Nodame Cantabile (のだめカンタービレ -2006)

Starring:
Ueno Juri as Noda Megumi aka Nodame (Piano)
Morisako Ei as young Nodame
Tamaki Hiroshi as Chiaki Shinichi (Piano/Violin/Conducting)
Fujita Reo (藤田玲央) as young Chiaki
Eita as Mine Ryutaro (Violin)
Koide Keisuke as Okuyama Masumi (Timpani)
Mizukawa Asami as Miki Kiyora (Violin)
Saeko as Saku Sakura (Contrabass)
Uehara Misa as Tagaya Saiko (Vocal)
Takenaka Naoto as Franz Strezemann (Milch Holstein by Nodame)
Akiyoshi Kumiko as Momodaira Minako
Endo Yuya as Okochi Mamoru (Conducting)
Iwasa Mayuko as Ishikawa Reina (Piano)
Takase Yukina (高瀬友規奈) as Tanaka Makiko (Piano)
Kondo Kouen as Tamaki Keiji (Clarinet)
Sakamoto Makoto as Hashimoto Yohei (Oboe)
Matsuoka Rinako as Suzuki Moe (Flute)
Matsuoka Emiko as Suzuki Kaoru (Clarinet)
Yamanaka Takashi as Iwai Kazushi (Contrabass)
Kobayashi Kinako as Kinjo Shizuka (Viola)
Fukada Aki as Inoue Yuki (Cello)
Kojima Tenten (小嶌天天) as Kanai Kento (Horn)
Inoue Yoshiko (井上佳子) as Suganuma Saya (Vocal)
Ibu Masato as Mine Tatsumi
Nishimura Masahiko as Tanioka Hajime
Toyohara Kosuke as Eto Kozo
Shiraishi Miho as Eto Kaori
Fukushi Seiji as Kuroki Yasunori (Rising Star: Oboe)
Mukai Osamu as Kikuchi Toru (Rising Star: Cello]
Hashizume Ryo as Kimura Tomohito (Rising Star: Violin)
Namioka Kazuki as Katayama (Rising Star: Horn)
Sakurai Chizu as Aizawa Maiko (Rising Star: Flute)
Kimura Ryo as Takahashi Noriyuki (RS: Violin - new concert master)
Kuroda Chieko as Miyoshi Seiko (Chiaki's mom)
Hatano Hiroko as Kawano Keeko
Oikawa Mitsuhiro as Sakuma Manabu
Kichise Michiko as Elise
Ito Takahiro as Segawa Yuto (Nodame's childhood piano classmate)
Ogawa Koki (小川光樹) as young Segawa
Zdenek Macal as Sebastino Vieira
John Hesse as Kyle Dune (Kiyora's professor)
Manuel Doncel as Professor Auclair (Judge in Maradona Competition)
Iwamatsu Ryo as Noda Tatsuo (Nodame's dad)
Miyazaki Yoshiko as Noda Yoko (Nodame's mom)
Betto Yuki (別當優輝) as Noda Yoshitaka (Nodame's brother)
Eto Kansai (江藤漢斉) as Noda Saburo (Nodame's grandpa)
Ohkata Hisako (大方斐紗子) as Noda Shizuyo (Nodame's grandma)
Yashiba Toshihiro as Momogaoka teacher
Masuda Keita
Nagaoka Mami (photo stills)


Based on the hit comic book by Tomoko Ninomiya, this is a fun-filled quirky romantic story of two very opposite people.

Megumi Noda, or “Nodame” is a piano student at Momogaoka College of Music. An extremely talented pianist who wants to be a kindergarten teacher, she prefers playing by ear rather than reading the music score. She is messy and disorganized, takes baths several days apart and loves to eat, sometimes stealing her friend’s lunchbox when it is filled with delicacies.

Shinichi Chiaki, is Momogaoka’s top student. Born into a musical family, he is talented in piano and violin and has secret ambitions to become a conductor. An arrogant multi-lingual perfectionist who once lived abroad in the music capitals of the world as a young boy, he feels mired in Japan because of a childhood phobia.

They meet by accident. Nodame quickly falls in love, but it takes much longer for Chiaki to even begin to appreciate Nodame’s unusual qualities. Their relationship causes them both to develop and grow. Because of Nodame, Chiaki got the opportunity to lead a student orchestra and begins to have a broader appreciation of people's musical abilities. Because of Chiaki, Nodame faces her fears and enters a piano competition. Opportunities open up as both begin taking risks, stretching themselves far more than they ever thought possible.

I'm crying right now. This is my second time to watch this drama. I finally got the nerve to download the series and specials associated with NC. I'm not crying because this was sad because it had to end. I'm not crying because I'm so happy for Nodame and Chiaki. I'm crying because I remembered that feeling I had when I first watched this. The music, the actors, the story. *The tears won't stop......* I'm crying because I fell in love............

This drama will always be my first love. It really wasn't my first "drama" because the Coffee Prince was the first ever. But it was this drama that sucked me in hook, line and sinker. I was captivated. Tamaki Hiroshi was just the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. This drama was so entertaining. I wanted more and was so happy they made specials to finish it off even though the manga is still being written. *Which reminds me that I need to read the latest chapters........*

My heart aches. I've moved on to new drama's and movies. And when I decided to go back and watch this again I didn't realize all the famous actors and actresses that were in this. Yes, I new Hiroshi-kun, Juri-chan, and Eita-kun were in this but as the faces flashed by my mouth opened and dropped, then closed and smiled. Going back to the day when I decided to watch this drama, I was a newbie to Asian culture and the language. My only reference was the anime Naruto. LOL!

I cry because this drama will never tire me out. This was a masterpiece in my heart. There will never be one that can top this. Oh, there have been several close calls but nothing will overtake this one.

Everyone should watch this drama....over and over and over and over again. The music is breathtaking. I can sit and listen to it for hours and dream of Chiaki-kun. *sigh*

I dearly hope that they will make a second season because Nodame and Chiaki's story isn't over yet.......................

Byakkotai (白虎隊-2007)

幾人の　涙は石にそそぐとも　その名は世々に　朽じとぞ思う

Ikutari no namida wa ishi ni sosogu tomo sono na wa yoyo ni kuji to zo omou

"No matter how many people wash the stones with their tears, these names will never vanish from the world."

Byakkotai Samurai
Yamashita Tomohisa as Sakai Mineji and Sakai Shintaro
Tanaka Koki as Shinoda Gisaburo and Shinoda Yusuke
Fujigaya Taisuke as Itou Matahachi
Saito Shota as Tsuda Sutezou
Tomita Sho as Nishikawa Katsutaro
Sakimoto Hiromi as Iinuma Sadakichi
Tsujimoto Yuki (辻本祐樹) as Nagase Yuji
Hashidume Ryo as Ishida Wasuke
Tochihara Rakuto
Kujirai Kousuke (鯨井康介) as Adachi Tozaburo
Kotani Yukihiro (小谷幸弘)
Tagana Masaya (多賀名将也) as Ibuka Motaro
Hanaya Mitsunori (花谷充規)
Kouno Hiroki (河野弘樹)
Kato Takashi (加藤崇)
Otani Sho (大谷翔)
Gonda Yuichiro (権田裕一郎)
Fukuda Yusuke (福田雄介)
Ueyama Manabu (植山学)
Aoyama Masafumi (青山雅史)
Tomihira Kazuma (富平和馬)
Ezaki Oe (江嵜大兄)
Yoshitake Shuhei (吉武周平)
Ishiguro Hideo
Yamada Akira (山田晃)
Saito Rikimaru (齋藤力丸)
Kawanishi Hiroshi (川西裕士)

Other Characters
Yakushimaru Hiroko as Sakai Shige (Mineji's mother)
Nogiwa Yoko as Sakai Mon (Mineji's grandmother)
Takashima Masanobu as Sakai Yasuemon (Mineji's father)
Ito Shiro as Sakai Mineo (Shintaro's grandfather)
Kuroki Meisa as Asai Sayoko
Ito Kazue as Asai Sumie (Sayoko's mother)
Matsushige Yutaka as Yamamoto Kakuma
Masu Takeshi as Sugiyama Eitaro
Kikawada Masaya as Sakai Takie (Mineji's brother)
Matsuo Toshinobu as Yamakawa Hiroshi
Tsutsui Mariko as Tsuda Suguko (Tsuda Sutezo's mother)
Ida Kisuke (飯田基祐)
Yamada Meikyo (山田明郷)
Takuma Takayuki
Hirooka Yuriko
Nishihara Aki
Kanno Rio
Hitomi Sanae (人見早苗)
Kobayashi Ken
Matoba Koji
Nakagoshi Noriko as Yamamoto Yaeko
Sugata Shun (菅田俊)
Ida Kunihiko
Namiki Shiro
Sonoi Koji (園井光司)
Okayama Hajime
Watari Hiroshi (渡洋史)
Sakaki Hideo (榊英雄)
Sakai Toshiya
Enjouji Aya
Ishimaru Kenjiro
Ishikura Saburo
Bengal
Kinoshita Hoka
Musaka Naomasa
Watanabe Ikkei
Kataoka Tsurutaro
Wakamura Mayumi as Shinoda Shinko (Gisaburo's mother)
Wakui Emi
Asano Yuko
Kobayashi Nenji as Saigou Tanomo
Higashiyama Noriyuki as Matsudaira Katamori

The "Byakkotai" were a group of 19 samurai youths ( all aged 16-17 ) who committed "harakiri" or ritual suicide as they looked down at their castle from the top of Iimoriyama Hill. On seeing smoke rising from the castle they presumed it was on fire and all was lost. (In fact, the castle itself was not on fire). This Memorial Hall is dedicated to their tragic story and also has details about the last Aizu clan leader.



OMG! This story was BEAUTIFUL! A MUST SEE! The best drama ever for Yamashita Tomohisa. I've a new found respect for his acting skills. Hell, even for Tanaka Koki. I really saw these guys as just teen idols until I saw the most amazing acting skills that came out of this show. The story was so terribly sad. And yeah, I cried through most of it. I knew something horrible was coming...and then BAM! I'm still sniffling........

As an American this reminded me of our own young during the Civil War. The time period is the same. The young men who went out to war for their "side" and for their families welfare. I think now of the new found respect our soldiers go through for our countries.

If you are wanting to learn more about the history of Japan....this drama is great one to start. God, I really loved this!!

I'm not adding any hottie pics only because I think that would take away respect for this show and for those boys who really died for their cause. Most of the characters were real. I can't do it.