficult person to deal with. He thinks she should stop listening to herself and starts listening to what others tells her. He also reminds her to read the score. Nodame becomes encouraged upon reading this and starts practicing again while an imaginary Chiaki gives her some pointers.

Fast forward a few days/months later, Nodame can be seen performing Schubert's Piano Sonata in the 1st phase of the Maradona Piano Concert. Much to Etou's surprise, Nodame plays it really well this time around. Once she finished the song, she receives a loud applause from everyone. That night, Nodame goes to the campus to let Chiaki know about the good news. Chiaki offers to cook for her but Nodame refuses because she has to go back to Etou's house and practice for the second stage. She apologises for making Chiaki sad but thanks him for the Crabs. Nodame then changes the topic and asks Chiaki when he'll go to Europe. Chiaki tells her that he'll go but right now he has his Orchestra to think about. He then tells Nodame that this is none of her business. Nodame is angry to hear this and tells Chiaki that this is related to her. She criticises him for telling her to aim higher and yet he is not being serious about his own future.

Nodame believes that Chiaki is someone who has to go out there into the world stage. She then leaves him after ordering him to stop whining. Back in Etou's house, Nodame is still distracted after her encounter with Chiaki and is not paying attention to anything that Etou tells her. For the 2nd stage, Etou wants her to practice Chopin's Etude and Debussy's L'isle joyeusse. Upon seeing this, Nodame tells Etou that she has played Chopin's Etude in the past and she probably still remembers it. True enough, Nodame is pretty good at this particular piece. In fact, a flashback reveals that when she was a kid, other students and parents were in awe of her ability. In the present time, Etou also congratulates her on being able to play the piece very well. However, because Nodame is asleep, she doesn't hear Etou praising her for being able to move people's heart with her performance. He thinks it's amazing that even Chiaki bought all of those Crabs for her. XD

The next day, Etou and Kaori take Nodame and Etou's other student. Nodame, however, seems to be unusually depressed, claiming that she just had remember a bad memory. When Etou praises the other student's performance. The other student tells Nodame that Nodame's performance is also equally good, lifting her spirits again. Unfortunately, a discussion about the boy's upcoming rival, Segawa Yuuto. Apparently the kid already won the Oshiori competition when he was young. For some reason, Nodame feels that the name sounds familiar to her. Etou thinks that everyone probably thinks that he's the candidate to win. Kaori thinks it's strange that the guy didn't participate in bigger Concours if he really is that good. Back inside his apartment, Chiaki is busy short-listing applicants for his Orchestra when he remembers Strezemann's order and Nodame's words. At school, Etou thanks Chiaki for the Crab as the two pass each other.

Etou also tells Chiaki that the 2nd stage will start from 3PM and asks him if he'd come and see it. When Chiaki claims that he has other things to do, Etou calls him a cold boyfriend. Chiaki denies that he's Nodame's boyfriend. Besides, he thinks she can do many good things on her own without him. Upon hearing this, Etou realises that Chiaki doesn't know the reason why Nodame wants to participate in the Concours. Because of this Etou tells him that Nodame wants to win the 1st prize so she can study overseas together with Chiaki. In other words, Nodame wants to catch up with Chiaki and this is the reason why she manages to go this far. On the day of the 2nd stage, Nodame still practicing her song even when it's time to go to the Concours. Meanwhile, Chiaki arrives earlier at the school as usual. After giving the idea of going overseas some thoughts, Chiaki makes a phone call to Strezemann, who is ready to go back to Europe.

Chiaki tells Strezemann that he's made a decision to go to Europe. However, he can't come with Strezemann right now because he wants to do what he'd like to do first before he leaves. He promises that after the R☆S Orchestra's Christmas performance, he'll go to Europe. Unknown to Chiaki, his whole conversation is overheard by Mine. Strezemann understands this but in exchange for Chiaki not coming with him now, he wants Chiaki not to be half-hearted in his last performance with the R☆S Orchestra. After he ends the conversation, Chiaki realises that the time is close to Nodame's performance so he decides to head to her Concours. Meanwhile, Etou's other student has just finished her performance and is awarded applause by everyone except the eccentric professor called Aulaire. Inside the dressing room, Kaori tries to put some make-up on Nodame and fix her hair. She also asks the girl to be more cheerful during the performance.

Their conversation comes to a halt when Etou comes to pick Nodame. Etou advises her to impress the judge using her technique. As they walk through the hall, a man with a funny-looking haircut appears and calls Nodame using "Megumi-chan". As it turns out, this is the same kid with glasses that Nodame saw in her flashback. Nodame becomes disturbed because of this and during her performance, it's revealed that she was once physically abused by her Piano teacher. As a result, Nodame's style becomes messy as usual. When Etou wonders why Nodame looks as if she hates the song, another flashback reveals that as a kid, Nodame was abused by her teacher because she didn't follow his instruction. Chibi Nodame tried to fight back by biting the teacher's hand but this simply earns her a slap. As a result, she fell onto the floor and bleed her nose. The episode ends with Chiaki and Etou looking concerned for Nodame.

Impression:

The revelation that Nodame was physically abused by her Piano teacher explains why she reacted badly when Etou brought the paper fan with him. This also provides an explanation as to why she wants to be a kindergarten teacher. As someone who was physically abused as a child, Nodame probably doesn't want other children to go through what she did. Having said that, I don't understand why she is willing to put up with Chiaki's and Etou's occasional outburst of anger. The only reason I can think of is that she knows that those outbursts have no malice in them. In Chiaki's case, for example, Nodame knows that he cares a lot about her. I'm glad to see Chiaki responding to Nodame's text message in this episode. I personally think going on a competition for someone that you like is a waste of time if that person can't care less. When Nodame received that text message, she knew that her efforts are reciprocated. This in returns, motivates her to do better.

Moving on to other characters, I find it amusing that Kuroki is sitting on his own in the playground. I think amongst all of the characters, Kuroki has the potential to be developed into a spin-off of his own. I kind of feel sorry for him in this episode. If you have read or watch Honey and Clover, he reminds me a lot of Takemoto. He may not be as funny as Nodame and Chiaki but he's really easy to identify. Kikuchi didn't get that much screen time in this episode but I can't help but laughing when I saw his girlfriends are fighting it out inside the Karaoke box. I am personally surprised that the R☆S Orchestra is looking for new members. But this would be a good thing to do considering some of its members are leaving soon. I think the Orchestra can continue if they can find good replacements for the original members. Last but not least, Nodame's rival in this episode is cree-py. The fact that he actually smiled when Nodame got abused makes him a lot more detestable.

© memento 2003