Nana, Nana, Nana how to describe in a few paragraphs all my feelings on this manga which, I think, will remain my favorite all kinds included.
Shōjo or Josei?
Many define Nana as a shōjo however I would say that Nana is a josei because a shōjo is intended for a rather young female public whereas a josei is intended for a more mature female public. I started reading Nana at the age of 18 and have been reading it regularly ever since (currently over 80 times). 80 times would you tell me? Yes I did and yet each time my analysis changes slightly. I think we need to step back in order to appreciate all the subtleties of the characters. You can ask 10 different people what they think of this or that character, they will all answer something different.
Shattered stereotypes
Despite a world out of the ordinary for most of us: fame, music, rock, punk, Ai Yazawa has brilliantly managed to show all the human complexity. All the clichés and stereotypes with which we constantly live, especially in France, are shaken.
Some topics covered:
- love in all its forms
- love between two people: can one love several people at once?
- adultery
- friendship
- family
- dream VS reality
- sacrifice
- glory
- hope
- forgiveness
Imperfect characters
Ai Yazawa shows us all the facets of men, all their fragilities.
If Nana Osaki with her punk look seemed to be strong, imperturbable, independent, she shows as the story progresses her weaknesses, her doubts, her doubts that she has trouble managing due to her past.
On the other hand Nana Komatsu seems unstable, fragile or even superficial. However, as the manga progresses, she becomes the rock, the person on whom one rests.
Nana is a surprising manga because the characters themselves are constantly evolving. We are used to putting each human being in boxes: he is kind, he is beautiful, he is strong, he is intelligent, he is... However Nana proves to us that human beings evolve, learn or not from their mistakes, continually seek to be happy, to make others happy.
Is Nana depressing?
Nana like her characters cannot be placed in a category. The story is sad but only if we see it from a certain perspective because it is also very funny. To be honest it was one of the mangas that made me laugh the most, we recognize Ai Yazawa's humour.
A story that holds us in suspense
The manga is currently on break since 2009 and has a total of 84 chapters or 22 volumes. 84 chapters rich in emotions and twists. We quickly learn that the story is told by Nana Komatsu thanks to flash-backs. An unexpected event shakes the lives of the characters and it will be necessary to wait for volume 20 to understand what happened. Meanwhile the manga keeps us in suspense, the characters are continually confronted with their desires and their uncertainties.
This manga is above all human, it makes us think about our dreams, our behaviour. He invites us to ask ourselves what we would have done in this or that situation. We can call it the magic of Ai Yazawa, the magic of Nana.
