Nodame Cantabile

    (Del Rey, 2005-2006)
™ and © 2005 Tomoko Ninomiya
graphic novel; read right to left; b&w

Manga has hit Del Rey in a big way. Its manga imprint has produced more than a dozen books in only a few short months. Picking from the best of the current manga series gives readers Nodame Cantabile.
School is tough, especially after graduation. Most kids worry about which college, university, or trade to go into. Not so with Nodame and her friends, as they graduate from music school. Well-trained musicians don’t have many career paths, and only so many make it to professional orchestras. Nodame has a plan and starts her own group, the Cantabile. Along the way, old crushes die hard, dreams get shattered, and, through it all, the love of music so evident in Shinichi, Nodame, Chiaki, Toshihiko, and Okuyama lives on.
Winner of the Kodansha Manga of the Year, this is not typical manga storyline. Sure, there are the usual art stylings and emotives, but this one hits themes that many pass over. The love of music and the performance of great music resonates strongly through Nodame Cantabile.
Artwise, storywise, this is one of the best.

— Tim Lasiuta
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