Anime Nana

[Nekova]

If there's already a thread open for this, I apologize, but I didn't see it in the thread directory so I thought I'd start a new one.

I'm shocked that this show isn't getting the attention that (in my opinion) it deserves here, the way it is in Japan. I'm up to episode 10 now, and it's the best example of josei anime that I've ever seen, even better than Honey and Clover. The characters and their relationships have been depicted in brutally honest ways ever since the first episode. Since the manga is one of the best selling ever, I hope this series sticks around for a while.

Has anyone else seen it, or even heard of it?

[Fasteriskhead]

It's a pretty good little show, I can see why it and the manga have been so popular. Quick plot synopsis: it's about two girls (both named Nana) who decide to move to Tokyo at the same time, meet on the train there, and get an apartment together in order to save on rent. Nana #1 is a puppylike extrovert who enjoys cute things, new fashions, and older men, and constantly swings from one emotional extreme to another. Nana #2 is a chain-smoking stoic punk rock singer who hasn't changed her look since the release of Never Mind The Bollocks. Story concerns mostly involve the two of them trying to make something of themselves, as well as dealing with their long-term boyfriends (these two concerns are actually related thematically, which I won't get into).

Personally, I would whine a little about pacing. You've got your first episode, which is a ton of fun, but this is followed up by a whole [i]fleet[/i] of flashback episodes to let you in on each of the leads; only after that do you really get an "episode 2." So basically you end up waiting a month and a half for the show to reach its starting point proper, which was somewhat torturous for me. It's worth the effort to reach the good stuff where the two Nanas finally get to play against each other, though, and I'm glad I pushed through it.

Anyways: it's a fine series, although it doesn't have quite the punch necessary to "cross over" if this kind of stuff didn't already appeal to you. If you're into shoujo, especially the more mature varieties, then you're probably already all over this thing like ants at a picnic. If you are but haven't tried it yet... well, what are you waiting for? Nothing better than this has been made for you this season.

[Nekova]

Really? I liked the flashback episodes. It gave a lot of character and back story to Nana and Hatchi (the perkier Nana was given the nickname Hatchi to avoid confusion). Without it, we wouldn't know anything about them. Plus, I LOVED the episodes dedicated to Nana and Ren (ep 4 and 5 I think). They were so heartbeaking. Ever since I saw them I've been watching every episode that [spoiler]Nana meets up with him again[/spoiler].

[Lindus]

I couldn't make it past episode 2. Honestly, I'll mostly likely go back and read the manga some day, since I'm better at handling slower-paced sereies better in written format.

I was really disappointed too, since I've heard so much about Nana. I'm sure it gets better as it goes on, but I found the initial introductions of plot/characters to be rather dull. Not [I]Higurashi no Naku Koro ni[/I] episode one- dull, but a bit boring nonetheless. I really think I might do better with the manga version with this particular series.