No matter what type of day I’m having, the main characters in the 2000s drama anime Nana probably have a worse one. Other coming-of-age TV series often follow high schoolers, so it’s very refreshing to find such a realistic yet heartbreaking show whose central focus is specifically on 20-year-old girls making their way in life.
The anime follows two girls who meet unexpectedly and become roommates after relocating to Tokyo, who also have the same name. Nana “Hachi” Komatsu is a peppy, hopeless romantic whose dating life is all over the place, while Nana Osaki is an aspiring rockstar who’s much more closed off. The run of the show looks at their ups and downs as they adjust to life in the city, following their career aspirations, friendships, and romances.
It immediately felt like I knew the characters and found it hard not to be overly invested in the outcomes of their ambitions and love affairs. Creator Ai Yazawa even makes the side characters three-dimensional, with everyone having somewhat of a backstory and being portrayed with humility and depth. It’s very easy to identify yourself with one or more, or a combination, of the characters.
One of the major themes in Nana is exploring the impact of childhood on the behavior the characters exhibit as young adults. I love it when shows provide flashbacks so the audience can better understand what shaped characters to be the way they are, and Nana does an amazing job at that. Both titular characters have very contrasting pasts that impact how they navigate their careers and romantic relationships. Specifically, their childhood flashbacks contain darker themes, such as abandonment and grooming.
Komatsu is too naive for her own good and yearns for the stability of a picket fence life with the man of her dreams. At the same time, Osaki is hyper-independent and doesn’t want any romantic partner to derail her career, even if she genuinely loves them. In reality, understanding what affected us as children can help us understand and address how we carry ourselves as adults, and Nana takes part in that.
The romance and drama aspects of Nana are also beautifully crafted. The relationship arcs made it feel like I was experiencing the betrayals and bliss of a new romance. The dialogue and descriptions of the emotions perfectly capture what going through your first love and heartbreak is like. Tropes like Friends to Lovers, Right Person, Wrong Time, Slow-Burn Romance, and Extremely Wrong Person at the Worst Time are gracefully woven into the plot.
The girls’ support for each other reminded me of my friends and how they’ve always been there for me, even when I continuously went against their advice. If you have a friendship or support system like theirs, it’ll make you appreciate that person more.
Moving to Tokyo to become a famous rock star isn’t a reality for most 20-year-olds, but the show is a lot more than that. Nana’s soundtrack holds up outside of the show, where each episode features one or two opening or closing monologues that are so beautifully written and poetically capture the growing pains and heartaches of entering adulthood. From losing people we don’t want to let go of, even if it’s for the best, to settling into something not meant for you because it’s comfortable, the impact of declining mental health on all aspects of your life is passionately expressed in this soundtrack.
Even if anime is not your thing, Nana is worth giving a try. It’s available on Hulu and has only one season of 47 20-minute-long episodes. The manga series for Nana continues the story farther than the anime, but sadly, it ends on a cliffhanger for now. All things considered, it’s a visually gorgeous show that encapsulates the uncertainty of entering your 20s and finding who you’re meant to be and who you’re meant to be around.
I watched it during quarantine when I was 16 and find its lessons more and more relevant to me now that I’m 20. Not to be corny, but I find it a life-changing show, easily making it my favorite piece of media of all time.
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