Episodes: 47
Genre: Josei, drama, romance
Rating: R+
Story
Nana is, in an unbelievably small and simple nutshell, a story about two girls--both named Nana--and their love lives. However, that description is pretty much the equivalent of saying that Harry Potter is a story about some wizards. Nana is an intensely complex love story with a huge cast of characters, but all of them so unique and interesting that I remember all of their names.
One great thing about Nana is that it took time in setting up the story. The first episode shows how our main characters meet, and for a few episodes after that, it takes the liberty of establishing the character's backstories, which helps us in getting to know them before the real fun begins.
Characters
The anime starts off with two characters. One is Nana Komatsu, the girl who can't seem to live with or without a boyfriend and has her head stuck in the clouds. The other is Nana Osaki, who is too kool 4 skool cool, independent, and badass. This is only the initial impression you get at the start of the anime. Throughout the anime, as the characters develop and we get to know them better, we see that this is not the case. Most anime refuses to believe that their characters actually have rational feelings, whereas Nana realizes this and uses it to make the whole plot ten times better and more enjoyable.
Art
The art in Nana is interesting in that it deviates from the typical style of anime characters. It's anything entirely new. It just may require some getting used to for new viewers. As shown in the picture somewhere at the top of this review, the characters are drawn so that they look very tall and thin, and almost frail. It still does work, though. The rest of the art--the color palette, the animation of the characters, the effects, etcetera--was all notable as well, and worth mentioning because it certainly did shine in certain scenes.
Music
The music was really an important part of the story, and my enjoyment. It really helped to bring out certain plot points, because a lot of the story did have to do with music and bands. With some of the songs in this anime, it really is entirely up to your opinion and your taste of music, and it's my opinion that some of the songs fell flat. Aside from those outliers, the sountrack was golden.
Other Thoughts/Things Worth Mentioning about . . .
The Feels. This anime will make you feel things, provided you don't drop it halfway through. It made me more emotional than Clannad did (because Clannad was contrived but that's a conversation for another day). It was a serious rollercoaster of emotion, but that's something you'll find out when you watch it.
The Manga. If you find that you like Nana the anime, I would recommend the manga. The anime is fairly complete, which means that all of the major questions are answered. However, I've heard some things about the plot that the anime failed to mention (this means I was massively spoiled by an internet troll) so I'm assuming that the manga carries on the story past the anime.
The Movie. Nana was adapted into a movie that I have yet to see, but it got decent reviews.
The Rating. At the top of this review, you may have noticed that it's rated R. This is because it does have some mild nudity (boobs) and a bit of sex.
Streaming. You can currently (as of August 2015) watch it on Netflix! All 47 episodes are available in dub.
Sub vs Dub. I watched a few episodes in sub, but most of it was in dub. Personally, I think that whichever version of the show is most available to you is best. The dub was fantastic in the sense that it did justice to the original Japanese version, most especially in the casting of Nana Komatsu.
Sub vs Dub. I watched a few episodes in sub, but most of it was in dub. Personally, I think that whichever version of the show is most available to you is best. The dub was fantastic in the sense that it did justice to the original Japanese version, most especially in the casting of Nana Komatsu.
To watch or not to watch?
Watch it. You will not regret it.
