Seven Reasons Why Nodame Cantabile is the Best Kind of Crack

[topazera]

It's like listening to classical music on acid.
But while snuggling a puppy and eating a cupcake!
That's how happy it makes you!


Ah, Nodame Cantabile! How can I describe my love for you? After first falling in love with Asian dramas through Hana Yori Dango, Nodame Cantabile was the first show that really knocked my socks off and showed me that I hadn't reached the pinnacle of my drama love. I've been both brought to tears and to cackling laughter by this show. It's more of a straight comedy than anything else I've watched and yet all the insanity works (and works well) because this show made me care about its characters so very much. Plus, the writing just consistently impressed me and made the whole thing feel so fresh and original.

To summarize, Nodame Cantabile is about the quirky, odd couple relationship between Noda Megumi and Chiaki Shinichi. Nodame, as she's called, is an incredibly talented but free-spirited pianist, preferring to compose little ditties about farting for her future career as a kindergarten teacher. Chiaki is an unyielding, highly critical perfectionist, already an accomplished pianist but with his sights really set on conducting. Twin crippling phobias, due to a childhood emergency crash landing and a subsequent near drowning, keep him grounded in Japan. As you can probably guess, they have quite an impact on the each others' lives. :)

1. Nodame = Cutest Eccentric Prodigy Ever Y/Y?

I just love Nodame herself. Now, a lot of heroines in dramas are adorable, plucky, independent women who go against the grain. However, I haven't yet seen any quite as actually crazy as Nodame. She's a packrat who lives surrounded by mountains of garbage. She steals other people's food as soon as they turn their backs. She gets so obsessed that she doesn't bother to sleep or shower for days. She's also an amazingly talented musician who can play anything by ear. Nodame is chaotic and unpredictable and you can't help but love her for being totally whacked.

2. This guy's face. So pretty. So hilarious.

Oh, Chiaki. As the relatively less odd half of a very odd couple, Chiaki is often the straight man to other people's (especially Nodame's) antics. His face generally switches between expressions of shock, incredulity, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO KILL YOU NOW, and various facial tics that being surrounded by these people have created. But I like that Chiaki really has as many eccentricities and flaws as the other characters. He's can be arrogant, prone to OMGKILLFACE, insensitive and exacting. In fact in several episodes, Chiaki acts as "the bad guy" of the plot. But he comes across harsher than he really is. Also, you may have already noticed, he's gorgeous. And I'm nominating him for "Most Successful Translation of Anime/Manga Hair to Real Life". It's fabulous.

3. This is not a drama about normal people.




I just love all the characters, with their various talents and eccentricities. This drama is chock full of interesting people, so I only listed my pictured my four favorite secondary characters. Trust me, there's more. From the top:
Mine Ryuutaro, (electric) violinist and champion of expressing music through your whole body. Just look at the hair. OMG HE'S MY FAVORITE!
Masumi-chan, a timpani player also known for his hair. Also, his big gay crush on Chiaki. Can you blame him?
Kiyora Miki, an excellent violinist and Concert Mistress, a dream right-hand woman for any conductor. Seems a bit on the cool side at first but isn't shy about getting awesomely drunk.
Sakura Saku, a tiny girl who often gets mistaken for a elementary school kid yet plays the huge contrabass. Because she thinks it's cooler than a violin. Solid reasoning.

4. The show isn't constrained by reality.

Honestly, it's madness in the best way. This drama uses the slapsticky visual conventions of anime/manga more than any other I've seen and actually pulls it off! I didn't think I'd ever like that! Also, everyone makes the BEST FACES all the time. If you want a show with wacky hijinks, this is the one for you! Between weird fantasy sequences, using an extremely fake plastic plane to simulate a plane crash and just plain outlandish people, there's enough to satisfy any fan of crackiness and WTFery.

5. The music will make you seriously verklempt.

The music of Nodame Cantabile is just so powerful and moving, from watching a solitary figure alone at the piano or a sweeping orchestra in concert. Whether you're a fan of classical musical or not, the characters love what they do so much and are so invested in the piece, it creates a real emotional connection to whatever they're playing. The musical sequences have often brought me to the point of tears, not just because they're often the culmination of a plot but because they're so damn beautiful! Plus, now I find myself humming things like the melody of "Montagues and Capulets" from the Romeo and Juliet ballet. Have I seen the ballet? No, but I've seen Nodame Cantabile.

6. Everyone is so BFF!

I just adore that this drama focuses so much on all the interactions between our group of weirdos. Everyone gets their little moments together and hilarity is usually the result. It's fun that you can have any two given characters in a scene and have there be something interesting there. But I have a special place in my heart for whenever some combination of Mine, Masumi, Nodame and Chiaki hang out. They have hijinks. *smishes them*

7. Crazy people need love too!

When I started off this drama, I was struck at first by how unromantic it was. Not that I didn't think that Nodame and Chiaki were absolutely adorable, it was just that Nodame and Chiaki aren't developed like your average couple. Chiaki can be tough on her, but he pretty much immediately takes up the charge of Nodame's domestic life. Nodame is instantly smitten with Chiaki but she has a hard time being serious (and taken seriously) about anything. In every moment I watched, it slowly built up just how great they are for each other. At its heart, Nodame Cantabile is about how someone can come into your life and change everything. There really isn't anything more central to show than the relationship of these two and it's such a pleasure to watch.


As I mentioned in my previous pimping posts, if you're interested in downloading this or any other Asian drama, you should go join jdramas. It's an awesome community that's provided me with many hours of entertainment. If you prefer there's also a lot of torrents floating around, many of which can be found on D-Addicts.

I hope you enjoyed the picspam! Thanks for watching, folks! Leave a comment for your waitress! ;)

Comments

[mojotastic.livejournal.com]

This was the first year I really did them myself and it was so stressful.
I am so scared to do them next year. I don't want to! Why can't I have a tax accountant in my family? That would be awesome. I think I need to start pressuring various random family members to rethink their professions.

Next year, I'm going to have my own Tea Party but it's really going to be about how confusing taxes are. Not just anything I want to complain about, like the annoying conservatives this year.
I think next year we should have a TEA PARTY to protest that taxes are confusing! Only we would just sit around drinking tea, complaining about taxes and IDK maybe watching Nodame specials and crying. But we'd totally call the media and they'd be like "Wow this is the lamest protest ever!"

I think everyone loves Nodame, so that's good. Though you know, we could watch Coffee Prince, since you really need to watch that! But I like watching that show so glacially slowly. Like, one a week would be the fastest I could move!
Hmm! This is also an idea (omg why do we do this to ourselves!?) Because I do really want to start watching Coffee Prince and I know that it's probably as universally loved as Nodame. So maybe, if we wanted to, we could do CP as the rewatch show and only do one a week? IDK I CAN'T DECIDE THINGS!

It's just that I'm such a drama whore, I could imagine watching any number of shows right now.
I know! I think I have an actual LIST somewhere on my computer of dramas I want to watch. (I know it contains Coffee Prince, Hanakimi, Last Friends, Kurosagi and Voice. And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head) I'm pretty sure our problem is going to be with wanting to watch too much lol!

I like how we can spend weeks going back and forth and concluding: "IDK, man! Let's get some icecream and watch something trashy and then decide!" What impressive modly skils we have!
LOL! We are the deciders who can't actually decide! We get close to a decision and then I'm like "Too many options! Must break out wine and watch Smallville BRB!"

Alright, I think it's time to jump in. I'm making a banner tonight (...it may just be the header shrunk down) and we started recruiting people tomorrow? Are we still good with Nodame and Love Shuffle, or are we going to last minute switch? ...Or make the comm decide for us since we're indecisive? XD
Ok! Sounds like a sort of plan! (Yay banner!) Hmm...I don't know. (IDK: Our Motto!) Do you want to do Nodame or CP (or make the comm decide for us?) I'd be good with either option!

[topazera.livejournal.com]

Why can't I have a tax accountant in my family?
This is something that's only fervently wished for on Tax Day but it's, like, everyone's wish right then! Taxes don't actually seem that hard but they are way confusing. And they have such crazy penalties if you mess up! I got an e-mail update that I had messed up my electronic filing pin number and just about had a heart attack. I imagined a Swat team swooping in and reposessing all my precious DVDs and goods.

Only we would just sit around drinking tea, complaining about taxes and IDK maybe watching Nodame specials and crying. But we'd totally call the media and they'd be like "Wow this is the lamest protest ever!"
Yes, we should so do this! We'll be all "What? This is how we fangirls protest. Look, we photoshopped FAIL onto our coasters!"

(omg why do we do this to ourselves!?)
This is what I've been thinking all the time! We make this so difficult because everything sounds good! I have conflicting thoughts, because the success of my Nodame pimping is what convinced that people might actually come and chat. But I'm totally going to be watching Coffee Prince (suuper slowly), no matter what we choose, so that would dovetail nicely with producing fannish content exclusively for the comm.

I think I have an actual LIST somewhere on my computer of dramas I want to watch.
I definitely have an actual LIST too! It includes like Voice and Goong and Mars and Long Love Letter and Capital Scandal and Nobuta wa Produce... and a million other things. Dramas are totally encouraging my intense-but-sometimes-fleeting tendencies. OMG, actually, I just started Meteor Garden and maybe we should watch that in a secret mod slumber party. (OMG sidenote, now I really want to have a drama slumber party!) Because it's strangely fascinating, as a low-budget, weirdly AU Hanadan.

We get close to a decision and then I'm like "Too many options! Must break out wine and watch Smallville BRB!"
Ha, it's okay! There's nothing for a stress like a FAKE BABY. (I like how I know about these things without having actually seen Smallville. Thanks, Morgan! :D) We get close to a decision and I reframe the question and start over again. And then I get some wine go "Look! Look at this unrelated thing I photoshopped! Isn't it pretty?" To be fair, I do this with all the decisions in my life!

Do you want to do Nodame or CP (or make the comm decide for us?) I'd be good with either option!
Hmm, we could do the in between option and make our flist weigh in! I mean, I only have about six people who consistently comment on my drama posts but that plus your flist might give us a good "focus group". IDK, it seems like we should already have our first shows to advertise the comm to the general public but I may be wrong about that. Okay, if I haven't decided between them by the time I send you a banner tomorrow, that's it! We are polling our friends and taking the decision out of my hands, that'll show me! (...that I don't really need to make decisions. Okay, I'm getting punchy over here.)

(IDK: Our Motto!)
Oh, it's funny because IT'S TRUE.

[mojotastic.livejournal.com]

And they have such crazy penalties if you mess up! I got an e-mail update that I had messed up my electronic filing pin number and just about had a heart attack. I imagined a Swat team swooping in and reposessing all my precious DVDs and goods.
OMG that would be horrible! I'm just imagining messing up on my taxes now and have SWAT storm into my house like "HAND OVER THE DVDS! ALL OF THEM! NOW!" And I'm like "But I need Arrested Development! Take anything else! Take Veronica Mars!" This is very tramatic.

Look, we photoshopped FAIL onto our coasters!"
HAHAHA! That's amazing! "We also started a twitterfeed about it! So there! That's showing you, taxes! Try to outsmart twitter! You can't! It's pointless!"

have conflicting thoughts, because the success of my Nodame pimping is what convinced that people might actually come and chat. But I'm totally going to be watching Coffee Prince (suuper slowly), no matter what we choose, so that would dovetail nicely with producing fannish content exclusively for the comm.
Ahhh! This is a hard choice! I see what you mean about Nodame though. AND as a bonus, Nodame is much shorter than Coffee Prince so we'd probably get through it much faster. Darn. So many option, so little will power to decide!

I definitely have an actual LIST too!
YAY! At least I'm not the only one! I think Goong is actually on my list too! And I really cannot recc Mars highly enough. I don't know if it's just because I read the manga back in high school and so was prepared for all the ~drama~ but it's still one of my favorite dramas. (Even though the production values are just...not the best.)

OMG, actually, I just started Meteor Garden and maybe we should watch that in a secret mod slumber party. (OMG sidenote, now I really want to have a drama slumber party!) Because it's strangely fascinating, as a low-budget, weirdly AU Hanadan.
(OMG how fun would a drama slumber party be? Answer: the funnest!) Oh man, Meteor Garden! I started watching that show *right* after watching Hanadan because I was so in love with Hanadan and I was like ".....what IS this....?" LOL! I think I only got about five episodes in before I totally gave up. IDK if it was the horrible production values or the fact that I felt like Barbie Xu was totally miscast after seeing her as the shy, quiet girl in Mars.

Ha, it's okay! There's nothing for a stress like a FAKE BABY. (I like how I know about these things without having actually seen Smallville. Thanks, Morgan! :D)
It's like you're getting the best parts of Smallville without the downside of having to actually watch it! :) I feel like this is a service I give to the community.

IDK, it seems like we should already have our first shows to advertise the comm to the general public but I may be wrong about that. Okay, if I haven't decided between them by the time I send you a banner tomorrow, that's it! We are polling our friends and taking the decision out of my hands, that'll show me!
Sounds like a plan! Either we decide or we force OTHER PEOPLE to decide for us! It's genius! :P

[topazera.livejournal.com]

"HAND OVER THE DVDS! ALL OF THEM! NOW!" And I'm like "But I need Arrested Development! Take anything else! Take Veronica Mars!"
LOLOLOL! "Here's season three! I don't even know why I bought that! Also, you can have my old LOTR dvds, I want that in hi-def! And hold on, you can take..." I'd totally be bargaining with that SWAT team.

"We also started a twitterfeed about it! So there! That's showing you, taxes! Try to outsmart twitter! You can't! It's pointless!"
LMAO! Brilliant! That's not even exaggerating the clout given to Twitter recently. XD

(OMG how fun would a drama slumber party be? Answer: the funnest!)
I KNOW. I wish I still lived at in point in my life where all my friends were convienently located in the same town. I would totally be having a drama sleepover for my birthday. It would be a theme party. :DD

I started watching that show *right* after watching Hanadan because I was so in love with Hanadan and I was like ".....what IS this....?" LOL! I think I only got about five episodes in before I totally gave up.
See, I couldn't have done that! It's taken me, like, a year to watch anything that's just asking to be compared to Hanadan. And still, I have to divorce them in my mind because it's Hanadan. But Meteor Garden is actually kind of fun! I started watching it on YouTube, since I couldn't fall asleep and wanted something I wasn't too invested in for before bed. But around episode 8, I started actually enjoying it in it's cheesiness. It's different enough to be it's own thing for me. Though man, I have never appreciated the acting of HYD more. I think I have to watch Mars soon, as I've heard that compared to MG a lot and now I know I can like low-budget twdrama. XD

feel like this is a service I give to the community.
You've totally extracted the moments of ~*exquisitely cracky*~ from the hours of just plain bad.

Alright, down to business! I think we should just stick with LS and NC. Watching Coffee Prince would be such a long commitment at that speed, it probably shouldn't be our very first thing! Maybe when we finish something, we'll want to start it up. ...Though now my drama buddy phrenk (I don't think you know her?) has been tempting me with My Girl. Damn, I want to watch everything!

So banners! I made one regular one to match the header and a couple specific to shows:

Assorted:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/layout/doramawatch_assortedbanner500.png

Nodame:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/layout/doramawatch_nodamebanner500.png

Hanadan:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/layout/doramawatch_hanadanbanner500.png

Full House:
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a331/topazera/layout/doramawatch_fullhousebanner500.png

Feel free to resize and use whatever you want! I'm thinking of writing up a quick pimp post and posting to my flist in about an hour. And then I think one of us should post to dorama_chat about it. And I'm sure there are a couple other places to pimp it; you have any comms you know? :DD

IT'S GO TIME! OH, also, I changed the running days to Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, is that okay with you? I thought those were better days for drama-watching than Mon or Fri would be.