Nodame Cantabile!

'Cantabile' is a Italian word used in music which means to play in a song-like manner. And Nodame is one of the two main characters of the show that I've been obsessed with, Nodame Cantabile!!

The lead characters, Chiaki Shinichi (Tamaki Hiroshi) and Noda Megumi (Ueno Juri, of 'Swing Girls' fame) are students of the a music university in Japan. Chiaki is the musical genius who majors in piano and also plays the violin. He dreams of being a conductor in Europe. Everybody in school is either in love with Chiaki (both girls AND guys alike) or is jealous of his suave looks and talent. Nodame is the girl who hates taking baths and her room is forever in a mess. A piano major herself, she has an extremely sharp and keen hearing but plays in a messy yet attractively joyful manner. The story starts off with Chiaki getting drunk at his neighbour's door, and the next day, he wakes up to the tune of Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 8, in the midst of a heap of thrash. Then he realises that this disgusting girl, Nodame, is his neighbour! An interesting friendship soon develops and they help each other in the pursuit of their dreams.

This drama has two of my favourite things combined, good music AND good-looking folks from Japan! Upon finishing the serial, I wonder if I'll ever have such friends, or they exist only on the screen. The other thing is that it reveals the harsh reality that faces music students after graduating from music schools and conservatories. The tough and intense competition between fellow musicians within the school, across the nation and even the world is one that is real, which leaves many graduates failing to land a desired job in the orchestra of their dreams. Nevertheless, I would forever admire those who pursue their dreams with relentless passion and determination, regardless of how everyone around them are telling them things like music cannot tan jia one.

I think that one of most joyful things in life is to have a dream, to know what you want to be or do in the future. To lose a dream because of what the world says is something that is really sorry. It's certainly true to a large extent to say that the ones around you who care are the ones who know what's good for you, but you are the only one who knows what you really desire. And even after settling for what's good for you in their eyes, there will still be an emptiness within that reminds you of the past when you gave up on your dream and settled for something less. That is something I don’t want to live with. Having had a taste of it, I think I would rather die trying...