NANA

NANA


By: Yazawa Ai
Reviewed by: Jenn, 14
Rating: It was amazing!


First, there's Nana Komatsu. 20 years old, she comes from a normal (but noisy) family - a mother, father, an older sister, and a younger sister. She spent her high school years falling in and out of love, and finally found someone whom she is determined to follow to Tokyo. The one thing she cares about most in life is finding love and keeping it.

Then there's Nana Oosaki. Same age, but completely different lifestyle. She hardly grew up with what you'd call a family, and very few friends. For her 20th birthday, she decides to buy herself a one-way ticket to Tokyo to make a name for herself. Her goal in life is to sing and nothing else.

On their way to Tokyo the two Nanas meet and become close friends, setting up the rest of the series for plenty of laughs, love, and drama.

Personally, I don't think I can say I've read a more beautiful series. A lot of people have referred to this as a 'shoujo' manga, but I fully disagree. It's far from it. The correct term would be 'josei', which is much more dramatic and doesn't have the typical happy ending that a shoujo manga has.

The series starts off with a happier tone; things are very comedic and more lighthearted. As the series progresses, however, more and more complications arise causing the drama level to rise. This also brings in plenty of character development.

The basic plot of the story is of both Nana K. and Nana O. going to Tokyo to follow their dreams. If they'd done just that and had a happy ending, it would probably make a decent series. But the endless twists and turns throughout make it amazing.

As for character designs, Yazawa did a beautiful job on those as well. Her unique artwork alone makes them great. However she also goes through basing some characters off of real people, such as the characters Nana O. and Ren, whom she based on Sid and Nancy of Sex Pistols, who also happen to be idols of the two characters.

Overall, there really isn't anything bad I can say about this series so far. It hasn't ended yet, but I'm sure that however the ending will turn out, it'll be a great one. 'NANA' mixes romance, drama, and plenty of rock'n'roll to make a series that many are sure to love.


Recommended to: 16+; romance, music, drama fans (slight nudity, sexual references, etc.)