Everything comes together
Creative Staff:
Story & Art: Tomoko Ninomiya
Translation & Adaptor: David & Eriko Walsh
Lettering: Michaelis/Carpelis Design
What They Say:
AN ORCHESTRAL ORDEAL: Chiaki is beyond ecstatic. Maestro Stresemann has decided to conduct the A orchestra and has asked Chiaki to join him. But who will lead the S orchestra? Drastic measures mean a hilarious concert, and a festival to remember. From the student body to the faculty, the whole school is abuzz with anticipation. Nodame is playing a piano concerto, Chiaki is also tickling the ivories (and honored to be lead by the Great Master), and the S orchestra is just thrilled to be part of the program. Of course the real excitement begins the night before the musical event. . . . Plus, there’s a special story about Chiaki’s first meeting with Sebastiano Viera. You won’t want to miss it!
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The main problem I’ve had with Nodame Cantabile is how staggered its pacing is. Arcs are a lot shorter than they’re initially built up to be, resulting in some chapters feeling very self-important, while others feel like they’re going off those previous chapter’s fumes. There’s never this grand scale of an overarching story, but rather these overly long self-contained arcs that sometimes have a payoff, and sometimes don’t. So consider myself pleasantly surprised when volume 5 of the series was able to hold everything together from beginning to end.
Like previous volumes, Chiaki has defaulted to the main focus of the story. But this time around, rather than being forced to babysit the lesser-abled S Orchestra, the quirky misfits he looked down on have become more of a rival character than any kind of hindrance. For someone so beaming with self-confidence, Chiaki himself is still humble enough to acknowledge his flaws and observe the strengths in others, making him not only an interesting character to follow, but a useful conductor as well.
The primary story of Chiaki’s performance in the school festival being pitted against the S Orchestra is balanced well with the drama that ensues when Chiaki’s ex Saiko worms her way back into his life. While the two have crossed paths enough times in past volumes, their interaction this time around feels the most worthwhile. For the first time since their breakup, Chiaki is finally at a better place musically than Saika resulting in some major regret on Saika’s part. Whereas Chiaki acknowledges the benefits of playing music with your heart on your sleeve, Saiko still finds solace in more structured music. Saiko serves as a reminder of Chiaki’s past in more ways than one, and it benefits the story exponentially.
And while the doofy Nodame is still more of a sidenote than anything else, her sparing inclusion is still effective when it comes to the story. Not only does her more free-form playing continue to inspire Chiaki, but it eventually brings a romantic misunderstanding from Saiko’s perspective—a trope that I’ve been waiting to see fully dropped into the story since volume 1.
In Summary:
Nodame Cantabile volume 5 is the first in the series that a full volume has felt cohesive from start to finish. Focus on Chiaki and his relationship with the quirkier S Orchestra as well as drama with his ex-girlfriend provide two halves of an interesting character introspection that hopefully continues throughout the rest of the series. Even the bonus-chapter delving into Chiaki’s childhood feels like it was intended to be part of this particular volume, rather than a tacked-on addition like previous bonus chapters—a quick and enjoyable read from beginning to end.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Kodansha Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: August 2, 2016
MSRP: $10.99
