Yazawa Ai - Nana, vol. 21 (orig. Jap.)
Wed, Jun. 3rd, 2009 01:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterSpoilers are spoilery like whoa
Just in case someone was not warned for spoilers.... HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!
I was up entirely too lately last night reading this, and I could not stop crying. I cannot believe Yazawa actually killed Ren.
I had been accidentally spoiled for this some time ago, but for the longest time, I managed to persuade myself that it couldn't possibly happen. First, it was how Yazawa completely faked me out with kid!Ren, and after that reveal, I was desperately hoping that he was in a coma or had amnesia or who knows what other manga fakeout you could put in, just so there could be a miracle recovery. I mean, this is shoujo! (I know a lot of people classify it as josei, but the magazine it's published in is shoujo AFAIK.)
But oh. Just... oh. Yazawa is so good at what she does.
Everything that's been building up over the past however many volumes or so has just come crashing down. There's Shin mourning his idol and Nana K. moving to comfort him, Shin being adult and confronting Layla to help Nana O., the entire Layla-Ren-Nana not-triangle coming back, the Layla-Shin-Takumi triangle, Layla and Naoki's friendship, the Yasu-Miu-Nana triangle (and oh, I love Miu so much), Yasu and Takumi's odd friendship, Yasu and Ren's friendship, Nobu and Ren's friendship, the Nobu-Takumi-Nana triangle, and through it all, the two Nanas.
All the relationships are completely intertwined, and I feel like almost all of them are addressed and given weight (except Nobu-Yuri and Nana K-Naoki, that I can think of), no matter whose point of view you're taking. I think my favorite moments were Nobu trying to comfort Nana K., Takumi being hurt but also continuing to be his sometimes asshole self and Yasu telling him to stop looking into Ren's death, Nana and Miu's conversation in the bath, Miu going to the inn so as to not be jealous, and Nana K. of course noticing Shin and running to him. I love her so much.
I also love how everyone reacts, from some people springing into action and providing help to others simply breaking down, and everything in between. They all feel so real to me, all the little moments like Nana K. knowing something's wrong when Takumi grasps her hand and Miu trying so hard to provide space for those who knew Ren best and Layla being thoughtless and thoughtful and thanking Shin for his email.
Also, I hate the two reporters who fled and didn't call for help. I'm guessing given the extent of the injuries that death was probably instantaneous, but still. They suck. I hate them so much! And I cannot believe Yazawa is making me feel a little warm toward the cameraman, although I still mostly hate him.
And of course it's basically a year to the day the Nanas first met, of course it's Nana's birthday, of course. I am very much looking forward to rereading the series—at first, it doesn't feel as though it's building up toward something, and then it is, but we don't know to what. And I'm fairly sure Yazawa didn't cheat through any of it, at least not in any of the quick flipbacks to the flashforwards that I've been doing throughout.
And oh, his hands.
I managed to not bawl in the flash forward scenes, which are finally less full of foreboding and more a sense of healing, albeit imperfectly. We get confirmation that Ren is Satsuki's older brother, or at least that they've been raised that way. I have no idea what that means, but I still think he's somehow related to Layla and why Takumi doesn't spend much time with Nana and Satsuki. And now we see why cameraman didn't actually sell Nana O. out again, although it seems like he's still working for Search.
And we finally get to see older Miu! I almost didn't recognize her because of the hair, at least until they started to play mahjong. I love their tradition of gathering for fireworks in the summer and for mahjong and Nana's birthday in the snow, I love Yasu's cigarette in place of incense, I love that they still remember. And my heart breaks for Nana O. and the stark black pages where she says time has stopped, and it's so gorgeous how it contrasts with the blank white pages (still white for death) in the end of Nana K. talking about how their futures are all still unwritten, at least until they find Nana O.
Does anyone know how many more volumes this will be?
Just in case someone was not warned for spoilers.... HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!
I was up entirely too lately last night reading this, and I could not stop crying. I cannot believe Yazawa actually killed Ren.
I had been accidentally spoiled for this some time ago, but for the longest time, I managed to persuade myself that it couldn't possibly happen. First, it was how Yazawa completely faked me out with kid!Ren, and after that reveal, I was desperately hoping that he was in a coma or had amnesia or who knows what other manga fakeout you could put in, just so there could be a miracle recovery. I mean, this is shoujo! (I know a lot of people classify it as josei, but the magazine it's published in is shoujo AFAIK.)
But oh. Just... oh. Yazawa is so good at what she does.
Everything that's been building up over the past however many volumes or so has just come crashing down. There's Shin mourning his idol and Nana K. moving to comfort him, Shin being adult and confronting Layla to help Nana O., the entire Layla-Ren-Nana not-triangle coming back, the Layla-Shin-Takumi triangle, Layla and Naoki's friendship, the Yasu-Miu-Nana triangle (and oh, I love Miu so much), Yasu and Takumi's odd friendship, Yasu and Ren's friendship, Nobu and Ren's friendship, the Nobu-Takumi-Nana triangle, and through it all, the two Nanas.
All the relationships are completely intertwined, and I feel like almost all of them are addressed and given weight (except Nobu-Yuri and Nana K-Naoki, that I can think of), no matter whose point of view you're taking. I think my favorite moments were Nobu trying to comfort Nana K., Takumi being hurt but also continuing to be his sometimes asshole self and Yasu telling him to stop looking into Ren's death, Nana and Miu's conversation in the bath, Miu going to the inn so as to not be jealous, and Nana K. of course noticing Shin and running to him. I love her so much.
I also love how everyone reacts, from some people springing into action and providing help to others simply breaking down, and everything in between. They all feel so real to me, all the little moments like Nana K. knowing something's wrong when Takumi grasps her hand and Miu trying so hard to provide space for those who knew Ren best and Layla being thoughtless and thoughtful and thanking Shin for his email.
Also, I hate the two reporters who fled and didn't call for help. I'm guessing given the extent of the injuries that death was probably instantaneous, but still. They suck. I hate them so much! And I cannot believe Yazawa is making me feel a little warm toward the cameraman, although I still mostly hate him.
And of course it's basically a year to the day the Nanas first met, of course it's Nana's birthday, of course. I am very much looking forward to rereading the series—at first, it doesn't feel as though it's building up toward something, and then it is, but we don't know to what. And I'm fairly sure Yazawa didn't cheat through any of it, at least not in any of the quick flipbacks to the flashforwards that I've been doing throughout.
And oh, his hands.
I managed to not bawl in the flash forward scenes, which are finally less full of foreboding and more a sense of healing, albeit imperfectly. We get confirmation that Ren is Satsuki's older brother, or at least that they've been raised that way. I have no idea what that means, but I still think he's somehow related to Layla and why Takumi doesn't spend much time with Nana and Satsuki. And now we see why cameraman didn't actually sell Nana O. out again, although it seems like he's still working for Search.
And we finally get to see older Miu! I almost didn't recognize her because of the hair, at least until they started to play mahjong. I love their tradition of gathering for fireworks in the summer and for mahjong and Nana's birthday in the snow, I love Yasu's cigarette in place of incense, I love that they still remember. And my heart breaks for Nana O. and the stark black pages where she says time has stopped, and it's so gorgeous how it contrasts with the blank white pages (still white for death) in the end of Nana K. talking about how their futures are all still unwritten, at least until they find Nana O.
Does anyone know how many more volumes this will be?
Tags:
(no subject)
Thu, Jun. 4th, 2009 12:50 am (UTC)I haven't heard anything about how long it will be, though.
(no subject)
Mon, Jun. 8th, 2009 06:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Thu, Jun. 4th, 2009 03:51 am (UTC)And I completely agree with your comments about how the relationships, platonic and romantic and hostile and whatever, form so many different layers and are given such careful attention. All the characters, likable or not, are so very human.
I love this series so much.
(no subject)
Mon, Jun. 8th, 2009 06:20 pm (UTC)I still cannot quite believe she made me like Takumi. Sort of. You know!
(no subject)
Thu, Jun. 4th, 2009 04:18 am (UTC)---L.
(no subject)
Mon, Jun. 8th, 2009 06:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Wed, Jun. 10th, 2009 06:33 am (UTC)(no subject)
Wed, Jun. 10th, 2009 09:37 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Fri, Aug. 21st, 2009 10:44 am (UTC)Yasu telling him to stop looking into Ren's death
Actually Takumi is not looking into Ren's death. He's worried that the police will investigate and find that Ren was on drugs and it will cause a scandal, and Yasu tells him that since the accident didn't involve anyone else, they won't investigate any further and will just go with asleep at the wheel, since Ren is already dead, who could they prosecute if he had been on drugs?
(no subject)
Sat, Aug. 22nd, 2009 04:40 am (UTC)(no subject)
Mon, Feb. 22nd, 2010 04:04 am (UTC)