NANA, Vol. 16
By Ai Yazawa
Published by Viz Media
Aside from the Search business and the drama over Misato number two, this volume is not especially plotty, but don’t be fooled, there is a lot going on. As Nana and Ren fall further apart, he asks her very bluntly, “Would you be happy if I left Trapnest and didn’t go to London? Would you be happy if Hachiko got an abortion and broke up with Takumi? Would you be happy if Yasu stayed single and by your side for the rest of your life?” Nana is saved by the bell (literally) from answering but the truth is clear, and though she tries to take this realization as an opportunity to reach out to Hachi at her birthday party, all she really ends up doing is distancing herself more. Even without much solid information to fill in the gap between this time and the “future” we’ve only yet glimpsed, it is easy to see already how little it would take for Nana to completely crumble. Her need to maintain the complete devotion of those dearest to her (Hachi, Yasu, and Ren) while offering them very little of her true self in return just isolates her more and more as she is completely unable to accept them in the context of their real lives.
Also revealed in this volume is a bit more detail on Mai’s connection with Nana’s past, which is actually much more intriguing than the story of the real Misato by itself. Mai is such a guarded character but also incredibly sincere which is a fascinating combination that makes me yearn for more information. She’s a character it took me a very long time to warm to, but now she’s one of the most fascinating of the bunch. She also finds herself in a difficult position as Blast’s manager when she must attend a meeting with television executives who want to put Nana in a TV drama, something which Mai knows that Nana has no interest in whatsoever. As the members of Blast get pulled further and further into the corporate net, it is honestly painful to watch, both for the reader and for the other characters who care for them.
The big treat of this volume is the Nobu side story included in the back, which details his childhood and how he came to love the guitar, as well as the beginnings of his friendship with Nana. I can’t lie, Nobu is my favorite character in the series, so there is no doubt that I’m biased, but I found this side story to be riveting and extremely revealing. One thing that isn’t focused on much in this series is Nobu’s songwriting, which is understandable considering how much is going on, but both the main volume and this side story bring this up a bit, much to my delight. Also, it’s difficult to put aside the notion that Nobu really belongs with Hachi, and this volume doesn’t help at all. It is poignant, too, to see a younger, more obviously fragile Nana in Nobu’s past, providing a deeper understanding of the extent to which she is broken now.
There are few series I consume as rabidly as I do NANA, and every volume reminds me of exactly why. Ai Yazawa’s unique art, fantastic storytelling, and intense insight into the human mind and heart are second to none.
Volume sixteen of NANA is available on May 5th, 2009. Review copy provided by Viz.
Grace says
April 18, 2009 at 7:16 pmI remember being shocked at the 21st birthday because I was like, wait, all this took place in just one year!? XD I hadn’t really thought about it before. I mean, I knew it hadn’t been as long as real time, but it had seemed longer than that. So much had happened…
Melinda Beasi says
April 18, 2009 at 7:18 pmIt’s amazing to think about what actually can happen in a year, don’t you think? Because it’s not like it ever felt rushed (in an unrealistic way) in the story.
Danielle Leigh says
April 19, 2009 at 7:24 amas usual great stuff, of course, but I what I really want to know: the anime? Are we buying, not buying? Viz has such a bad track record with finishing shojo anime series I’m afraid NOT to buy (the rest will never be released!), but then, the adaption….I fear the adaption!
Melinda Beasi says
April 19, 2009 at 7:59 amThe anime actually follows the manga really precisely and is quite lovely, I believe, though I know you like to watch dubs, and I can’t speak to that obviously. Good news, though! ANN says that Viz is going to be streaming the anime, so you can check it out ahead of time! Not that this gives us any insight on whether they are going to finish it. I will buy it, because I am a NANA junkie. The current series only goes to about volume 9, but supposedly they will make a second series when the manga is finished.
Danielle Leigh says
April 19, 2009 at 8:53 amWell, it isn’t a question of I “like” (except when it is!) to watch the dubs, so much as I can watch *more* anime in one sitting when I watched dubbed and there simply are times my eyes just can’t take any more “work” in a given day. (If I didn’t get those ultra-thin lenses for my glasses I would have some serious, serious coke-bottles).
I didn’t mind the trailer so much (I agree about the “all night parties line” of course), but then maybe I’m too easy when it comes to non-magical shojo anime. There’s so little that is decent and to me the trailer screams “look! See all this crazy drama! You’ll love this!” And by “you” they clearly mean “Danielle.” ;-)
Also thanks for the quick fix! *smiles sheepishly*
Melinda Beasi says
April 19, 2009 at 8:59 amAnd by “you” they clearly mean “Danielle.”
Hee! :D *heart*
I didn’t mind the trailer either, outside of the “all night parties” thing. I think it’s better than the blurbs they put on the back of the manga, anyway. :) I think partly my perspective is as a (nearly) 40-year-old woman who would never, ever have picked up the manga based on the cover, and almost didn’t (even though I already knew more about it) because of the cover. Yet I think the actual manga (and the anime too) would appeal very much to other women my age. So it’s a “thing” for me. Hee.
I have really bad eyesight too. Fortunately, our really big TV screen helps me out so subtitles don’t feel like so much work for my eyes.
Danielle Leigh says
April 19, 2009 at 9:15 amSee, I don’t think I would have picked it up either if I hadn’t read the first chapter of NANA in the first issue of Shojo Beat (released July of 2005 I think). Clearly I was already a shojo fan by that point but still hadn’t experienced many different art styles just yet and wasn’t knowledgeable enough to recognize how special Yazawa’s work was on first exposure. (I did love the first chapter right away, though, so obviously I didn’t take long to come around…which means, my god, I’ve been reading NANA for four years. Holy Cow).
Once NANA was released it didn’t take me long to find Paradise Kiss, which is still, in my opinion, a much more controlled work than NANA and is as close to 5 volume storytelling perfection as it gets. I adore NANA but there is a….I want to say “out of control” aspect to the storytelling that is fascinating. I think PK is about an intense period of young adult life that eventually comes to an end (and, therefore, it is an expression of a very “contained” experience of maturing) while NANA is a sprawling epic that isn’t afraid to get a little messy and recognize in some ways we don’t necessarily mature. Either way, I could never pick one over the other, they are like my children! *grin*
Melinda Beasi says
April 19, 2009 at 12:31 pmI can definitely recognize the perfection of Paradise Kiss, though NANA resonates much more with me personally, and that tends to be what draws me most to fiction, so I probably *can* say I like it more. It’s definitely just because of that, though. I recognize myself and my life much more in NANA.
Melinda Beasi says
April 19, 2009 at 8:08 amHmmmm, they have a trailer up on the NANA anime website, and you can hear at one point what sounds like Nana Komatsu’s voice just at the end.
I am disheartened to note that they are still using that “sex, music, fashion, and all night parties” (edited a little bit) while advertising the anime. I love Viz for publishing NANA, but I think they diminish it’s worth in their promo material. I mean, sure, otaku like us are going to buy it anyway, because we have lots of information from other sources, but to the rest of the world, I think they make it sound like something that really only teenage girls would like.