Nodame Cantabile ep.02

January 19, 2007 | 29 Comments

Well, this is slightly disappointing after last week's episode. I think the animation dips slightly down in this one. Mine's face, for example, is rarely consistent in this series. Prior to watching the live action, I always thought that Mine's hair in the manga is a lot better than Eita's hair in the live-action. Now, however, it's kind of strange to see Mine with short, cropped hair. I also kind of suspected that the animators won't animate much of the hand movement but the result is a bit disappointing. They often rely on visual tricks such as shadow or static still but I don't think it works as well. I hope this won't be a big problem when the series reaches the part where everyone gets to perform on stage. On the positive side, I like the drawing style, which I don't think is that similar to Honey and Clover. If anything, the character design reminds me a bit of The Adventures of TinTin, with its rounded shapes and small eyes.

The episode begins with a blonde guy entering the Momogaoka music school. As he passes by different students, he keeps saying how everyone is clueless. Nodame's friends points out that the guy's father owns a Chinese restaurant called Uraken. Unknown to the girls, Nodame can be seen in the background stealing their Onigiri. Meanwhile, the blonde guy is now now seen inside a room practicing his electric violin. His name is Mine Ryuutarou. His friend reminds him that he has a practical exam soon. He's concerned because Mine has failed once and wonder what would happen if Mine fails again now. He also points out that he's introduced Mine to a pianist and wonder if the guy quit on Mine. A flashback then reveals that the pianist in question was Chiaki and he disliked Mine's style. Mine immediately claims that Chiaki wasn't the right person and didn't play with the right feeling. Because of this he wants his friend to find him a better player.

Their conversation comes to a halt when Mine's electric violin suddenly stops making any sound. They quickly realise that the power has been disconnected. When Mine goes outside to check out the problem, he finds out that Nodame had tripped the cable. Nodame is frustrated that she doesn't get to eat the Tarako part of the Onigiri before she dropped it to the floor. Upon seeing her piano note, Mine asks her if she would like to be his partner at the exam. That night at his apartment, Chiaki is busy cooking in the kitchen when Nodame barges in, wanting her portion of Chiaki's cooking. A flashback then reveals that 2 weeks ago, Nodame came with her homecook meal, a grilled fish with heart-shaped mayonnaise on top of it. Chiaki was horrified upon seeing the black as charcoal fish and decided to show Nodame that a homemade cooking should look better than that. As a result he ended up cooking her a difficult to pronounce pasta dish.

It was then that Nodame praised Chiaki's cooking skill, claiming that it's better than her mother. Back in the present, Nodame thanks Chiaki for dinner and then tells the guy that a marriage with him would be nice. Chiaki is horrified to hear this but Nodame already changes the topic and asks Chiaki if he knows Beethoven's 5th violin sonata. Apparently Nodame is supposed to accompany Mine but she hasn't learned the piece yet. Upon hearing this, Chiaki tells Nodame to play the song for him. Chiaki explains how ever since that time, they always play piano together after dinner. By the time Nodame gets to do her practice duet with Mine, somehow she manages to play rather well. Mine is impressed by this especially because they even make mistakes on the same part. Mine thinks he's going to do well in the exam. That day, Chiaki is thinking of buying some fish for dinner when he hears "Mukyaaa!!" coming from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

When he looks inside, he finds Nodame being treated to Chinese foods by Mine and his father. Nodame clearly loves the foods so Mine tells him she can eat here free. That night, Chiaki decides to buy take-away food from convenient store and eat it on his own. He realises that lately Nodame hasn't come to visit. He's annoyed with the fact that he's thinking about her and likens Nodame to a cat who doesn't care who she's with as long as they feed her. In his frustration, Chiaki decides to listen to Viera-sensei's musical recording and ends up falling asleep on the couch. He's awakened when someone rings the bell and immediately assumes it's Nodame. By the time he scolds the person in question, he realises that it's none other than Saiko. Not long after this, however, he notices Nodame coming to the place with Uraken takeaway bag. The next day Nodame is depressed and this affects the quality of her duet with Mine.

Because he doesn't want to fail his exam, Mine decides to help Nodame with her love problem. He, however, is shocked when he finds out that Nodame's crush is none other than Chiaki. Upon seeing Tagaya Saiko approaching Chiaki, Mine tells Nodame that she's already lost since Saiko is not only beautiful but also an excellent singer. Meanwhile, Saiko decides to drag Chiaki to a bar because she's upset that another girl ends up getting the lead role in the upcoming school production. Saiko suggests to Chiaki that they get back together but in retaliation to her previous rejection, Chiaki tells Saiko that he's over her and he hates losers like Saiko. At the same time, Nodame is still depressed and wants to meet Chiaki and eats his home-made dishes. Upon finding out that Chiaki has been cooking for Nodame, Mine tells her that she may still have a chance. He believes a man doesn't cook for a girl if the guy doesn't like her.

He suggests that Nodame steals Chiaki from Saiko by sleeping with him. But to do this, Nodame has to learn being sexy. Unfortunately, Nodame's idea of being sexy is...horrifying to say the least. Mine suggests that she puts on some make up on her face but Nodame ends up putting too much because she wants to imitate Marilyn Monroe. Mine tries to help Nodame putting make-up on her face but when Chiaki comes to the room, he ends up getting freaked out by Nodame. On top of this, he is bothered with the noise that Nodame and Mine makes. Mine is annoyed to hear this and tells Chiaki that it's his fault that Nodame becomes like this. In retaliation, Chiaki asks Mine if he thinks he's a good player so Mine responds by telling the guy that he won 3rd prize in the national junior competition. Chiaki is unimpressed and shows Mine his awesome Violin skill. He then claims that he won the first place in the Vienna junior competition.

When he goes home that night, Mine complains about how everyone always forces him to play the music the way it's been written. This is the reason why he hates classical music. At the same time, Nodame asks Chiaki to have a duet with her. Despite his reluctance, Chiaki picks up his violin and accompany Nodame, who plays the Piano. Much to his surprise, Nodame manages to master the song after only listening to the song once on the CD. Later on, Nodame wonders why she and Mine doesn't play in harmony that well. The next day, Nodame tells Mine that he plays the violin like a masturbation. LOL. What she meant is that Mine only plays for self-gratification. In addition ot this, he has no idea about ensemble playing, and does not listen to her piano playing at all. She also orders him not to worry about technique. Mine knows that Nodame simply repeating what Chiaki said. He slumps down and tells Nodame he knows he's not good at all.

Much to his surprise, however, Nodame tells him that Chiaki didn't say that Mine is an awful player. In fact, Chiaki thinks Mine's interpretation is interesting. While Mine's ensemble playing is not good, Chiaki thinks that his solo playing is good. Because of this, Nodame believes they should continue practicing the piece. Mine, however, doesn't want to play the song the way Nodame imagines it: as if it's 'a field of flowers'. His image of the song is that of youthful joy and lightning. Unfortunately on the day of his exam, Mine finds out that Nodame is suffering from cold. Nodame tells Mine that her cold will go away if her prince (Chiaki) kisses her. Chiaki refuses and instead tells Mine that he'd accompany Mine as the piano player. While waiting for their turn, Chiaki comments how the player before them is bad. Mine tells Chiaki that it must be nice to be him since he's a good player who doesn't have to practice.

Chiaki is surprised to hear this and tells Mine tehat he's been practicing violin and piano ever since he was 3 years old. He played violin every day from morning to night prior to coming to this college. Chiaki feels that he's not that good of a piano player and the reason he becomes a top player after only two years is because he studied hard. Chiaki also tells Mine that his actual dream is to become a conductor and this is the reason that he's been studying everything. Before Mine gets to perform, Chiaki asks the guy not to worry about technique. The important thing is to listen to his piano and to play it whichever way Mine wants it. Thanks to Chiaki's ability to match Mine's playing style, the Juri are impressed with Mine's playing. Because of this, Mine decides to break up his band so he can focus on classical music. The episode ends with Mine visiting Chiaki and Nodame, carrying some Chinese foods for his friends.

Impression:

First thing first, I actually like Mine's VA. I think he is similar to the live-action Mine played by Eita. Except that Eita's version is a bit calmer and less likely to shout. Kawasumi Ayako is a mixed bag in this episode. There are times when I think she sounds good as Nodame but there are others where she's not as convincing. The Onigiri/Tarako scene is an example of the later one. I think her voice ends up being a tad to deep in that one and I don't believe that Nodame is upset in that scene. I also noticed that comedy is a bit lacking in this episode. While the dressed up part of this episode is still funny, I remember laughing outloud during the live action version. I think the reason this version is not funny is because Nodame's pose is not that ridiculous. Thankfully the make-up part is horrifying enough. And props to Seki Tomokazu for finally bringing in Chiaki's "HiEEEE!!!" into the series. It makes his character a lot closer to the manga.

One thing that I appreciate from the manga is the less abusive nature of Chiaki's punishment for Nodame. In the live-action, for example, Chiaki actually kicks Nodame after he saw her with the make-up. It was quite hilarious but you can't help but thinking that it's also quite violent. In the anime/manga, Chiaki only knocks Nodame out with a cardboard box, which makes it less violent. Unfortunately the same thing can't be said about the classical performance, which although very nice, lacks the oomph and excitement of the live-action version. I really don't understand why the producer didn't just use the recording that was used for the live-action version. A good example of this is Chiaki and Mine's duet at the end of the episode. If you compare the anime and the live action, it's obvious that the live-action version had a far more vibrant recording. Mine's enthusiasm and messy style is also a lot more pronounced in the live action version.

Preview

On next week's episode: Masumi-chan!!

Posted by Garten

Comments

January 19, 2007 | Rica wrote:

They've been followwing the manga really well. I somehow don't want to see the next episode because I want to read volume 2.

Thanks for the summaries!!

January 19, 2007 | Scarlet wrote:

It's amazing how they manage to cram 3 chapters per episode at this rate they'll get to book 11. But I highly doubt the series will go beyond the first chapter of book 10. Since anything after that involves lots and lots foreigners.

January 19, 2007 | Beren wrote:

Woah, gotta see this episode even if it´s in raw!
By the way, I think it´s "Tintin", all together, not "Tin-tin" (at least in french and spanish) ^_^

January 19, 2007 | Chan-chan wrote:

What's so funny in "Wiener"? I don't understand it. But Just by that CD Cover snapshot the place overview in the last episode was meant to be Vienna and not Prague.

January 19, 2007 | kacpy wrote:

I don't think the character designs are similar to Hachikuro, BUT the style (random notes written on screen) with the muted colors (as opposed to, I dunno, Eureka 7 colors) are kinda Hachikuro-ish...

I'm not a big fan of those CG hands either...

January 19, 2007 | FubaredByAnime wrote:

>> I really don't understand why the producer didn't just use the recording that was used for the live-action version.

I believes Sony is a sponsor, so they're probably doing the recordings as well as probably providing some money for the animation.

In a sense, that's good for the animation studio because then they won't have to pay for someone else's recording, which only forces them to lose money in their budget.

January 19, 2007 | wontaek wrote:

Grades for the music ( and only the classical music ) of the episodes.
ep. 1: B- ( won't argue if you want a B )
ep2: D+ ( you better have good reason if you want C- )

January 19, 2007 | wontaek wrote:

Oops! Forgot to say I reserve A grades for legendary level performances. The only A level performance I heard in person is a concert given by Tallis Scholars. I have heard some worthy of A- from St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Claudio Arrau, Emma Kirkby, and Saltzburg Mozarteum Orchestra

January 19, 2007 | u-r-crazy-4-fiction wrote:

What's grade??

How can you demand sounds of professional grade from college students?

January 19, 2007 | wontaek wrote:

There things even college students can do, and I have been around them to know what to expect. The problem with this series is that we have some characters that may potentially be the best students in Japan, and that sets rather high standards, which the anime series has not met for this episode. In contrast, I believe the episode 1's music performance to be good and about what you can expect from the situation. Also, the live-action drama had good music I felt to be of appropriate level. This episode did worse than the Live-action drama in musical terms, and since I do know what was possible, I cannot give a good grade for this episode. The violin playing, especially, had many problems that wasn't heard in live-action drama.

January 19, 2007 | Kyouya wrote:

There were couple of things I liked about this episode. Nodame's obsession with gourmet food and Chiaki giving a burn to Saiko (the 'makeinu' comment :P) were the highlights of this episode.

I don't know if it's because of J.C. Staff or the director of Honey and Clover, the opening and ending are very identical to Honey and Clover (especially the ending, preview also). If you look at both endings, the same approach is being taken. For the record, I love the opening better than the ending. I have nothing against the ending. Crystal Kay is great, but I just think the mixture of piano, drums, and bass guitar in this opening creates an adventure that Chiaki and Nodame are going into together.

Lastly, I did not want to say this but I'm going to have to say this now. Garten, I know you love the live action drama for Nodame, but you have to stop comparing it to the anime. It's totally different and you know it. I have nothing against the drama. However, I think it is unfair that you are judging the anime based on the drama. I agree there are some dents here and there...but you have to judge by its own merit, not by comparison. If we start comparing and wanting it to be exactly same all the time, then it gets boring and repetitive. Can you imagine the Gundam series having the same exact story over and over? Can you imagine all other shoujo animes following exactly like Honey and Clover? If anime companies follow that trend, then we can kiss creativity goodbye.

Sorry to be rude, but it had to be said.

January 19, 2007 | Garten wrote:

Fair enough. I kind of like doing comparison between the two just to see which aspects of the live action and which aspects of the anime are better. I do admit that the drama has quite a hold on me and there are times when I miss the voices from that version.

Anyway, I'd try to watch the anime and judge it based on its own merit in the future. I think I'd still mention the differences if I run out of things to say but whether it is done better in the anime or in the live action, I'd leave that to the commenters.

One thing that may not be apparent from the review is that I always try to mention the positive part of the anime if I think they are positive. And despite my criticism, this anime is definitely better than the 10 or more series that are released this season. It's also one of the better manga to anime adaptation.

January 20, 2007 | reddevil_chan wrote:

i haven't watch the anime yet, cause i 'am get the raw yet. and i still too excited watching the live action version. actually i rarely watching anime but since i love the live action version i don' t mind to watch the anime.i will...i know this blog mostly for anime, but i found it while searching for nodame cantabile dorama. i like it, thank you so much for detail review.
btw,can i request review from nodame live action eps 00(SP) ??since i still haven't yet and the subtitle hasn't finished yet

January 20, 2007 | poko wrote:

I'm the one who won't compare anime to drama :p
I don't even know why but I just feel that both should be compared with manga, since manga is their original.

I heard that the songs in the anime was performed by Tokyo Phil
But I may be wrong.

Anyway, I love when Nodame screamed "UMBRELLAAA!!" what does it mean?? lol
I hurt myself from hard laughing. lol
Did she really enjoy eating that much?? lol

and another scene is when Nodame said something like It's good to be married
and Chiaki cut it off
the BG music cracked me up. lol

January 20, 2007 | poko wrote:

Oh! I forgot to add 1 more thing,
now I get use to Nodame-seiyuu's voice
and find it's very funny. :)

January 21, 2007 | wontaek wrote:

>>> this anime is definitely better than the 10 or more series that are released this season. It's also one of the better manga to anime adaptation.

And despite some MINOR musical failings, I agree with the above statements.

January 21, 2007 | viola_gurl wrote:

as with Garten, I can't help but compare the anime to the dorama. it was the same when i read the manga. since i watched the dorama first, it became the standard that the other modes had to beat. but again, i agree with garten, all the nodame adaptions - anime, manga, dorama - are among the best i've seen/read. i just have to remember about the pros/cons of the different mediums.
thanks for a great review again, Garten.

January 21, 2007 | thtl wrote:

FubaredByAnime:

I believes Sony is a sponsor, so they're probably doing the recordings as well as probably providing some money for the animation.

Sony Music also collaborated on the drama, and released a number of CD albums and sets as a result.

January 22, 2007 | Banpeikun wrote:

I never read the manga or saw the live action. Despite that, I really like this anime series. Even after only 2 episodes, it is giving me a series that I'm really looking forward to.

As for the music, I think its just fine. Its an anime. Just think of who the audience is. The average person can't tell the difference between Beethoven and Bach so why nitpick at the musical quality. The music is not the "Lead actor/actress". its more like a supporting actor/actress.

Because of the fact that I haven't read the manga or seen the live action, I think the criticism of the anime series is a little harsh. I think its a very good anime series. Maybe its not as great as the live action or manga. For an Anime series, its doing a great job of entertaining. I, for one, am looking very forward to future episodes.

January 22, 2007 | wildarmsheero wrote:

I can see the Tintin connection, but I feel it's a bit of a stretch.

January 22, 2007 | cheirus wrote:

Hmmm... I watched this and I have to agree that I was kind of disappointed with the violin playing here too. The piano solo work the last episode seemed to be done very well, and the piano work in episode 2 seemed to also be pretty good.

I'm a violin player though, and have actually studied and played the Spring Sonata before. While the shifting on the violin was very very sloppy, and there were a few small intonation mistakes, I think that the "style" of Mine's playing really came through. When I listen to Nodame playing the piano, I can't really hear how her playing is "weird". The violin is a lot more expressive, and you can literally hear Mine pounding on the violin solo when he starts his jury. After that though, the piece transitions so that the piano carries the melodic line, and Chiaki plays it more classically. After hearing this, Mine starts hallucinating about flowers and his playing then softens up at this point.

So I guess my point is that while yes, I would have liked it if they had hired Hilary Hahn to do the solo work, I was happy that the violin playing reflected what was going on in the actual story, and highlighted what exactly makes Mine's playing so weird.

January 22, 2007 | Nanya wrote:

Banpeikun, I can't agree with you on the statement: "As for the music, I think its just fine. Its an anime. Just think of who the audience is. The average person can't tell the difference between Beethoven and Bach so why nitpick at the musical quality. "

I find your statement pretty insulting to anime viewers like myself really when you say "it's an anime". Because it's an anime there's no need to pay attention to details? The theme of this anime (and manga) is MUSIC and if they can't handle the music part... the anime itself is a failure - period.

"The music is not the "Lead actor/actress". its more like a supporting actor/actress."

For an anime which main theme is music, I'll say:
Music >>>>>> Story >>>>> Lead actor/actress!

January 22, 2007 | wontaek wrote:

Nodame Cantabile is a rare case in the aspect that musical illusion it inspires on readers' mind is central to its success. While those lacking in classical music training can still enjoy the manga, the enjoyment was much greater for those who knew the musical terms and heard those music pieces before. It was for that reason I feared that drama and anime version of this manga series might not do well, especailly since drama broadcast has attracted attention of many classical musicians in Japan and Korea. Drama did admirable job on music, which raised the bar of standard for Anime to follow, thus it is hard to not compare music in anime with music we heard from the drama., for surely the animators have seen the drama and read people's comment about it. Now, when we get Chiaki finally conducting the orchestra, the anime would have more room for improvements; the real ball game starts there, but the episodes leading up to that point should not be treated lightly, as much character developements happens early on in this series.

January 22, 2007 | Shinjunashi wrote:

wontaek, have a question for you (sorry for the OT from NC anime)

I've only seen 2 dramas so far involving music and conducting: Japanese's Nodame Cantabile and Korean's Crystal. Wonder if you've seen Crystal and if you did what did you think of Kim Nam Joo's piano playing and Park Yong Woo's conducting (though their bits weren't really emphasized like NC)? I've always wanted to know.

January 24, 2007 | Guy wrote:

Mine's advice to Nodame about seducing Chiaki goes contrary to the advice that a real life manager ("mama-san") of a hostess bar gives. "Mama-san" says no sex with the clients. She said something like easy girls are forgotten in a month or two, difficult girls are more interesting. I suspect "Mama-san" is more realistic than Mine. And in any case Nodame scares the living daylights out of Chiaki.

January 24, 2007 | Trax wrote:

Did you the comedy was lacking in general, or just for that specific scene? It's true that that scene could have been done better, but overall I thought this episode was just as funny as the first one. One of my favorite moments was where Nodame pursed her lips claiming that a kiss from Chiaki would make her feel better.

As for the music, I guess I'm one of those average viewers that can't tell the difference, it all sounds fine to me. ;)

January 24, 2007 | Garten wrote:

If viewed on its own, the anime is actually quite funny but I was comparing it to the drama and it's not as intense when compared to that other version. That specific scene was just an example that I could think of at that point in time.

January 25, 2007 | wontaek wrote:

@Shinjunashi

I have not seen Crystal so I cannot comment on that. Objectively, Korean TV stations pays much less attention on musical matters compared to most other countries, so I don't have high hopes for that show.

January 26, 2007 | Osaka wrote:

I must say, I'm very impressed with the animators and their attempts to make the piano play realistic. As one who played piano, the motion and technique they project is almost perfect.