Nodame Cantabile, Vol. 1 - Tomoko Ninomiya I watched the first two episodes of the dorama, and somehow, I did not like it very much. I was sure I was going to like the manga though. And happily I do. There are things that are better in a manga than in a Live Action (i.e., punches, stumbles).

It is josei, and it is about music.. classical music, so why wouldn't I like it? The Conductor in the manga reminded me a little of our Conductor Luis Szaran (I am a big fan!); passionate and kind. True, Chiaki is kind of grumpy, but he started to grown on me (a little bit anyway) in the last chapters. And although I considered Nodame a bit dumb in the dorama, I like her a lot here. Her ability is amazing, and she is kind of silly (in a childish way) but she is also very sweet and funny.

So now Chiaki has two skilled musicians in his care. Their friendship started smoothly and naturally. As I am determined to continue reading this, I'll probably give the dorama a second chance after I finish the series.

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EDIT(Oct7th): After 5 months, I am done with the manga, the anime and the dorama. I can honestly say this is one of my favorites stories and all three of them were amazingly done. I think everyone should read this manga. It is not long, but thankfully it is not too short either.

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Every character was perfectly played by these actors. I loved them!

1. Manga: 23 volumes + the special Opera Hen.
2. Anime: 1st season (23 episodes), 2nd season (11 episodes), 3rd season (11 episodes)
3. Dorama: 11 episodes + 2 Specials + 2 Movies.

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