Yazawa Ai - Nana, vol. 10-11 (orig. Jap.)
Wed, Sep. 19th, 2007 04:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterSpoil me and DIE!
These didn't grab me quite as much as vol. 9 did, largely because more of the content is dedicated to Blast's pro debut and while the music industry stuff might interest me in translation, it's a bitch to wade through in Japanese. That said, thinking back, these two volumes are still chock-full of emotional goodness!
(still, it is hard to underestimate how daunting it is to flip a page and see all these speech bubbles in teeeeny font with kanji compounds that I don't know. zomg. please to be sticking with the relationship stuff! i can read that so much better!)
I keep not being able to decide if I can tolerate Takumi, or if I want to strangle him! I suspect this is how most of the people who know him feel, with the exception of Punk Nana and Nobu, who just want to strangle him. That said, I did appreciate seeing the business side of him; it makes you realize more why Reira is still in love with him (or is she? I don't want her to be! Maybe it is just force of habit!) and why Ren and Naoki and Yasu don't completely brush him off.
And I laughed and laughed when he went to visit the Komatsus.
I'm a little sad at how Naoki's fallen to the background again, because I found him so charming in his little short the last volume. But ah well.
I am skipping over the debut stuff, a) because I do not quite understand it and b) because I am not that interested. I was also a little eye-rolly about Punk Nana's fainting spell/hyperventilation/whatnot. And I was very bored with the paparazzi plotline (there is a reason why I don't follow celebrity gossip in real life). And the paparazzi plotline was very confusing because everyone refers to the paparazzi as mosquitoes, which I read as literal for a while.
And I can't figure out what Yasu confronted Ren about in the bathroom! Was it about Nana's health or Ren's? I had thought it was about Nana's health, but now I think it was about Ren's. And then there is that confusing conversation in the end with Takumi and Reira, and I can't figure out if they're talking about drugs and addiction figuratively or literally (I had to reread the romaji for "marijuana" about five times). Is Ren an addict? Is that why Punk Nana's been saying he's lost weight?
(After talking to Mely and reading a translation, I have discovered Ren is indeed an addict! Well, maybe. They keep mentioning that he's on weed and not heroin or cocaine.)
And! OMG! Ren proposed! I am a bit dubious; it feels like he's proposing because he's afraid of losing Nana, which is not a good reason! On the other hand, I love how Nana is not sure how she's going to reply. And I love love love that the proposal isn't seen as the most romantic thing EVAR OMG! I'm so worried about Nana and Ren now, even though they seemed like the meant-for-each-other couple in the beginning. I'm not sure how Nana will continue to balance Ren with her career and her independence, though I love that this is an actual issue, as opposed to the usual "lalala we are in love and all is well." One reason why I love Yazawa Ai so much is because she shows what happens after couples get together.
Small note, but I love the weird little moments Yazawa writes in when the characters have sex (Ren: "So? Can we do it?" Nana: "Again? You perve!" Ren: "No, I mean get married!"). Also, whoa, breathplay in shoujo manga that is not written by Yuki Kaori! I don't actually remember Yuki Kaori doing breathplay, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Nobu! Oh, I hug him in his heartbreak. But I'm very worried about him and Miu-not-Myu, particularly given what happened with Shouji and Sachiko. I don't like the hints that Cute Nana can't love or appreciate "nice" guys enough (I think Nobu is nice, but I want to slap Shouji still) and that these "nice" guys find "nice" girls who appreciate them and love them enough. But I did like Miu-Nobu a little better once I learned she was so much older. There need to be more older woman-younger man romances out there.
On the other hand, I find Punk Nana pushing him to win Cute Nana back to be very realistic, if a bit misguided.
And speaking of older woman-younger man, I continue to adore Reira and Shin. Their emails! Awwwww! I also keep forgetting that he's 15! Gah!
I loved Punk Nana and Reira finally meeting, particularly how Punk Nana was so ready to be on guard and so disarmed by Reira!
And!! Is that Nana's mom in the okonomiyaki stand?
Finally, I loved the end part so much. I love that Cute Nana text messages Shin because she's too scared to text Nobu (and probably Yasu as well). I love that everyone agrees that they have to ditch their schedule to see Nana. I love how tentative Cute Nana's text message is, as though she thinks her marrying Takumi is so bad that they will never want to see her again.
And the Nana-Shouji meeting just about broke my heart, especially after Nana confessing to Junko that it still hurt (of course it does), that the not knowing made all the happy memories feel like lies. Because oh, I so very much remember that feeling in breakups.
On the other hand, I'm a little irritated that Shouji gets off so lightly. Junko and Kyousuke tweak him about it, but he's generally portrayed as being better off with Sachiko (and is that an engagement ring she has on?). And Junko seems to think that Shouji and Nana were equally at fault in the breakup, and I'm getting that vibe from Cute Nana and the narrative as well. I personally do not think they are equally at fault; cheating on someone is NOT THE SAME as being thoughtless and annoying. Also, I don't think Cute Nana was as thoughtless as everyone thinks she was; I think a lot of that is the greater expectation on the woman to carry the burden of the relationship work. Also: Shouji cheating! And the uncomfortable undertone that he cheated because Cute Nana was not fulfilling him emotionally, which a) means he should have been adult and freaking broken up with her instead of going behind her back and b) implies that he needs a girlfriend who is feminine and relies on him and looks up to him etc. etc. etc.
Also also, hello! Cute Nana saying "I don't want him!" in response to discovering that he cheated right when he chose to defend Sachiko in front of her is not something she should be blamed for! Seriously! I am annoyed that both Junko and Shouji use that to say that Nana didn't care that deeply for him anyway because have they not heard about defense mechanisms? And also, see again re: the cheating!
Ahem. Why yes I am still annoyed at Shouji!
Anyway, Nana sitting on the steps and crying just killed me.
These didn't grab me quite as much as vol. 9 did, largely because more of the content is dedicated to Blast's pro debut and while the music industry stuff might interest me in translation, it's a bitch to wade through in Japanese. That said, thinking back, these two volumes are still chock-full of emotional goodness!
(still, it is hard to underestimate how daunting it is to flip a page and see all these speech bubbles in teeeeny font with kanji compounds that I don't know. zomg. please to be sticking with the relationship stuff! i can read that so much better!)
I keep not being able to decide if I can tolerate Takumi, or if I want to strangle him! I suspect this is how most of the people who know him feel, with the exception of Punk Nana and Nobu, who just want to strangle him. That said, I did appreciate seeing the business side of him; it makes you realize more why Reira is still in love with him (or is she? I don't want her to be! Maybe it is just force of habit!) and why Ren and Naoki and Yasu don't completely brush him off.
And I laughed and laughed when he went to visit the Komatsus.
I'm a little sad at how Naoki's fallen to the background again, because I found him so charming in his little short the last volume. But ah well.
I am skipping over the debut stuff, a) because I do not quite understand it and b) because I am not that interested. I was also a little eye-rolly about Punk Nana's fainting spell/hyperventilation/whatnot. And I was very bored with the paparazzi plotline (there is a reason why I don't follow celebrity gossip in real life). And the paparazzi plotline was very confusing because everyone refers to the paparazzi as mosquitoes, which I read as literal for a while.
And I can't figure out what Yasu confronted Ren about in the bathroom! Was it about Nana's health or Ren's? I had thought it was about Nana's health, but now I think it was about Ren's. And then there is that confusing conversation in the end with Takumi and Reira, and I can't figure out if they're talking about drugs and addiction figuratively or literally (I had to reread the romaji for "marijuana" about five times). Is Ren an addict? Is that why Punk Nana's been saying he's lost weight?
(After talking to Mely and reading a translation, I have discovered Ren is indeed an addict! Well, maybe. They keep mentioning that he's on weed and not heroin or cocaine.)
And! OMG! Ren proposed! I am a bit dubious; it feels like he's proposing because he's afraid of losing Nana, which is not a good reason! On the other hand, I love how Nana is not sure how she's going to reply. And I love love love that the proposal isn't seen as the most romantic thing EVAR OMG! I'm so worried about Nana and Ren now, even though they seemed like the meant-for-each-other couple in the beginning. I'm not sure how Nana will continue to balance Ren with her career and her independence, though I love that this is an actual issue, as opposed to the usual "lalala we are in love and all is well." One reason why I love Yazawa Ai so much is because she shows what happens after couples get together.
Small note, but I love the weird little moments Yazawa writes in when the characters have sex (Ren: "So? Can we do it?" Nana: "Again? You perve!" Ren: "No, I mean get married!"). Also, whoa, breathplay in shoujo manga that is not written by Yuki Kaori! I don't actually remember Yuki Kaori doing breathplay, but it wouldn't surprise me.
Nobu! Oh, I hug him in his heartbreak. But I'm very worried about him and Miu-not-Myu, particularly given what happened with Shouji and Sachiko. I don't like the hints that Cute Nana can't love or appreciate "nice" guys enough (I think Nobu is nice, but I want to slap Shouji still) and that these "nice" guys find "nice" girls who appreciate them and love them enough. But I did like Miu-Nobu a little better once I learned she was so much older. There need to be more older woman-younger man romances out there.
On the other hand, I find Punk Nana pushing him to win Cute Nana back to be very realistic, if a bit misguided.
And speaking of older woman-younger man, I continue to adore Reira and Shin. Their emails! Awwwww! I also keep forgetting that he's 15! Gah!
I loved Punk Nana and Reira finally meeting, particularly how Punk Nana was so ready to be on guard and so disarmed by Reira!
And!! Is that Nana's mom in the okonomiyaki stand?
Finally, I loved the end part so much. I love that Cute Nana text messages Shin because she's too scared to text Nobu (and probably Yasu as well). I love that everyone agrees that they have to ditch their schedule to see Nana. I love how tentative Cute Nana's text message is, as though she thinks her marrying Takumi is so bad that they will never want to see her again.
And the Nana-Shouji meeting just about broke my heart, especially after Nana confessing to Junko that it still hurt (of course it does), that the not knowing made all the happy memories feel like lies. Because oh, I so very much remember that feeling in breakups.
On the other hand, I'm a little irritated that Shouji gets off so lightly. Junko and Kyousuke tweak him about it, but he's generally portrayed as being better off with Sachiko (and is that an engagement ring she has on?). And Junko seems to think that Shouji and Nana were equally at fault in the breakup, and I'm getting that vibe from Cute Nana and the narrative as well. I personally do not think they are equally at fault; cheating on someone is NOT THE SAME as being thoughtless and annoying. Also, I don't think Cute Nana was as thoughtless as everyone thinks she was; I think a lot of that is the greater expectation on the woman to carry the burden of the relationship work. Also: Shouji cheating! And the uncomfortable undertone that he cheated because Cute Nana was not fulfilling him emotionally, which a) means he should have been adult and freaking broken up with her instead of going behind her back and b) implies that he needs a girlfriend who is feminine and relies on him and looks up to him etc. etc. etc.
Also also, hello! Cute Nana saying "I don't want him!" in response to discovering that he cheated right when he chose to defend Sachiko in front of her is not something she should be blamed for! Seriously! I am annoyed that both Junko and Shouji use that to say that Nana didn't care that deeply for him anyway because have they not heard about defense mechanisms? And also, see again re: the cheating!
Ahem. Why yes I am still annoyed at Shouji!
Anyway, Nana sitting on the steps and crying just killed me.
Tags:
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 01:20 am (UTC)As for the Takumi and Layla convo, she's worried about him, but Takumi says unlike uppers and heroin, marijuana isn't addictive, so Ren could stop anytime he wants to, he just doesn't want to stop.
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 01:43 am (UTC)*avoids commenting on other points because of spoileriness*
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 03:00 am (UTC)I basically agree with everything except that I really like Takumi -- not that he's my role model, but he's a fascinating character and he's both awesome and awful at the same time -- one doesn't outweigh or cancel out the other. And what's kind of tragic to me is that he really is better for Cute Nana than Nobu -- it's a sad choice, but not the wrong choice, in my opinion. And it's not that I believe that Takumi and Cute Nana will live happily ever after (this is not a spoiler, I have no idea what will happen!) -- but I don't think that Nobu and Cute Nana necessarily would have either. Maybe if they get together again down the road, but not right now.
Also! I got the distinct impression from the anime that Shouji wasn't happy with Cute Nana pre-Sachiko, and that he tried to work it out, and Cute Nana was pretty oblivious and non-responsive. Which does not justify cheating on her, but I don't think the relationship had a future with or without Sachiko, and I think that really is because of Cute Nana more than Shouji. And I love Cute Nana!
But I also love how Yazawa seems to say, sure, you're going to pass judgment, but I'm also going to make you understand and even empathize with everybody, and maybe even recognize that we're all flawed and hurt and struggling and trying to do our best and what's beautiful isn't when we succeed but the mix of successes and failures and longing for something better for ourselves and the people we love.
Okay, I have no idea whether she's saying that at all -- but my response to Nana is that I basically love everybody even as I see and criticize their faults, and the most important thing isn't who's right or wrong, guilty or innocent, but that everybody's so very human.
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 09:41 pm (UTC)Oh the problems of reading this with my bad Japanese....
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 09:45 pm (UTC)I've been reading ahead of what I'm posting, but other people reading the post may not be.
Thanks!
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 09:45 pm (UTC)I've been reading ahead of what I'm posting, but other people reading the post may not be.
Thanks!
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 09:45 pm (UTC)I've been reading ahead of what I'm posting, but other people reading the post may not be.
Thanks!
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 09:46 pm (UTC)I've been reading ahead of what I'm posting, but other people reading the post may not be.
Thanks!
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 09:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 10:49 pm (UTC)I'm not sure if Takumi's better for Nana or not; it's a little hard to tell right now. I feel he's sort of being nice to her right now, but only time will tell! Though Takumi definitely seems to be more collected and with it than Nobu; I can't quite see Nobu planning out the wedding and meeting the parents and etc.
I very much got that Shouji wasn't very happy with Cute Nana pre-Sachiko and that he and Nana wouldn't have worked out in the end, but I don't think he did all that much to try to work it out. Also, he does what is my major RL pet peeve, which is to be undecided about if it will work or not and drag it out until it ends horribly in the name of wanting to support/not hurt the other person. I keep wanting to wave my arms and scream "Just break up with her already! It will be less painful in the end, and it is more honest anyhow!"
/personal issues
But yes, yes, yes. I love Yazawa SO MUCH because all her characters are so human and so believably flawed.
(no subject)
Thu, Sep. 20th, 2007 11:45 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 21st, 2007 12:22 am (UTC)Spoilers for the last episode of the anime, and manga volumes post-#12!!
Wahhhh, this was where the anime ended. Was there a flash-forward scene in the manga? There was in the anime, and I'm not sure if the animators made it up, or if it was from the manga (don't worry, I won't spoil it; just curious). Bah, I wish it would come out faster in English! I have to wait through 6 more volumes until it's new again.
(A reply to another commentor)
Right - the anime did a similar thing, with either narrating Nana making vague references to future events.
In the last episode, though, there was a very clear ~5 or 6-year jump forward. Maybe they just took something from a later volume, and put it in because it was the last episode, I guess.
(no subject)
Fri, Sep. 21st, 2007 12:28 am (UTC)(no subject)
Tue, Sep. 25th, 2007 05:05 pm (UTC)