Ep. 2: Ryutaro Mine seeks Nodame as accompanist after Chiaki quits, leading to rigorous practice and a classical music commitment.

2

After Chiaki quits as violinist Ryutaro Mine's piano accompanist for his juried exam, Mine is on the verge of quitting classical music for rock music using an electric violin. When he meets Nodame by chance, he asks her to be his accompanist. While he finds their playing together exhilarating, Nodame feels something is off, and asks Chiaki's advice. He points out that Mine is a strong soloist but does not pay attention to other players. Armed with this, Nodame insists that she and Mine practice more rigorously. Meanwhile, Nodame takes Mine's advice and tries to attract Chiaki's attention by dressing sexily. However, Chiaki is horrified by her excessive makeup, and Nodame catches a cold after wearing a slinky dress in winter. Chiaki substitutes as Mine's accompanist, and plays to match Mine's style. Mine passes his exam and quits his rock band, having decided to commit to classical music. (Source: Wikipedia)