By Afroditi A. Karagianni,
A static opening shot of a luminous, calm room is the only thing the viewer gets to see, just before the intoxicating, punk, opening theme song drops. A masterful, gripping scene edit then follows, while ‘Broken Rose’ is playing, which includes a rock band performing, a girl walking in the cold, a girly room full of posters, an electric guitar and a strawberry decorated glass breaking to pieces. That is all you need to see to be entirely dazzled by NANA, which has rightfully earned its reputation as one of the best anime series ever created.
NANA, which was written by the brilliant Ai Yazawa, tells the story of two girls, who share the same name, that happen to be travelling to Tokyo at the same time, to pursue their separate interests. On the one hand, Nana Osaki is a confident, guarded and ambitious woman, who arrives in Tokyo to start a punk rock band and become a full-time singer and musician. She is ambitious, always strives for perfection, and desires fame and recognition above all else, whilst she is deeply passionate, emotional and at times, explosive. A naturally born leader, Nana quickly forms the band Black Stones, and along with her bandmates, she takes the local music scene by storm.
On the other hand, Nana Komatsu could be characterized as the polar opposite of Nana Osaki. Komatsu, also known as Hachiko, is a woman naïve, romantic, hopeful and flirtatious. She lives in her own world, where meeting the man of her dreams, falling in love and starting a family constitute her main objectives. Her ill will, spontaneity, dreamfulness and positivity are also some of her core character traits, which shape her personality in fundamental ways and influence the entirety of her decisions. The two girls find themselves on the same train, on the day of their shared birthdays, and quickly enough decide to become roommates, since they can sense a connection, despite their many apparent differences. What follows is a breathtaking, deeply emotional, transformative journey, where we witness the incidents that take place in their lives. The people they interact with, the relationships they form with, both themselves and each other and the situations they find themselves in are all presented in an engrossing, masterful and admirable way, and soon, the audience cannot help but become entirely bewitched.
NANA is a masterpiece. The animation is superb, as each and every character that appears was specifically designed to fit their manga version perfectly. Of course, perfection is all about attention to detail, and NANA is an anime that makes sure to treat its details with the utmost care. For instance, Nana O.’s punk band are often seen in alternative, punk rock, distinctive outfits —usually Vivienne Westwood designs, as is mentioned numerous times— which match the group’s vibe to a t. At the same time, Nana K. maintains a feminine style which compliments her figure and is full of pink, white, violet and baby blue, while her makeup is light, simple and enhances her femininity. In visible contrast comes Nana O., who dresses more extremely, with a darker color palette, that primarily includes black, dark red, purple and brown. She has the self-assurance required to pull off eccentric makeups (red lips, black eyeliner, purple eyeshadow etc.), is not afraid to express herself through her looks and —as is noted by Nana O. in episode one— wears makeup the likes of which can only be worn by celebrities.
Additionally, the voice actors’ performances all toe the line, and the general direction of the anime is done magnificently. The editing, as I mentioned above, paired with the unparalleled music tracks, is out of this world. In other words, it manages to capture the viewer’s interest in an instant and plays a vital role in the setting of the show’s tone. Each episode lasts about twenty minutes (give or take) and the anime consists of forty-seven episodes in total. The only setback though, is that the manga remains unfinished, and naturally, so does the anime. The screenwriters, however, have pulled all the stops to give viewers a somewhat ‘open’ ending, aspects of which can be interpreted in a different manner, depending on the way each viewer wants the story to end. In truth, they did the best thing possible, and concluded the anime in a way that is realistic and true to form.
Now that we have discussed NANA’s general characteristics, it is high time we studied the way it handles its characters, and depicts their stories, emotions and thoughts.
From a female perspective, I could not help but notice the extraordinary way in which the two main characters were written and presented. Different as they may be, the girls share one thing in common: they constitute incredibly accurate depictions of real world women. More specifically, they may have dissimilar personality types, but both women are characters carefully built. They each have their own past, their distinct way of thinking, their core beliefs. However, what is truly groundbreaking, is how NANA is not afraid to present female main characters that possess real, significant flaws. The girls are often stubborn, selfish and self-centered. Furthermore, they unwillingly hurt their loved ones and make loads of mistakes, that mostly concern their romantic relationships and partners. This fact has made women all over the world fall in love with the anime, appreciate its feminist premise and often relate to what the girls go through. This representation does matter, especially nowadays, when many shows and anime fall incredibly short when trying to create complex, realistic and multi-dimensional female characters.
Moving on, this anime manages to remarkably tackle multiple serious topics. Love, friendship, loss, drug abuse, loneliness, longing, self-worth, sexuality and fame are only a few among the matters presented in the show, always with the proper discreetness. In addition, the characters experience different feelings and maintain alternate psychological conditions, depending on what is happening in their lives. From their highs to their lows, we —as the audience– get to witness the way they each handle their emotions, and how their actions influence the rest of the story, their relationships and their future. To be honest, no show ever made me undergo the emotional rollercoasters NANA did. Had I never watched this anime, I would not have reached the emotional intelligence level that I have today. NANA transforms you. It compels you to think about your life choices, your behavior and your relationships more profoundly, while it simultaneously teaches you important life lessons. While seeing what the characters go through, one puts themselves in their shoes and assesses their decisions. That way, one gets wiser and begins to think more critically about their own matters. Of course, the scenario is absolutely gripping and manages to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats, while it also includes those realistic elements that make it so special and offer the show its well-defined character.
To conclude, NANA is a sensation. Let alone its intriguing story, it is an anime that influences the way its viewers see the world around them, which is absolutely phenomenal. It makes one more socially aware, open minded and sensitive. Mind you, along with its ‘happier’ moments, it contains some hard, gut-wrenching scenes, that can deeply sadden one. If you are capable of watching something this real and raw though, I strongly recommend you give NANA a shot, and you will not be disappointed. Brace yourselves, because you will soon find that Ai Yazawa’s world is an unforgettable one, and –in no time— will effortlessly make you want to be a part of it.
Reference
- Nana. IMDb. Available here
