Moé Moé Rabu

• A month has passed since S-Orchestra’s performance, but due to the rainy weather, the practice doesn’t go well. Stresemann interrupts and suggests everyone go have goukon instead. Everyone is skeptical at first but when Stresemann nominates Chiaki the girls decide to go, with the boys following.
• Nodame, who is tagging along, tripped in a puddle and got her clothes wet. Stresemann promises her to buy her new clothes, but ends up getting her a swimsuit. Whilst watching the others enjoy themselves, Mine and Masumi wonder if the Maestro is genuine given his behaviour. Chiaki believes he is the real Stresemann, although curious he does some research online at home. What Chiaki found out was that Stresemann has been reported missing since a London performance and that people are looking for him.

• The next day, a helicopter lands on the school roof. Meanwhile Stresemann is talking with Chiaki and Nodame but is shortly interrupted by a woman, who Stresemann recognises as Elise, who then proceeds to runaway. Elise sends one of her men after Stresemann so Chiaki takes the chance to question her. He finds out that she is Stresemann’s manager and the reason he came here was because of the director of the university, Momodaira Minako. Having captured Stresemann, they take him away in the helicopter.
• Later on Chiaki is feeling depressed as there is so much he wanted to learn from Stresemann. Mine reveals that the director has been sick in the hospital for a long time, and Mine’s father brings out a photo of her, but the picture shows that she has gained a lot of weight. Although in her younger days, she was a beautiful pianist.
• Two days later, Stresemann has returned and claims he hijacked his own jet. Chiaki and the others still don’t know why he’s here since he could’ve gone to the hospital to see the director. During practice, a serious Stresemann interrupts practice and is helping Chiaki conduct the S-Orchestra. At the end of practice the director walks in and applauds the orchestra, and she is then reunited with Stresemann. Over the next few days we see Stresemann teaching students with a passion and even cleaning the school grounds, all under the watch of the director. Mine can see that he is doing this to impress the director, but Masumi thinks that it’s good for him to be trying. During another practice, Stresemann takes over conducting from Chiaki and instructs him to study Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2.
• Later on Stresemann is listening to Nodame play the piano. Applauding her when she finished he questions her about what she wants to do in the future. Nodame replies that she wants to become a kindergarten teacher and also wants to marry Chiaki. Hearing this Stresemann tells Nodame that she can’t be with Chiaki the way she is now.
• Elsewhere Elise sees how irritated Chiaki is, so she tells him about how Stresemann used to be a piano student but was never interested in piano. One day, the top piano player Minako had complimented him and suggested he become a conductor. Because she was the top player, she was out of his reach. Wanting to keep up with her, Stresemann studied hard to become a conductor but Minako soon developed a disease in her fingers and stopped playing the piano. She returned to Japan and got married, although she is divorced now. Elise thinks that Stresemann came to Japan because Minako asked him to become an instructor, but is more surprised to see Stresemann take on a pupil since he never done so before; that pupil being Chiaki.
• Later on, Minako is talking to Stresemann and says that she didn’t think he would come to Japan and how he found the student she recommended. Although Stresemann says that he can’t return home yet as he mentions there is another student he wants to take care of, one that resembles him when he was younger. Meeting up with Chiaki and co later, Stresemann suggests that they come with him to a summer music festival where he’ll be instructing a seminar.

Preview:

Impressions

This was a enjoyable episode as we had plenty of funny moments, but the main point is that we found out the reason behind Stresemann’s visit to Japan. Seeing Stresemann being all serious in front of Minako was weird but funny since we’re used to seeing his lecherous side. But I am somewhat surprised to see it was Minako’s suggestion about Chiaki being the person she wanted him to teach. Well I’m assuming she is talking about Chiaki but the way she refers to the person is that of a girl.

Seeing Stresemann’s past and how he is comparing himself to Nodame is actually interesting. Before I don’t think Nodame has thought much about her future or about the future of others, especially Chiaki as we can see him going overseas to study. But now with Nodame considering what Stresemann had to say to her, hopefully we’ll now see more Nodame and how she’ll start to change herself in order to keep up with Chiaki.

With next week’s episode, this wasn’t part of the live drama so I’ll be interested to see what happens. Also with Chiaki being instructed to learn Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2, I’ll be eager to see that performance.