Nana - Anime Review
January 14th 2008 22:39
Information:
Studio : Madhouse Studios
Licenced by : Viz Media, LLC.
Length : 47 Episodes
Year : 2006
Genre : Comedy - Drama - Romance - Slice of Life - Shoujo
Synopsis :
Nana Komatsu is on her way to Tokyo to meet her boyfriend. An event that she's been longing and saving for since a long time. On board the train, the vacant seat she occupies is beside a cool-looking, punked, but pretty girl. When the train abruptly stops because of the storm, Nana and the girl hit it off and have a long conversation (most of the talking from Nana herself).
She soon finds out that the girl sitting beside her is also named Nana! Nana Osaki is heading to Tokyo to reach her dream of becoming a musician. Nana Komatsu feels as if it was fate and gets even more excited about their encounter. However, when seeing her boyfriend Shouji, she becomes oblivious to Nana Osaki's leave.
Fate strikes again when they search for a place to live. They both love this one apartment that's cheap with a modern touch. They then decide to live together, despite their differences.
Review:
Yazawa Ai's works such as Paradise Kiss and Neighborhood Story have both been animated, but this work of Nana, has set a new benchmark for romatic dramas.
Everything about this manga to anime adaption is top class.
Just six months before this anime aired in Japan, a live-action feature film which included music tie-ins by Nakashima Mika and Ito Yuna, who played Oosaki Nana and Reira, respectively.
Both singles hit #1, and ever since, Yazawa-mania has taken over Japan.
The opening episode of Nana started off with the anime starting off from the second volume, but the episodes after the first one start from chapter one of the manga.
As one of the Nana's of the story is a singer trying to make it in the music industry, there are plenty of songs in the anime, and they all are extremely good.
The only dissappointment I could find with the anime is that they couldn't get professional singers to voice Nana and Reira, but instead have seperate people (Anna Tsuchiya and Olivia Lumpkin) providing the singing voices.
As MadHouse is in charge of animation for this show, Yazawa Ai character designs are fantasticlly translated from manga to anime (like Death Note).
MadHouse certainly have enchanced their reputation with translating Yazawa Ai character designs, as they would have to be on par with Studio Perriot in retaining the orignal soul of the characters in the manga.
The two Nanas in this series mesh together like cookies and cream. The characters in this series are also far from stereotypical.
On the surface one would assume that Komatsu Nana is your typical ditzy air-headed shoujo heroine, but desipte her being an air-headed, she isn't extreme that it drives a wedge between her and the audience.
Oosaki Nana, on the other hand, could be considered dark,brooding and bitter.
Oosaki Nana is far from sterotypical in that she laughs, jokes, and has lots of fun .... neither of these girls are sterotypical.
The handling of the production crew simply bring the cast of Nana to life, so much so that one will simply fall in love with their character.
Nana isn't your sterotypical romance drama show as it deals with some adult topics such as sex (though not explicit), high school dropouts, drugs, infidelity, pregnancy...the list goes on.
Rating: A Plus - A great blend of what good drama can aspire to.
Studio : Madhouse Studios
Licenced by : Viz Media, LLC.
Length : 47 Episodes
Year : 2006
Genre : Comedy - Drama - Romance - Slice of Life - Shoujo
Synopsis :
Nana Komatsu is on her way to Tokyo to meet her boyfriend. An event that she's been longing and saving for since a long time. On board the train, the vacant seat she occupies is beside a cool-looking, punked, but pretty girl. When the train abruptly stops because of the storm, Nana and the girl hit it off and have a long conversation (most of the talking from Nana herself).
She soon finds out that the girl sitting beside her is also named Nana! Nana Osaki is heading to Tokyo to reach her dream of becoming a musician. Nana Komatsu feels as if it was fate and gets even more excited about their encounter. However, when seeing her boyfriend Shouji, she becomes oblivious to Nana Osaki's leave.
Fate strikes again when they search for a place to live. They both love this one apartment that's cheap with a modern touch. They then decide to live together, despite their differences.
Review:
Yazawa Ai's works such as Paradise Kiss and Neighborhood Story have both been animated, but this work of Nana, has set a new benchmark for romatic dramas.
Everything about this manga to anime adaption is top class.
Just six months before this anime aired in Japan, a live-action feature film which included music tie-ins by Nakashima Mika and Ito Yuna, who played Oosaki Nana and Reira, respectively.
Both singles hit #1, and ever since, Yazawa-mania has taken over Japan.
The opening episode of Nana started off with the anime starting off from the second volume, but the episodes after the first one start from chapter one of the manga.
As one of the Nana's of the story is a singer trying to make it in the music industry, there are plenty of songs in the anime, and they all are extremely good.
The only dissappointment I could find with the anime is that they couldn't get professional singers to voice Nana and Reira, but instead have seperate people (Anna Tsuchiya and Olivia Lumpkin) providing the singing voices.
As MadHouse is in charge of animation for this show, Yazawa Ai character designs are fantasticlly translated from manga to anime (like Death Note).
MadHouse certainly have enchanced their reputation with translating Yazawa Ai character designs, as they would have to be on par with Studio Perriot in retaining the orignal soul of the characters in the manga.
The two Nanas in this series mesh together like cookies and cream. The characters in this series are also far from stereotypical.
On the surface one would assume that Komatsu Nana is your typical ditzy air-headed shoujo heroine, but desipte her being an air-headed, she isn't extreme that it drives a wedge between her and the audience.
Oosaki Nana, on the other hand, could be considered dark,brooding and bitter.
Oosaki Nana is far from sterotypical in that she laughs, jokes, and has lots of fun .... neither of these girls are sterotypical.
The handling of the production crew simply bring the cast of Nana to life, so much so that one will simply fall in love with their character.
Nana isn't your sterotypical romance drama show as it deals with some adult topics such as sex (though not explicit), high school dropouts, drugs, infidelity, pregnancy...the list goes on.
Rating: A Plus - A great blend of what good drama can aspire to.
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