Nodame Cantabile
I love to read mangas, well, not all of them but most of them. Why do I like reading them? I suppose it is to get lost in a world different from where I am now, not that I want to run away from my Hubby but sort of a world of wonder and innocence. It is very hard to describe but it is similar to watching a good movie or reading a good book.
Some adults (don't want to generalize here) find that reading mangas is a waste of time for their kids and they don't understand the lure of these mangas but then again the same goes for comics too. I remember I used to love reading the comics whether they be Beano, The Dandy or Tammy (brings back tonnes of memories here). No, I never did spend any money on them rather they were found thrown away. I never got to read some of the endings since we only found a few of them but I remember spending time rereading some of the stories in Tammy such as Molly Mills and Wee Sue. Darn, this makes me feel like looking up these comics once again.
One of the current mangas I am following is Nodame Cantabile. It's about a boy who is "the son of a famous pianist, music student Shinichi Chiaki who dreams of studying abroad and becoming a conductor like his mentor. Unfortunately, his fear of flying grounds his lofty plans! As he watches other classmates achieve what he has always wanted, Shinichi wonders if he should quit music altogether. Then one day he meets fellow student Megumi Noda, also known as Nodame. This oddball girl cannot cook, clean, or even read a music score, but she can play the piano in incomparable Cantabile style. And she teaches Chiaki something that he has forgotten: to enjoy his music, no matter where he is." (".." taken from onemanga.com)
Even though one cannot hear the music in the manga but somehow the artist manages to convey the beauty of the music through his artwork such as having shapes, lights, rabbits and dancing girls in the background (Chiaki in Brazil after a comment that he should conduct in a more lively manner since they are in a Latin country and after seeing the saxophonist and the lead violinist fall in love at first sight 
).
I like Nodame or rather Megumi Noda which is her full name. She falls in love at first sight but not the case for Chiaki. Somehow or other Chiaki always finds Nodame at his side (unwanted or not) and slowly but surely she grows onto him and he (in Chapter 133) makes the decision to accept Nodame's proposal.
Nodame tries very hard in her childlike ways to catch up with Chiaki but she always feels like she is always falling far behind him. This probably fueled her ambition to be merely a pre school teacher (yeah right!) but is strongly objected to by people who know her well. One day, while attending a music competition, Nodame hears a piece by Ravel that she would love to do a concerto with Chiaki but unfortunately Chiaki will be doing the same piece with Song Rui. When she finds out she is upset that Chiaki did not deem her mature enough to be told the truth. After listening to their performance, Nodame is upset as it is better than she thought and is jealous as well. Afraid that Chiaki would leave her, she proposes to him but he brushes it off as one of her moods.
