13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant work inadequately translated, June 1, 2006
This review is from: Nodame Cantabile 1 (Paperback)
I saw that an earlier reviewer said this was a good translation. I suppose that shows how standards have plummeted in recent years, as publishers have stopped paying reasonable rates and opted instead to draw on the huge pool of self-styled "fan translators" who are willing to work for peanuts. This may be good enough for works targeted at teens or pre-teens, but in a work like this, aimed essentially at adults, readers are (I hope) more discriminating. True, this is a challenging work to translate, particularly because of the heroine's unique (and hilarious) style of speech, but that makes it all the more important to do it right. Still, the brilliance of this work manages to shine through the flat translation. Five stars for the original, three for the translation.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Self Discovery by Lending Others a Helping Hand, May 1, 2005
This review is from: Nodame Cantabile 1 (Paperback)
Nodame Cantabile goes beyond the usual genres of mecha, fighting, and romance found in most English translated mangas on the market today. It is a story about a young, talented musician named Shinichi Chiaki, who is pursuing his dream of becoming a conductor.
The story moves quickly in this first volume. At the very beginning, we learn how Shinichi decided to pursue his dream, and why he's not happy with his current situation as a graduate student and piano major at a music school. We are also introduced to a sloppy but talented, female piano student Megumi Noda, aka Nodame. And through her, many comedic situations are thrown into the story. Finally, we are introduced to a short tempered, violin student Mine Ryutaro.
The story revolves around Shinichi, and his frustrations with himself and others at school. And he's giving serious thought of quitting music and school altogether. Through Shinichi's incidental meeting with Nodame and his assistance of her and Mine with their musical studies, he may be moving toward achieving his dream, after all.
This Del Rey manga reads from right-to-left, like a traditional Japanese manga. The manga contains six chapters, plus an author's note, the Del Rey standard honorifics explanation, a special thanks note, a translations notes, and a six-pages preview of volume 2.
The only quibble I have with this manga is the lack of explanations for the musical terms that appear within the manga. For example, I don't know what "forte" means, and you wouldn't either, unless you play the piano.
The manga is rated for Older Teens of age 16+. But this volume could be suitable for slightly younger teens (14 or 15) as well.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Refreshing Note in the Manga Genre, September 1, 2005
This review is from: Nodame Cantabile 1 (Paperback)
When I first saw this title on amazon, it rang a bell. I soon realized I had heard this was one of the manga titles that had won one of the most prestigious manga awards in Japan. After ordering it and reading it, I soon saw why.
While many people enjoy manga simply for the cute characters or the romance, I'm one of those who appreciate the art. The art in Nodame Cantabile is not incredibly detailed or extremely cute, like many shoujo manga. It is simple but interesting, and it has a defined style.
The story itself is also wonderful right from the start. A young man is in a music school where everyone works hard to achieve their goals. The characters are lively and interesting- the male protagonist is slowly changing his cynical ways, and his female counterpart is unique and interesting. All the people they meet along the way are also certainly well done.
Nodame Cantabile is a great work of manga, and it's our luck that it has been translated into English.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
