Nodame’s featured instrument for Volume 5 is the cello. Or is it the string bass? Either way, she needs to make a weirder face while playing it.

Story:
In Volume 5, Chiaki totally gives Nodame the cold shoulder! He focuses on the Rachmaninoff piano concerto that he’s to be featured on with the A orchestra. Meanwhile, the S orchestra is on a mission to beat the A once again by performing a costume concert. Masumi dresses up as a woman. Big surprise there…

After hearing Chiaki play the concerto, Nodame gets totally obsessed with it and practices it instead of bathing/eating. She gets Chiaki to play a duet with her, and they’re reunited! Yesss! Afterwards, rumors spread that Nodame is actually going out with Nodame. Uh oh!

Also, there’s a side story (like the last volume) where we learn more about loli Chiaki. He was a pessimist at a really young age!

Analysis:
Nodame Cantabile still doesn’t cease to entertain me. From the random snake humor to the pseudo-romantic parts! And by pseudo, I mean people implying that Chiaki and Nodame are a couple. I really wish their relationship would progress faster, but for now it’s fun as it is. I think Chiaki force-feeding Nodame fried rice is a sign that he likes her.

I usually don’t have a connection to the actual music being “played” in the manga since I don’t know the songs, but when the S orchestra played “Rhapsody in Blue,” it was totally awesome. I played the song (and had a featured solo) in high school marching band, and of course I remember how the opening goes. It felt like a really appropriate piece for the S orchestra to play, being more jazzy, modern, and less “legit” than the classical music that orchestras usually play.

Now, if only I knew all of the songs that appeared in the manga… I guess that’s where the anime and drama are more effective in their storytelling.

Nodame plays an instrument called the “pianica” in one of the chapters. There’s a really cute picture of her tooting on it, which makes me need to get a pianica! The picture was so cute that I scanned it at super high resolution and made a wallpaper of it! I heart Nodame. You can have it too, if you want:

Conclusion:
I’m not putting any hard ultimatum on which volume Chiaki and Nodame have to “do it,” but I really would like to see the series progress a bit faster. I’m sure the rumors will be a good catalyst for the next volume. And even if they don’t hook up, Nodame Cantabile is still a really funny music manga.

I can’t recommend this stuff highly enough.

Many thanks to Del Rey Manga for sending me a review copy of Nodame Cantabile Volume 5!