Ai Yazawa’s “Nana”: A Feminist Anime
Nana is still a popular and favorite anime of many. The manga was written by Ai Yazawa and it was serialized in the shoujo magazine Cookie. The first anime episode aired on April 5, 2006 in Japan. Yazawa’s amazing vision and style is preserved in the anime, and we see how nice-looking the costumes of the characters are and how prepossessing the illustrations are in general. Yazawa also wrote and illustrated Paradise Kiss.
The influence of Vivienne Westwood can be seen in Yazawa’s work. Vivienne is one of the most outspoken fashion designers in the world — her designs helped shape the punk rock movement which can be seen in Nana.
Nana is told in a western style. For example, we maybe can’t remember many anime, especially anime from Nana’s period, in which the girls have such a freeing relationship with the boys as both characters have during the series. There is also somewhat intimate scenes and most importantly, LGBTQ+ narratives that can be interpreted from the content.
The story takes place in Tokyo, a city that is busy all day and quiet all night. All these wonderful illustrations are created by Yazawa’s excellent eyesight, which cooperatively creates a beautiful aesthetic that ultimately blends perfectly with the story.
It is intended for a relatively young or older female viewer.
The Plot
This story takes place in the early 2000s. Two girls, both named Nana, meet one dark and cold night on a train to Tokyo: “Hey Nana, do you remember the first time we met? I believe in things like fate.”- Nana Komatsu.
Both of them are moving to a new stage of life where they intend to live independently. Nana Komatsu imagines herself with her lover (Shôji Endo) and a family-centered life; as for Nana Osaki , she wants to fulfill her dream — her goal to become a rock star.
At first glance, these girls are different from each other in aspirations, dressing style and character, but very soon they discover they have a lot in common. At first, they become roommates unexpectedly and then, they become very close people to each other — best friends.
“They say that only very good friends quarrel. But at the end of the day, a quarrel is a fight between two people’s egos. Since people cannot understand each other by just being honest. Maybe it’s impossible to live your whole life without getting hurt, but don’t hurt the people close to you.”
As the story progresses, we see stages of the formation of Nana Osaki’s rock band Black Stones. We also see her romantic relationships with boys, difficulties in finding a job, financial problems and other life events that assure us once again that the series doesn’t avoid depicting reality, even if it’s not that good. Moreover, it not only shows us the reality in all its bitter truths that people experience in life but also tells us that these events change these people a lot and that according to their situations, they acquire different skills, change character, attitudes and even views.
Such a topic as, for example, unplanned and unexpected pregnancy becomes one of the key topics in the series. As a result of this, the Nanas separate from each other. It is very difficult for Nana Komatsu to make a decision, but in the end she stays with Takumi for the future of the child. She temporarily leaves the person she loves at that moment — Nobuo, and her beloved person and best friend Nana. They are sometimes together, they talk, but in the end, we see that Nana Osaki is not with them anymore, although they are waiting for her…
Music in “Nana”
Music in the series, of course, plays a big role primarily because of the main character Nana Osaki’s rock band. The soundtrack that plays in the series is very sophisticated and unique, performed on various instruments.
It has a very memorable effect and most importantly, it fits the plot so perfectly that it conveys the feelings of the characters accordingly in those moments. It should be noted that most of the endings and openings are performed by the popular Japanese singer Anna Tsuchiya, who really deserves a lot of respect for creating something so unique.
The Key to Success
Nana’s success factor, among other things, is due to its originality and closeness to real life. The topics presented in the anime are very close and familiar to the audience. Especially when in the anime world, where we have an exaggeration of stories made just to please the audience, the anime Nana is really remarkable and striking for its close connection with reality.
A Feminist Perspective
The series has a lot of important messages that we can strongly say carry feminist narratives. Yes, it may seem that the anime doesn’t have a feminist perspective because the main idea is about love featuring occasionally stereotypical characters, but it truly does.
Nana accurately presents a feminist narrative from many different points. For example, first of all, we see Nana Osaki, who is a strong, independent woman who comes to a big city to fulfill her dream and achieves her goal. Then we see Nana Komatsu, who may not have a similar goal as Osaki, but has equally strong ambitions. What she wants — a family life with her husband — is not something that Komatsu can be criticized for. Also, her choice to leave the baby is something that feminist critiques can touch upon. These two different lives of girls, with different choices and sometimes visions, represent feminist ideas very well in their variety.
In particular, the anime perfectly portrays a woman’s right to live the life they want, and that women’s decisions are varied and diverse. This was the attitude of both Nanas towards each other’s decisions. Even when they thought there was something wrong with the other’s actions, or that they would have done it differently in their place, they still don’t tell each other to do what they think is right. There are many such parts in anime that make it distinctly feminist.
Nana Osaki
I could write about Nana Osaki for a very long time. I believe she really is one of the best-written, deep and analytical characters in anime history. Her life was not easy even from the beginning. She was born into a loveless family and her father abandoned her. Then her mother left her with her grandmother at the age of 4, who died when Nana was 15.
Osaki represents the phenomenon of independence, personal strength, willpower, calmness and the “never give up” attitude: “Don’t just give up. Life is about getting knocked down over and over, but still getting up each time. If you keep getting up, you win.”
Nana Komatsu
As for Nana Komatsu, this character in all its excellence represents the face of many people who are around us. She is a very kind, lovely and true-love seeking girl. Her life was not easy either; she lived with two sisters and could not continue her studies, then there were many failures with her boyfriend Shoji, who betrays her.
When Takumi appears in her life, he uses his influence and establishes a relationship with her. There is even a case of violence from his side. At a young age, Nana Komatsu becomes pregnant, which once again shows us the complexity of her life. Komatsu always tries to be genuine and kind despite what is happening around her and she is indeed the prototype of a strong woman. And all in all, it makes her a very relatable character for the audience deservedly. “The dreams we are chasing and the reality that is chasing us are always parallel; they never meet.”
Yazawa’s Goal
Yazawa allows the girls to achieve their goals in life. Nana Osaki becomes a rock star and Nana Komatsu has a family but did their dreams come true as they imagined or did they just get what they wanted? Nana really wants a husband and a family life, and she gets it, but what was it that she dreamed of? Nana Osaki becomes a rock star but still struggles with feelings of loneliness; was it what she dreamed of? These are the questions that the author secretly asks in the end.
To sum it up, Nana is a much-needed anime that describes the difficulties in women’s lives and how to overcome them. We cheer on two young women who are looking for themselves in life and we meet and analyze how real each of their steps is. The finale assures us that although you may fulfill your dream and have everything, you may still not feel complete and lack someone to fill that part, for many such people are deceased or simply gone on the other side of life’s path.
We are waiting for them, as Nana Komatsu is waiting for Nana Osaki at the end of the anime, and we believe that someday it will fill our lives with happiness.
Before that, let’s not forget what Nana Osaki said: “I always thought that life was about standing your ground, no matter how strong the current was. But going with the flow isn’t so bad after all. As long as it takes you forward.”
