My review is going to include many references to the manga, so if you haven't read it or don't want it to be spoiled. You may not want to read this review
Short Review
The last and final season of Nodame! Like sonata form the series, came in 3 parts and well, this season was quite appropriately named "finale". In terms of plot this season progresses even more quickly then paris-hen and covers the growth of the main character's music careers very quickly. On the other hand personal development for the characters is a bit weak and repetitive this time around.
After the first two episodes of finale came out, I went and read the entire nodame manga. For better or worse, my knowledge from the manga really changed my opinion and view of this entire series. Thus as a warning, if you DO plan on reading the manga, then watch the series first. The manga includes much more depth and development, it also has extra characters that never appear in the series.
Overall the series was a nice finish. It wasn't as amazing for me as the first season, but it did top the second. They brought the series more back to the roots and had a much larger focus on music. I had quite a bit of fun listening to the various songs they played. This goes without saying that anyone who has seen s1 and s2 should see this season too. I wouldn't recommend to anyone who hasn't seen them.
Ratings
Animation
The animation follows the exact same style as before. I don't want to go too much in detail about this. So basically, they use the same colorful bright painting ish backgrounds from before. The same 3d Musicians playing instruments. The same character sets and facial expressions... etc.etc. Really nothing new, the same quality as before.
Sound
The sound also follows the same style as before, and is by far the best part of this season.
OP/ED
I didn't like the OP this time around, it was too pop and not enough classical. The ending was much better though.
VA
They use the same voice actors EXCEPT for changing Elise. I'm not sure why they changed her, but it really doesn't matter she is a minor character and only has a few lines max in a few episodes. Otherwise everyone else did a good job as always.
OST
The music they include is wonderful, they also include much longer clips which was lacking in s2. Thus I was very satisfied with the OST this time around.
Story
It is a good story, and has a great sense of end when you finish it. It feels as though MANY things happen, but at the same time it feels very familiar regardless of the change. I do have some things to say about the story though...
Main story
Regardless of if you read the manga or watch the anime the main events regarding Chiaki and Nodame all exist and happen. They might not always happen in the same order, but they happen. Thus the plot doesn't stray and plays out quite nicely. If you look at just these two characters then yeah it was a great story.
Side/MIA stories
However, if you DO read the manga you will notice many things in the anime.
Mainly that well they have a few characters that are in the anime, who don't get explained. Or WTF happened to Chiaki's father?!?!? Yes, in the manga his father is very much alive and a part of the story. He actually plays a vital role in getting Chiaki back on together with Nodame. I'll mention the two other characters who are missing in the next section.
Character
For the most part the development follows the same sort of stuff they were going through before. Its good and all but, at some points it gets a bit repetitive and old. I don't really want to talk about the main characters so I will mention the minor ones..
Minor Characters
They have a good variety of them, and most of them get really nice screen time. Although at the end, some mixing and matching happens quite suddenly, and for no good reason too. Anyways it makes sense for the most part. But then you have the "master" who lives upstairs. He shows up in the anime a few times, but never gets a proper introduction.
In the manga he is actually a painter who lives upstairs and is good friends with Chiaki's parents. He also has many important conversations with Chiaki + friends to get them through some tough times. All of which is missing from the anime. There is also one other character who appears around the "finale" time frame. It is this genius composer girl who lives in madame Seiko's apartment too. She never comes out of her room though, until very late in the manga. At which point she has some key moments with Nodame that also help her get through some hard times.
Honestly the anime still worked without these two characters, but for me it just felt weird.
Value and Enjoyment
This time around other then trying to continue spreading the love for music, well classical music to be more specific I can't find much other value in the series. The first season already made most of the points and this kind of reiterated it. I still did enjoy the series and may re-watch the entire thing at some point in my life. Hopefully, other people also liked it, MORE so then me and not think about what they missed out on :P. For those of you who haven't seen it give it a run, then go read the manga if you want to know more!
