Title

Nana

Also known as: ナナ, 나나

by Ai Yazawa, Simona Maccaroni

Score from AniList: 88/100releasing

Drama Music Romance Slice of Life More like Nana

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Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll superstar. This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties. (Source: VIZ Media) Note: Winner of the 48th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shoujo Category in 2002.

Type: Manga

Hoard Verdict

The StoryHoard editorial verdict

★ 4.5/5

A raw, character-driven portrait of two women chasing their own versions of love and music in Tokyo, with a melancholy that stays with you.

Pros

Two richly drawn leads with contrasting temperaments
Music scenes that feel lived-in and emotional
An honest, grown-up take on friendship and ambition

Cons

The mood is adult and often heavy
The cast sprawls across a long run, so some threads get lost

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Read the full take

Nana is a story about two women who share a name and very little else. One is a hopeful young woman who has been through a string of messy relationships and arrives in Tokyo hoping to start over. The other is cool, confident and determined to make her mark on the city's underground rock scene. I read it first as a character study. The two leads pull against each other in ways that feel real, and the friendship that forms between them is full of tension, tenderness and quiet disappointment. The music scenes carry real emotional weight, and the sense of a city full of people chasing something is well captured. The honest cons: the tone is adult and often heavy, with choices that will sting, and the sprawling cast can make the middle stretches hard to track. Not every thread lands. Still, it is a rich, grown-up story with a strong sense of place and a deep love for its characters. If you want a melancholy, character-first drama about ambition and belonging, this is essential reading.