Nana

Now I wrote a little about this a while back as I watched the first 11 episodes, but wasn’t quite up for a drama at the time. Continuing a few months later, a recap episode proved helpful for once. Now for my own quick recap, basically we follow the lives of two girls both named Nana after they move in together in Tokyo after a bunch of coincidences. Nana K. is bright and cheerful, having moved to be with her boyfriend Shoji, while Nana O. is a rock singer who moved in pursuit of her former lover Ren? To do her own thing? She’s got a bit more of a story.

That isn’t to say Nana K. doesn’t have her own story, but in the first 11 episodes there’s a little less going on with her, a little less mystery. However, the show isn’t called Nana O., it’s Nana, and as it continues both of them continue to have their own problems and stories going on. Everything is very intertwined, as Ren and his band collide with everyone else. There is a shift, which is funnily enough addressed in a recap, as certain characters basically disappear from the story. However, it just goes to show that life is complicated, and often big changes in life have further consequences. You can move to a city to be closer to certain people and end up in a totally different group.

That really gets to the heart of this. I’m not going to say it’s a realistic show, but there are all sorts of elements there that give it a bit more grounded feeling. The characters all being adults certainly helps, but even compared to other shows with a more grown-up cast they simply act more as expected. That’s to say other anime with college or older characters often have characters still getting embarrassed as if they’ve never encountered the concept of romance in real life. Here there’s still some of that, but it’s also part of someone’s personality and explained, rather than just feeling like someone was taking characters from a high school setting and putting them out into “the real world.” So despite the “will they, won’t they” interactions of some characters and a complicated web of relationships that cause so much drama, there’s a certain relatability to it all.

I already mentioned Ren is in a band, with most of his bandmates being relevant. Nana O. is also in a band, being a larger focus of the show, including its members. Now for several reasons I wasn’t around for the early 2000’s Japanese punk scene, but the music is pretty good. Not only when they’re rocking out during concert scenes or the OPs and EDs, but also just the other parts of the soundtrack. I don’t often talk about music in my reviews because generally it doesn’t have much of an impact. I’d notice if it was missing altogether, but usually it’s just part of the media, not something that’s going to stick in my memory. The fact I’m having random bits of music from the show pop into my head is basically a miracle, so consider that extra props to whoever did the score.

What more is there to say? Between music, story, characters, there’s really nothing bad to say about this show. Even being older it holds up, perhaps if you’re not into it or extra picky you could go through and point out where the animation maybe hasn’t aged well. As for me, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this show. I don’t know if it’s one I’ll rewatch, but I’m certainly happy to have added it to the anime I’ve watched. There is a catch though, and that’s that the anime doesn’t have a full ending, and that’s because the manga has been on hiatus for 15 years. Now the anime doesn’t adapt all of the chapters so you can learn a bit more, but be prepared that not everything will be resolved when you’re done.