Shinichi Chiaki is a first class musician whose dream is to play among the elites in Europe. Coming from a distinguished family, he is an infamous perfectionist—not only is he highly critical of himself, but of others as well. The only thing stopping Shinichi from leaving for Europe is his fear of flying. As a result, he's grounded in Japan.
During his fourth year at Japan's top music university, Shinichi happens to meet Megumi Noda or, as she refers to herself, Nodame. On the surface, she seems to be an unkempt girl with no direction in life. However, when Shinichi hears Nodame play the piano for the first time, he is in awe of the kind of music she creates. Nevertheless, Shinichi is dismayed to discover that Nodame is his neighbor, and worse, she ends up falling head over heels in love with him.
Nodame Cantabile has finished airing and it has 23 Episodes. It is also Known as: のだめカンタービレ, Nodame Cantabile
Genres: Romance , Japan , Earth , Asia , Slice of Life , Comedy , Sudden Girlfriend Appearance , University , Coming Of Age , Slapstick , School Life , Plot Continuity , Present , Music , Josei
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Top 10 Anime Like Nodame Cantabile [2024 List]
- 10. Piano no Mori
- 9. K-On!
- 8. Lovely★Complex
- 7. Beck
- 6. Nana
- 5. Kids on the Slope
- 4. Itazura na Kiss
- 3. Honey and Clover
- 2. Kiniro no Corda: Primo Passo
- 1. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
10. Piano no Mori
Amamiya Shuuhei moves from Tokyo to the country side due to his grandmother's bad health. His father is a famous pianist and Shuuhei has taken strict piano lessons since he was very young, aspiring to follow in his footsteps. In school, he is teased by his classmates and is dared to play the piano in the forest. This piano is said to be cursed: if you play it, no sound will come. After school, Ichinose Kai, a boy in the same class, takes Shuuhei to the forest. When Shuuhei tries to play he fails, but Kai plays a wonderful song.
This is the beginning of a strong friendship, and a story of two very different boys developing their skills as musicians.
Piano no Mori has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: ピアノの森 The Perfect World of Kai, The Perfect World of Kai, Piano Forest
9. K-On!
Hirasawa Yui, a young, carefree girl entering high school, has her imagination instantly captured when she sees a poster advertising the "Light Music Club." Being the carefree girl that she is, she quickly signs up; however, Yui has a problem, she is unable to play an instrument.
When Yui goes to the clubroom to explain, she's greeted by the other members: Ritsu, Mio, and Tsumugi. Although disheartened at Yui's lack of musical know-how, they still try to convince her to stay to prevent the club's disbandment. After playing Yui a short piece which re-ignites her imagination, they succeed in keeping their new member and guitarist.
Along with the tasks of school and homework, Yui begins to learn the guitar with the help of the other band members, experiencing many mishaps along the way. However, with the school festival drawing near and Yui getting stuck with her practice, will the Light Music Club be ready in time for their debut?
K-ON! has finished airing and it has 13 Episodes. It is also Known as: けいおん!, Keion, K-ON! Season 1
8. Lovely★Complex
Love is unusual for Koizumi Risa and Ootani Atsushi, who are both striving to find their ideal partner in high school—172 cm tall Koizumi is much taller than the average girl, and Ootani is much shorter than the average guy at 156 cm. To add to their plights, their crushes fall in love with each other, leaving Koizumi and Ootani comically flustered and heartbroken. To make matters worse, they're even labeled as a comedy duo by their homeroom teacher due to their personalities and the stark difference in their heights, and their classmates even think of their arguments as sketches.
Lovely★Complex follows Koizumi and Ootani as they encourage each other in finding love and become close friends. Apart from their ridiculous antics, they soon find out an unexpected similarity in their music and fashion tastes. Maybe they possess a chemistry yet unknown, but could love ever bloom between the mismatched pair?
Lovely Complex has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: ラブ★コン, Love★Com, Love Com
7. Beck
Tanaka Yukio, better known by his nickname Koyuki, is a 14-year-old who feels disconnected from life in general. Through the act of saving a mismatched dog, he meets guitarist Minami Ryuusuke, and becomes involved in Ryuusuke's new band BECK. Koyuki's life starts to change as the band struggles toward fame.
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad has finished airing and it has 26 Episodes. It is also Known as: ベック, BECK, Mongolian Chop Squad
6. Nana
Nana Komatsu is a helpless, naïve 20-year-old who easily falls in love and becomes dependent and clingy to those around her. Even though she nurses ambitious dreams of removing herself from her provincial roots and finding her true calling, she ends up traveling to Tokyo with the humble reason of chasing her current boyfriend Shouji Endo.
Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is a proud, enigmatic punk rock vocalist from a similarly rural background, who nurtures the desire to become a professional singer. Putting her career with a fairly popular band (and her passionate romance with one of its former members) firmly behind her, she boards the same train to Tokyo as Nana Komatsu.
Through a fateful encounter in their journey toward the metropolis, the young women with the same given name are brought together, sparking a chain of events which eventually result in them sharing an apartment. As their friendship deepens, the two attempt to support each other through thick and thin, their deeply intertwined lives filled with romance, music, challenges, and heartbreaks that will ultimately test their seemingly unbreakable bond.
Nana has finished airing and it has 47 Episodes. It is also Known as: NANA [ナナ], Nana
5. Kids on the Slope
Introverted classical pianist and top student Kaoru Nishimi has just arrived in Kyushu for his first year of high school. Having constantly moved from place to place since his childhood, he abandons all hope of fitting in, preparing himself for another lonely, meaningless year. That is, until he encounters the notorious delinquent Sentarou Kawabuchi.
Sentarou's immeasurable love for jazz music inspires Kaoru to learn more about the genre, and as a result, he slowly starts to break out of his shell, making his very first friend. Kaoru begins playing the piano at after-school jazz sessions, located in the basement of fellow student Ritsuko Mukae's family-owned record shop. As he discovers the immense joy of using his musical talents to bring enjoyment to himself and others, Kaoru's summer might just crescendo into one that he will remember forever.Sakamichi no Apollon is a heartwarming story of friendship, music, and love that follows three unique individuals brought together by their mutual appreciation for jazz.
Kids on the Slope has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: Sakamichi no Apollon, 坂道のアポロン, Sakamichi no Aporon, Apollo on the Slope
4. Itazura na Kiss
When her newly-built home is razed to the ground by an earthquake, low-achieving, clumsy, and troublesome third-year high school student Kotoko Aihara is forced to share a roof with the school's—and possibly Japan's—smartest student, Naoki Irie. Kotoko is not actually a complete stranger to Irie-kun; unfortunately, a single love letter that she tried to give him in the past has already sealed her fate as far as he is concerned. Throw in some quirky friends and a meddlesome mother, and Kotoko might not even have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the older Irie boy's heart. Yet Kotoko remains optimistic that, because she now lives in his house, her unattainable crush on the genius since the beginning of high school has never been more within reach.
ItaKiss has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: イタズラなKiss, Naughty Kiss, Teasing Kiss, Mischievous Kiss, Itazurana Kiss, It Started With A Kiss
3. Honey and Clover
Yuuta, Takumi, and Shinobu share a six-tatami room apartment with no bath. The rent is low and it's perfect for poor college students such as themselves. Shinobu is a mysterious, quirky person, who does things on a whim. Takumi is passionate both in work and love, and Yuuta is a simple person with simple dreams and desires. That is, until he meets Hagumi, a petite girl with enormous amount of talent. Hagumi is fondly called Hagu by Shuuji, who serves as Hagu's guardian. Hagu meets Ayumi, nicknamed Ayu, and they become close friends almost instantly. Meanwhile, Ayu falls for one of the boys...
The joys of falling in love, the pain of letting go, discovering one's self, and finding the courage to move on—these are some of the things that the characters in Hachimitsu to Clover experience as they take part in the play staged by fate.
Honey and Clover has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: Hachimitsu to Clover, ハチミツとクローバー, HachiKuro, Honey & Clover
2. Kiniro no Corda: Primo Passo
Hino Kahoko is a student whose school is divided into two branches—the Normal Branch, in which students wear grey uniforms, and the Music Branch, in which the students wear white. The school's tradition is a music competition, but it is more common that students from the Music Branch are chosen to compete. Kahoko is surprised one day to encounter a fairy named Lili. Solely because she is the only student to see him, she is the only student from the Normal Branch to be in the competition.
Kahoko doesn't have any musical knowledge, until Lili grants her a magic violin, one that anyone can play if they believe they can truly do it. Kahoko must now face the trials of the competition, her competitors, and her peers.
La corda d'oro: primo passo has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: 金色のコルダ ～primo passo～, Kin'iro no Chord, Kiniro no Chord, Kin-iro no Corda: Primo Passo, The Golden Chord
1. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
Music accompanies the path of the human metronome, the prodigious pianist Kousei Arima. But after the passing of his mother, Saki Arima, Kousei falls into a downward spiral, rendering him unable to hear the sound of his own piano.
Two years later, Kousei still avoids the piano, leaving behind his admirers and rivals, and lives a colorless life alongside his friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari. However, everything changes when he meets a beautiful violinist, Kaori Miyazono, who stirs up his world and sets him on a journey to face music again.
Based on the manga series of the same name, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso approaches the story of Kousei's recovery as he discovers that music is more than playing each note perfectly, and a single melody can bring in the fresh spring air of April.
Your Lie in April has finished airing and it has 22 Episodes. It is also Known as: 四月は君の嘘, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso
