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Stupid side characters who’s names I can never remember
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Stupid side characters who’s names I can never remember
The Cart Driver 
There seems to be a simmering conflict of interests in regards to this, and it spreads across a lot of shows. One camp favors developing the side chars to round out the picture, while the other wish for a more centralized focus.
Personally, since everything in Nodame started with S-Oke, I find the friendship between musicians to be a very integral part of the show. Yet that being said, I don’t really feel the attachment with most of the paris/finale chapter support characters (except Rui, and maybe Kuroki). Frank, Tanya, and Yunlong just don’t have that past experience, or current level of expertise, which holds them on par to Chiaki and Nodame.
I want to see some glimpses of Kiyora and Bro Mine.
The problem is that they don’t develop the side character very well, if at all. Years pass by in the anime, yet a supporting character might only get 10 minutes of real time awkwardly slotted in the middle of an episode to explore his or her life ambition. Alas the curse of a shortened episode count.
This has been a problem with Nodame Cantabile since the first season. The first set of side characters they introduced were great: Masumi, Mine, Stresemen. These guys rocked. Then, about half way through the first season, they started introducing these side characters who would quickly disappear after an episode or two. It’s hard to build a rapport with these characters and care about their stories if they’re only going to stick around for a couple of episodes at a time. (I also think the way Kon is going about directing this doesn’t help the situation either.)
Generic comment at everyone:
The purpose of Nodame side-characters used to be to further some part of the relationship between Nodame and Chiaki and their own personal goals, Stresseman being the classic example.The problem with Finale is they’re trying to give these other characters stories of their own and I just couldn’t care less.
The problem is intensified by the fact that Nodame and Chiaki are my favourite anime duo of all time, just nudging aside Horo and Lawrence for that coveted award. Imagine Spice and Wolf if they started giving side characters stories that don’t effect the main characters at all.
It’s the sudden jump to giving these characters stories of their own when the show has always been about Nodame and Chiaki that’s annoying me.
This is stupid. You’re stupid.
Seriously though, the relationship between Nodame and Chiaki is progressing rather steadily. When it’s not the show gives supporting characters some much needed depth lest they be cast away as stereotypes (Chinese are stingy, Russians are flamboyant and the French are quirky).
I’ve enjoyed these diversions in the first season to be honest. Instead of focusing on Nodame and Chiaki as a happy couple 24/7 (well one of them anyway), they showed the other side of love with Chiaki’s past girlfriend, Nodame’s classmate, Masumi the timpanist and Kuroki the oboist to name a few.
The fact that this season is only 1-cour instead of the original’s 2-cours might explain your withdrawal. It’s a shame, because I’m loving it so far, savoring it every week.