Japanese director Hideki Takeuchi did not expect Nodame Cantabile, the television drama he made in 2006, to go this far. The popular series about a group of young music students not only took the award for the best Japanese drama that year, its soundtrack became the top-rated classical album too.
Now the saga has been adapted into a two-part film.
'I only made this television drama for Japanese audiences. I never expected its popularity overseas. Really, it's amazing,' says Takeuchi who was recently in Hong Kong to promote the first feature, also named Nodame Cantabile.
Adapted from a manga by Tomoko Ninomiya, the film follows the unfolding relationship between two talented musicians, Megumi 'Nodame' Noda (played by Juri Ueno) and Shinichi Chiaki (Hiroshi Tamaki). Chiaki is conscientious, neat and meticulous. Nodame is a slob who rarely bothers with cleaning the flat - or personal grooming.
Nodame picks up their story as they study and perform in Europe. Chiaki is appointed the conductor to revive an orchestra which has been losing its members and audience owing to lack of funding while Nodame fights hard for the chance to perform on the same stage.
Not surprisingly, there is plenty of classical music - the London Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Lang Lang performing much of it.