Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
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Overall: This show was a huge letdown compared to its score. It is forgettable in every sense. Skip it.
I have seen this show recommended as one of the better music animes, and it had a really impressive score here so I thought I would give it a chance. I've never been so disappointed. From start to finish it is entirely predictable, with one-dimensional characters that show almost no development whatsoever until the last few episodes. Its only redeeming quality is that it happens to be set in the world of classical music so the it has a great score. However, even that has its problems.
Story (2/10) - Possibly the most predictable, unoriginal story I have ever experienced. Every single aspect of it is laid out in the first 10 minutes, and it never once deviates from that path. This isn't…
Read at the sourceEle777
First of all, I never write reviews. I read them religiously though so that I can avoid animes that are a waste of time. Today I am writing because I am so upset with the high ratings of this anime.
This may be biased, but honestly, I was on a romance spree and I happened to find this anime in that "category". After reading reviews - I decided to give it a try (though I did not like the art style right off the bat).
I adored "Your lie in April" though I am not a huge fan of musical animes, I bawled my eyes out for that one. It opened my horizons to the possibilities of music based anime.
Sadly, this anime ruined it for me.
If I wanted to watch an Orchestra online, I would go and do so. This was listening to classical music and seemingly recycled freeze frames of them playing over it.…
Read at the sourceGoukeban
A quite funny argument you might find occasionally in defense of a work is the saying “you watched it wrong”, implying that any criticism the person might have to the series in question comes from having watched it with the wrong mindset. While I find particularly silly that one would primarily assume such case about someone else’s opinion when facing criticism to a beloved work, since it’s a very pretentious attitude, it doesn’t seem unlikely that a circumstance like that can happen. That was the issue I faced when I began watching Nodame Cantabile, an anime I started with the expectation of being a clean-cut romance, a genre that I’m especially attracted to, as some of my favorites might have hinted. While romance is an important aspect of the anime, I soon came to realize it wasn’t the…
Read at the sourcethemegamancave
Nodame Cantibile is a lighthearted and comedic anime about one of my favorite hobbies, music. At first I was hesitant to explore the series due to my lack of appreciation for the classical genre, but what I found in Nodame Cantibile was more than just music. This was a coming of age story of sorts, with a feel good plot line and characters full of passion, all battling their own internal struggles to be better musicians. It’s definitely a nice change of pace and a must see for any slice of life fan, or enthusiast of music in general.
I don’t have any major complaints about the story in this series, but at the same token, I wasn’t necessarily blown away. For the entire 23 episodes, viewers follow Nodame and Chiaki, both students at the same Japanese music school as they grow both as indivi…
Read at the sourceDeiger
Pros
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+Outstanding music
+Powerful, fully realized main characters
+Wonderful, charming, developed and three dimensional side characters
+Female lead's unassuming, eccentric charisma draws you inexplicably
+Male lead is a refreshing dissent from usual wimpy and indecisive leads
+Romance is never melodramatic, overstated or contrived
+Neither leads are excessively dependent on each other or have their lives construed around their better halves
+Refreshing and impeccably timed humour superbly woven into the narrative +Assertive drama - never too maudlin or overblown - but carries weight nevertheless
+Sends the message of hard work and dedication - those who are good are only good because they put in more effort than anyone else.
+No characters are perfect - All of them have flaws.
+No…
Read at the sourceaznkirby
Is it really possible for music and slice of life to mix with romcom and still produce something worth watching? The answer to that question is simply Nodame Cantabile.
Although some may ask, "Kirby, what the heck are you doing watching romcoms? You're losing your manhood in the josei genre!" I have to politely disagree. Being a huge music lover, this series drew me in with promises of classical genius and musicality, and it delivers. Oh, it does! Now here are my categorical reviews
Story: 9- Definitely a refreshing story fit for any gender. Story follows a genius music student with an arrogant outlook towards others due to his superiority and musical control. He meets a ditzy piano student in the school and the unthinkable happens! A bit slow in pacing but you get to love the music fro…
Read at the sourcecrimson-oath
I have to admit, I was very worried about this. I ended up putting off watching it for two weeks, even. It's all because I know absolutely nothing about music, especially the classics. If it sounds good, I'll listen to it. Doesn't matter to me what the instruments are or how long it took to perfect.
When I found Nodame Cantabile, I was intrigued, but hesitant. I figured this was an anime that required knowledge of classical music, the instruments and how an orchestra operates.
I watched the first episode and I was hooked, spending a day and a half watching all of the episodes, delighted to find that all the knowledge I thought I would need wasn't required. What this anime does best is showing and telling all about the music world, but it doesn't leave you out. If you don't know the flu…
Read at the sourceKimatea
"Where words leave off, music begins."
- Heinrich Heine
The anime that's been remade into movies in several different countries countless number of times: Nodame Cantabile. What makes Nodame Cantabile so good? It's beauty. The growth of two rather immature adults is artfully done not only in their relationship, but their personalities as well. The romance in this anime was well handled, and I don't know (besides Kaichou) an anime that I wanted the main characters to get together so badly. Furthermore, the addition of absolutely beautiful classical music was ravishing: included masterpieces composed by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Schubert. The music not only added feelings, and enjoyment to the series but also showed just how music impacts (people) the characters an…
Read at the sourceShinzo_Hensen
~!~ WARNING: Some spoilers may be present ~!~
Ah... such a wonderful pick out of a random selection...
If you were like me, you were going through lists upon lists of anime to watch and, mostly likely if you are reading this, stumbled on this series. Now, I must admit, I was reluctant to watch this at first. I knew nothing of the manga nor the anime. I passed the chance to watch this quite a few times. However, as soon as I sat down and witnessed the first episode, I was eager to see the next episode growing more excited to see one after another.
Nodame Cantabile is an anime that isn't exactly like your ordinary anime. You'd struggle to find any kind of cliche within it unless you nit-picked the characters. It's an anime that you are unsure to watch at first as you aren't use to the sty…
Read at the sourceArchaeon
Gyabo!
I'm not sure why, but for some reason I've found myself reviewing certain franchises in reverse order. Then again, given the nature of Nodame Cantabile and its heroine Noda Megumi, maybe doing things in a not so normal manner is the way to go.
For those of you who don't know the series, Nodame Cantabile is based on the bestselling manga of the same name by Ninomiya Tomoko, and while I do like that particular work, the anime is a little bit special in that it's one of the rare occasions where the adaptation is as good as, or in this case better than, the original.
We'll talk about that in a moment though.
Now, many people have been raving about the current Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood series because of how faithful it is to the manga, but what many people seem to have forgot…
Read at the sourceRag_Doll
If Nodame wasn't in the show I would have loved it however her character was annoying and I either wanted to shoot her or shoot myself. If I ever meet someone with such a character in real life, that's exactly what would happen. I can't stand Nodame. The rest of the show was good, even close to excellent. The music was wonderful, the art was good, and the rest of the characters were funny and held certain interests. Nodame killed all hope of me ever enjoying this show.
Read at the sourceTouka
"Let's go have some fun by playing some music."
Nodame Cantabile follows the lives of Chiaki, Nodame and an assortment of other musically talented characters attending Japan's top music university. Throughout their studies they encounter any number of trials and tribulations as their undying passion for the art grows evermore, and through each other they learn to appreciate music and performance in a whole different light, while also discovering true romance and what it is they want out of life.
The story is handled in such a mature, hard-hitting, ever so relatable way. A romantic, musically-focused plot about ardour in and outside of a relationship, Nodame Cantabile is not just for instrumentalists, romantics and music fans, but for doubters, dramatics and anyone who has ever had a pass…
Read at the sourcekiriska
I've seen my fair share of music anime, but this is the first time the musical genre has been my first love: classical music.
STORY - "Work hard and you'll achieve your dream!" It's a very cliche and often-used storyline, right? Well, yes. Yes, it is, but that hardly means that the subsequent series has to be old and tiresome. I've said before that the best stories take something that's been done a thousand times already and somehow manage to tell it in a way that's better and more interesting. In a genre dominated by high school drama, Nodame Cantabile steps it up and uses college students, something I'd love to see happen more often. The storytelling happens in a mostly slice-of-life format, but it doesn't shy away from progressing significantly in time -- weeks pass, months pass, whole…
Read at the sourcejmoriarty84
Even though the lead character is a male, the presentation and themes of this show to me managed to pull off the elements of an old school shoujo. I’d say something on the lines of Ace wo Nerae, Rose of Versaille and Garasu no Kamen. Granted this anime is not in the league of those 3, but I felt the charms of those classics as I got more into this. The concept of a classical music anime may either interest you or not. But I feel regardless of the presented medium, I feel this is something you have to give a chance. Though it lacks action, fan service, and sex or anything like that, which is a great thing sometimes, it has comedy and class. Which is something you rarely see combined together nowadays in any country’s entertainment. All the characters are likeable in their own ri…
Read at the sourceSplitter
Nodame Cantabile is strange in some regards. It has a good story, full of excellent music, but the transition into the anime medium is a rocky and half-hearted one.
You'd think such a boundless medium as anime would be perfect to accompany some of the timeless symphonies of Schubert or Beethoven, but alas, Nodame gets the short end of the stick in their animation budget. Countless still-frame pans and awkward CG hands for the musical pieces detract from the quality of the scene. It's really better to just close your eyes and take it in, rather than look at the screen while Chiaki and Nodame are performing. Outside performance scenes, the animation is respectable enough, but it's subdued and bland so much that nothing leaves a visual impression.
However, Nodame Cantabile's strongest aspec…
Read at the sourcetigerz
Introduction
Nodame Cantabile is love at first sight. From the very first episode, you notice it is something special. Not only does it entertain, but it also inspires passion, appreciation for beauty, and transports you to your own personal paradise. If I could, I would give this anime an 11 because I cannot and will not compare it to any other anime.
Story
The story is deep yet not complicated enough to detract you from the main plot. An arrogant and talented college student with both ambition and passion chases his dream of being a conductor with the help of other young musicians who are inspired by his talent and charm. The pace is just right; the story continues to push forward but gives you enough time to reflect and rejoice in the moment. It does not try to overpower the anime, bu…
Read at the sourceBluesnow
Nodame Cantabile is an anime I truly love, but my honest opinion is it does not deserve a 10/10 despite how enjoyable it was.
Story: 7/10
Main story is about the egotistical Chiaki who is a master at both the Violin and Piono, but he is going to music school with the dream of one day becoming a famous conductor. His only problem is he feels the only way to achieve that dream is to study in Europe, but unfortunately he is phobic of both air travel and sea travel keeping him land locked in Japan. One day he depressingly gets wasted and passes out outside of his neighbor Nodame's apparent... he wakes up in a filthy unorganized house, but being charmed by the beautiful music she is playing~ The emotion she puts in her music changes him forever. Despite Chiaki's cruel character and Nodame's E…
Read at the sourcesweetburntlips
Nodame. She just captured my heart entirely and left me glowing inside and out.
Nodame Cantabile is a story of musicians, Chiaki Shinichii and Noda Megumi, striving to overcome memories that haunt them.
The story is simple since this is a slice of life genre, it deals more of what life of a musician is all about, especially musicians with bad memories. I scored 9 on the story because even though the plot is simple, the realism in it is admiring.
At first glance, my impression of the art is "Honey and Clover?" When I checked, both animations have the same animators, J.C Staff. I thought, "hmmmm..." The use of light colors was amazing. They even made it to the point where everything is proportional. The drawback is, I cannot distinguish the faces of the characters. Some of the minor char…
Read at the sourcelowell
Personally, I think Nodame Cantabile is in a league by itself when it comes to chemistry between characters.
You can compare it to tons of anime that has that general theme of "practice hard and keep trying and reach for your goals"... but that wouldn't give you the whole picture. Each person of the central core of characters is so unique and distinct and finely tuned that it brings the idea of knowing a character to a whole new level. By the end of the series, you know their goals, their motivations, their attitude, their style, their history... and at the center of all these rich, amazing characters are Nodame and Chiaki: the child-like, natural savant without an iota of discipline and the despairing, rigid genius of music royalty who has lost the forest for the trees. Once you buy into…
Read at the sourcejimbo1023
What can I say about Nodame Cantobile? It was one of those anime that you can\'t help but enjoy. It managed to tell a fun story in which each of the characters try to accomplish what they want out of life with a careful mix of humor and drama.
One of the main draws, I felt, is the believability of the characters. You will not find a perfect guy surrounded by other perfect people with wild personalities. You will, instead, find people who you could probably relate to. Each has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. The character drawings are also top notch. Again, they just have a sense of realism to them that often goes unnoticed. Even the animations and setting gel well together (though I think they overused the "vertical blue lines" expression).
The story was a nice break from other…
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