My wife and I just finished watching this 'finale' series of Nodame last night and we both really loved this series! We had seen the first season already but re-watched it along with the next two seasons that bring the anime to a close.

Nodame Cantabile is a wonderful story that captivates and holds your attention throughout it's 3 seasons. This final season was no exception.

Technically, the artwork is somewhat better than the first and possibly second season which is not unexpected although it is still a fairly plain, simplistic style. The exception being when some of the orchestral scenes are shown - they are almost CG.

Dialog is excellent again - Gyabon! - as the characters really play off each other and have very distinct personalities throughout all 3 seasons. We find ourselves using Nodame's silly catchphrases every now and again!

Music - ah the music! Any music lover will appreciate this series for what it is. A showcase of classical music and their composers! The craft and skill it takes to weave a musical tapestry and leave the audience gasping for breath! Each season includes a selection of musical pieces that are played during various performances, competitions, etc. Even if you are not a student of music or an aficionado you can appreciate the many musical pieces that are presented throughout the show. Having studied music, I greatly enjoyed this aspect as well as the historical facts that are presented - it's a musical education without even realizing it!

This season had the typical ups and downs of the Chiaki-Nodame relationship and although at times it appeared things would wrap up the way you hope they will (and ultimately know they have to) it still left the ending a bit open. This, in my opinion, was the only real negative aspect to this anime. When we finished watching the final episode it felt like there was still 1 more - something was just missing! Perhaps the manga progresses the story further but the anime left you hanging and instead hinted around at how the relationship between the two leads will finally culminate.

In spite of this, however, Nodame has been and will continue to remain one of our all-time favourite anime series. It's no wonder that it received so many awards when first released and has been made into movies and live-action series.

Nodame Cantabile gets a big 2 thumbs up! (show less)