Opinion

Merging art with work

By Matthew A. Thorn

I was pleasantly surprised to learn recently that Tomoko Ninomiya's brilliant and hilarious manga "Nodame Cantabile" is now being translated into English. One of the most popular non-juvenile manga titles in Japan today, Nodame is serialized in the young women's manga magazine Kiss. It is the story of two Japanese music students, Megumi Noda (nicknamed "Nodame") and Shinichi Chiaki, and the many friends and mentors they encounter in their years as students at the fictional Momogaoka University of Music and during their time spent studying in Paris.

The humor of Nodame is driven by the contrast between the eccentric title character and the disciplined and ambitious Chiaki. Nodame is lovely and innocent, yet she is an incorrigible slob, whose lustful fantasies of Chiaki are indicated by a feverish, faraway look in her eyes and a stream of drool running down her chin. Handsome Chiaki longs to become a world-class orchestra conductor, yet is initially trapped in Japan by a fear of both air and sea travel. Fans of the Nodame series can sometimes be identified by the "Nodame-isms" that creep into their daily conversations. When taken by surprise, they make odd noises such as "gyabo!" in imitation of the almost animalistic title character.

What raises Nodame above the level of slapstick is the serious theme of music as both art and work. Nodame and Chiaki represent the classic tension in any art form between inspiration and spontaneity on the one hand, and discipline and craftsmanship on the other. Although Chiaki often dismisses Nodame as "that crazy pervert," he is inexorably drawn to the sheer joy and abandon of her piano playing, just as she is drawn to his seemingly limitless musical skill and knowledge. Each has what the other lacks, and they complement and learn from each other, but not without difficulty.

Carefully researched, Nodame draws the reader into the world of classical music as it is learned and practiced today, both in Japan and in Europe. We learn about the challenges faced by students and the structure of the music world in which they hope to make a living. Geared generally at mature readers, Nodame may not have the effect of a work such as "Hikaru no Go," which triggered a go boom among Japanese children, or of Osamu Tezuka's classic "Black Jack," which inspired a generation of doctors and nurses, but it has certainly helped raise the "musical literacy" of its millions of readers, myself among them.

When I read Nodame, I see my own cartooning students reflected in the characters. My students, like Nodame and her friends, are trying to raise their passion beyond the level of a "hobby" and to make it the basis for a career, and life keeps interfering in exciting and unexpected ways. And for lovers of both music and manga, certainly much of the appeal lies in watching young artists struggle and grow.

Shukan ST: Aug. 5, 2005

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