Review Statistics

Times Read

1,414

Comments

5

Reviews

Tv, Manga

Plot Synopsis

No plot synopsis or other information available for Nana

Story & Characters

Two completely different girls met, a lot of things happened between and around them, they become the hero for each other, and they both become my heros.I have watched/read a lot of shojo anime/manga, but none can be compared to NANA, and what makes NANA stand out is how realistic it seems to be. NANA is about friends, love, dreams, and most importantly, life.

The characters of NANA are really great. Each character has his/her own personality and I am sure readers will find one they liked. Another thing I liked about the characters is that I never seem to completely understand them. Sometimes I look at some of the things one character, for example Osaka Nana, do, and I know why she do it but sometimes I look at the things she said and I will be like...hey, why did she say that? What was she thinking about? And sometimes I need to read/watch the manga/anime a few more times and ponder about it in order to understand more about why each character do/say something.
Also, the characters are more realistic because they all have weaknesses. I used to like Osaka Nana more than Komatsu Nana (Hachi), because to me, Osaka Nana was the perfect one, with every personality trait I adored, like independant, tough, perseverance... I liked Hachi less because..well..at the beginning she is really pretty brainless, immature, very much dependent on friends and boyfriends, and so on. However after that I realised Nana is not as perfect as I thought she was. She is not very good in making friends, and is a lot more pessimistic than Hachi. On the other hand, Hachi is always cheerful and making everyone around her happy as well.
Thus Nana and Hachi are compliments of each other. Nana learnt to be more optimistic and Hachi learned to be more independent. I guess readers will definitely learn something from them as well :P To be honest I learnt quite a lot from the characters in NANA...I know it is kind of wierd to do that but...that is just the impact NANA had on me.

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

Yes I LOVE the way Yazawa sensei drew the character in NANA. They have out of propotion bodies with legs as lanky as sticks and has only skin and bones, but that is what makes the drawing style of NANA unique compared to other mangas nowadays. I especially like the fact that Yazawa sensei did not drew any female characters to be having big boobs. All the mangas/animes I have read/watched has that (except Ouran High, Elfen Lied, and a few more), so it is rather refreshing to see some without it.
Of course, the use of Viviene Westwood clothes cannot be ignored, and that is one part I loved about NANA. Westwood clothes suites the Black Stones perfectly well, since it is a punk rock band. I love all the clothes Nana wore, because it suites her so much, and I love all the clothes Hachi wore, even though they are not Viviene, but because her clothes really brought out her charcter as well.
To sum it up, NANA can be served as a fashion show, because it has enough style and variety.

Rating

9 (very good)

Sound

I was actually quite disappointed with NANA's opening and ending songs at first. It is true that NANA is not all about the punk rock band (unlike Beck) however I still has a lot of expectations for the music because the band is important in NANA, and it has to have good music to go along with it. The first opening song Rose is not too bad after many times of listening...because the lyrics brought out the loneliness and the need for love in all the characters in NANA. However the Blast songs are as not punk as I thought they should be. Also the songs by Reira sounds like your normal average J-Pop songs.
The vocal cast for Nana sang a few times in the anime. To my horror she was not very in tune. However I came to accept that fact gradually because well, her voice is not perfect, just like her character.

The anime always uses the same few background music at similar moments, and that makes it a bit boring. Oh well...

However I like the vocal cast for Nana very much, because the voice brings out the character and attitude in Nana. That applies to Hachi and the other characters as well.

Rating

7 (above average)

Presentation

NANA is enjoyable to read because readers can relate it to their own daily lifes. And it also has some classic moments which readers will never forget. Of course NANA is pretty funny as well, thus making it more entertaining.
Overall, NANA is a great shojo manga which I recommend to all girls (and guys who are interested). It is a manga that can have you emotionally attached to, and craze over. It can also make you think, and make you inspired by the characters inside. In NANA you can find someone you love, someone like you, someone you look up to, someone to make you happy, someone good looking, someone your Superstar.

Rating

9 (very good)

Final Verdict

8.67 (very good)

Reviewed by ziam, 1y 48wk ago