I was so inspired by Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso that I went back and re-watched all three seasons of Nodame Cantabile, which in my opinion is one of the best music and romance animes of all time. Nodame Cantabile is about the developing relationship between Shinichi Chiaki, a perfectionist piano and violin genius who longs to become a conductor, and Noda Megumi (Nodame), a klutzy “loser” pianist who has a lot of hidden potential. Both music students in the same department at the same university, Chiaki and Nodame’s first unfortunate meeting leads them onto a path that changes their lives forever.
A Serious Music Anime
Hands down, Nodame Cantabile is probably the best music anime of all time. Perhaps Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso might match that over time, but I don’t really expect it to because the setting of both animes are too different. While the protagonists of Shigatsu are still in middle school, Nodame Cantabile tells the story of two very talented musicians hitting their early twenties. At that level, they are competing in renowned international competitions, attending top music conservatories in Europe, and being accompanied by or conducting world famous orchestras. Middle school just can’t compare with that. Nodame Cantabile also pays special attention to an immense variety of musical instruments, featuring rarer pieces such as the timpani, oboe, bassoon, etc. that almost never get any attention in anime or drama.
Finally, the diversity of music in Nodame Cantabile is no joke. From Nodame Cantabile: The Essential Guide, I counted that the anime features 34 composers across a myriad of periods, and the director does a fantastic job cutting excerpts from these masterpieces to suit the particular plot section in Nodame Cantabile. Any classical fan would have conniptions watching this anime, and anybody’s who’s not into classical music may likely develop a love for the genre after their Nodame Cantabile experience. Watch Chiaki’s chilling performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 below:
But the romance is what I want to get to. Here are 7 reasons why Nodame Cantabile is a stand-out in the romance genre.
The Seven No’s for Great Romance
1) No Love At First Sight. The romance in Nodame Cantabile takes a good amount of time to develop, like say three whole seasons. It’s so ridiculous that people who’ve only watched the first season often times do not understand why Nodame Cantabile is even labelled as a romance anime—for the majority of the first season, the only relationship is a one-sided crush. Considering that the endpoint of Chiaki X Nodame is the marriage-esque “serious commitment” level, the slow and steady buildup is refreshing and real, while still leaving room for intense moments of passion and heartbreak. The fact that Nodame Cantabile can consistently develop twists and turns in the relationship even after four years is a reflection of the serious thought underpinning the anime’s plot development.
One-sided obsession mode
2) No School Day Romance. Yes, watching pubescent students steal glances at each other in the classroom brings back those nostalgic feelings of first love, but there’s only so much fairytale drama I can take before wanting something I can actually empathize with. Nodame Cantabile provides a picture of real-life romance. Relationships are fun, but relationships are hard—both sides have their own goals, desires and dreams, and these don’t always coincide. While students have plenty of free time to hang out at and after school, adults have to compromise a lot just to find time for each other, with lots of tears and fists thrown along the way. Part of why I love Chiaki X Nodame so much is how they made their romance work despite everything that is against them.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures…
3) No White Knight. The days of girls crying and guys rushing to their aid are over. This girlfriend does not need her boyfriend to solve her problems. Instead, poor Chiaki sometimes find himself miserably unnecessary. The situation starts off a bit uneven at first since Chiaki is so far above Nodame on the music totem pole that he is basically playing her nursemaid (in more ways than one—let’s just say that Nodame is not suited for independent living) for most of the first season. Even in those situations though, Nodame’s sheer tenacity and potential allows her to hold her own against Chiaki’s star power, and oftentimes, Nodame’s unique perspective on life helps Chiaki get over significant hurdles in his life. Chiaki and Nodame’s relationship is the best kind of romance where they transform each other for the better.
Chiaki gets flattened physically and verbally
4) No Trophy Wife Syndrome. Not only does Nodame not need Chiaki’s help, but she is not content to merely bask in his greatness. The idea of achieving equality is explored with great emotion in the anime as we find out that Nodame’s dream initially is to become a kindergarten teacher, but she steps onto the difficult path of becoming a concert pianist once she realized that Chiaki is inevitably bound for a grander stage. In the first season, we see Nodame struggle with the realization and insecurity that Chiaki is moving further and further away from her, and ultimately takes it upon herself to do something about the situation–participate in her first grand-scale piano competition. Nodame’s courage to face her fears and overcome her pride in the name of love is inspiring.
Nodame getting frustrated by Chiaki’s greatness
5) No Harem, Reverse Or Otherwise. A bunch of romance anime involve either tons of girls circling a guy (i.e. Nisekoi) or tons of guys circling a girl (i.e. Fruits Basket). Although only one guy or gal really mattered out of the bunch, these types of anime feel extremely lopsided to me because they naturally over-emphasize the character whom the harem is fixated upon. While many potential love triangles exist in Nodame Cantabile, these are spread out between Chiaki and Nodame—i.e. third parties are crushing either on Chiaki or Nodame—which I feel equalizes the relationship. Both sides are trying to win over the other instead of one party just sitting back as everyone else fights over him or her.
Kuroki falls for Nodame’s Yamato Nadeshiko act
6) No Hentai-Comedy. Nodame Cantabile doesn’t cop out by substituting real comedy with accidental hentai awkwardness—i.e. her skirt flips up, she crash lands and presses her chest against male character, etc. In fact, Nodame’s character is designed so that any sexual innuendos on her end is a joke on her. Chiaki definitely ends up falling for Nodame in spite of her looks, not because of them. Too many anime nowadays include a hentai element almost by default and ends up superficially portraying romance from the guy’s end. It’s like guys get an automatic bye from talking about feelings if they “fall in love” just by ogling someone’s body. Just, no. Please don’t cheat relationship development like that.
Ah, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder…
7) No Tragic Ending. This is more personal preference than anything else, but I just cannot tolerate romance stories with tragic endings. When these endings happen, I feel extremely let down because I just spent a whole season rooting for a couple to get together, witness them succeed for a moment, only for them to ultimately part at the end. Tragic romances can be really great animes (for example, I would totally watch Anohana if everyone who watches it doesn’t cry buckets at the end) but they are not just my cup of tea.
Happy Ending :)
Conclusion
Nodame Cantabile is superb for me because it held my attention continuously for three seasons in a row. There was a great balance between tension and comedy, between music seriousness and real life drama, between Chiaki and Nodame. Also, the world needs more classical music fans—watch it and prepare to be converted!