Nodame Cantabile Paris-Hen 11 (Finale)
Shit, this is a bit late. Great final episode though for the short second season of Nodame. I was a bit worried when they went past Nodame’s recital arc (which offered a climactic natural ending point) and started introducing new Roux-Marlet orchestra members in the final episode. But ending with Chiaki’s successful Roux-Marlet performance wrapped up loose ends quite nicely.
Kuroki made it into the Roux-Marlet orchestra, and Tanya - who now quite clearly has a thing for Kuroki - decides to compete during her final year at school instead of heading home to Russia with her tail between her legs. Nodame admits that she is no longer racing just to catch up to Chiaki in her career - she says they are looking at the same stars. And Chiaki, inspired by Nodame’s playing, conducts the Marlet performance in a cantabile style which wows the jaded audience and wins over the troublesome players, including the old dickhead concertmaster who is now firmly on Chiaki’s side. We also get to see almost every important Europe character, enjoying the concert or wishing Chiaki luck. Even Rui shows up back at school for a short scene.
As conclusive an ending as possible given that the Nodame manga is ongoing. This episode also saw a jump in production value from the last few episodes. The animation was stellar throughout - especially the faces, which had been looking a bit wonky. Really enjoyed this show. I hope they do a third season.
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