This review may contain spoilers
A Bland Adaptation of Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabile is a very well-crafted manga/anime. It's very interesting to go into the details behind its features, be it the real life inspirations or the choice or music.
This drama adaptation is, to put it bluntly, very bland. It's neither funny nor serious. The comedic elements fall just short of being funny, and the serious elements barely scratch the surface of the issue being dealt with.
FL's acting is very bad here, almost like she's following instructions as to what expression to make. The way her character is written is also very weak. There's no personality here - such a shame considering how original, wacky and full of spirit the original anime character is. Steven Zhang, as always, is a delight to watch but this series was way beneath his capabilities.
One might expect a climatic element regarding the FL's musical career, and her being overlooked and in the background all the time, but when it happens, it feels very anti-climatic. It's all very lukewarm.
They adapted one of the wackiest anime ever and made it into this bland, lukewarm drama. If they were gonna just keep the story and tone down the comedy, they could've done that in a better way. This is neither funny nor serious, nor is it like those healing dramas that don't have any extreme emotions. This is just - there.
The ending is a happy one, so there's that. However, despite all its shortcomings, it can be a comfort watch. So I've re-watched it a couple of times when I was too bored. The biggest frustration was the lack of satisfaction regarding the FL's character arc and growth. I wish she'd at least laid out her feelings of frustration and rejection before the ML, regarding her personal and professional life. I wish she'd achieved something, but we're given just one performance and a conversation that addresses nothing, and then it's all water under the bridge.
This drama adaptation is, to put it bluntly, very bland. It's neither funny nor serious. The comedic elements fall just short of being funny, and the serious elements barely scratch the surface of the issue being dealt with.
FL's acting is very bad here, almost like she's following instructions as to what expression to make. The way her character is written is also very weak. There's no personality here - such a shame considering how original, wacky and full of spirit the original anime character is. Steven Zhang, as always, is a delight to watch but this series was way beneath his capabilities.
One might expect a climatic element regarding the FL's musical career, and her being overlooked and in the background all the time, but when it happens, it feels very anti-climatic. It's all very lukewarm.
They adapted one of the wackiest anime ever and made it into this bland, lukewarm drama. If they were gonna just keep the story and tone down the comedy, they could've done that in a better way. This is neither funny nor serious, nor is it like those healing dramas that don't have any extreme emotions. This is just - there.
The ending is a happy one, so there's that. However, despite all its shortcomings, it can be a comfort watch. So I've re-watched it a couple of times when I was too bored. The biggest frustration was the lack of satisfaction regarding the FL's character arc and growth. I wish she'd at least laid out her feelings of frustration and rejection before the ML, regarding her personal and professional life. I wish she'd achieved something, but we're given just one performance and a conversation that addresses nothing, and then it's all water under the bridge.
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