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"The Vampire Cosmonaut" has a very high purpose from the moral point of view: a reflection on the importance of equality and the absurdity of the concept of race, creating a parallelism between people considered "inferior" and the vampire species, despised and segregated due to the negative propaganda they suffer from humanity. The purpose has been objectively achieved: during the show we see that our protagonist is abundantly denigrated, so much so that she is considered a simple object on which to experiment, and, subsequently, some merits are recognized, as in any story about episodes of racism. . From a human point of view, however, ... the story completely lacks those characteristics that are necessary for the transmission of ideals, such as empathy with the characters. In the next paragraphs, the reasons for my criticisms will be adequately explained.

STORY (6/10):
The story takes place within a communist-style dictatorial system, similar to the former USSR. We can therefore imagine the abuses that are made to keep power stable within this state: in addition to this the state is in strong contrast with the Kingdom of the United States, a state with a strong capitalist imprint, and both are involved in what we now consider the "space race". To advance with the progress, Zirnitra decides that an ordinary soldier, assisted by a young specialist, must train a vampire to secretly prepare for the first launch with an intelligent living being in space. Thus begins the vicissitudes of the show, letting us know the ambitions of the characters and the evil of hatred: however, unlike what we can expect, these are the only aspects within the story, as everything else is completely neglected and/or left to the viewer's imagination. With the continuation of the story, however, the theme of politics and its morality is developed, through intrigues hidden from all to the last and their unlikely consequences. Despite this, history proposes realistically, the difficulties and attempts that have been made by all those who, in reality, have contributed to this eternal enterprise.

CHARACTERS (5/10):
The big lack of this anime is the empathy with the characters. They, in addition to being flat, have an incomprehensible mentality, as if their actions were created for the sole purpose of continuing the plot, which follows a rigid order of cause and effect, and is not performed by their own choice if they had been real. The possible love affair, which could have been an immense mine of possibilities to create a minimum of interest in continuing this show, is practically abandoned to itself, to the point that it is left incomplete and almost completely hidden. However, some secondary characters can skillfully move the ranks of the story, maintaining a certain level of suspense until the last episode, in which different plots are revealed.

ANIMATIONS AND SOUNDS (6/10):
The drawings are well done and manage to convey a certain realism, even if the music is not particularly impactful.

OVERALL AND TO WHOM I RECOMMEND IT:
The anime was developed superficially from the point of view of the plot and the characters, despite the beauty of the historical background that is associated and the important themes discussed: I was quite disappointed with the final results, as can be seen in the length of this. review, which is synonymous with little interest. I don't feel like recommending it to anyone, but it might vaguely interest fans of the subject.

"It makes me think it's all here and so I get irritated by the lack of involvement, but the ending with a bang leaves me completely satisfied." (Nodame on a Beethoven piece)
There are no words to better describe this show, which are even said directly by the protagonist; when I started watching it, I was initially afraid of a relapse of style and that the story would be incomplete: in fact, the story was empty, almost as if it had lost the way to follow. The only mirage of salvation was the secondary relationships, which kept the curiosity for history alive, and the hints of ... great changes to come. Despite this, the third season has proved to be up to the previous ones, convincing me to put the series of "Nodame Cantabile" in the list of my favorite anime.

STORY (7.5 / 10):
As previously mentioned, the story starts as we all expect: a group of people trying to achieve their dreams, with their failures and successes; but unfortunately the story ends here: until the end of the first half of the show we don't have an important involvement. To whet our desire to continue, there are some love stories between unlikely characters or some possible hint of betrayal. Then suddenly, the story takes a fast pace and launches us in a mad rush to follow the feelings of our protagonist, ending in the most predictable way possible, breaking abruptly; not that this is a negative point, indeed, perhaps, it is precisely because it makes us feel this roller coaster of emotions that it deserves a vote that classifies it as "Above average".

CHARACTERS (9/10):
"To someone special, something special always happens" (Oliver about Nodame)
There is nothing else to add about the star who gives the name to the whole series: a complex character who hides in her craziness, but always shining when she shines and is fully aware of her personality and abilities; decides to throw away this exaggerated mask, relying on her great determination and making great strides both in her career and in her relationship. His male counterpart Chiaki, on the other hand, is a figure who tries to venerate himself as a superior and mystical being, but who ultimately turns out to be a mere mortal confused by his feelings and worried about the fate that awaits others. Moving on to the secondary characters, Professor Auclair and Maestro Stresemann must certainly be mentioned as father figures, who look after their respective pupils as if they were their children and all the company that is in the condominium, which makes a nice entertainment possible when the main plot is not going on.

ANIMATION AND SOUNDS (7/10):
"Nodame Cantabile" has this gigantic problem, which I absolutely cannot avoid: animation; in every single concert, we move on to graphics that try to emphasize the movements of the artists, but which in reality is only an insult to the 300 years of classical music that precede us, despite the rest of the animation is more than discreet. Fortunately, the presence of great composers and their works helps to digest this error of path, as well as making the whole story much more enjoyable. The importance of the pieces within the story is significant: in fact, most of the pieces have been chosen specifically for the reasons for which they were written, or for the topic they deal with; a true masterpiece of knowledge display.

OVERALL AND TO WHOM I RECOMMEND IT:
Despite the departure of this season, the anime still manages to stay up to the other seasons, thanks to the amazing ending; has managed to perfectly mix the Musical Genre and the Romance Genre, thus creating a true masterpiece. The feature that must strike us the most, however, is the evolution and the realistic realization of the characters, who succeed and fail, in their challenges, making us reflect on our goals and if we are truly able to achieve them. Recommended for anyone passionate about Romance or Musical.

Talking about the series of Nodame Cantabile, one could safely say that the theme of music, including one's failures, successes, sacrifices, and efforts in this area, and the theme of love relationships, including the relationship of a couple, the evolution of the feelings one has and how others see the couple, are perfectly in harmony as if they were part of a melody. This second season is clear proof of this, as well as being the most successful part from this point of view: the evolution of the plot and, above all, of the characters is grandly developed, blending perfectly with their music.

STORY (8/10):
The plot ... of "Nodame Cantabile: Paris-hen", which serves as the second season for this series, basically picks up where it left off in the previous chapter: an "escape" from Japan to pursue one's dreams and love; a challenge to move into the future and an opportunity for comparison and growth. I consider the key aspects that this anime proposes to us (classical music and love), far superior to those that were proposed to us in the first one: the two protagonists managed to reach a sort of balance, which allowed both of them to grow, especially with mutual help, both in their life as a couple and in their musical expressiveness. It was very appreciated, to have also some insights into the feelings of the other characters, and the unlikely relationships that take place between them, although, unfortunately, they have not been clarified yet. The plot could sound monotonous and repetitive from the point of view of events, which are a bit imposed by the fact that they attend a conservatory, and even cheesy, for the excessive cuteness in the most romantic moments; however, these are aspects on which we can be transient, because it is thanks to these that we can understand, with great hilarity and exaggeration, the complexity and depth of life of those who are struggling to achieve their dreams.

CHARACTERS (8/10):
Compared to the first season, which on this point is almost static, "Paris-hen" has found its strength in the evolution of the characters: in fact, we find characters, who despite having a personality not very prone to romance, prove to be very tender and understanding; in the same way, we find characters decidedly extravagant, who can be serious and reliable in time of need. Thus, in some moments of the anime, we find characters capable of evaluating themselves, making us understand the immense complexity and beauty of the musician, who is described here as a person capable of playing with music, almost as if he were a magician. The only bitterness is represented by the dementia of the protagonist, often exaggerated and heavy, which, however, still manages to keep the show dynamic.

ANIMATION AND SOUNDS (7/10):
And here is the big flaw within this program: the animation; there are big drops in quality in the most "important" moments of a musician's career (usually when framing the hands of the characters playing or, even, the entire orchestra), which go to penalize the modest graphics that are presented in all other scenes.
Speaking instead of sounds in the anime, we are at a much higher level: great composers are mentioned, such as Brahms, Mozart, Liszt, and many others, who have helped to make wonderful classical music, but sometimes, some songs are cut or ignored, making them lose part of their charm.

OVERALL AND TO WHOM I RECOMMEND IT:
The anime tells us what difficulties and efforts are necessary to achieve one's dreams: it shows us not only the successes and the best moments in life but also the moments of despair, fears, and all other kinds of obstacles to finally possess happiness; an imposing challenge, which requires a perfect balance between luck and talent, work and passion, love and frustration; here it is overcome with the help of the most exciting of the arts, music, which makes us able to make our inner world flourish and cultivate it with others, moving them. I was slightly disappointed with the first season, which proved to be superficial and trite, but thanks to this season, it has become one of my favorite anime about music because of the completeness it offers. I highly recommend it to fans of the Musical Genre and the Romance Genre, because of the superb blend of the two genres.

Is it an anime that comes out of the canons of "Romance"? Not. So is it trivial? Quite. Is it still acceptable? I would say yes, and perhaps even above average for this genre.

The peculiarity of "Given" lies precisely in this: to be banal and at the same time make you think that a twist could happen at any moment; this is given by the unknowns that represent the secondary characters and by the background of almost all the characters: the formers are fundamental to the plot as they push, directly or indirectly, the protagonists to act and make them reflect; the small difference in ... years, which however is sufficient to make us understand the maturity that characterizes these characters, is the key that allows the story to continue to move in moments of greatest criticality; the background is the part that certainly strikes the most: not all have evolved in the same way and, perhaps, only two are sufficiently detailed, which suggests there have been two wasted opportunities to enrich the story even more. The background also hosts the most emotional and intricate part of the whole anime: the protagonist's difficulties, linked to a too strong provocation, are discovered slowly and resolved all at once, through the banalest and simple solution of all; these difficulties, which are presented to us in an almost predictable and obvious way, take a sudden, twisted and melancholy turn, taking the story to a deeper and more appreciable level. The story, of course, is not lacking in imperfections, which are found above all in the description of the characters and their relationships, which, at times, are left incomplete or without an explanation.

On a graphic level, the show loses quality towards the end, even if it still manages to convey, even if not in the initial way, the emotions of those who are described to us.

If I were to recommend this anime to someone, I would only recommend it if you are passionate/interested in the BL genre and the Romance genre, as the show is not exclusively about music (as Nodame Cantabile can be, which lightly feeds the love subplot in the final episodes. , or Your Lie in April, which separates Romance and Musical in the different episodes) but a pleasant mix of musical knowledge and heart experiences.

To conclude, I can say that the anime from an exclusively critical point of view deserves a 7, but, due to the emotional involvement that develops particularly from the second half onwards, I decided to evaluate it as an 8, that is, as slightly above average.

I sincerely hope my writing style is readable (a translation from Italian) and does not have too many spelling or grammar errors. I am looking forward to continuing the review experience and receiving advice on how to improve from those who read now and in the future