James DePreist makes guest appearance in comic book

I've interviewed some young musicians, who will appear as soloists in the upcoming Vancouver Symphony concert, for a preview in The Columbian newspaper. One of the young artists, Nanao Yamada, told me that James DePreist appeared as a character in a Japanese comic book series called Nodame Cantabile. (Note: DePreist is the principal conductor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.) This is a comic book series about a student who wants to make a career in classical music, and it's very popular in Japan. I googled it and found all sorts of links, including one in Wikipedia. Now that's a unique way to promote classical music!