Story: 9/10
I looooove this anime. A lot. The reason it's not a 10, is because it's very drama based, and moves forward in a slow, emotional way, with no obvious end in sight. But in that same way, I find it very realistic, because it's not chasing a happy ending like most shoujo do. The same thing that makes it great, is also it's downfall. I also love the narrations in the beginning before the theme song- they often offered great insight to Hachiko's thinking. The story here really revolves around her mostly, even though Nana is a huge part of it, I always felt as though Hachiko was the main focus, probably because she has the more relatable and realistic problems out of the two.
Art: 8/10
I like the art on this one, although the characters definitely can be hard to get used to. But, they have quite a diverse cast, which I love. You can tell now that the art is a little dated, but it's far better than many it's age.
Sound: 9/10
Yes this does revolve around music quite a bit. The background music was good, nothing that I took particular notice of. The music they played was good, but it wasn't what they were focusing on here. It was more of the concept of it, and their careers. What they did play was good, but it wasn't really the main focus.
Character: 9/10
At 47 episodes, it can almost seem a little repetitive- I can see many recurring themes like Hachiko's unrequited love causing her pain, her realizing and hating herself/other person for it and Nana's unwavering commitment to being herself and not letting anything stand in the way of her success with the band and being independent- of course they evolve beyond those simple principles, which is what makes this great to watch. The characters, while evolving in some aspects, do not evolve in others and that can be interesting and aggravating to watch, much like real life. The character development is amazing though, they give great insights to the way the characters think, the way they handle their emotions, and it's really compelling to watch.
Overall: 9/10
I really do love this anime. I think it has great themes throughout, and it is pretty fascinating to watch. Everything about it is good, but there is just something that keeps it from being great, and I think that's mainly that it has too many recurring themes for an anime this long. They struggle with the same problems on different scales throughout the whole thing. But, I also feel that's what makes this incredible realistic.
