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REVIEW: Nana DVD Box Set 1

JGonspy wrote:

Apparently the European versions of Nana are also missing "A Little Pain", which points to some sort of problem with the licensing end in Japan. The rest of the songs are apparently intact though, so the later episodes should be just fine. I actually didn't care too much for the dub. I found Nana O. to lack the strength of the original version, and while the other roles were mostly good, I couldn't quite get over that. Another issue has to do with the translation, in particular, the fact that the dub seems to be avoiding references to Vivienne Westwood. Aside from the fact that a British fashion designer would actually be more familiar to western audiences, it actually has some important thematic value to it. It might seem small, but the punk rock angle is an important part of the series and the grander statement it's trying to make.

Ok so I actually just purchased this first NANA series on amazon and as I'm writing this I am canceling the order. Are you 'F'ing me? They went ahead and released this series without "A Little Pain". Even throughout the series in the background music? I'm a little shocked but I'm gonna stick with an Import with subs then. It's cheaper anyways. I really loved this series, can't believe how hard it is to get information from point 'A' to 'B' legitimately intact. Am I being to harsh? Is it worth rediscovering the series through the new dub? Or should a fan of the original version with subs just stay away?

I hate to tell you, but import DVDs (Japanese R2s) almost never have English subtitles, and are far more expensive than R1s. The Japanese NANA DVDs will run you about $45.00 a disk (with 2-4 episodes a disk), without subtitles.
Even the Hong Kong R3, which is very cheap, doesn't have English subtitles.
I notice a lot of people on here saying "Well, I'll just buy the Japanese DVDs!" whenever they dislike something about the R1 release, without realizing how a)rarely R2s have subtitles and b)insanely expensive R2s are.
The only way you're going to be able to a cheaper import with subtitles, is like Megiddo said, with a bootleg. And, well...bootlegs suck.
Honestly, I think you are being a bit too harsh. Yes, it sucks that 'A Little Pain' isn't there, but it may not be Viz' fault, and really, what are you watching NANA for, the actual show itself, or just the one song?

BTW, are you saying that the Malayisian version is a bootleg? It even comes with the soundtrack. It's by a studio called Vscape Enterprises supposedly. I checked them out but couldn't find the product in question offered at dvdasian. If they did hold the license at one time this product could still be legitimate and possibly the best alternative.

Well, now that I've seen a picture of it, I can say that definitely yes, it's a bootleg. The tell-tale signs are the fact that it has English and Chinese subtitles, the fairly cheap price, and the fact that it's Region 0. Chinese subtitles and Region 0 are the biggest signs of a bootleg DVD out there. But yeah, back in the olden days when I didn't know better about bootlegs, I had bought some that came with the soundtrack. The inclusion of a soundtrack doesn't necessarily make a DVD legit, and bootleggers love to bootleg anime soundtracks as well.

JGonspy wrote:

Apparently the European versions of Nana are also missing "A Little Pain", which points to some sort of problem with the licensing end in Japan. The rest of the songs are apparently intact though, so the later episodes should be just fine. I actually didn't care too much for the dub. I found Nana O. to lack the strength of the original version, and while the other roles were mostly good, I couldn't quite get over that. Another issue has to do with the translation, in particular, the fact that the dub seems to be avoiding references to Vivienne Westwood. Aside from the fact that a British fashion designer would actually be more familiar to western audiences, it actually has some important thematic value to it. It might seem small, but the punk rock angle is an important part of the series and the grander statement it's trying to make.

Ok so I actually just purchased this first NANA series on amazon and as I'm writing this I am canceling the order. Are you 'F'ing me? They went ahead and released this series without "A Little Pain". Even throughout the series in the background music? I'm a little shocked but I'm gonna stick with an Import with subs then. It's cheaper anyways. I really loved this series, can't believe how hard it is to get information from point 'A' to 'B' legitimately intact. Am I being to harsh? Is it worth rediscovering the series through the new dub? Or should a fan of the original version with subs just stay away?

This review times a million. I'm so glad to see NANA getting the praise it truly deserves - I'm not usually one for dramas, but NANA is so raw and human that it had me hooked from the very first episode. A must-buy.