Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen | |
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| | Alternate title : Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter
Studio : J.C. STAFF
Length : 11 Episodes
Year : 2008
Genre : Comedy - Music - Romance
Synopsis :
In order to expand their musical talents, Megumi (Nodame) and Chiaki run to Paris! Nodame basks in the new sights, sounds, and tastes. Chiaki follows his dreams of being a conductor and enters the conducting concurs. After several stunning performances, Nodame feels proud but anxious of Chiaki's skills. He's following his ambitions, well-spoken in French, and excels higher in the subject of music that anyone she knows.
Matters become worse once Chiaki becomes Streseman's apprentice. Chiaki begins this new life and study by following Streseman on his world tour. Nodame won't be able to see Chiaki for months. Now, Chiaki seems out of her reach in more ways than one.
Note : sequel of Nodame Cantabile
Added : 2008-09-13
Synopsis by : Himitsu
Last update : 2009-05-20
Last update details : Song added
Score : 7.33
Number of reviews : 6
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Official Nodame Website (Japanese)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Gostudio - Sky High
Ending #1 : Emiri Miyamoto - Tokyo et Paris
Release(s) :
2009-01-22 -- Episode(s) 11 by ANBU & Anime-Keep. BT Link
2009-01-22 -- Episode(s) 11 by ANBU & Anime-Keep. BT Link
2009-01-16 -- Episode(s) 5 by Frostii & AnimeOne. BT Link
Found 75 releases. Click here to [ Find them! ]
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Posted by : AJtheFourth 
Posted on : 2010-01-17  
Compared with it's predecessor, Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen, falls very short of expectations. It's not a bad series by any means, but the first season of Nodame sets such a high bar that this 11 episode sequel is unable to keep up.
Picking up almost immediately where the first season left off, Paris-hen follows the lives of Shinichi Chiaki and Noda Megumi (Nodame) as they travel from Japan to Paris in pursuit of their musical dreams. The plot doesn't advance much, or include any major developments, although it does set things up nicely for the third and final season.
Unfortunately, setting up for another, hopefully more conclusive, series doesn't make this season of Nodame a great one, especially when considering the characters. Chiaki and Nodame are as fleshed out as ever, but the newer side characters that are introduced seem very static. I found it very hard to care about Tanya, Frank, Yulong, or Rui because their characters weren't nearly as well developed as their predecessors like Mine and Kiyora. Speaking of side characters from the first series, the only ones we hear about throughout the entirety of Paris-hen are Kuroki and Stresemann, which is sad for viewers like me, who grew to love and care about those characters.
However, Paris-hen does have a lot to offer, and it's only because the first season of Nodame was so outstanding that it appears to fall so incredibly flat. Much like the first season, there are a lot of great classical music pieces inserted into various episodes. I would have liked to see more musical performances, but the ones that were featured were well done. As a previous reviewer mentioned, the songs chosen were a bit more mainstream this time around, so hopefully the third season will pull out a few more hidden gems. In addition to the music in the performances, the animation by J.C. Staff remains at a high quality, combining watercolor backgrounds of the Paris skyline with seamless animation and rotoscoping to detail the musical instruments. As always, the character designs are very true to the manga.
I can’t tell if it’s the original manga as a source material, or that they only slotted 11 episodes for this season, but Paris-hen seems more like it’s going through the motions to set up for the final season, than trying to be a good series on its own. This causes the quality to suffer, but, as previously mentioned, only when compared to the first season of Nodame Cantabile. Paris-hen is definitely still worth watching, especially for any Nodame fan. 7/10
Posted by : kevinchaosvs
Posted on : 2010-01-01
[Story: 7.5] Season 1 of Nodame Cantabile is easily one of my list of favorite anime. With that said, I was both apprehensive towards and looking forward to this sequel for several reasons. Considering the success of season 1, trying to top, or even to just maintain that previously set caliber, is certainly far from easy. Indeed, Paris Chapter is much weaker compared to the previous season.
I can sort of understand why the sequel is made shorter than the first season in that the plot progress is rather stagnant now, whereby both protagonists have more or less achieved success. On the whole, there really aren’t any others major events for them to face so the Paris Chapter’s focus is mainly an extension on the relationship between Nodama and Chiaki. Nevertheless, squeezing the materials into 11 episodes is still a little too short. Simply put, although there isn’t much story to cover, it’s still quite a lot to condense so there were parts in the show that made me felt there was “something missing” or rather vague.
[Characters: 8.0] Since this is set in Paris, it means that we’ll be introduced to new supporting casts and this is the part that is of my main concern: what would this series be without the old supporting characters? The old casts back in season 1 are so hilarious that I’ve grown familiar with them and to like them. Without them, there’s just something missing in the overall dynamics of the series. Furthermore, the new supporting casts aren’t as interesting; they simply didn’t stand out as much, partly because they had lesser time to (try to) shine. On the other hand, I’m kind of glad that the otaku in the new cast is there only as a plot device to help Nodame rather than the obligatory guy who likes referencing anime.
Thankfully, on the other hand, Nodame is as adorable as ever – the scenes where she tried learning French instantly sprang to mind. Similarly, we also begin to see more of Chiaki opening up to Nodame; Chiaki has grown a lot since season 1, but he’s still the Chiaki the audience has come to like. As such, characters’ development is much, much stronger here for our protagonists, where it’s no longer just them bickering around: we begin to see more of the ‘dere’ phase and less of the ‘tsun’.
[Art: 9.0] On the whole, nothing much to add here, since the art style is pretty much the same as before, except that season 2 got to show off a bit more of the art quality via the varieties of sceneries in Paris. In fact, I think the art captured the mood of the scenery well.
[Music: 8.5] Now this is where Paris Chapter got bitten the hardest. Needing to squeeze a large amount of materials into such short series meant plenty of sacrifices. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of the concerts, whereby the performances and orchestras were reduced to mere seconds, barely enough to even savor the Classical masterpieces, thus making this the most disappointing aspect of the sequel. The OP was rather average and although the ED was quite suited to the lightly romantic ambience in the series, it wasn’t that memorable either. Hence, as much as I’d love to give this section a 10/10, I can’t.
[Impression] Considering the story being set at Paris, this season is less romance-focused than I thought it would be. Perhaps it was intended to maintain the show more at a more comedic and light mood, so I won’t nitpick on that. Nevertheless, shaking aside complains, Nodame Cantabile ~ Paris Chapter is enjoyable and definitely worth watching if you’ve enjoyed season 1. I mean, hey, even with all the rants I still give it an 8/10.
Personal Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Posted by : du5k
Posted on : 2009-05-20
Nodame Cantabile is definitely one of the best anime series I’ve seen. But somehow, even though this season has kept its style, this season has fallen short of my expectations.
If I had to guess, I’ll say it’s because gone were the days where Chiaki and Nodame are apprentices of other people, where their learning process, character development and milestones are an integral part of the storyline. In this season, Chiaki has already achieved quite a bit of fame, and Nodame has managed to enter one of the best music schools in the world… and that makes it a little less interesting I guess?
I can’t remember if this has happened with the first season, but the pacing of the story isn’t really good; there are several parts that felt rush and seems to have no meaning to the storyline. Maybe they’re trying too hard to stick to the manga story?
The animation is pretty good, but I find to find these little imperfections that I don’t remember seeing in the first season. And the songs… the opening song and animation sequence is so bad, are they even serious with this? The ED is ok though…
Overall it’s not as good as the first season, but still rather enjoyable.
Plot/Concept: 7
Story Style: 8
Production Quality: 7
Value: 7
Posted by : Himitsu
Posted on : 2009-05-08
Nodame Cantabile as a whole is quite the piece of work. They pleasantly overwhelm you with such top quality elements. You receive music, fantastic characters, perky humour, and lovely visuals. In fact, the characters alone are enough to make a great series. Megumi Noda (Nodame) will always be a character that stands out above all others.
A good set of main characters and completely well-performed music. Unfortunately, I felt that the Paris Chapter didn't display a good number of exhilirating pieces. Most of the pieces were commonly known. BUT there was so much more variation in instruments. You have an assortment of new characters, so they took advantage of centering on different instruments :3 I liked that area.
I will admit, it didn't have such wholesome charm as the first season. I easily fell in love with Chiaki and Nodame, but for Paris-hen, they seemed to focus on future development and humour. A sequel of only 11 episodes though, you can't get to many places. There was no solidity in the story, things were very scattered. It's good to know that they plan on doing another season though.
There was some confusion over some characters. Most characters looked the same or didn't have very distinct personalities. I couldn't bring myself to become attracted to any. At first, I thought there would be some awesome anime parodies or references, considering there was an otaku character, unfortunately, there were none.
Nontheless, I found myself laughing more here. The dialogue is still eccentric and them being in a different culture/place (Paris) brings out many interesting events. My favourite part is still the first episode where Chiaki takes Nodame to a fancy restaurant and Nodame is trying to learn French. Very funny!
Posted by : Chikage_Shampoo
Posted on : 2009-01-02
Although Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen lacks some of the pizazz of its predecessor, it still executes rather well. In fact, as a standalone series, it probably tops many of the 2008 series that I've seen this year.
The problem dwells in the length of the series - 11 episodes in order to crunch a decent storyline with decent characters and decent humor. With its huge cast - the protagonists combined with the numerous orchestral members - the series must cater at least some time to certain individuals, thus detracting from the spotlight that the main characters could share. And while the characters are sound - what with their constant antics and likability - the anime's flow comes via small spurts. This hinders the otherwise humorous aspects of the anime, as well as its music, because of the constant rushing.
The music is somewhat rushed as well. Paris-hen cannot devote as much time as it did in the first season, so the musical segments are shorter: viewers cannot see the half or quarter-songs of the first season, but rather only snippets. I find this somewhat disappointing as the main theme of the anime seems to be Ravel's "Bolero" - one of my more favorite classical songs - and yet the anime does not spotlight it enough.
Nevertheless, I highly enjoy Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen. Although the humor is not as consistent (or maybe I just didn't have enough of it), the characters, though lacking in development and screentime, are still quite lovable. Some make reappearances, but the newest characters - Tanya, Frank, Yunlong, etc. - each contribute in their own respects to the characteristic cheerfulness of Nodame. Overall, this is what makes the series shine.
Nodame Cantabile: Season 2 is still worth a watch, even if its enjoyability does not live up to the first season. However, this is only due to its short length, and otherwise I am sure that the series, with a longer length, would have lived more up to the "legacy" that the first had established.
Posted by : Molenir
Posted on : 2008-12-24
After the success of Nodame Cantabile, I knew that the sequel would have a tough time topping the original. Indeed, this was the case, as the original was superior in just about every area. From music, to story, to humor. Having said this however, Nodame Cantabile Paris Chapter is by itself, a good show, and definitely worth especially if you've seen the original.
The music was the first thing that stood out as different for me. In the original, huge sections of the anime were devoted to music, with the orchestras playing a lot of the various pieces. The Paris chapter simply didn't have that. Oh Chiaki conducted orchestras, but we never really got to hear the music. The OP also, wasn't nearly as good as the original. Though I do give credit on the ED. It was about as good in this series, as the ED was in the original.
Another problem was the story. Early on especially, it felt rushed and jerky. If you've read the manga, you know of course this is because the anime skipped huge chunks of the story, and compressed others so they were rushing. It didn't help that the series only had 11 episodes to work with as well. I really think they could have done a better job had they given it another 22 series season.
While the humor from the original was still there, early on Nodame just never got enough screentime for her manic personality to shine through. It wasn't until midway through the series that the humor made a come back.
I mentioned the story as being one of the problems with the series. While this is true, particularly early on, its also one of the strong points to the show, as regardless of problems, the story and the characters were fun to watch. Overall, I really enjoyed the series. It certainly wasn't as good as the original, but if you're a fan of Nodame, then this will definitely be worth watching.
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