Nodame Cantabile Review

Basic Information:

Genre: Music, Comedy, Romance, School

Episodes: 12 (~45 minutes/episode)

Note: Nodame Cantabile also has an anime and a manga. (Not included in this review)

Synoposis: The story centers around Nodame, a young eccentric women characterized by odd habits (like never cleaning her room) that holds a lot of potential in music and her upperclassmen, Chiaki, a handsome young man extremely talented in the field of music. The story takes place in a prestigious music school in Japan, due to the fact that Chiaki was traumatized by both ships and planes when he was a child, he cannot leave to study in better schools in Europe (although he could). The entire plot revolves around Chiaki's attempts to make the best he can out of what he has in Japan and his interactions with Nodame along with other fellow characters that makes the drama a comedic, romantic experience.

Review:

The intended audience for this drama would be 13+ and any adult of any age would still probably enjoy this drama. There are generally no age restrictions since there are no obscene material in the drama, but audiences of older age (13+) would probably enjoy or understand it more.

Plot: The plot is pretty humorous, as it focuses on the social interactions between the students in the music academy. There are a few scenes that are exaggerated for comedic effect, however, the drama lacks real dilemmas that would make the audience sweat over the plotlines. If you like lighthearted dramas, you will like Nodame Cantabile. 

(6~9/10 depending on personal tastes)

Personally, I would give it a 8/10 for I have a fair tolerance for comedic lightheartedness.

Aesthetics: As Nodame Cantabile is an drama centered around music, the classical music played in the drama are superb with classical pieces like Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu, Etude Op.10 No4, or Paganini/Liszt's Campanella. (9/10)

If you do not like classical music (I know some that despise it), you will not find the aesthetics of the drama enjoyable. (1/10)