Though manga artist Ai Yazawa's opus remains incomplete, it remains stirring and poignantly relatable
Published : 06 Jul 2023, 07:30 PM
In the late 2000s, Ai Yazawa was the next big thing in manga.
Her Nana was a massive hit, winning a major industry award and becoming one of the best-selling Japanese comics of all time. It was soon adapted into two live-action movies and an anime series. But then, in 2009, Yazawa was hospitalised for a sudden illness and put Nana on hiatus. In the 14 years since, she hasn't returned to the beloved series.
The anime adaptation of Nana remains Yazawa's defining work and for good reason. It encapsulates the strong, magnetic start to the manga while ending its run in a satisfying enough place.
Nana tells the story of two girls – Nana Komatsu, a naïve young woman who moves to Tokyo to live with her boyfriend, and Nana Osaki, who heads to the Japanese capital to pursue her dreams of being a rockstar. The two meet on the train, strike up a quick friendship and soon find themselves navigating adulthood amid the big city's newness, noise and uncertainty together. As their lives grow more intertwined, the emotional complexity of our leads grow, as do their connections to the people in their lives.
Some parts of the series can be a bit outlandish - those familiar with the music scene might roll their eyes at its portrayal here – but Nana is THE anime for girls in their 20s. It is a remarkably clear-eyed portrayal of the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood, capturing its highs and lows and the kaleidoscope of raw emotions. Its depictions of those moments of promise, the sudden insecurities, the real-life responsibilities, the foolishness, the heartbreak and all the tangled-up repercussions of one's actions feel sharp and true. And it is as exhilarating as it is accurate. Sharp, funny and dramatic.
But that's not to say the show is in any way realistic. In fact, some may criticise the show for its over-exaggeration of certain scenarios. But the emotions it portrays are genuine and feel like the real lived experiences of women in their 20s navigating similar emotional ties.
It's easy to dismiss Nana K's bad romantic decisions by labelling her as one-dimensional and "boy-crazy". But in reality, her character showcases the painful whirlwind of uncertainty many face when seeking love. It's easy to think we can always be rational, but it proves much harder in practice.
In our 20s, most of us are still figuring out who we are, what we want from life and who we want to be. In such a malleable state, giving in to our vices can sometimes be easy.
Nana K isn't "flighty". She is simply human. And humans are complicated. Sometimes we're unsure of what to do and we make mistakes. Though some of her traits make you question her character, she also showcases genuine warmth and empathy for others – something Nana O has difficulty with.
On the outside, Nana O feels very gangster and tough, but she's slowly crumbling on the inside. It's not that she does not feel any emotion. She actually feels deeply but is unable to articulate it. As the show develops, we see those cracks more clearly.
In many ways, Nana K encapsulates the inner child within us – the one we try very hard to suppress as we step into adulthood to be taken more seriously. But our inner child also needs an escape, and Nana O's character shows us the urgency of that need. We make ourselves extremely volatile and unstable by suppressing our childish innocence, which Nana O is a testament to.
At the show's start, Nana O is the stabilising force in their friendship. She has a more down-to-earth outlook and more experience of the world. With her help, Nana K starts to stand up for herself and become independent. But, as the show goes on, we can see that Nana O is also dependent on her because she is warm and caring, something she has lacked in her life.
Young adulthood is often a rollercoaster ride between seeking what we always crave and trying to figure out whether it is necessary. Nana K ultimately wants a life she can call her own, while Nana O seeks a loving mother figure. The two find a part of what they're looking for in each other.
We don't always make perfect choices. Nor do they always make 100 percent sense to ourselves or others. Nana understands how messy real life can be. How things in young adulthood can snowball out of control, and how we can be left to live with the consequences of our decisions. If things go well, hopefully, we can learn from them. It is, in some ways, a necessary stage of life.
Due to the extended hiatus of the manga, we may never know the full story of Nana K and Nana O and their broad circle of friends. But Nana the anime remains a must-watch. It is funny, charming, messy, dramatic, and beautiful. It captures the spirit of being a young adult, stumbling into the wider world and all the pain and joy it can bring.
Though it remains technically unfinished, Nana still holds up. I've had different takeaways from watching it at other points in my life. As I've learned and felt more, it has changed my perspective on the story's events and characters. But it has never changed my opinion that it is a completely essential watch.
This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.