Romance and shoujo anime that I've seen so far have always shown blossoming love. Two people, usually a boy and a girl, realise they have feelings for each other and they're swept by emotions till they find various means of getting together. The push and pull is fun, but once they get together, OH! HAPPY HAPPY END!
-NOT!-
That's what I love about NANA. It doesn't show the push and pull of "Love in the Air", it shows relationships, as they are, when they're made and how to handle them. The characters bring up their past from episode 2, and when we start identifying with them, their world becomes our world. You get so involved in them that their happiness is yours and their sadness clings at your heart. I found myself being helped out in my own relationship due to this, helped out in making decisions, helped out in handling certain situations. The characters are deep, they grow and the decisions they make are true to them, even raw. They act their age.
It's a mature anime, with so much thought given to have a realistic approach. I love it. It was the first time I'd been dragged into an anime so bad. :)
It's been two years since I completed this, and I realised I had put up a point here as a review. Two years down, the songs are still in my playlist, and they still move me. Olivia Lufkin's voice really brings out a reminiscent ring. I still remember Hachi and her killing decisions, I still remember Nana's possessiveness. And whenever possible, I've been trying to read the manga, few pages at a time.
On a side note...
I just wish that the art and animation would have been slightly better. It's good, but the change from realistic to funny feels awkward, forced. For the concert parts, they have still scenes as well as animated ones for the bands, I'm not complaining much there, though obviously it was preferable to see their performance animated. (Nodame Cantabile is a +++ in that! UtaPri had some good investment for animation despite its hideous plot). But the lighting, the colours, the dresses and the day-to-day change in appearances of the characters are well done. We see fresh styles.
Like I said, this show has a bloody huge number of reviews. I'm just here to add my point to them, not create another whole book worth the same stuff.
Slice of Life, Romance, Relationships, Reality and Trying to make it on your own. An amazing watch! :)
