Nana Highly recommended

Publisher
Viz
Writer
Ai Yazawa
Artist
Ai Yazawa
Country of origin
Japan
Year
1999

Nana V. 1

By David Rasmussen
5th Mar 06

Recently VIZ came out with their feminine answer to Shonen Jump, their Older Teen (16+) read known as Sho(u)jo Beat, a read I’ve been waiting for sometime now it seems… a title for the shoujo fan(atic).
However of the six titles put out only two I’ve really embraced fully : Crimson Hero & Nana.
This is Nana, one of the two I’ve fallen for. Later on I got the first reviews of Crimson Hero coming.
You may have read some of my Sho(u)jo Beat reviews so far, but to date you’ve only seen the contents of Volume 2... And 3 (right now)... Now check out how it all started, and Volume 1.

How can two oh so completely polar opposite Nanas end up under the same roof in Tokyo?
You would never ever believe that they could ever meet, let alone pair off as roommates, considering how their stories begin here.

Meet Nana Komatsu, she whose life recently went straight into the (bleep)er, down to hell in a handbasket, etc. thanks to a mysterious evil she calls her Demon Lord of Terror. But then again considering what her life was like before the beginning of the book she was already well on her way to hell in a love motel bed before her “boyfriend” (a 20ish male who used her for sex) dumped her.
As you can see she has had a bad start by spreading her legs for a loser who burned her, and now (as she gets ready for graduation) she has an uncertain future to look forward to. After all she seems to hop from one love to another faster than you can believe, and she is abit out there… so how can she ever move on since falling in and out of love for her seems almost as easy as breathing, or ordering the chicken katsu at the L&L Drive in… oh, wait, that‘s my flaw. Maybe if she finds a “boy friend” and not a “boyfriend” she’ll get settled down… maybe… then again don’t hold your breath on that one as it looks like she’s already getting her thing on with a new “attachment”… and attachment who is leaving her behind to travel to Tokyo for schooling… sure she has e-mail and stuff to keep in touch with him but it’ll be a long year before the opportunity to join him arises. One year.

Then we meet Nana Otaski, she whose life seems damn good as it is now. Rocking all night and partying everyday as the lead singer of the group BLAST (Black Stones) it looks like life is good for her.
She and her boyfriend Ren seem to have it good. Their band has a hot guitarist and a drummer who is studying to be a lawyer who has the whole slick skinhead dude look going for him, and they have fans like nobody’s business… so what could possibly go wrong for her? What if the guy of her life offs and joins Trapnest in Tokyo, leaving her behind to rot? Yeah… that’d suck.
As you can see even if the Nana in question has what looks like a good life it quickly goes downhill faster than you can imagine. At least she didn’t start her story by being dumped by her … ahem… boyfriend… y’know, after he thumped her in a love motel… but her life won’t be anymore blessed than the other Nana’s life, especially since her future is as uncertain as Nana Number 1. So how can she ever move on since losing the one guy that meant everything to her? Going to Tokyo and stardom, leaving her behind? Maybe in order for her to move on she needs to go to Tokyo and make a name for herself.

So what will happen to the 2 Nanas? We’ll find out next time as the two Nanas take flight, and leave their lives behind for new lives in Tokyo (with each other as fate would have it). Breakdown time.

Nana Breakdown the 1st
What’s Hot?
Y’know something? There are some great reads out there, but it’s a rarity to find a truly mind expanding excellent read that you can’t put down, and can’t stop talking about… this is one of those reads.
Along with the Seinfeld of Anime/Manga (Azumanga Daioh), the school romance with a twist (Kare Kano aka His & Her Circumstances), the strange deep drama of Gunslinger Girl, the disturbing horror of The Ring and Hellsing, and the humor of drama of Galaxy Angel to name a few… add Nana and Crimson Hero of VIZ to your list of titles you must have.

But don’t take my word for it. Nana is, after all, the most popular shoujo read in Japan to date, with over 22 million units sold! I mean come on, what should I do for you? Do a Howard Dicus and draw you a picture? Buy Nana Volumes 1 & 2 right now! Nuff said!
(Sorry, inside joke. You’d have to live in Hawaii and know about Hawaii Business News’ Howard Dicus and his love of drawn diagrams to explain business to know what that means…)

What’s Not?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.

Moments to Remember?
Hmm… the whole book.

What to Ignore?
Damn…who’d ever think a hard edged true to life real read like this could ever get onto newsstands!!
This is one of the greatest things I ever read from a newsstand, and to date I’ve been disappointed with what tripe is pushed out onto newsstands, so to have a read like this coming at you every month? That’s so something worth praising, let alone waving the flag of promotion for month in and month out.

No, what I’d like to ignore is the fact that my first visual DVD review I might have to do is of the Nana… Live Action Movie!! -- I sense a disturbance in the force here, folks!
True, nobody may be chucking this one out on DVD, but if it is out then you know I’ll be there to review it for you… oh, it’s not out yet. Hopefully it’s out sooner or later. Yeah, even if I am of the opinion that manga to live action is a death sentence for the title I‘ll still review it… just because. This and Kamikaze Girls the (live action) movies are on my to review list in the near future. Stay tuned.

Overall?
Sorry, I don’t draw well so I’ll just say this instead of, you know, draw a picture… buy - this - book!
You’ll be hard pressed to find shoujo this good.
If Aria is the sleeper hit of feel good shoujo, then Nana is the sleeper hit of feel fulfilled shoujo.
A read that packs humor, drama, touching moments, three dimensional lovable characters and a story that truly keeps bringing you back for more time and time again? You can’t go wrong with that.
Trust me. If you miss Nana you’re missing out on something great. Read it, own it, love it.

-- David Rasmussen 5th Mar 06