Nana - Reviews

I don't even like writing reviews but, fuck, this anime deserves it and I'm gonna try it.
There is not much I need to say: it is a piece of epicness. I have seen more than 500 titles already, but only "Nana" made me feel this way -losing control while pressing the "next episode" button. If it is a turn-off the amount of almost 50 episodes, let me laugh a little about it. It is 100 years too early to say something like this for a daimond like "Nana", which is not even supernatural themed, but it is turning ordinary lives into gold. 24 hours per day is not enough to devote to this anime. Drop everything you do, everything you are watching and give it a try. At first, I was just curious and 100% sure that I don't like anything that don't include "fantasy" , but let's be honest here: it was 100 years early for me, too, to judge something that I had never seen.

10/10 characters development, perfect pace, perfect surprises, perfectly balanced sadness and happiness, balanced romance, drama, mystery, maddness, perfect... ohh, I'll start fangirling here. It is in a way fucked-up and depressing at some point, but let's stay at the 10/10 story: this is all you need to know. I suggest to not acctually listen to any review -including mine- and just see for yourselves this piece of pure art.

Let me begin by saying this anime series is very different from your typical romantic dramedies. It has this adultness about it that transcends the typical idealized romanticism in most anime shows. It has a hint of childishness with the feelings of its characters and how they approach love and life, however it still is very advanced. I am 23 and I have been watching anime for quite awhile, but this is the most advanced in how it portrays its characters and their battles with friendship, love, and everything life has to offer for young adults. It was a very relatable anime series, so much so that it made me angry and helped me reflect on my own life. The back story of some of its key characters are also so intensely real that it caught me off guard and made me really think of what these characters individually stood for and represented about the troubles we face in the world. I loved and appreciated this anime, even the parts I disliked about it I could appreciate. I wish more anime was developed like this that could relate to those who have matured from simplistic love shows like Maid Sama and Snow White with the Red Hair (albeit I still hold these shows in high regard). This is the deep part of my review... now let's talk about a general overall about the quality of this anime and what it has to offer.

The nuidity in this show is so subtle and passionate, which is definitely appreciated. Sex is not the overall focus in connecting the characters love for one another. I hate flashy sex scenes or overly passionate displays in anime that are trying to show the connection between its characters. 

The use of comedy is not overwhelming in the anime, I think it can be said that it is 45% drama 40% romance, and 15% comedy. I personally like this balance because I don't like overly dramatic or unecessarily funny romance anime. 

The story line is pretty good in my opinion, in comparison to other storylines from shows in the same category. The story line is REAL so it can be appreciated. Although, some aspects are changed from the manga, so depending on your preferences you may prefer the manga storyline over the anime one. 

I think animation is pretty decent, it wasn't something that necessarily stood out or bothered me. It has this gloomy feel to it. As expected of a 90s styled anime series about romance and life of young 20 something year olds.

At the end of the day...I would group this anime and what it has to offer in the category of shows that have proved revolutionary in teenage and young adult development. Definitely a good pick for those of you who have known the hardships and glories of love and being loved, as well as the struggle of trying to find independence and purpose in the world. 

Update after watching the complete series: The ending was not satisfying, it did notdo any of the characters justice and left more questions than answers for me. Still a good pick though.

*I wrote this once and when I hit submit, my internet failed. So I'm writing again so it's probably not as in depth as the first one.

Story:

I was excited to watch Nana because I loved and was addicted to the manga. The anime did not disappoint except for the ending. It's hard to find an ending for Nana because it stayed so true to the manga and the manga isn't over. There isn't even really a place to end it so the anime ending came pretty close to finding some type of closure although there is much left to wonder. However, I'm glad they didn't just make up an ending.

The series itself is mainly about music with drama and romance. They do an excellent job in all three aspects. The drama can become heavy at times but there is some random bits of humour which are surprisingly funny. The plot isn't predictable and has depth which can be hard to find in romance series. Also, surprisingly for a 47 episode series there is no filler episode. None.

Animation:

Nana has a very unique style specific to Ai Yazawa. The characters have a distinct appearance although they do have long limbs and fingers. If I saw a still of Nana, I would be able to recognize it. The colors are bold and the backgrounds are nicely done. The openings are nice and the second one is of my favorites. The endings are bit a more boring sometimes being only a still. Emotions were done amazingly along with the humour. Whatever emotions whether laughter or tears, it's gets the feeling across.

Sound:

The original soundtrack pieces were disappointing and subpar except for a few tracks. However, that was my only problem with the sound. The j-rock/pop pieces were amazing. I am going to buy the Nana best album which shows you how much I love the songs. The seiyuus did an amazing job. There were so much emotion without being too much.

Characters:

With romance and drama series, I find it hard to find characters with depth. However, there is no lack of depth in Nana from either the characters or the relationships. No one can be simply put in a few words. It's difficult to describe but I really liked the cast because they had a realistic quality to them. Nana K. can be frustrating though. However, like the rest of the characters, she's written in realistic manner where she does develop but her true self remains the same.

Overall:

If you're a fan of drama, romance, music or the manga, I would definitely watch this. Beware, it's very addicting and the ending does leave something to be desired. However, even though this is a longer series, I'd probably watch this series again. There aren't too many series that I can say that with.

Story (9/10): With a series such as Nana, you should really watch the first few episodes to grasp whether or not you like it, because any short description is a very bland overview of such a long series. This isn't like most anime out there, where a 13-episode series can be explained in 250 words. The story has many layers, yet it isn't difficult to understand. It has logical points where you can take a break in the action...aka, the end of every episode is not a cliffhanger. The overall point and message of Nana is good.

Animation (9/10): Backgrounds are beautiful. About as close to 5cm/s as a normal anime can get. The characters rarely do anything other than walk or sit or play music, but they're drawn well nonetheless. 3 minor complaints would be that when people cry, THEY CRY HEAVILY, which seems a little unrealistic. Also, they commonly put the 'sweat drop' in the middle of the forehead, where it isn't easily seen. Finally, sometimes shading looks a bit iffy, especially related to lighting on character faces.

Sound (9/10): I'm not a fan of music anime, but I enjoy good music in anime. The music was surprisingly well done, and I almost wish that there was more of it. My only minor complaint is the reusage of a few songs early on in the first half of the series. All japanese voice actors did their job well.

Characters (10/10): Each character has their own personality. They never strays from that. This show completely focuses all of its energy on showing how different characters interact in life, and how those characters think and feel. The characters are executed perfectly, especially as you learn more about them.

Misc. Complaint Department: The sub group that I watched did a good job, but they used italicized text for the entire show, which makes it hard to see if either of the Nana's small mouths were moving. I'm not entirely sure, but I also think that this is the main fansub group for this series, too.

Overall, I'm enjoying the series. It rings true of many life experiences, and isn't a typical anime in any of the genres that it represents. It is unique, and I'm enjoying it for that. Give it a try. I can see where most people would rate it lower, but uniqueness earns higher regard in my book than flawless repetition.

Honestly, this series caught my eye from the first episode. I enjoyed the story as well as the animation, and I really enjoy that the fashion is inspired by designer, Vivienne Westwood; as well as the many band references. It is really well developed on, and it is a honest shame it will be in hiatus. Nana is an anime that will put you through a rollercoaster of emotions, and it is very worth the watch when you have the time, and I'd rewatch it again in a heartbeat. I'd reccomend it heavily.