20 Years Later, This Anime With 8.5 on IMDb Remains the Best Coming-Of-Age Title Ever Made
The title addresses the idea that youth, friendship, and love are not endless and that dreams, even when fulfilled, don't always bring expected happiness.
On April 5, 2006, twenty years ago, the first episode of the anime Nana, an adaptation of Ai Yazawa's manga of the same name, premiered. Two decades later, the title remains one of the premier josei titles of the 2000s.
It is still a must-see for those seeking a sensitive and profound story about coming of age, female friendship, mistakes, and acceptance. Nana has become a source of collective nostalgia for the 2000s aesthetic, rock music, wild punk fashion, and youthful freedom.
What Is 'Nana' About?
Two girls with the same name meet on a train to Tokyo. The sweet and friendly Nana Komatsu is traveling to be with her boyfriend and start a new life. The tough and unapproachable Nana Osaki is heading to the capital to become a professional singer.
Despite being completely different, they quickly find common ground. After arriving, their paths diverge, but fate soon brings them together again when they both come to view the same apartment.
Thus begins their life together – and a story that gradually expands far beyond the mundane to become an exploration of love, jealousy, ambition, and the inevitable process of growing up.
The Two Nanas Are Like Night and Day, but They Make Each Other Better
Nana centers on the friendship of two girls, but the story is far more complex. The anime accurately depicts the transitional period between adolescence and adulthood.
The characters are at an age when decisions are impulsive and mistakes seem irreparable. Both girls are dependent on intimacy in their own ways, craving love and affirmation. Komatsu seeks protection and acceptance, while Osaki seeks stability and loyalty.
Their experiences seem genuine – the fear of being alone, the desire to be chosen, and the struggle to maintain a fraying relationship – and are familiar to anyone who has ever grown up.
'Nana's Main Strengths Are Music, Style, and, Oddly Enough, Incompleteness
The visual style and music warrant separate discussions. Ai Yazawa has always had a knack for using clothing to express her characters' personalities.
With her short hair, leather jackets, boots, and abundance of rings, Osaki instantly became a style icon. In contrast, Komatsu gravitates toward softness, light colors, and romantic accessories.
Real-life singers Anna Tsuchiya and Olivia Lufkin were invited to record the songs. The tracks "Rose," "Wish," and "A Little Pain" exist separately from the anime, and through them, the characters' internal conflicts are clearer than any monologue could make them.
However, Nana is primarily remembered for its incompleteness, even 20 years later. The anime consists of 47 episodes, and the manga went a little further. However, it, too, was put on hiatus in 2009 due to Ai Yazawa's illness.
Paradoxically, this very openness is natural to the story. Nana tells the story of people who don't receive definitive answers, fate doesn't grant them happy endings but instead throws up new questions.
Where to Watch 'Nana'?
Nana is available to stream on Hulu.
