Nodame Cantabile and Nae Il's Cantabile

I'm doing a joint review of these two dramas, not because I'm lazy (though I am) but because as good adaptations of the manga Nodame cantabile by Ninomiya Tomoko, or remake of one another, I would have repeated myself.

I've watched Nodame Cantabile twice but it's been some years and I've just watched Nae Il's Cantabile for the first time. I had actually read part of the manga, for once, and from what I remembered, the Japanese drama was quite faithful.

Japanese title : のだめカンタービレ

11 episodes

Aired on Fuji TV

From 2006 October to December

+ 1 special (2 ep, 2008) + 2 movies (2009 and 2010)

Main cast :

• Ueno Juri as Noda Megumi
• Tamaki Hiroshi as Chiaki Shinichi
• Eita as Mine Ryutaro
• Koide Keisuke as Okuyama Masumi
• Mizukawa Asami as Miki Kiyora
• Saeko as Saku Sakura
• Uehara Misa as Tagaya Saiko
• Takenaka Naoto as Franz Stresemann
• Fukushi Seiji as Kuroki Yasunori
• Mukai Osamu as Kikuchi Toru
• Toyohara Kosuke as Eto Kozo
• Nishimura Masahiko as Tanioka Hajime
• Ibu Masato as Mine Tatsumi

Production credits :

• Screenwriter : Etou Rin
• Producers : Wakamatsu Hiroki, Shimizu Kazuyuki
• Directors : Takeuchi Hideki, Kawamura Taisuke, Tanimura Masaki

Korean title : 내일도 칸타빌레

Other title : Tomorrow Cantabile

16 episodes

Aired on KBS2

From 2014 October to December

Main cast :

• Shim Eun Kyung as Sul Nae Il (Noda Megumi)
• Joo Won as Cha Yoo Jin  (Chiaki Shinichi)
• Go Kyung Pyo as Yoo Il Rak (Mine Ryutaro)
• Park Bo Gum as Lee Yoon Hoo
• Jang Se Hyun as Ma Soo Min (Okuyama Masumi)
• Min Do Hee as Choi Min Hee (Saku Sakura)
• Bae Min Jung as Jung Shi Won (Miki Kiyora)
• Baek Yoon Shik as Franz Streseman
• Kim Yoo Mi as Chae Do Kyung (Tagaya Saiko)
• Lee Byung Joon as Do Kang Jae (Eto Kozo)
• Nam Goong Yun as Ahn Gun Sung (Tanioka Hajime)
• Ye Ji Won as Song Mi Na
• Ahn Kil Kang as Yoo Won Sang (Mine Tatsumi)

Production credits :

• Chief Producer : Hwang Eui Kyung ; producers : Kim Jin Won, Park Woo Ram
• Directors : Han Sang Woo, Lee Jung Mi
• Screenwriters: Park Pil Joo, Shin Jae Won

 

Notes : Funny how I've just rewatched Secret Garden in which Lee Byung Joon and Kim Ji Sook also appear, in very different roles.

Review : Fav !

Title : Makes sense since these dramas revolve around students in a music school, and especially around the impact that the character Noda Megumi or Nodame / Nae Il has.

Girl : She's a tricky character to play because she's eccentric and childish, which can easily be annoying and ridiculous, but I think that both actresses nailed it. She's a piano genius but she doesn't want to make it her career. She's obstinate, honest, warm, lovable and doesn't care how she is perceived by people. (+)

Boy : He's also a genius in so many things. He's confident, hard-working and perfectionnist. Also closed-off emotionnally and struggles to express his feelings. (+)

Relationship : This shouldn't work. But it does. These two characters, also surrounded by their friends, help each other to grow and to overcome what is keeping them from achieving their true potentials. They also have the same passion for classical music and admire their respective talent.

Plot : The plot deals mostly with the growth of the characters, through the challenges they face individually and in relation to each other.

The Korean adaptation adds some power struggles at the head of the school, which was not that interesting but also not bad enough to ruin the drama.

Other characters : Characters are interesting and likable. The Korean adaptation has a new character, but, as with the other changes they've made, it fits well.

What the... ? Nodame/Nae Il is a quirky character, maybe she would be too much for some people ? Another tricky character is Stresemann and I'm actually glad they toned down his "pervert" side in the Korean adaptation.

Funny : Yes.

Music : Most diegetic and non diegetic music in these dramas are classical pieces. Classical music is at the heart of the story. You don't need to know anything about it (I don't) to like it and maybe these dramas will make you appreciate how beautiful and emotional classical music is.

Bonus : A glimpse of Salzburg !

Bottom line : I love the characters, in every iteration, their relationships and to watch them learn and grow. It's not realistic at all but it's very satisfying, funny, with sublime music. Fav !

Top 10 Drama actors Crushes

So, let's get full-on, unabashedly superficial!

But, first, because we have to do this seriously, a definition of « crushes » for the purpose of this post. Basically, all leads in drama are handsome but for reasons, some appeal to me more and make me want to check out (but not always watch in their entirety) dramas in which they appear. These crushes are based on looks and on the characters portrayed. Obviously, I don't know them. Nor do I want to. In this case, fantasy is better.

Note: I chose pictures in which I could recognise the actor, based on what I know they look like in dramas.

Hum... no surprise for number One.

     1- 山下智久 Yamashita Tomohisa.

Born in 1985.
Lead in Nobuta wo produce, Kurosagi, Buzzer beat, Proposal daisakusen, Summer nude. In his dramography, I haven’t watched Code blue past the 1st episode coz of serious real-life stuff like blood and grim surgeries. [Edit: since then, I've watched and reviewed Monsters, Algernon ni Hanataba wo and From 5 to 9, so yeah, he's still number 1, no contest].

This Google images search just killed my heart.
One hour later:

     2- 郭品超  Dylan Kuo.

Born in 1977.
Lead in Prince + Princess 2 and Borrow your love.

     3- 速水もこみち Hayami Mokomichi

Born in 1984. 

Lead in Oh ! My girl !!!, Zettai Kareshi, Rebound. Also supporting in From 5 to 9.

     4- 藤木直人 Fujiki Naohito.

Born in 1972.
Lead in Hotaru no Hikari, supporting in Proposal daisakusen.
So nice and earnest.

     5- 敖犬  Ao Quan

Born in 1982.
Lead in Brown Sugar macchiato and only guest in The legend of Brown sugar chevalries :(. 
I like his features (especially his ears! :) ) and his character is fun.

    
  6- 주원  Joo Won.

Born in 1987.
Lead in Bridal Mask (Gaksital). Based on one drama but I plan to watch more of him. [Edit: since I've wrote this post, he's played the same role as the next one on this list. Lead in Nae Il's Cantabile. Is it random or do I have a type lol ?] So intense.

Wow, it was weird to see him cheerful in the results of my Googling!

     7- 玉木宏 Tamaki Hiroshi.

Born in 1980.
Lead in Nodame Cantabile and Love shuffle.

     8- Mike He.

Born in 1983.
Lead in Love contract, Devil besides you (DNF) and Love keeps going (DNF), guest in 1 episode of Yukan club. As you see, it's because of Love contract, because he was quite terrible in Love keeps going. I couldn't get into Devil besides you but he was okay in that.

     9- 고수  Go Soo

Born in 1978.
Lead in Marrying a millionnaire.

     10- Jimmy Lin.

Born in 1974.
Lead in My Lucky Star. He's on the list based on this drama I watched years ago so it really left me an impression. After rewatching and reviewing it for this blog... yeah, he belongs on this list.

Honorary : 

(I've had a crush on you but I won't watch a drama because you starred in it.)

- 吳尊 Wu Chun

Born in 1979.
Lead in Romantic Princess and Hana Kimi taïwanais (DNF).
After I started watching Hana Kimi, I got this weird impression that he looks like my brother (He does not !) and got creeped out.

- 김범 Kim Bum

Born in 1989.
Supporting in Boys over Flowers.

And this guy: 고주원 Go Joo Won

Born in 1981.
He isn't in any dramas I've watched but coming across these pictures when I was searching for Joo Won makes me want to check them out.

 

2020 June 16th edit : I changed this list in order to remove an actor I used to like, since his turn in Capital Scandal, one of my early fav dramas. Even his terrible hairstyle in the last part of Coffee House couldn't turn me off. But I just found out he has been convicted of sexual assault so... yeah, now he's just awful and disgusting.

Gaksital

Other title: Bridal Mask
Korean title: 각시탈

Aired on KBS2
2012 May 30 to Sept 06
28 episodes

Main cast:

• Joo Won: Lee Kang To
• Jin Se Yun: Oh Mok Dan
• Park Ki Woong: Kimura Shunji
• Han Chae Ah: Ueno Rie
• Chun Ho Jin: Kimura Taro
• Kim Eung Soo: Konno Goji
• Jun Noh Min: Dam Sa Ri
• Ahn Hyung Joon: Jun Katsuyama
• Song Min Hyung: Governor Wada Ryo
• Son Byung Ho: Jo Dong Joo

Note: Apparently it's based on a famous manhwa.

Review: + (from memory)

Title: Appropriate since it's about a hero who fights injustice and protects the Korean people during the Japanese occupation, wearing a traditional mask representing the bride. I don't remember why he chose this mask.

Boy: Ha! You're handsome, smart and passionate. You also have lots of resentment in you and it makes you cruel on occasions. In real life, you would be way too intense but you are interesting. Unfortunately you become a little bland in scenes when you act sweet.

Other boy: I don't know how to treat him. The fact that it's really hard for me to describe his personality here is, I think, a problem. I can just say that he's loyal, obstinate and passionate too.

Girl: so. So. SO brave. And kind. If I were to be cynical, I would say that she is too perfect. Anyway, I just have to admire her.

Other girl: She acts like a psychopath. She disgusted me at some points. But other times, I felt for her because she sold her soul and she's paying the price for that.

Plot: It was good, the stakes were high and you didn't know what was going to happen. But maybe fewer episodes would have been better because it was dark and heavy and I need some "light" from times to times in my series. But the bigger problem was...

the Relationships. Fortunately, the plot didn't need the characters to be dumb but it sometimes relied on the relationships in a way that isn't very credible. My other issue is that most romantic relationships started in the past which makes them pretty static. I can understand that developing the romantic relationships is not the most important in a drama in which life-threatening situations happen at every turn but these relationships are accomodated to serve the plot so they are not as powerful as they should be. They feel like plot devices which undermines the characters.

Other characters: There are mAAAny characters. The big bads are really interesting and chilling which makes up for one or two annoying cartoonish villains. I'll also say that while it's pretty much good against bad, there are more nuanced characterizations.

Funny factor: Nope.

Music: I don't remember it.

Other points: Period! Action! Elaborate fights!

Bottom line: It's a plus because: Good plots. Interesting characters. Heroism. Extreme backdrop. It's not a Fab because of other boy and the love relationships (both issues are linked).

A discussion of what happens after the jump so stop here if you haven't watched it yet.