The highly popular classical music Japanese comedy drama returned with a special 2-episode sequel. Get this: it was filmed in France and Czech Republic over a duration of approximately 3-4 months. Which is why you see....
.... backdrops so gorgeous they make you wanna fly to Europe.
.... gaijins who speak Nihongo.
....conductor concours in historical concert halls in the mecca of classical music (Prague).
.... Mozart playing in a chateau. (yes, that is Ueno Juri cosplaying)
Coupled with Tamaki Hiroshi and Ueno Juri reprising their roles as Chiaki & Nodame, the 2-episode special screamed MUKYAAA. Uh, that is Nodame vocab for FANTASTIC. The directors to this drama never failed to deliver the best. I salute their incredible production so well done; it seemed to me they had brought the manga alive. The story followed the manga storyline very closely, right down to the dialogue. Of course some scenes were adapted to the practicality of filming, but the changes were pretty insignificant. Furthermore, the music followed the manga religiously. We actually get to listen to all the classical works mentioned in the manga, such as Ravel's Miroirs, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, etc.
What was incredibly unbelievable and hilarious was they managed to get angmohs speaking fluent Japanese. Jean Donnadieu, the French conductor character, was rolling in Japanese, not French! It turns out they cleverly used foreign talents or half-Japaneses, such as Wentz Eiji (Frank) and Becky (Tanya) which gives the drama such novelty. Furthermore, they introduced a lot of new characters, which is very refreshing. I can't even start picking a favourite, because I like all of them!
The sceneries really took my breath away. The directors had generously included outdoor shots, making the audience feel like they are in Europe with the main characters... which is so captivating. And it goes without saying, the music is so fantastic it melt my ears. What was very clever of the producers was they managed to use the music at the appropriate points of the drama, captivating the audience with the power of illusion and sound.
This is like the best 2-episode special I've ever watched. It is worth sitting through the 4 whole hours simply because.... it's Nodame Cantabile. If you don't watch this, you're missing really good stuff.
Images from Memento. Visit them for great reviews.
Official site: Nodame Cantabile
～みはる～
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3 penciled thoughts:
I was still disturbed by the word "Praha"... and the afro that Roland has on his head? Tsk tsk.
But other than that this is great stuff. Does help that Wentz and Tamaki provided some eye candy. XD
I think that's how they pronounce Prague in German... I checked Wiki; they also noted "Praha" as the intonation. Same goes to Vienna (pronounced Wien)
Those two are some really good candies... but is it my imagination or Tamaki lost like A LOT of weight? He looked much thinner than in the series.
I hear rumors of a new season, which I doubt would really happen, but it would be so nice to get to watch Chiaki and Nodame again ^^
i want i want!
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