But it became pretty clear that out of all the titles in this new anthology that Nana was going to be the more popular series. And while Nana was in Shojo Beat I looked forward to the series each month. At times the art was a bit iffy and you could always sense that disaster was about to strike our lovely Nanas…but I stuck with it.
Such promise...
Around volume 7 or 8 the writers/editors/someone decided that Nana was becoming a little more mature than their targeted audience and instead of editing the scenes or upping the age, they decided to cut Nana from their series list. I am sure if they had kept Nana in their line-up sales would have been better and Shojo Beat wouldn’t be dead. But I digress as this post is about Nana and not my beloved Shojo Beat.
For a while I focused my manga love on other series and let my friend spoil the series for me periodically. However the other day Borders had an amazing coupon and I decided to go crazy and catch up on a bunch of series I had been neglecting, Nana being one of them.
After reading the volumes I had bought…I was feeling a little bit shocked. I spent the rest of the night catching up on the entire series, up to the current chapters. And then I became more shocked.
I am not sure how I feel about this series now. At first it seemed edgy and not your usual shojo esque manga. These girls had serious flaws and maybe that was easier to relate to them. Now this manga has morphed into something twisted and darker than life. At times I felt really, really sick. Or sorry for this bunch of people. Usually I walk away from a manga feeling for most of the characters and hating just a few. But out of this bunch of characters…I just feel disgusted.
As a major disclaimer…the following will contain major spoilers. I shall rant and rave about every aspect of Nana, up until the most recent manga volume. So there are going to be MAJOR spoilers. Tons of spoilers. So if you are trying to keep this series a surprise for you…well this is the wrong post. XD But if you are up to date with the series or don’t mind spoilers then click on in and start reading! Oh and it gets incredible long. Forgive my wordiness!
One of my favorite pictures out of this whole series.
Let’s start with Nana K. She is a whore. But we are supposed to overlook that fact because she calls herself a romantic and she is looking for her happy ending. But the cold hard truth is that Nana K. is a slut. She jumps from man to man looking for the next person to take care of her.
Perhaps all of her unhappiness is karma for being the other woman in her first “love” relationship. You would think the karma train would have been enough once her boyfriend Shoji cheated on her but apparently this girl is meant to suffer.
And the readers are supposed to cry for this girl and appalled her decision to keep a baby despite the crazy circumstances. I mean, she is willing to marry a man whom she knows is not good for her but good of the baby. That makes her a good mother right?!
Wrong. That makes her a disgusting human being. She decided who to make the father based on Nobu’s and Takumi’s shocking reaction to the news. Had I been told that my girlfriend was pregnant with another man’s baby I might not have handled the news very well either. Especially if said girlfriend just sat there and CRIED when I tried to ask her what the hell was going on. So we can’t blame Nobu for being confused and not being hugs and kisses and puppy dogs. Takumi is a scum bucket and managed to say a few sweet words in Nana’s time of confusion. Of course they were not sweet as much as controlling but that is beside the point.
As she falls into his trap....
The point is that Nana could have just asked Takumi for child support and kept her life as similar as it was. While Nobu was not ready to be a father neither was Takumi. I am not sure why she thought “ruining” his life was okay but not Nobu’s. She didn’t even ask one of the potential fathers what should be done and that makes me ill. Especially now in recent chapters if looks like the kid is Nobu’s.
The part that is really sickening is that Nana wants the baby to have a happy family and she thinks Takumi will make that happen. In reality Takumi is scum and is cheating on her. He rapes her and controls her all the time. In Takumi’s arms is the furthest place from safe. The baby will grow up in a sad household with mommy crying because daddy is cheating on her all the time. Or daddy will look resentful at a son that is not his. Yeah, this is all swell Nana K.
The way she walks around forcing herself to think everything will be okay is supposed to be heartbreaking. But it just makes me upset that one person could be so stupid and blind. She cuts off her friends to be with a man who is NEVER there and is off cheating on her. She forces herself into situations that make people feel uncomfortable. She flip flops all the time over who she loves more, Nobu or Takumi. She makes things more complicated than they need to be but that also applies to…everyone in this series so it is hard to fault her on that.
Nana K. is supposed to be a cute girl who is caught up in love and makes mistake after mistake. But she is supposed to try really hard and be supportive of her friend. She is supposed to be the mother figure to many of the characters. But she is just putting on an apron and playing house. This stupid 20 year old doesn’t know anything about…anything and it pains me to think how her actions affect so many people.
I can’t believe I moved on from Nana K’s…rant and I missed the most important fault! Of course it is also Takumi’s fault too but really…Nana K is the stupid one. She sleeps with a guy who is a known play boy and doesn’t use a condom. Obviously something “bad” does happen to her and we are all too busy focusing on Whoa that is stupid, use a condom or have a baby to realize…SHE COULD HAVE DIED. She knows this guy gets around and if he doesn’t use a condom with her why would he use a condom with other people. Imagine how many people Takumi has slept with (or don’t, that might make you barf) and now Nana K is exposed to all that crap. And she is continuously putting her baby at risk as Takumi sleeps with other woman and her at the same time. This manga is real about everything else in life so why not STD’s and AIDS? -____- This is me throwing up.
Nana O is insane. It becomes more apparent in the later chapters but her obsession with Nana K is clear from the start. She wants to give Nana K reign over her kingdom, control who Nana K is with, and gets upset later when Nobu doesn’t go with the plan to get Nana K back with him. She isn’t as controlling as Takumi is but that doesn’t matter to the others. She gets called out more on being only concerned with Nana K and being her “owner” more than Takumi.
But that is just the beginning of Nana O’s problems. Like all the other band members in this series (minus Nobu) she grew up with no love and a chain smoking habit. She is a COOL edgy kid and the rules don’t apply to her. But somewhere along the lines she started to believe she was something much different than a kid with a dream. Power went to her head in a very bad way.
The most irritating thing about Nana O. is her crazy relationship with Ren. The whole MOG I shouldn’t depend on him and the MOG I need him right not gets really boring. She is constantly pushing him away and I really can’t figure out why he keeps coming back for more. She is really quite abusive towards him and I don’t see what is so cool about her treating him like crap. It isn’t cool when guys treat girls like that so it’s not cool when girls treat their men like that.
Their relationship gets really bad once they get engaged or married. She continues to treat him like crap despite his best efforts to strength their relationship. Both Ren and Nana O. are very busy people but it seems as if she goes out of her way to avoid him. And by avoid him I mean she doesn’t come home for days, gets pissy when Ren calls her (while Nana K. would kill for a phone call), and acts like depending on Ren is the worst thing ever. Tie that in with the fact that she really views this marriage as a P.R. move and out of love…and yeah this marriage is just as failtastic as Nana K’s.
She is FAR from okay....
I understand that Nana O wants to stand on her own and have her band succeed with their works and not on the coat tails of Trapnest. I get that. But she takes that obsessed to an extreme. It comes off as she is jealous of Ren’s success and she wants to be his rival. However she wants all this fame and doesn’t understand that fame takes hard work. She gets to Tokyo and is like…yeah sign us now bitch. Trapnest took years to get to the point where they are now and she doesn’t seem to get that.
But back to my point. What was my point again? Oh, how she throws herself into her work and ignores her relationship with Ren. Had she really wanted to focus on her work then she should have told Ren LOOK after I make it big and get on my feet then there can be us. None of this leading him on and treating him like crap…crap.
It seems to be hard to put into words what is off about Nana O. She wants to be in control and prove to everyone that she is the MAN. But in reality she is just like everyone else. She has faults and gets scared and is human. She tries to place herself up so high, above everyone else and that nothing can touch. But she is probably more broken than Nana K.
When Shin gets caught with drugs Nana O. could be less caring. It is MOG this is bad for my band what was he thinking. Putting aside the fact that all of Shin’s problems can be blamed mostly on…everyone else….Nana is in no shape to throw stones at people who have problems (as she is married in a coke head). I hate how she went for her solo career and really wasn’t there for her friends. And she was really shitty to Nobu.
The most real thing about Nana O. are her panic attacks or whatever they are. That I find believable. I want to see someone stressed out in this crazy life and suffer the consequences. So in that aspect…I think the manga is spot on.
I also think they hit the mark on how Nana O. is handling Ren’s death. She was in shock when she first heard the news and said the comment about “but I have work…”. That was a perfect reaction given that Nana O. is a crazy person anyway and the fact her husband died on her birthday. Then she breaks down and goes into a state of…let’s not talk or eat…or bathe…or move. That is also very believable. I think this state would have been better had it lasted longer. Only 2 weeks in bed after her husband died? I think that if that had been my husband I would still be in bed but she might not be better (as in the future she is missing and everyone is afraid she is dead) so I might be speaking too soon. Besides her Nana K was in danger.
Overall Nana K. is slightly easier to handle than Nana O. But she is no role model either. She is a chain smoker (like 90 percent of the rest of the cast), a high school dropout, and someone who has a very unhappy relationship with a man. I guess we can give her a cookie for taking birth control (which is so subtly taken all the time) so she isn’t AS stupid as Nana K.
She also isn’t a major slut like Nana K. She does have a weird thing going on with Yasu but that is mostly on his side. The way she handles it bugs me a bit but it’s not that bad. She wants to be his friend and it is not her fault he has some weird love thing for her. She could handle the situation with a little more care for his feelings but that is not her style.
On to the other misfits of this manga! Let’s start with Takumi since he is easy to hate.
Takumi is the biggest slut out of everyone. He is not redeemable at all and quite frankly I wish he had died in that car crash instead of Ren. I mean, I can pretend everyone else has something special about them and that only a tiny part of them is broken instead. Takumi is just…evil
He is so evil yet confusing. I can’t for the life of me figure out why he wants to marry Nana and raise this child. Why not give her money for an abortion and move on? Or just give her child support and keep on having all the crazy sex with sluts. Or..do nothing. WHY DOES HE CARE! Someone please explain that to me!
Well, some people have. Takumi’s actually in love with Nana K.? Pshht, I laugh. Takumi had a crappy childhood and doesn’t want to put his potential kid through that? No as Takumi can only think of himself. Takumi is actually a really responsible person and tries to make the best of a sticky situation? No, the thought of Takumi being responsible and not conniving makes me throw up. Takumi is jealous that Nana left him for Nobu and is possessive over what he thinks is his (whether he wants this toy or not)? That is probably the answer that makes the most sense. It follows his character more and makes him look like a true villain.
In the end I don’t care. Whatever his reasons he is a sucky human being. He came in at the right moment and managed to say a few right things to make Nana K. to trust him over Nobu. Not that Nobu gets a get of jail free card but still. Takumi controlled the situation from day one and no one could really escape his manipulative plan.
But…WHY?! Nothing changes in Takumi’s life after he “wins” Nana K. Her life changes dramatically but he is the same old play boy. He doesn’t make any effort to spend time with her. He continues to sleep around like a slut. And he continues to be whatever with Reira. He only thinks about the band in very calculating ways and seems to forget there are actual people involved. So…why? WHY?!
His relationship with Reira pretty much pisses me off, but that is more on her end. He is a playboy so it is expected he is going to screw anything that moves. But you would think for the sake of his precious band he would be able to keep it in his pants. At least with other woman people can pretend that Nana K. is still more important…but Reira is still and always will be more important than anyone else in Takumi’s life. So in that regards that is why his cheating on Nana K. with Reira is more of a sin than with the other hookers.
I hate that this attitude happens in real life.
You would think a play boy/slut would be more careful with his junk. You know, those silly things like unwanted pregnancies and STDS and the herps. But no Takumi’s penis is magical! It can withstand many rolls in the hay without a scratch on it. It must be Nana K’s nasty vag of doom that made him unlucky this time. I just hope all “rock stars” aren’t this stupid with their mighty genitals of doom. Oh and did I mention he was friggin stupid for not using protection?!
In conclusion Takumi sucks as a human being. He treats all the women he bangs very poorly which I guess….is expected. But he also treats his friends/band mates pretty crappy too. He sees their band as a business and moves his friends in certain positions that benefits himself. He can never just do something to be nice for a human being. When was on drugs Takumi had to tell him to get it together…for the band. He sold out his own personal relationship not to protect Shin and Reira’s delicate relationship but he was worried about the band’s reputation. Some may think he is not cold and calculating but he has trouble expressing his true feelings.
Cry me a river. Takumi is a douche bag. The end.
Ren isn’t as bad. Really he was one of the more likable characters out of this band of misfits. He wanted to be in a band…to have people hear his music. After become rich and famous he was still the same down to Earth guy. Or whatever Ren before he was famous. For the most part he was an okay guy and I think he put up with a lot of crap.
The only time I thought he was a big jerk when he was talking about Nana K.’s pregnancy. And even thought Ren wasn’t only him who was calling Nana K a gold digger…it still felt like the meanest. Especially since later he goes on to act like they are such good friends and that he trusts Nana K to take care of Nana O and all that jazz. The fact that everyone talks shit behind everyone’s back and pretends like it doesn’t happen is annoying. Oh and the fact that Ren knows more about Takumi’s cheating ways and doesn’t tell Nana K about her assface husband pisses me off too. But besides those…jerk moments Ren is a decent guy. Granted they are pretty big jerk moments…but I am grasping at straws to like someone.
Ren having a drug problem surprises me. Ren being the only one with a drug problem does. I wish we knew when this little drug problem started. Was it after his marriage to Nana O and she was being the biggest bitch in the world? Or was it the only part of the glam life he gave into? Regardless I think Ren having a drug problem is very sad and the few people who know about it don’t make the situation any better. But we all know Takumi is a jerk who can’t care about anyone but himself and managers tend to be jerks.
But Ren had a drug problem. I am not sure why his manager was supplying him with the drugs but maybe it was safer that way. In any event I think that had Ren lived he would have kicked the habit. I think out of all the characters in this story he was the most loyal and had the best potential as a human being. I think he was going to tell Nana O to stop acting like such a bitch and be the support she needed. Or tell her he did have a problem and that he needed her help.
Despite having a drug problem he is one of the most rational people in the series...
We will never know how things would have gone as Ren died. It makes me sad that he died in such a way that people don’t know it was an accident. I don’t want it to be spun a suicide/drug related problem. I think he could have become more an adult to this band of misfits but now he is a giant sad reality to these people that their lives aren’t mistake free and they need to shape up.
Moving on to a guy I loved but now LOATHE is Nobu. I think that he was my favorite character for quite a while but then it exploded into hatred.
Why do I hate Nobu so much? Um because he is sleeping with a porn star. Not that I hate her because she is a porn star but I hate her because she is one. How does Nobu go from a nice “wholesome” (it pains me to type that but that is how she was supposed to be portrayed) to a porn Queen?
Oh because Nana broke his heart! And he made a mistake by turning to Yuri after seeing Nana K. after all this time. Okay I can get down with that. Not really but I can see how a broken heart can make you do something really stupid like sleep with a porn star one time.
But then he decided to have a relationship with her? Did the people in this manga not get the memo that just because you sleep with someone it is not true love?! Of course I think you should only sleep with people you love but that is not the point. The point is that if Nobu is still in love with Nana K he shouldn’t put Yuri’s delicate porn heart in danger.
Perhaps this wouldn’t piss me off so badly had Nobu not been pretending to be happy with Yuri. If he actually moved on with Yuri it would be different. I would still hate him because I want him and Nana K to be together but I would understand he needs to move on. But then when Ren dies and Nana K comes to take care of Nana O he puts the moves on her. He has not moved on with his life. He wants them both to become cheaters because apparently being so close to Nana K is too much.
I am against cheating. I am not a fan of the theory people can’t control themselves around certain people. Sometimes you have to put your big boy pants on and deal with a sticky situation. Also I think Nobu is utterly stupid for not know Nana K was unhappy with Takumi but most boys are stupid so I guess I will let that slide.
What I won’t let slide is the fact that Nobu told Nana K she was ruining his happiness by being there. Hello, which is it!? Do you want to be with her or not? Either you are happy with Yuri or you are unhappy because you are not with Nana K. You can’t blame her for everything stupid.
Make up your damn mind!
Maybe things would be different if Nobu stepped up and fought Takumi for the baby. I am not saying that Nobu would have made a good father but he certainly would be a better one than Takumi. I think the most sensible plan would have been to tell Takumi to back the hell off until it was proven whose baby it was. Because when Nobu gets older and a little wiser he might regret his actions and resent not having a relationship with his son.
I am not saying this was all Nobu’s fault. He left out of anger because he thought Nana K was a cheater or because she wouldn’t answer his simple questions. He was shocked and probably pissed off that Takumi knew about the pregnancy before him. He was confused and acted a little bit crazy. So even though I want to be mad at him for not playing a more active role in the pregnancy it is hard to just blame him.
There were some really sweet things about Nobu. He was similar to Nana K in regards to the fact they “fall in love” rather quickly. They both were/are fun loving and slightly dramatic with their reactions to situations. He tried to lead Shin on a better path in life (him and Nana K being the only ones who really tried). He has a passion for music and he is afraid of letting people down.
It is a shame that I hate him now. And it is also a shame that 10 years in the future he and Nana K are still not together. Or they are and are cheaters. Either way it is a shame.
Shin is an adorable kid. Except the fact he smokes, is a prostitute, has a minor drug problem, and is being statutory rapped by a woman he now loves.
Okay maybe he wasn’t rapped per say because the age of consent is so low in Japan. And really it isn’t his fault as she should know better. But still the idea is creepy.
I can’t really be mad at Shin for all this crap. He is a rich kid who wanted to be cool and got caught up in a tough situation. It is the people around him who are more at fault. His family for not coming and rescuing their child from this prostitute lady. All his band mates for not curbing his drinking/smoking habits. His band mates for not keeping better track of his coming and goings. Reira for not being more bothered that she was sleeping with a 15 year old and paying him to do so. All the adults around Shin suck and they should be thrown in jail for contributing to the delinquencies to a minor.
But Shin could only be helped if he wanted to be helped. He is not blameless in this all. He could have been stronger and not followed in the path of these loser adults. Since he was acting so grown up he should have been more mature about certain situations. 15 is not really a child so you can’t say he didn’t know any better.
I wanted Reira and Shin to be together despite how their relationship started. I wanted them to wait the two years and do things the right way. But I can’t blame Shin for throwing away the slut away. In the future he seems to be okay and he is not suffering from the scandal that happened to him when he was younger. I am glad he got his act straight.
She is a famous singer and the best she can get is a paid 15 year old prostitute?
While I am on the subject I hate Reira. She was okay for a while even though everyone was falling down to please her and give her undying love. But her flopping around from loving Yasu to loving Shin to them always loving Takumi was annoying. How can you be in love with three people at once? Yeah you are a slut too Reira.
I can see her having lingering feelings for Yasu. I can see why she has a problem letting Shin go. But I hate that she throws herself at Takumi. He is married and that is supposed to mean something. So congratulations on being the other woman. Also congratulations on being his whore as he explained to you that you would only be one of his many lovers. If you are going to be involved in an affair I think that love should be involved.
Reira handling Ren’s death is a little bit selfish. I am glad she didn’t have an affair with him as well although it would have made more sense than Takumi. But when she tried to tell Nana O about why Ren was driving that was selfish. And I am glad Shin told her so. Of course Takumi has to protect his princess and leave Nana K out in the cold regardless of anyone’s pain.
In the future it is unclear if Reira is better. She is around the baby Ren and will only sing for him. I get that Ren was her band mate and someone really important but I think the only person who is allowed to be bonkers if Nana O. I take it as a sign that Shin learned that he was not the most important person in Reira’s life and he moved on without her. Which is how it should be, I am glad he did not lower himself to be with her.
I think Yasu is a victim of too many people depending on him. Girls are crying on his shoulder all the time and all the guys are coming to him for advice. He can’t help who he loves and I think he does a great job of hiding the fact that he loves Nana O. Perhaps not that good of a job since Nana O and Ren both no but he never makes a move on her and that’s what counts in my book.
Always the one who had to be there for other people despite the fact he is suffering too.
That is because he understands how to be a good friend. He does have feelings for Nana O but his relationship with Ren is more important to him. He chooses not to get back with Reira because she is a dirty whore. That and he knows he would just be second to Takumi and he knows a healthy relationship should not be based on settling. No, he decides that he is going to be with a NORMAL person. Miu is (was) a 27 year old virgin and has no past with anyone. Clearly she is a catch. They are seen later in the time skip and it appears they are still together. Which I hope they still are.
Junko is the worst best friend on the face of the planet. I understand that Nana K is a slut and very immature but COME ON. Junko couldn’t be ruder if she tried. There is being concerned over your friend making stupid mistakes all the time and being a bitch. She tries to come off as knowing more and just trying to give Nana K helpful advice but it comes off more as cruel. It’s almost as if she gets off being mean to Nana K whenever possible. The line that pissed me off the most was when she was referring to Nana K being spoiled by Takumi. Yeah, how about you know something about the subject matter you are talking about before you give advice.
Shoji and Sachiko can go die in a fire together. He cheated on her for very jerk reasons. Not that most reasons to cheat on people are good ones but his were out of left field. I mean…I would expect to live with my boyfriend after a year and living in a new city. Then she goes out and gets a life like he told her too and he cheats on her with his co-worker? Yeah he needs to be shot. He picks Sachiko because she was willing to fight for him? WELL DUH ASSHAT. What did you want Nana K to do, declare her undying love when you cheated on her? So really Shoji doesn’t love Sachiko as he wanted Nana K to fight for him. And I am not buying this Sachiko is an innocent little angel crap. I am not sure why these two are suffering for their crimes why everyone else does. Or maybe Sachiko gets a little bit of what she deserves as Shoji still has feelings for Nana K.
Yuri is a skanky slut and that is about it for her...
Misato is cute. She is very likable despite the over the top way she dresses. The whole mess about her picking her name based on who Nana’s maybe sister might be is a little bit shady. Oh and the fact she might be Nana’s sister too is a bit weird. But….she is a pretty decent role model. I just hope she isn’t sleeping with the producer of the studio to get ahead in the company.
Naoki? Whose Naoki?!
The most amazing part of this manga is that it all takes place within a year (more or less anyway). This of course is not including the future peeks we have been given but meh. It is crazy that people are falling in love out of love and back in love with all these people in such a short amount of time. Also that BLAST was able to get signed in a relatively short time period. Nana gets knocked up within 6 months of moving to Tokyo and her relationship with Nobu only lasted weeks.
But I guess that happens in most animes and mangas. Characters meet each other and fall in love in a short amount of time often. I guess I have a problem with all the love triangles, rectangles, and pentagons that happen in said short amount of time.
It also hurts to see how these characters treat each other in regards to communication. Everyone is so busy they have to text most of the time to talk to each other. And even then no one is being really honest with what is going on. Why doesn’t anyone know that Nana K is ignored by Takumi and that she is really unhappy? If Nana O is really her bestest best friend she should pick up on that. But everyone is too busy in their own drama to be concerned about what is going on in their important people’s lives. Which happens in real life all the time so that makes it all the sadder. I just have a hard time buying all this closeness and drama when they don’t talk to one another.
Now after I spent almost 6 thousand words bashing this manga….there are some redeeming factors. There would have to be or I would be a moron to keep on reading this series.
I think it does do a good job portraying how confused young people feel about relationships and situations. Granted there is a lot of confusion going on but maybe I am just a goody two shoes who knows nothing how real 20 something years act. So while I might not agree with how crazy their actions end up being, I like how emotional they become and feel conflicted like normal human beings
I think the sex scenes were portrayed very accurately too. Sex isn’t also awesome and wonderful and laying down in bed. Sometimes you have sex with a nasty porn star standing up. Sometimes you have sex on a bench and nearly die because you are into exotic affixation. And sometimes your ex-boyfriend pins you down and takes you from behind and almost rapes you. Sex is not glamorous and full of love. Sometimes it is messy and awkward.
The women in this series are very complicated which is pretty realistic. They are not as strong as I would like them to be but they do have their moments. They are love sick fools yet are easily pissed off. Half the time they don’t what they want. And they cry all the time because they are emotional. Good times, good times.
Of course Nana K cries the most....
Given I am on page 10 of Microsoft word I think it is about time to stop. Nana started off as a much different manga to me. It had hope, a few girls that had big dreams, and some hot boys who were second to these Nana’s relationship. It turned into a slut fest chain smoking event and I got disillusioned. I wanted the characters to learn from their mistakes and grow as people. I didn’t want them to keep on failing and hurting each other. I wanted there to be something positive for someone, anyone! But now everyone is unhappy and the future is bleak.
Maybe that is a more realistic outlook though. Sometimes life is crap and there are people who just make one bad decision after another. Maybe I am upset because I wanted a happy ending. Maybe I just can’t do complicated.
Perhaps this series is so popular because of all the drama. Maybe people don’t want their lives to end up like this. Maybe people feel pity for these characters or try to focus on their good points (as limited as they may be). Or maybe people like it because it is edgy and different.
And really, do any of my rants matter? I am still waiting for the next chapters so I can find out what happens to Nana K, Nobu, and Nana O. Clearly whatever draws people to these series has drawn me in too. So…this manga is a success at the end of the day. Damn.
23 comments:
i love yu watase! im not sure how i feel about this series too; but im not done yet!
There's not that much to add after all of that, but I think you really were able to touch on some of the bizzareness happenings in this series, I only read a bit and watched a bit perse, but I relate to liking something at first and then have it turn into something completely different. I hate it when that happens, or all of a sudden you stop liking a series.
Also nice job on a 10 page rant! I read every bit which is something to be proud of since I usually skim walls of text :)
Dorothy-I love all of Yuu Watase's work. XD Some people say it all tends to be the same basic story line but i don't care. XD I love her art so very, very much.
Karen- Thanks for reading such a long rant. I don't know how it got so long. After wards i was going X_X.
It is kinda disappointing when you think a series will be about one thing and it takes a totally different direction. Then it seems that everything starts sticking out as being "bad" or negative.
I am just curious on why it is so popular when it seems like such a.....nonuplifting or positive message kinda of manga. Just miserable people with miserable lives all around.
A lot of people trade drama for happiness.
Jesus christ, I don't think I've seen "bitch", "slut" and "whore" used that many times since a rap album.
I believe that Takumi has a soft side, as shown in the manga. and i agree Hachi is just a whore i am i Takumi x Hachi fan! >.< idgaf about what anybody has to say i like them together. i have some theorys about Nobu and Reira (not as a couple) but i think that they had a plan to ruin Hachi and Takumi's relationship, we all know how crazy reira is, stupid bitch TAKUMI IS MARRIED TO HACHI GET THE HELL OVER IT! AND THEY ARE MADE A FAMILY TOGETHER! STUPID IDIOT WANTS TO BE THE MISTRESS!!!
hey I had to drop this manga as it was getting a bit too annoyoing on my nerves. I was hoping for the characters to make a lot of mistakes BUT to learn from them. I agree with you on Nana and Ren relationship, she was a bitch to him and she also wanted to control Hachi too much. Hachi was just a stupid annoying slut who ended up winning the lottery with Nobou falling in love with her ( he was a nice guy and kinda crazy like her). She's a selfish bitch , I dont think she ended up with Takumi for the good of her baby ( worst father and husband) but I think she was just a gold digger. I hated both Nanas , I still cant decide which one is worst
Years later and I just wanna say that I fucking hate Ren. He was selfish and possessive to the point of saying he wanted to kill Nana O so that she'd be his only, and proposing to her to chase off Yasu. Wasn't he the one who left first? When Takumi was gonna marry Nana K Ren told Takumi he should marry Reira to keep her singing, even after Takumi told Ren he had no romantic feelings for Reira. And when Takumi slept with Reira Ren not only knew, he encouraged it, all the while acting nice to Nana K and picking a name for her baby. Ren is trash too. Idky so many people love him.
Well I agree with many of the points and disagree with some.Before I go into the details what I'd like to say is the reason why I consider this a masterpiece is because it affects ur emotions so much(for the better or worse) and u become personally invested in it(hence the reason even u continue to do it).very few works can play with ur emotions for such a long lasting time(after finishing reading i had nana hangover for 3freaking days. it surpassed my code geass hangover of 2days).Now for the points where I disagree(it is just what I interpreted from reading nana)- hachi always loved nobu more.when she had to choose between takumi and nobu there were several cards in play 1.takumi was there for her and nobu wasn't(later on in the future she does say that if either nobu or nana has supported her at that time things may have been different, and that she may even have got an abortion if nobu had wanted to do so) 2. she knew nobu currently couldn't support a child and would probably have to give up on his dream.
Also one thing I really liked about hachi is how she tried to play the role of a mother for shin(when ren died she tries to console shin instead of crying on her own). Also the reason nana got out of her depression so fast is because of what was happening with nobu and hachi, also because even in real life people just get immersed in their work to avoid thinking about other depressing things(though again it is implied that she may have done something reckless later on, n hachi saves her then)..As for takumi though he is a manwhore, I think he does have feelings for hachi(not that it changes my opinion about him -_- ) as he mentions to ren that without hachi his life everyday would become a battle for him. Now about nobu and that porn girl, I don't hate nobu for it though it was wrong for that girl.He genuinely tried to move on but he just couldn't.Though he did do wrong as that girl really liked him.
Then hachi mever mentioned to anyone how takumi was ignoring her as there was no one to whom she could confide in(nana had become distanced, and junko just blamed hachi...maybe she should have gone to junko's husband.he was one of the nicest character), and she knew from the start that things may happen like this as takumi had mentioned that work is the most important for him(I just got an idea while writing this.maybe takumi and nana should have ended together...2workaholics happily working all they want :P then they will give each other equal amounts of shit n love )
Both Nana have their own problems but they make it even more complicated by themselves.
I can relate to Nana O and understand her much better than Hachi. I think Nana O wrong actions and decisions are really understandable for me because of her background that already from messed up family (being abandoned by her mother at all). I can understand if a child grows up from dysfunctional environments, s/he has greater risk to have emotional or mental health problems. Therefore although I'm not totally saying that what Nana O choose and doing are right nor I always justify her actions, but her being like that is really makes sense. Though I do dislike her controlling manner too btw, shouldn't bother with other business too much imo.
But with Hachi, I don't understand her, I can't relate to her at all. You for calling her "slut" is really what I've been thinking of her so far. Why isn't she a slut if she had sex with two men in a very close time, got pregnant and got confused with who the father is??!!
Also I don't understand what's going on in her brain when she was thinking that she falls in love with two person at the same time (same goes with Reira), as if she wants to have a threesome relationship or not??
And Hachi's history with her romantic life is so big NO NO for me. Have a first love with married guy, have sex with every guys she called love at the first sight, dreaming a fairytale-like romance, and it's just happened that all the guys involved in her love affairs are acting unrealistic too and 'weird' should I say.
About Hachi and her tendency to fall in love quickly, she is such an airheaded and foolish, her views on men is very naive. When I check her history-background, she likely comes from a normal family, at least it doesn't seems dysfunctional (like abandonment, abusive, etc). She is a middle-child. Her father, her mother, her sisters are quite normal persons. I know that middle-child used to get less attention than his/her siblings but that's not the end of the world, I had a cousin that was a middle-child too (she passed away btw), she was kinda rebellious but she never cause any trouble. Her friends even though flawed, are normals. At least Hachi doesn't have a friend like Souma Mitsuko from Battle Royals who sold her own friends as prostitutes.
Then from where this "falling in love at the first sight" habbit Hachi has?? I think could it be from popular media, romance drama, novels, etc that she has consumed, usually they have fairytale-like love story and the characters used to behave unrealistic for the sake of the plot becomes "so sweet" just like how this manga likely goes imo.
I will say that "love at first sight" and "falling in love with two or three guys at the same time" thoughts in Hachi's mind is actually translated as "a sense of interest and infatuation based on the physical and the first impression" and "comfortable feeling when being with them" and both is not called love, because definition of love is much more complicated than these things. I mean, I could get interest and infatuate by the physical beauty and the first impression of the strangers give to me, I won't call it love. I could have comfortable feeling when being with my best friends (and they happened to be males), I also won't call it love (though it could be a form of plationic love actually). Alas only Hachi is too stupid to understand those feelings.
That's what I thought from this manga and the two Nana.
TL;DR I much prefer and easily relate to Nana O than Hachi although I am not like both of them (sorry).
I'm not even anticipating for updates anymore, I just want the author to hurry up and finish up the manga so I can get this over and done with. I am literally annoyed at so many things I wanna scream but it's 4am so fuck this.
I guess I live in a different time zone. Whatever
So there are comments in 2017? Sweet! You said that although you didn't exactly like the manga, it still draws you in some way, eh? I think I am one of the minority who hate it. I have heard so many people gushing that it's one of the best manga that portrays relatable characters and 'realistic' plot, but I was plain disinterested in it. I admit I prefer the fantasy genre more, but that doesn't mean I don't read realistic novels/stories, and that's why I don't get it; just because this manga portrays the dark, miserable lives of the characters, I am supposed to praise it? From the very beginning, I could not come to care for any of the characters, especially Nana K, in whose case, despite trying to understand her so-called 'depth', I was majorly turned off by her first relationship. Loyalty is a big thing to me and add to it the fact that she and the cheating husband never actually talked, gives me the impression that she has no class or self-respect. I know such people do exist in reality, and you know what? I stay away from them, in no way can I relate to them.
Nana O. was more interesting, until I got bored and went to read some spoilers. I usually don't like dropping my manga halfway, and even if I do, I read the ending for the characters. But after seeing the spoilers, I am glad that I dropped it, it wasn't worth the long read. I have heard nothing but praise for this excellent work, so it may just be not my cup of tea, but I don't get why everyone heralds it as the best tragedy ever. Everyone has a different view of reality and a depressing life where people just don't learn from their mistakes or try to improve their flaws is not what I want to read about. Reading a story about war gives me much more insight into human nature and I can understand the tragedy there, while I couldn't sniff it in Nana K's case. It was all the ramification of her own doing.
I went on a rant there, sorry. I have read stories of various genres including tragedy, romance and even some focused solely on chara development (the character starts out as somewhat pathetic). But I still can't see what other see in this manga. I have read others which are able to deliver the feels that this tries to portray in a better manner, perhaps the reason I never got the feels is because I never connected with the characters in the first place (except Nana O. and Yasu). This is, as you said, just a bunch of miserable people living miserable lives. It's plain depressing, with none of the characters realizing that there's a bigger world outside their small, gloomy ones.
The small bits of humor don't make up for it.
I kind of agree that the manga is a mess and everybody is somehow damaged and unable to communicate like an adult should. And Takumi is truly the worst.
But what´s up with the constant slut-shaming? Like, I get it, you do not like when people have a sex life, but it is seriously jarring to read this. People should be free to decide who they sleep with and how many partners they have. I agree that condoms should be used to prevent STDs, but why so much hatred for sexually active people? Sex does not need to be all about love. And I mean, Takumi is still a piece of shit for cheating, but Yuri is horrible just because she is a porn star? No. And Miu is a catch because she is a virgin? Please. It is fine to be a virgin, but that does not make anyone a catch or better than someone who is not a virgin. The problem is all in the way those character handle their relationships, not in how much they sleep around.
Old comment but this comment radiated mental issues. Takumi raped Nana, mentally abused her, manipulated her and & is having an affair behind her back. Please tell me how in any way this relationship is "cute" &/or healthy.
I agree with some points like Nana's choice to go along with Takumi was unwise and how Nana O.'s quite controlling on Hachi's life but the constant slut shaming! Jesus Effing Christ. Nobu is a bad guy for sleeping w/ a pornstar?? Please make that make sense. You kind of make it seem like having sex is a horrible & disgusting thing but it's the reason why we're all here. I also agree with your stand on Reira. I think it's gross she's sleeping w/ a 15 year old prostitute and how she keeps bouncing around 3 guys. Especially when she slept with Takumi knowing damn well. Her and Takumi are both toxic ass hell. But I don't really agree with your stance on Ren's & Osaki's relationship. I could honestly reason with Nana's constant drifting away from Ren. Honestly, there relationship is pretty damn stotic to me as they began dating. Just sex sex & more sex. I didn't really get any fluffy love from these two. I didn't really ship them as much as I liked Osaki's relationship with Yasu. There's a big difference between those relationships.
Another thing is, I don't really believe Hachi is a slut. She has her own issues, yes. She trrayrd Nobu badly, yes. But i really wouldn't say she were sleeping around like *cough cough* Reira.
Nana K. Is quite a hypocrite, too. Getting mad as Shoji for cheating while she were sleeping with a married man. It would be a difference if she knew he weren't married, but she knew.
But another thing I passionatly agree about is her relationship with Takumi. Pure toxic. Anybody who ship the two have there own issues, honestly. Not only does he rape her, but he mentally abuses her, has an affair behind her back &&& etc etc.
Also, I agree with your stance on Shin. All the adults failed him. His friends from BLaST failed him, and so did his family. Letting a 15 yr old boy run around as a smoking prostitute && doing nothing about it is horrible.
Exactly.
I have to disagree with this too. You missed the message. Its supposed to show the realism of the real world, not encourage girls to do the same thing. But warn them.
I CAN'T watch the end of these series after watching episode 32 and spoiling myself on whats happening next. It's absolutely SICKENING.
Now speaking of Nana K. as a slut feels very wrong to me. If you got all those noble feelings (which I share for most) please don't talk about girls as "whores" when they have different partners. It's not bad or weird, guys do the same and we don't make a fuss about it.
Otherwise, I agree on many points I've seen here, even though I'm too upset against the show to read all of your own rant in a peaceful mindset lol. I'm so angry and I'm happy some people share what I think about this shitty plot.
SOOOOO fucking TRUEEE thank you!!!!! I'm BAFFLED people are going around shouting Nana changed their lives, that it was incredible etc man WTF you're officially intoxicated if you followed Nana as a life guide!!! This is terrible!!!
When Nobu arrived I was so glad it was looking good but then the whole thing with TAKUMI omg sorry you put it in words better than me. I'm so mad.
Absolutely right man
I never got that far into this series. Once Nana K. started making some pretty dumb decisions and sleeping with a ho who could care less about her, I tapped out. I knew this story wasn't going in the direction I wanted and couldn't stand to read more.
To those who feel Nana K should not be called a slut or whore due to her relationship decisions, I would still call her that. If her character was a guy, I would call him a manwhore. Is it problematic? Honestly, it seems at a glance. People's sex lives are their own and no one should be shamed for their preferences, as long as it's consensual. But anyone who gets around too much, without proper precautions or rainchecks for possible pregnancies (applies to both genders, both are equally responsible) and actively deludes themselves that this is love... we have a problem. The characters I consider sluts here isn't just because they get around a lot, but because they are irresponsible and either lack self-respect or treat their partners like garbage. As an adult, you are expected to have some ability of self-reflection.
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