Anime Reviews (2000s): Nana - Complete Collection (2006)

Can I recommend this “NANA” to everyone? If you are up for something deep, complex and want something different. Then yes, “NANA” is an anime series that achieves that and you can watch this anime and appreciate that Yazawa’s work received an anime adaptation. But don’t come to this anime series expecting something always cheerful and happy or you will be disappointed or frustrated.

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on RightStuf

TITLE: NANA – Complete Collection

ANIME RELEASE DATE: 2006

DURATION: (47 Episodes + 3 Recap Episodes) 1250 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:33:1), Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, English subtitles

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATING: TV 14 D

Release Date: May 17, 2022

Originally created by Yazawa Ai

Directed by Asaka Morio

Series Composition by Konparu Tomoko

Character Designs by Hamada Kunihiko

Art Director: Ueno Hideyuki, Shimizu Tomoyuki

Music by Hasegawa Tomoki

Anime Production by Madhouse

Featuring the following voice talent:

KAORI/Kelly Sheridan as Komatsu Nana “Hachi”

Park Romi/Rebecca Shoichet as Osaki Nana

Katsu Ann/Adrian Petriw as Fujieda Naoki

Morikawa Toshiyuki/Andrew Francis as Ichinose Takumi

Hirano Aya/Ashleigh Ball as Serizawa Reira

Kawahara Yoshihisa/Brian Drummond as Takagi Yasushi “Yasu”

Ishida Akira/David A. Kaye as Okazaki Shinichi “Shin”

Takahashi Hiroki/Jeremy From as Endo Shoji

Seki Tomokazu/Matthew Erickson as Terashima Nobuo “Nobu”

Suwabe Junichi/Michael Adamthwaite as Takakura Kyosuke

Kanai Mika/Nicole Bouma as Uehara Misato

Tachiki Fumihiko/Richard Ian Cox as Ginpei

Honda Takako/Saffron Henderson as Junko Saotome

Kiuchgi Hidenobu/Samuel Vincent as Ren Honjo

It was an accidental meeting. Two strangers on a train, with nothing in common. Besides being girls of a similar age, both journeying to start new phases in their lives, and sharing the same given name, that is.

Nana Komatsu, moving to be closer to her boyfriend, may be too innocent to make it on her own. Aspiring musician Nana Osaki is well-versed in scrabbling her way back up after life kicks her in the teeth. But Osaki has never experienced the warmth of family that Komatsu exudes, so while they seem as different as the symbols for Yin and Yang, they also balance each other. That’s what the best of friendships do. Through good times and bad, this is the story of that friendship, and of two girls who discover that they share far more than just the same name.

Back in 2000, the manga series “NANA” by Yazawa Ai was released.

Yazawa was known for creating series such as “Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai”, “Neighborhood Story”, “Paradise Kiss”. But for western audiences, it was manga series “Nana” that caught attention because of its depiction of two young women trying to find themselves and how many can identify with the characters’ insecurities.

While the majority of Yazawa manga lasted for under eight manga volumes, “NANA” would continue with 21 volumes until Yazawa contracted a sudden illness in 2009 and the mangaka had shelved the series and went on to collaborate with singer Courtney Love and Tokyo Pop founder Stuart Levy for the series “Princess Ai”.

“NANA” would go on to be a big hit with two live action movies, a string of hit music from artists ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi’ NANA (BLACK STONES) and Olivia inspi’ Reira (Trapnest), a 47-episode (50 total including recap episodes) anime series and a 21 volume manga series.

While it’s not known how the story will end, needless to say, volume 21 left off a major cliffhanger. While the 2006 anime series left things a bit more hopeful.

And now the anime series will be released as a complete collection on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

“NANA” revolves around two young women named Nana.

Komatsu Nana is a young woman that just wants to feel loved, no matter the circumstance. This includes having an affair with a married man or whoever guy that she feels that will make her feel loved. And blames her misfortunes to the demon lord.

Osaki Nana is a young woman who is a loner and in her hometown, she was part off a thriving band with her boyfriend Ren (Bass), Yasu (drums) and Nobu (guitarist). And for her, her music, her band and being with Ren is everything to her. One day, Ren is recruited for a once in a lifetime opportunity, to be the bass player for the popular band Trapnest and he decides to leave the group, leaving Nana depressed because not only has she lost Ren, but now she has no band and can’t play music.

The life of these two young women changes on a train to Tokyo. Komatsu Nana decided to leave her life behind and head to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend Shoji. While Osaki Nana hopes to pursue music in Tokyo. Needless to say, the two talk on each other during their ride to Tokyo, despite having the same name, these two are very much different from each other.

While the two arrive in Tokyo, the first day in Tokyo doesn’t go well for Nana because she has no job to help pay for rent and doesn’t have much savings. So, she tries to find the cheapest place to live. But at the building location, another person is looking for a cheap place to live and it happens to be Osaki Nana.

The two argue of who can stay in the apartment but decide it would be best for the two to live together, so they can save money and so, the two become roommates. But to avoid getting their names confused, Nana O. gives Nana K. a nickname “Hachi”.

As the anime series shows us the origin of the two women, the anime starts to show how both are each other’s supporter. Nana K. is always looking for love but she often finds herself jealous and wanting to be with Nana O., all the time. What is this feeling that Nana K. has for Nana O.? And for Nana O., despite Nana K. being so different, she feels that Nana K. is her biggest supporter and both grow close but at the same time, the road for both women will not be an easy one.

VIDEO:

“NANA” is presented in 1080p High Definition. I am quite thrilled this anime series was released on Blu-ray but it’s important to note that since this anime was released in the mid-2000s, it’s considered as an old school anime series.

As for animation quality, as one can expect from TV series, there is a bit of softness but for the most part, this is an older anime series that looks very good in HD!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for lossless audio, “NANA” is presented in English and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 with English subtitles. The series is front channel driven but dialogue and music is clear. For those who want a more immersive soundtrack can easily switch their receiver for stereo on all channels.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“NANA” features the clean opening and ending animations.

When it comes to “NANA”, I have a soft spot in my heart for the anime series.

For one, I was involved in the music project of bringing the music artists to the United States to perform at two events (conventions) and I was also involved in the interviews with both music artists Tsuchiya Anna and OLIVIA and coverage of their concert in Japan.

Needless to say, having read the manga series, I have not watched the anime series as I was hoping the anime series would be released not long after its release on Japanese television.

Fastforward from 2006 to 2022, and over 15 years later, the anime series is now being released on Blu-ray as a complete collection courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

My thoughts about “NANA” has no doubt changed as watching the series and seeing how the characters develop overtime. And needless to say, it wasn’t what I was expecting. But that maybe a good thing.

First, let me explain my perspective before discussing the storyline.

In Japan, I have watched series about Japanese bands or artists trying to make it in a big city, especially in Tokyo.

During the time “NANA” was released, the live action films of “NANA” were released (and the storyline only captured the essence of two completely different people becoming friends) and then another popular series was released for television/film titled “Tokyo Friends” starring Otsuka Ai which had similarities, but a more happier take on a musician trying to make it big in the city which also focused on friendships and relationships.

“NANA” is much deeper and the storyline is not sugarcoated. It tries to show the life of those pursuing music but it’s not all happy stories.

The two primary characters seem strong on the outside but they are also fragile and have their own insecurities.

Nana K. is a young woman who wants to be desperately loved. She places that as a priority, and thus she thinks by sleeping with men, these men will want to stay with her or give her that temporary feeling of being loved.

Nana O. is a young woman who loved playing music with her band and her love, Ren. That was her everything until he was recruited by a popular band and now she doesn’t have those things that made life worth living for her. Her life was not the greatest growing up and music is her life.

But as these two young women meet and become roommates, their insecurities are somewhat lessened because they become true friends. But at the same time, because they have insecurities and have grown up with these insecurities which have manifested, in someways these two, who are very different from each other, somehow find themselves needing each other more and more.

And they don’t know why.

There is so much more involved in the story of “NANA” because it involves bandmates, who also have their own set of issues and so, “NANA” which starts out as bright and happy starts to become more deep, dark and sad as the storyline progresses.

In someways, you are prepared that something bad may have happened, through the narrations of Nana K., as she talks in the past tense.

While the anime series only covers so much, as the manga was developing slowly (and is still unfinished), the series does manage to capture much of the essence of the manga series before the manga started to head off to an even darker situation.

And perhaps that’s a good thing, because I think if people watch the anime series, while sad and dark, it doesn’t dive deeper than the manga series and what people are left with the anime series is a storyline that people can identify with. May it be insecurities and people experience some bad times, which may be temporary but sometimes the inability to stay strong and give in. May it be to the feeling of losing one’s identity, the feeling of giving one’s body for the sake of temporary happiness may it be sexual or through narcotics.

Rarely will you see an anime series get this deep when it comes to insecurities and experiences but “NANA” is a series that is not going to sugarcoat things and show that life is not always great.

Yazawa Ai has a unique ability to showcase relationships, friendships as realistic in her manga series. People have their own personal dilemmas, people have their own thought process and motivations and we see how characters are affected throughout each chapter. And people get to see a lot of that through “NANA”.

I loved the character interactions, loved the music and how the series brings out the emotions of the characters (especially the well-done work of the English dub and Japanese voice talents). But you are going to get frustrated by the decisions these characters make. Because you know that these decisions can affect them in a very bad way. And you think “will these characters ever learn?”. But that’s part of life isn’t it? Learning through experiences, may it be good or bad. Some who learn, get stronger. Some who don’t get caught up in their persistent bad decision making and we all know people like that and it can drive us crazy.

So, can I recommend this “NANA” to everyone? If you are up for something deep, complex and want something different. Then yes, “NANA” is an anime series that achieves that and you can watch this anime and appreciate that Yazawa’s work received an anime adaptation. But don’t come to this anime series expecting something always cheerful and happy or you will be disappointed or frustrated.

Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon

Anime Reviews (2000s): Nana – Complete Collection (2006)

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