NANA manga review
June 27th 2009 08:29
NANA is a manga created by Yazawa Ai. This manga is also adapted into live action movie and anime. You can read my review about the anime here.
Genres: comedy, drama, romance, slice of life
Theme: music
Synopsis: Two young women, both with the name Nana, one with a punk backround and another with the naive upper middle class mindset, find each other in Tokyo as they pursue love and careers. Their transition to the adult phase is not without drama.
Source: Anime News Network
Comment:
I decided to read the manga when the anime version just stopped half way (again). Because of this, I read the manga from the beginning. The anime version really follows the manga storyline as far as I remember except Takumi and Hachi's first fling. Other than that, the rest follows exactly like the manga. If you have read Paradise Kiss, you must be thinking that Yazawa Ai didn't focus much on the music aspect but I'm happy to tell you that NANA really does focus on music, in the aspect of band. Though I know some the hardship of forming a band, what Yazawa Ai portrayed in NANA is similar with what I know so I can say that what she portrayed really makes sense. She did a very good job in portraying this band-forming and fame stuff, making this manga an interesting read. Besides talking about music, this manga is also focused on romance because this is the typical Yazawa Ai's storyline (what kind of shoujo manga is that if romance doesn't exist in the manga? lol). The romance part can be very lovey dovey sometimes but it is still a realistic romantic story unlike other manga. The best part about this manga is she portrayed the typical Japanese girls thought when it comes to love. I don't mean that the Japanese girls are bad, it's just that it's the truth about them. What I refer to is the typical modern Japanese girls so please forgive me if I sound like I don't respect them at all. Moreover, as the plot expanded a little further, I find that the storyline has gone somehow downhill. I do find the storyline is kinda crap sometimes but initially, it has amazing plot so I really love the beginning of the story because it's so laid-back and not many dramas occurred.
As for the artwork, I'm not just amazed with NANA's artwork but also other Yazawa Ai's manga. I'll cover other Yazawa Ai's manga that I've read tomorrow. Her artwork is not the typical shoujo manga artwork. Her artwork looks childish at first glance but I really like it despite of its childish appearance. Her drawing is indeed very nice and neat and the manga panel is readable. All I can say that it's very pleasant to the eyes and easy to read. Rather than saying it, it's better for you to have a look at it yourself here:
Overall, this manga is a good read because it's not the typical shoujo manga. The storyline is explained very well and there are jokes in between making it a perfect read not just for girls, but also guys.
Genres: comedy, drama, romance, slice of life
Theme: music
Synopsis: Two young women, both with the name Nana, one with a punk backround and another with the naive upper middle class mindset, find each other in Tokyo as they pursue love and careers. Their transition to the adult phase is not without drama.
Source: Anime News Network
Comment:
I decided to read the manga when the anime version just stopped half way (again). Because of this, I read the manga from the beginning. The anime version really follows the manga storyline as far as I remember except Takumi and Hachi's first fling. Other than that, the rest follows exactly like the manga. If you have read Paradise Kiss, you must be thinking that Yazawa Ai didn't focus much on the music aspect but I'm happy to tell you that NANA really does focus on music, in the aspect of band. Though I know some the hardship of forming a band, what Yazawa Ai portrayed in NANA is similar with what I know so I can say that what she portrayed really makes sense. She did a very good job in portraying this band-forming and fame stuff, making this manga an interesting read. Besides talking about music, this manga is also focused on romance because this is the typical Yazawa Ai's storyline (what kind of shoujo manga is that if romance doesn't exist in the manga? lol). The romance part can be very lovey dovey sometimes but it is still a realistic romantic story unlike other manga. The best part about this manga is she portrayed the typical Japanese girls thought when it comes to love. I don't mean that the Japanese girls are bad, it's just that it's the truth about them. What I refer to is the typical modern Japanese girls so please forgive me if I sound like I don't respect them at all. Moreover, as the plot expanded a little further, I find that the storyline has gone somehow downhill. I do find the storyline is kinda crap sometimes but initially, it has amazing plot so I really love the beginning of the story because it's so laid-back and not many dramas occurred.
As for the artwork, I'm not just amazed with NANA's artwork but also other Yazawa Ai's manga. I'll cover other Yazawa Ai's manga that I've read tomorrow. Her artwork is not the typical shoujo manga artwork. Her artwork looks childish at first glance but I really like it despite of its childish appearance. Her drawing is indeed very nice and neat and the manga panel is readable. All I can say that it's very pleasant to the eyes and easy to read. Rather than saying it, it's better for you to have a look at it yourself here:
Overall, this manga is a good read because it's not the typical shoujo manga. The storyline is explained very well and there are jokes in between making it a perfect read not just for girls, but also guys.
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