Yazawa Ai - Nana, vol. 07-09 (orig. Jap.)
Thu, Sep. 6th, 2007 06:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterI've been not-so-subconsciously avoiding reading more in the series a bit out of fear -- I've pimped this series and this mangaka so much in the past, just based on four-year-old memories of first five volumes that I was worried that later volumes couldn't possibly live up to my memories. It also didn't help that I was a little underwhelmed rereading the first three volumes, but I suspect some of that is just because I have read them so many times already.
I was also worried that I had wrongly pimped this series and Yazawa Ai to pretty much everyone on the planet and that I would have to take Yazawa Ai out of my mostest favoritest mangaka list (currently Yuki Kaori, Minekura Kazuya and Yazawa Ai, and if I were forced at gunpoint to pick, I would have to pick Yazawa. And I should probably have Umino Chica there as well for Honey and Clover, except I've only read three volumes of it).
So when I say that these three volumes have surpassed my expectations, you will all know just how high those expectations were. And also keep in mind that I'm reading this in the original Japanese, which means I'm probably missing a ton of the nuances, and volume 9 still made me cry and flip back to the beginning to reread.
OMG. Just. OMG.
I can't believe I still have 8 volumes to go to catch up! I can't figure out what will happen in all of them!
Much like Urasawa Naoki, Yazawa is amazingly good at making me care about secondary characters. I mean, I sort of knew this going in from having read Gokinjo Monogatari and Last Quarter and Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai, but oh. I thought somehow the punk veneer of everyone meant they would be harder to like; like Cute Nana, I was overwhelmed by the stardom of the Trapnest members.
Right now, I'm particularly overwhelmed by how much I adore Reira (Layla? Given her namesake song? Then again, Viz is transliterating as "Reira" for who-knows-what reason). I love her enormous smile and how happy she can be at simple things, and oh, her relationship with Shin is going to kill me. He's 15! And yet! I love them so much! But I also love her and Yasu, and that scene with her asking Shin for Yasu's number, and then how she waits outside Yasu's door and how he pulls her up and lets her cry on his shoulder without any words, and oh. Oh.
And Shin! I knew I loved Shin, but now I love Shin. He is a 15-year-old prostitute! And yet! And oh, that bit in volume nine when he's thinking that he's holding everyone's worries in his head, and how he goes to Reira's and playing for her (I'm guessing he's playing Clapton's "Layla," which I now want to download, as I have no pop culture knowledge and have never heard it). I can't wait to get his backstory and why he hates his real name and why in the world he is a 15-year-old prostitute.
I want to cuddle him and cheer for him and Reira in a non-dysfunctional, non-train-wreck way, which is really very atypical for me.
I am also beginning to adore Naoki, thanks to the extra story in the back of vol. 9. He's so cute and sparkly! I particularly love him visiting Cute Nana and Takumi at their new place and him and Cute Nana flailing about and squeeing together ("KAWAII~~~~~~!!" "Desho, desho?" ("So cuuuuuute!" "Isn't it, isn't it?")).
I love the views of Ren, Yasu, Naoki, Takumi and Reira in middle school and high school, Yasu in particular.
And then, the main plot. I had known about Nana's pregnancy a long time ago, probably from accidentally wandering around online somewhere. I think that may have been part of the reason why I didn't want to keep reading; I am almost never interested in "Oh noes! She's pregnant!" storylines, from the high-school ones in manga to mystical babies and uterus stealing in genre TV. But this has just been breaking my heart.
Most of it is because we switched over to Punk Nana's POV; I was particularly interested in the fact that Punk Nana calls Cute Nana "Hachi" in her voiceovers. I really like that we switch Nana-POVs at volume 8; I'm guessing we'll go back to Cute Nana in volume 15 and that the series will go till volume 28? That's a lot! Maybe it won't be a multiple of seven.
I love being able to see Cute Nana from Punk Nana's eyes, particularly because I think more people like Punk Nana (though I love them both). I especially loved seeing how important Cute Nana is to Punk Nana, how their meeting didn't just affect Cute Nana strongly, but Punk Nana as well.
But oh, the melancholy, bittersweet tone! I am so worried for the Nanas!
To get to other characters before the Nanas... I adore Nobu. He is my imaginary boyfriend. I don't know what else to say about him except: ADORE! Want to hug!
Amazingly, I'm not quite that fond of Ren yet, just because I can't quite get a feel for his personality, but I'm sure I'll grow to adore him by the time the series is over.
I loved Cute Nana choosing Nobu and taking down the Trapnest poster, her thoughts on the unfaded piece of wall behind it, her horribly awkward attempt to break up with Takumi over the phone. I don't think the last bit is exemplary, but it's so real and so mucked up, as are her attempts to really be Nobu's girlfriend. Part of me cringes, watching her with Nobu, because she's trying so hard, and she doesn't have to, but that's the only way she knows how to be a good girlfriend.
I particularly loved Punk Nana's conversation with Nobu, his feeling like Cute Nana hadn't chosen him because he wasn't reliable enough contrasted with Punk Nana's memories of him in middle (high?) school.
Oh, and how could I forget? Takumi is a SKANK! Amazingly, Yazawa makes me like him at certain moments, like him in the bathtub with Cute Nana and how he is actually willing to stand by her. On the other hand, she also doesn't soften how much of a jerk he is, from his casual comment about pregnancy to Cute Nana before she knows to how he tells Nobu and Punk Nana. OMG. I could have slapped him right there. And Cute Nana is so desperate for support that she even smiles at him after that.
And then there are the two Nanas, and oh, they are already breaking my heart and I still have quite a few volumes to go. The strawberry glasses just about killed me, from Punk Nana's recollections of them buying the glasses to her breaking the other one to Cute Nana finding the shards on the floor and crying over them. And Punk Nana buys new ones! But never gives them to Cute Nana, woe!
And Cute Nana moves out, and Punk Nana's heart breaks. Oh my god. When we finally got the text of Cute Nana's letter, I just cried and cried. Especially the parts about how Punk Nana was her hero, how no boyfriend could take Punk Nana's place in her heart, how she was so glad that they met, even though she didn't think Punk Nana could forgive her for going off and marrying Takumi.
I've already reread that last bit with Punk Nana reading the letter, crying on the floor, Ren telling her that it's a love letter, and the closing over Shin playing the guitar and singing for Reira and Punk Nana thinking that she will always remember this letter, and I cried both times. I just.. wah! And I reread some earlier bits in which Cute Nana is talking about the clawfoot bathtub nostalgically, and I keep thinking that they will not be friends again, and it breaks my heart! Even more than Cute Nana choosing Takumi instead of Nobu.
I love so much that the series is about the two Nanas, despite all the romance and drama. I love that their friendship and love is weighted the most, that it treads that fine line between friendship and romance. And I love that Yazawa doesn't just focus on the romances; the friendships between Shin and Nobu, Shin and Cute Nana, Nobu and Punk Nana, Yasu and Ren, and so on, and the group dynamics are just as important. And I love that Cute Nana tells her parents about her pregnancy and we get to see their reactions; I love that she has a normal family and sisters and that it's just there in the background.
OMG I love this SO MUCH.
People! If you like authors like Sarah Dessen or anime like Honey and Clover, read this. Really. Even if you usually don't read manga. Because while the back cover copy makes it sound like it's all about fashion and punk bands and glamour, it's not. It's about friendship and romance and growing up and losing yourself and messing up, but really, it's about people and the connections between them and how we hurt and love and lie and weep and laugh and keep going.
I was also worried that I had wrongly pimped this series and Yazawa Ai to pretty much everyone on the planet and that I would have to take Yazawa Ai out of my mostest favoritest mangaka list (currently Yuki Kaori, Minekura Kazuya and Yazawa Ai, and if I were forced at gunpoint to pick, I would have to pick Yazawa. And I should probably have Umino Chica there as well for Honey and Clover, except I've only read three volumes of it).
So when I say that these three volumes have surpassed my expectations, you will all know just how high those expectations were. And also keep in mind that I'm reading this in the original Japanese, which means I'm probably missing a ton of the nuances, and volume 9 still made me cry and flip back to the beginning to reread.
OMG. Just. OMG.
I can't believe I still have 8 volumes to go to catch up! I can't figure out what will happen in all of them!
Much like Urasawa Naoki, Yazawa is amazingly good at making me care about secondary characters. I mean, I sort of knew this going in from having read Gokinjo Monogatari and Last Quarter and Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai, but oh. I thought somehow the punk veneer of everyone meant they would be harder to like; like Cute Nana, I was overwhelmed by the stardom of the Trapnest members.
Right now, I'm particularly overwhelmed by how much I adore Reira (Layla? Given her namesake song? Then again, Viz is transliterating as "Reira" for who-knows-what reason). I love her enormous smile and how happy she can be at simple things, and oh, her relationship with Shin is going to kill me. He's 15! And yet! I love them so much! But I also love her and Yasu, and that scene with her asking Shin for Yasu's number, and then how she waits outside Yasu's door and how he pulls her up and lets her cry on his shoulder without any words, and oh. Oh.
And Shin! I knew I loved Shin, but now I love Shin. He is a 15-year-old prostitute! And yet! And oh, that bit in volume nine when he's thinking that he's holding everyone's worries in his head, and how he goes to Reira's and playing for her (I'm guessing he's playing Clapton's "Layla," which I now want to download, as I have no pop culture knowledge and have never heard it). I can't wait to get his backstory and why he hates his real name and why in the world he is a 15-year-old prostitute.
I want to cuddle him and cheer for him and Reira in a non-dysfunctional, non-train-wreck way, which is really very atypical for me.
I am also beginning to adore Naoki, thanks to the extra story in the back of vol. 9. He's so cute and sparkly! I particularly love him visiting Cute Nana and Takumi at their new place and him and Cute Nana flailing about and squeeing together ("KAWAII~~~~~~!!" "Desho, desho?" ("So cuuuuuute!" "Isn't it, isn't it?")).
I love the views of Ren, Yasu, Naoki, Takumi and Reira in middle school and high school, Yasu in particular.
And then, the main plot. I had known about Nana's pregnancy a long time ago, probably from accidentally wandering around online somewhere. I think that may have been part of the reason why I didn't want to keep reading; I am almost never interested in "Oh noes! She's pregnant!" storylines, from the high-school ones in manga to mystical babies and uterus stealing in genre TV. But this has just been breaking my heart.
Most of it is because we switched over to Punk Nana's POV; I was particularly interested in the fact that Punk Nana calls Cute Nana "Hachi" in her voiceovers. I really like that we switch Nana-POVs at volume 8; I'm guessing we'll go back to Cute Nana in volume 15 and that the series will go till volume 28? That's a lot! Maybe it won't be a multiple of seven.
I love being able to see Cute Nana from Punk Nana's eyes, particularly because I think more people like Punk Nana (though I love them both). I especially loved seeing how important Cute Nana is to Punk Nana, how their meeting didn't just affect Cute Nana strongly, but Punk Nana as well.
But oh, the melancholy, bittersweet tone! I am so worried for the Nanas!
To get to other characters before the Nanas... I adore Nobu. He is my imaginary boyfriend. I don't know what else to say about him except: ADORE! Want to hug!
Amazingly, I'm not quite that fond of Ren yet, just because I can't quite get a feel for his personality, but I'm sure I'll grow to adore him by the time the series is over.
I loved Cute Nana choosing Nobu and taking down the Trapnest poster, her thoughts on the unfaded piece of wall behind it, her horribly awkward attempt to break up with Takumi over the phone. I don't think the last bit is exemplary, but it's so real and so mucked up, as are her attempts to really be Nobu's girlfriend. Part of me cringes, watching her with Nobu, because she's trying so hard, and she doesn't have to, but that's the only way she knows how to be a good girlfriend.
I particularly loved Punk Nana's conversation with Nobu, his feeling like Cute Nana hadn't chosen him because he wasn't reliable enough contrasted with Punk Nana's memories of him in middle (high?) school.
Oh, and how could I forget? Takumi is a SKANK! Amazingly, Yazawa makes me like him at certain moments, like him in the bathtub with Cute Nana and how he is actually willing to stand by her. On the other hand, she also doesn't soften how much of a jerk he is, from his casual comment about pregnancy to Cute Nana before she knows to how he tells Nobu and Punk Nana. OMG. I could have slapped him right there. And Cute Nana is so desperate for support that she even smiles at him after that.
And then there are the two Nanas, and oh, they are already breaking my heart and I still have quite a few volumes to go. The strawberry glasses just about killed me, from Punk Nana's recollections of them buying the glasses to her breaking the other one to Cute Nana finding the shards on the floor and crying over them. And Punk Nana buys new ones! But never gives them to Cute Nana, woe!
And Cute Nana moves out, and Punk Nana's heart breaks. Oh my god. When we finally got the text of Cute Nana's letter, I just cried and cried. Especially the parts about how Punk Nana was her hero, how no boyfriend could take Punk Nana's place in her heart, how she was so glad that they met, even though she didn't think Punk Nana could forgive her for going off and marrying Takumi.
I've already reread that last bit with Punk Nana reading the letter, crying on the floor, Ren telling her that it's a love letter, and the closing over Shin playing the guitar and singing for Reira and Punk Nana thinking that she will always remember this letter, and I cried both times. I just.. wah! And I reread some earlier bits in which Cute Nana is talking about the clawfoot bathtub nostalgically, and I keep thinking that they will not be friends again, and it breaks my heart! Even more than Cute Nana choosing Takumi instead of Nobu.
I love so much that the series is about the two Nanas, despite all the romance and drama. I love that their friendship and love is weighted the most, that it treads that fine line between friendship and romance. And I love that Yazawa doesn't just focus on the romances; the friendships between Shin and Nobu, Shin and Cute Nana, Nobu and Punk Nana, Yasu and Ren, and so on, and the group dynamics are just as important. And I love that Cute Nana tells her parents about her pregnancy and we get to see their reactions; I love that she has a normal family and sisters and that it's just there in the background.
OMG I love this SO MUCH.
People! If you like authors like Sarah Dessen or anime like Honey and Clover, read this. Really. Even if you usually don't read manga. Because while the back cover copy makes it sound like it's all about fashion and punk bands and glamour, it's not. It's about friendship and romance and growing up and losing yourself and messing up, but really, it's about people and the connections between them and how we hurt and love and lie and weep and laugh and keep going.
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 02:36 am (UTC)Also: You. Me. The anime. Two weeks!
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 05:19 am (UTC)Shin! Reira! I should not be rooting for them, but I am!
eeeeee Nana!
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 02:38 am (UTC)I knew about the pregnancy spoiler too, so I read this anyway. Have I mentioned lately that you people who can read manga in Japanese suck? :) But I know I will love this just as much when I get to read it, and now I can look forward to punk-Nana POV!
Re: eeeeee Nana!
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 05:18 am (UTC)Nana in particular sounds weird to me in translation, probably because it's the only manga that I first read in Japanese. I am sure you'll love the next few volumes, and I can't wait till 9 in particular comes out!!
Re: eeeeee Nana!
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 04:33 pm (UTC)(I didn't hear it for the longest time, because I am musically ignorant, and then I had sort of a borrowed grudge against it because of a college friend who was annoyed that people kept asking her if she'd been named after it. "No!" she would say. "My family is Armenian! Women have been named 'Leila' in the Middle East since long before Eric Clapton was born!" Once I listened to the song, I liked it, though. :)
--Mely
Re: eeeeee Nana!
Sat, Sep. 8th, 2007 08:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 03:20 am (UTC)*snivels at the mere memory*
I was watching the second Nana movie on the plane -- the movies are rubbish, don't bother watching them. But even though they suck I just had to think of the scene in the first movie where Cute Nana has found out that what's his name -- Shinji? -- has been cheating on her, and she and Punk Nana have a confrontation with him, and then they go home and Cute Nana lies down in bed and cries and cries, and Punk Nana just silently gets in and hugs her from behind.
And now I am all teary. I love them so much! To be honest NANA will never be my favourite manga because they all keep doing such STUPID things, and that's realistic, but it also makes me want to punch them a lot. Still. Nana and Nana are so beautiful and they love each other and sometimes they hold hands and I love them so so so much. *snf*
p. s. Umino Chika is doing a shounen manga as his/her next project after H&C, apparently. How crazy is that?
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 04:53 am (UTC)But it's about shogi! And the main character looks like a cross between Mayama and Morita.
(no subject)
Tue, Sep. 11th, 2007 07:46 am (UTC)(no subject)
Tue, Sep. 11th, 2007 06:07 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 05:21 am (UTC)OMG. Shouji! I curse his name even as I understand why he cheated! I love love love the scene in vol. 4 where Cute Nana's just standing there crying after finding out and Punk Nana goes after Shouji for her.
Umino Chika is doing a shounen manga as his/her next project after H&C, apparently. How crazy is that?
I know! I am somewhat confused, though will see how the first vol. is when it comes out.
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 04:01 am (UTC)I'm not sure that I've ever seen a richer, more complex depiction of female friendship in any medium. And it's heartbreaking, and hopeful, and just amazing in how it hurts them and gives them strength and blends need & love in really challenging and inspiring ways.
And yes, yes, yes to everything you say about the secondary characters! Plus, Yasu! And some of my favorite Takumi scenes are his ones with Ren, which also shed fascinating light on who Ren is.
I've only seen the anime so far, which covers maybe a couple more volumes worth, and read scanlations of the most recent chapter. But your post is making me want to run out and get the manga -- I probably would've been out the door already if it wasn't nearly midnight! I'm still in withdrawal from the end of the anime, which was one of the most perfect series I've ever seen, up there with Monster -- and the music was excellent, for both Blast and Trapnest, which makes a huge difference.
Have you read any Paradise Kiss? I saw the anime, which was interesting but flawed -- and fairly brief -- but I've heard that the manga is much better.
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 05:28 am (UTC)I am so excited about the manga again! I mean, I was always excited, but I got a little less excited for a few years just because it had been so long since I had read it. I am so glad that I still love it!
I love the two Nanas and their relationship SO MUCH. Love.
I have read Paradise Kiss.. here are my write ups, if you're interested. I ended up liking it more than I thought I would, but I think it's one of Yazawa's more flawed series since Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai.
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 05:44 am (UTC)Thanks for the link -- what I found most intriguing about the anime was the subversion of romantic happy-ending conventions, and how much realer it made the characters feel. Plus, Isabella!
I should really set aside some time to go through your well-organized tags -- Ouran! FMA! Fruits Basket! Mushishi! And best of all -- Emma!!!
I had a feeling when I started reading your LJ that it would finally push me into buying manga -- I should've started putting some money aside....
(no subject)
Sat, Sep. 8th, 2007 08:22 pm (UTC)Hee, my tags are a little insane ;). Possibly I was a librarian in a previous life.
OMG! Emma!! I haven't seen the anime yet or caught up to the end, largely because it's only so many volumes and I want to stretch it out! It is so cute and quiet and sweet!
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 10:38 am (UTC)The anime definitely=yay. ^_^ (I actually enjoyed the first movie, and have yet to see the second [although the new actor playing Shin looks much more the part], but there's a lot of material missing. :/)
(no subject)
Sat, Sep. 8th, 2007 08:39 pm (UTC)I have so many hearts for Shin and Reira right now.
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 7th, 2007 12:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Sat, Sep. 8th, 2007 08:40 pm (UTC)Oooo, introduce more shojo mangakas! Even if they overlap! I am always happy to read more about my favorites, and I bet you have access to stuff that I haven't read!
I had no idea Takeuchi Mick had another manga out! I must find it; I love Jouousama no Inu so much!
(no subject)
Mon, Sep. 17th, 2007 11:15 am (UTC)I love the more adult feel of it and the realistic handling. And gah, it's so hard to ship anyone. There are things I love about every couple! But they're all conflicting! (I don't want to name names, because I can't remember what's happened by vol. 9 and I don't want to spoil you.)
Seriously, though, it just gets better and better.
As for Layla's name, IIRC it was spelt Layla in the manga at some place, or on some official stuff, but then when the films and anime came out, the names the singers used were Reira Starring Yuna Ito and Olivia inspi' Reira, all written in romaji, so there is that for officialness as well.
(no subject)
Mon, Sep. 17th, 2007 06:53 pm (UTC)I am so looking forward to seeing how everything works out. I really like how Yazawa writes relationships; there's no "One True Love" type thing, and each one has its pluses and minuses, like you mention.
Thanks for the info about Reira/Layla!