The whole sequence is pretty. There isn’t an excessive amount of gestures to show fancy animation, so the collection shines in a different way. Clothing is a treat to watch. There’s a lot of attention to detail, and the series is visually appealing. Right from the start, with a nostalgic narrative, it’s hard not to wonder what happened to the two characters. Two strangers meeting on a train, it’s romantic and holds so much potential, so why does it feel as if their relationship was fated from the start? There is one bittersweet thing about the opening scene that sets the tone for a mystery that won’t actually fade at the end of the first eleven episodes. No matter it, and whatever may happen, that uncertainty will keep you hooked until you figure out how it all turns out. Nana is rated for older children, 18 years and over. Nothing particularly graphic, but there are clear references to cartoon relationships, and the theme in this story is for the parents.
Nana Sequence
Nana is pink and kind of girly and loaded with emotion. This isn’t a bad thing, though. It was worrying, at first, for a woman like me who drooled over the action and could trade cookies for a very good laugh. With episodes spent on backstories and a strong focus on relationships, Nana could have just gone the way of a romance novel sleazy. That, with compassion, didn’t happen. Nana is all drama and relationships, but it takes time to build character. What happened to them, their sadness, laughter, weakness, slight victories, and uncertainties felt trustworthy. The rich characters and light humor save the sequence from getting too mired in love tangled. There are many more clues to return, made much more subtle and accusatory by the nostalgic narrative. Everyone knows one thing is going to come down, it’s just a question of what.
Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu, each twenty years old, met at a particular practice for Tokyo. This almost sounds like a nasty joke, but Destiny has a lot more in store for these young girls than one-sided conversation on the train. Nana Komatsu, an aviation dreamer, is on her way to town to meet together with her boyfriend, Shoji. Nana Osaki, the more sensible and down-to-earth way of the two, despite choosing a fairly difficult career path, plans to pursue a singing career in Tokyo. They say the opposite is attractive to, huh? Contrary or not, there is an attraction between the Pineapples that pulls them together in a coincidence that is almost too coincidental to be true. When almost strangers share a residence, the two younger women get along really well as Nana Komatsu makes it her personal quest to do everything she would to be Nana Osaki’s own personal cheerleader. In some ways, it’s hard not to feel sorry for Nana Osaki.
Shojo Beat Manga Edition
One slightly awkward, though, which made me groan in frustration was the dreaded episode recap. After what amounted to watching the main episode twice, having the field set direhashed in a painful “after hours chat” with a few supporting characters was too much. The threat of extra recap episodes is, well, threatening. Although, this episode is very atmospheric, set in a fast-paced bar … so nothing less than pretty.
The repetition is a little bit special and there are some melodramatic lines to the series that leave me grunting in a really unfriendly fashion, but all apart, Nana is definitely worth watching. It’s a pink and clean soap-opera with lots of turmoil and relationships and secret promises being revealed. Nana may head towards the end as bitter as a crushed romance, but with the promise of a sweet ride alongside the road.