▪	RELEASED BY:		DEL REY
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		TOMOKO NIMOMIYA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		200
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		03/18/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		04/14/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		RACHEL BENTHAM

Let the music fill the air! At least that’s what Chiaki and Nodame hope for along with their friends, but hardships multiply and misunderstandings hit high notes in this volume of the musical manga.

Starting out at the music conservatory is a dream come true but it’s turning out to be a nightmare for Nodame. Her music teacher hates her and hates her piano playing even more. Plus all the sight reading she’s trying to learn is leaving her in the dust behind her other classmates. For Chiaki it’s a different story. He’s set to do his debut concert. When he hears Nodame’s playing though, he’s on her like an unwanted tic. Gosh he nags. Is he helping? It seems that he might actually be stifling her natural gifts instead of letting her talents flow free just like the music she plays so well. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed. A painter in the building is inspired artistically by Nodame’s music and he has a few choice words for Chiaki, but does that guy listen? Hmm. I don’t know about you, but Chiaki’s kind of bothersome in this volume. He needs to be much nicer to Nodame, she’s having a tough time!

Six months go by and their old classmate Kuroki has also been in Paris. It’s only now that he runs into his two old school buddies. When he interacts with them it makes him realize how lonely and unhappy he’s been since coming to Paris. He feels like he doesn’t fit in. It’s eating at his self-confidence. He keeps thinking about Nodame, claiming his crush on her is firmly in the past, but Chiaki away so much and Kuroki hungry for contact, maybe his feelings for Nodame aren’t as long gone as he’d like to think they are. Could Chiaki have a love rival?

A lot of music and musical references fill the soap opera story about aspiring musicians and their muddled lives. The manga naturally has transition notes of all these references in the back which is super helpful.