NANA REVIEW
I was in my time of wanting to explore the Shojo genre further. I was met with the classic school romance anime, simple problems that end up being solved outright, and all have a happy, wholesome ending. This was until I ran into Nana, and that was something that took me completely by surprise (we are talking about almost ten years ago in the genre).
I am comparing the shojo anime from that time like Kaicho wa Maid-Sama, Kimi ni Todoke, Toradora (all beautiful and from my favorite anime) where everything, in the end, turns out well with the blow of reality that is Nana. That despite having romance, I do not think it is the most critical point since it focuses on life as such. As all the characters face their day to day, they fight to achieve their dreams, how they fail. (which I believe is the most human and natural point of anime) and how some get back up like others don't.
It is tough to find a story that can convey authentic emotions and talk about real feelings or situations. I speak of those that we can live, not being very far from reality. It's for something that I love so much, Nana. And I think all these things make this anime more natural and closer to anyone who watches it.
PLOT
The story of two girls of the same age who share the same name but with opposite personalities, who meet by chance on a train on the way to Tokyo, meet again when looking for an apartment to live in and live together in the same house.
On the one hand, we have Nana Ozaki, a rock singer, and had a band with her friends. Her boyfriend, Ren, the guitarist of this group, receives an offer to replace a very famous group in Tokyo and accepts. So he dumps these friends, Nana, and goes to live in Tokyo. Thus Nana, who had had a challenging childhood, loses her pillar. Resentful, she decides that she will go to Tokyo to make a living as a singer by herself. Without needing anyone, she wants to fulfill her dream of being a singer and, well, surpass the group to which Ren belongs.
And on the other side, we have Nana Komatsu (also known as Hachi, Nana Ozaki gives her that nickname because she is a girl who looks like a puppy. She is very faithful. She goes after people, but it’s also like a puppy needs a lot of attention). She is a girl who has lived all her life with her family and who, in short, is a spoiled, very spoiled girl who does not have her feet on the ground. Her only dream would be to marry her boyfriend and have a quiet life. But what is wrong with her? Her beloved boyfriend is also going to Tokyo to study, and she, having no money, works hard to buy the ticket to Tokyo to live with her boyfriend.
And this is how our two protagonists meet each other, from which a thread of friendship is formed that will be the conductor of the entire story of Nana.
DEVELOPMENT
Our Nanas may be protagonists but still, at no time is the other characters’ construction and evolution left aside. Thus, those around them, successes and failures, are often at the same level of importance to the plot as theirs. Something that I love because, yes, they are protagonists, but not everything revolves around them.
And also, something that made Nana a 10/10 anime for me was its dialogues/monologues. From the beginning to the middle of the story, we always hear the voice-over of one of the Nanas and from that point to the end of the other. They are incredible. I think that most of them have teachings that are pretty close to reality. Those that could serve all of us and that gave me goosebumps. This, together with an iconic soundtrack, makes for an incredible experience.
SOUNDTRACK
The NANA soundtrack is terrific, and no song loses steam, falls short of the rest, or doesn't fit in with the anime itself. The two stars of this anime are Anna Tsuchiya and Olivia Lufkin. They provided Nana Osaki and Reira Serizawa’s voices for the two punk bands’ songs. What cannot be denied is that the first opening, Rose by Anna Tsuchiya, is the song that has always attracted the most attention, perhaps because it appears on so many occasions or in exceptional moments of the anime. However, the opening that marked me the most was Wish by Olivia Lufkin. None of the themes have any waste because they are all great, and I think they were used well within the anime.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Anyway, what this anime transmits to me, I don't think, is something capable of explaining precisely with words. But I can tell you that it is a series that I highly recommend watching if you have not already done so. And yes, both anime and manga are unfinished. And although it saddens me not to know the long-awaited ending, I feel that perhaps concentrating on other things besides Nana was necessary for the author to renew inspiration for such a beautiful story.
To this day, I continue with the same desire to know what happened nine years ago. But that is because it is such a good series. It won't have the best animation or incredible fights, but it gets to reach one. I felt empathy for the characters and the story more and more as time went by, which is, for me (personally), more important than if it has action scenes.
It is an anime that, in short, makes you feel, and with that, I say it all. You will not regret seeing one of the jewels of the anime.
