I'm so sad that this great manga ended with rushed ending >.<
but, however It's still one of my favorite manga ever. Never bored reading it again and again then giggle at every sweet moments of Chiaki Nodame, expilicit ir not.
Plus, reading this manga kinda motivating me to know more about classical music
A must try!!. You'll never regret reading it

Parts of NC are great - memorable characters (the main ones - Nodame is adorable and INTERESTING, at least, not so much the side characters...) and a cute relationship. As a musician myself, I am familiar with most of the songs they mention so I've got personal depth in the connection with the story.

But the cons...if you aren't familiar with the music (and even if you are), the story can fall really flat. After a while, its Chiaki again...on the stage...conducting and looking all intense...flash to audience....flash to soloist...wait, haven't I seen this before? Yup, pretty much every other chapter!
It gets really repetitive and unemotional.
Also, the romance moves incredibly (sometimes painfully) slow. Its a pretty subtle story. But although pretty much nothing ever happens, when a small moment does happen, the couple is just so adorable that you have to smile.
Art is nothing special - plain and sparse. Its the story driving (or not driving) the action here, though the art does improve slightly.

The ending sucked (though not as bad as I thought it would reading these reviews).

... Last updated on April 4th, 2010, 8:45pm

This manga is quite a slow one if you're lookin for some romance. Buuuuut, it's really gooood anyways! cuz cuz it's really cute and has a funny kinda sarcastic humor. : D But also, sometimes it makes you wanna just tell the story to HURRY THE *BEEP* UP! oh well. It's awesome anyhow.

I just love this series so much and the anime just makes it much better with all the music. I always find this series really touching. Oddball Nodame with the genius Chiaki is a great pairing as their relationship brings out the best of both of them. I love how this stuck up man becomes so enchanted or drawn in by Nodame's music no matter how much it sucked in the beginning. You could say they need each other. Nodame always brought out the love in music that Chiaki strived to perfect and move foward with. Also Chiaki brought out the desire to become better from within Nodame. Their love through music is so touching and you can feel it. (I especially love the anime because they use such touching music!!!)


... Last updated on February 7th, 2010, 11:16pm

The comic was great, and I used to give it 8 for rating. But the ending is so disappointing. I'd rather think that it hasn't ended, unfinished is better than badly finished.

At first I wasn't sure about reading this manga, specially because it was focused in music and I belived that'll be boring- I couldn't be more wrong. I just couldn't stopped reading once I started. The plot is original, complex characters and not the typical ones, you can really feel the music (which was amazing for me), the artwork really improved through the series, etc.
Although it seems to be taking to long I didn't want it to end either. (I didn't love the ending but I suppose that the autor let many thing to the imagination of the fans)
It's gonna be hard to find a manga that'll complete the hole left by Nodame Cantabile, but even good things must end
I can't really add anything else that people haven't said before.
Just one thing more, It really is worth reading, just give it a try and you'll love it!!
pd: I didn't give it a 10 because of the ending
pd2: I loved the live-action:

I was going to give it a 10, but ending's are very important and this one was a let down. Other than that, the plot was great, just a little draggy for more impatient readers, but it's really one of it's kind.

... Last updated on October 14th, 2009, 2:35am

It's kinda rush at the end, although it's very like Nodame. But still, 10+ for the charming Nodame Cantabile. I'll miss her very much :'(

... Last updated on October 14th, 2009, 1:26am

The charm of this manga had me stick with it till the very end, but sadly the ending didn't live up with what the manga had to offer. In truth, my love for Nodame even makes me doubt that the series has ended. Surely the uniqueness of nodame and chiaki's adventures shouldn't end like that? Sadly, I was wrong. But don't let my discontent push you away from Nodame. You will enjoy reading it. In fact, it's one of the few manga you wish wouldn't end. I would recommend reading this manga to anyone who would enjoy hilarity with a unique romantic touch. Still, I cannot let go my dissappointment in Nodame's ending.

I thought it was a great manga, but the ending is almost non-existent so I subtracted 2 points from the total. If it would have had a better ending I would have given it an 9. now only a seven. It really did deserve a much better ending.