Nodame Cantabile is an award-winning manga, anime and live-action drama which began in January 2007. Shinichi Chiaki is the top piano student at his university and an excellent violinist, but he dreams of someday becoming a conductor. However, he has several deep-rooted fears about traveling, and so finds himself trapped in Japan. Because of this, he questions how far he can go in music, especially when he's passed over again and again. This is when he meets Nodame, or Megumi Noda, a messy free spirit who reminds Chiaki that music can be fun. Chiaki learns how to deal with others and begins to realize what is possible for him, even within Japan. bull;a game based on the manga was announced for the Nintendo DS, for release in Spring 2007.

Capriccioso and cantabile – capriciously, in a smooth, singing style. This is a classical music comedy about the oddball Megumi Noda, otherwise known as Nodame.

A wide-ranging introductory guide for readers making their first steps into the world of manga, this book helps readers explore the full range of Japanese comic styles, forms and traditions from its earliest texts to the internationally popular comics of the 21st century. In an accessible and easy-to-navigate format, the book covers: · The history of Japanese comics, from influences in early visual culture to the global 'Manga Boom' of the 1990s to the present · Case studies of texts reflecting the range of themes, genres, forms and creators, including Osamu Tezuka, Machiko Hasegawa and Katsuhiro Otomo · Key themes and contexts – from gender and sexuality, to history and censorship · Critical approaches to manga, including definitions, biography and reception and global publishing contexts The book includes a bibliography of essential critical writing on manga, discussion questions for classroom use and a glossary of key critical terms.

Shinichi Chiaki dreams of becoming a conductor like his mentor and Megumi Noda, also known as Nodame, wants to become a famous musician, but to succeed both with have to face intense rivalry and competition.

Anime, hand-drawn or computer-animated Japanese cartoons, appears in television series, films, video, video games, and commercials, and represents most genres of fiction. This critical study explores anime's relationship with art from a twofold perspective. Drawing from categories as varied as romance, comedy, slice of life drama, science fiction, bildungsroman, and school drama, it examines anime's representation of characters pursuing diverse artistic activities and related aesthetic visions, focusing closely on the concepts of creativity, talent, expressivity and experimentation. Additionally, the analysis engages with anime's own artistry, proposing that those characters' endeavors provide metaphors for the aims and objectives pursued by anime itself as an evolving art form. The cross-cultural resonance of this work makes it relevant not only to anime fans and scholars, but also to those interested in the phenomenon of image-making.