Having now seen all of Nodame Cantabile and both the special episodes... I am now 100% with you on the Tamaki Hiroshi thing. Oh my word. I'm more or less certain that he is the most attractive man alive (and actually a good actor, comically and emotionally, which really, really helps his case).
I also suspect My Boss, My Hero might actually be a bit too slapsticky for you now I've seen how far Nodame Cantabile goes in the goofy stakes, but it's still a series I like so watch a few episodes when you have nothing else to do and see how you like it. : )
Totally fell in love with Chiaki/Nodame, which I was NOT expecting! It took a little while; they did such a good job painting her as off-putting, all the way through the drama, plus I was put off by the fact that she seemed to be going down a path that wasn't enjoyable at all for her, all for Chiaki's sake. Then the series started to show some of her subtler good points, and she learned that study could make playing more fun while Chiaki learned that having fun with the music could make his study more meaningful. That they both somehow seemed to find a middle level where they understood each other but kept challenging each other, equals but still on really, REALLY different planes - I wasn't expecting that.
But what really made the relationship work for me was Nodame pushing Chiaki away when he came back from his tour for a day. The moment he realised he not only wanted her around but actually had to work for it (I loved that scene in the taxi in Fukuoka where he's frustrated that Nodame didn't realise how much courage it took for him to ask her to study abroad with him, and reflects on the fact that he'd been so sure she'd say yes if he just asked), I started to really believe that they could have a relationship, and by the end I was a complete supporter. (I kind of wish I was Nodame though, despite the dodgy personal hygiene and occasional social skills issues...)
I also want to name my first-born child Chiaki. I'm actually serious about this, I really wanted to incorporate the aki kanji into one of my kids' names without resorting to Akiko, a really common name now, but didn't want to create a brand new weird foreigner version of a Japanese name, and needed something that wouldn't be mispronounced too badly in English. Chiaki is perfect! Just one more reason to love the drama. Thank you for the rec! I think I'm checking out Honey and Clover next, I'm sure you recommended that to me a million years ago.
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I also suspect My Boss, My Hero might actually be a bit too slapsticky for you now I've seen how far Nodame Cantabile goes in the goofy stakes, but it's still a series I like so watch a few episodes when you have nothing else to do and see how you like it. : )
Totally fell in love with Chiaki/Nodame, which I was NOT expecting! It took a little while; they did such a good job painting her as off-putting, all the way through the drama, plus I was put off by the fact that she seemed to be going down a path that wasn't enjoyable at all for her, all for Chiaki's sake. Then the series started to show some of her subtler good points, and she learned that study could make playing more fun while Chiaki learned that having fun with the music could make his study more meaningful. That they both somehow seemed to find a middle level where they understood each other but kept challenging each other, equals but still on really, REALLY different planes - I wasn't expecting that.
But what really made the relationship work for me was Nodame pushing Chiaki away when he came back from his tour for a day. The moment he realised he not only wanted her around but actually had to work for it (I loved that scene in the taxi in Fukuoka where he's frustrated that Nodame didn't realise how much courage it took for him to ask her to study abroad with him, and reflects on the fact that he'd been so sure she'd say yes if he just asked), I started to really believe that they could have a relationship, and by the end I was a complete supporter. (I kind of wish I was Nodame though, despite the dodgy personal hygiene and occasional social skills issues...)
I also want to name my first-born child Chiaki. I'm actually serious about this, I really wanted to incorporate the aki kanji into one of my kids' names without resorting to Akiko, a really common name now, but didn't want to create a brand new weird foreigner version of a Japanese name, and needed something that wouldn't be mispronounced too badly in English. Chiaki is perfect!
Just one more reason to love the drama. Thank you for the rec! I think I'm checking out Honey and Clover next, I'm sure you recommended that to me a million years ago.