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REVIEW: NANA DVD Box Set 3+4

Hm, so essentially, for an anime to be "mature", it has to unfold like a glorified soap opera?

I am huge supporter of anime and manga that tries to break out of the typical trappings of more mainstream stuff (things like "The Tatami Galaxy", "Honey and Clover", "House of Five Leaves", and pretty much anything by Naoki Urasawa within the past decade), but "Nana" has always seemed like an overrated excuse of emotional exploitation to me. The main themes echo those found in daytime soaps such as "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives"; everybody breaks down and cries about their meaningless problems, as well as actively engage in relationships that are obviously harmful to their mental health.

The only reason this show and the original manga are popular, in my opinion, is the fact that Ai Yazawa used two of the most popular Japanese female archetypes at the time and wove in teenage angst to pander to her mostly teen-girl audience. The characters all demonstrate the emotional maturity of thirteen year-old children, and make the whole gang in "Dragon Ball Z" look like responsible adults.

There are better examples of mature anime out there, and the fact that this is as popular as it is irks me as somebody cares about anime. I know many may disagree, but this one show which I am glad to see go.

The main themes echo those found in daytime soaps such as "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives"; everybody breaks down and cries about their meaningless problems, as well as actively engage in relationships that are obviously harmful to their mental health.

Apollo-kun wrote:

Hm, so essentially, for an anime to be "mature", it has to unfold like a glorified soap opera? I am huge supporter of anime and manga that tries to break out of the typical trappings of more mainstream stuff (things like "The Tatami Galaxy", "Honey and Clover", "House of Five Leaves", and pretty much anything by Naoki Urasawa within the past decade), but "Nana" has always seemed like an overrated excuse of emotional exploitation to me. The main themes echo those found in daytime soaps such as "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives"; everybody breaks down and cries about their meaningless problems, as well as actively engage in relationships that are obviously harmful to their mental health. The only reason this show and the original manga are popular, in my opinion, is the fact that Ai Yazawa used two of the most popular Japanese female archetypes at the time and wove in teenage angst to pander to her mostly teen-girl audience. The characters all demonstrate the emotional maturity of thirteen year-old children, and make the whole gang in "Dragon Ball Z" look like responsible adults. There are better examples of mature anime out there, and the fact that this is as popular as it is irks me as somebody cares about anime. I know many may disagree, but this one show which I am glad to see go.

Wow, I'm rather blown away. I don't think I've seen someone so completely misunderstand a series in a while.

There's quite a bit of subtext and maturity within NANA, and it's a little sad to see that you haven't noticed that it uses the trappings of soap operas to subvert its genre. There's also a powerful statement about society and women that drives the story forward. It sounds like you're confusing the clichéd tropes with the more complex themes.

You're entitled to your opinion of course, but it almost feels like we were watching completely different shows.

Well, thanks to the thread, I now know that there isn't an ending to the Nana anime and I just don't have the interest to catch up on the story in the manga. I've been watching the first few episodes on the free Funimation on Comcast. So is it worth it to watch it anyway? What is the opinion out there?

JGonspy wrote:

Apollo-kun wrote: Hm, so essentially, for an anime to be "mature", it has to unfold like a glorified soap opera? I am huge supporter of anime and manga that tries to break out of the typical trappings of more mainstream stuff (things like "The Tatami Galaxy", "Honey and Clover", "House of Five Leaves", and pretty much anything by Naoki Urasawa within the past decade), but "Nana" has always seemed like an overrated excuse of emotional exploitation to me. The main themes echo those found in daytime soaps such as "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives"; everybody breaks down and cries about their meaningless problems, as well as actively engage in relationships that are obviously harmful to their mental health. The only reason this show and the original manga are popular, in my opinion, is the fact that Ai Yazawa used two of the most popular Japanese female archetypes at the time and wove in teenage angst to pander to her mostly teen-girl audience. The characters all demonstrate the emotional maturity of thirteen year-old children, and make the whole gang in "Dragon Ball Z" look like responsible adults. There are better examples of mature anime out there, and the fact that this is as popular as it is irks me as somebody cares about anime. I know many may disagree, but this one show which I am glad to see go. Wow, I'm rather blown away. I don't think I've seen someone so completely misunderstand a series in a while. There's quite a bit of subtext and maturity within NANA, and it's a little sad to see that you haven't noticed that it uses the trappings of soap operas to subvert its genre. There's also a powerful statement about society and women that drives the story forward. It sounds like you're confusing the clichéd tropes with the more complex themes. You're entitled to your opinion of course, but it almost feels like we were watching completely different shows.

Ditto. I found Nana so intriguing mainly because it was one of the first manga I picked up that that featured girls my age (college age) adjusting to living on their own, in the big city. Yeah, the premise is a bit cliche', but I have yet to find another manga that features a punk rock chick and a shop-a-holic mod-addict like you're insinuating. I also don't really see the immaturity you're talking about outside of Hachiko's character.

The fact that you're criticizing it for the drama and over-the-top emotional problems with an Ouran avatar amuses me to no end.

littlegreenwolf wrote:

JGonspy wrote: Apollo-kun wrote: Hm, so essentially, for an anime to be "mature", it has to unfold like a glorified soap opera? I am huge supporter of anime and manga that tries to break out of the typical trappings of more mainstream stuff (things like "The Tatami Galaxy", "Honey and Clover", "House of Five Leaves", and pretty much anything by Naoki Urasawa within the past decade), but "Nana" has always seemed like an overrated excuse of emotional exploitation to me. The main themes echo those found in daytime soaps such as "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives"; everybody breaks down and cries about their meaningless problems, as well as actively engage in relationships that are obviously harmful to their mental health. The only reason this show and the original manga are popular, in my opinion, is the fact that Ai Yazawa used two of the most popular Japanese female archetypes at the time and wove in teenage angst to pander to her mostly teen-girl audience. The characters all demonstrate the emotional maturity of thirteen year-old children, and make the whole gang in "Dragon Ball Z" look like responsible adults. There are better examples of mature anime out there, and the fact that this is as popular as it is irks me as somebody cares about anime. I know many may disagree, but this one show which I am glad to see go. Wow, I'm rather blown away. I don't think I've seen someone so completely misunderstand a series in a while. There's quite a bit of subtext and maturity within NANA, and it's a little sad to see that you haven't noticed that it uses the trappings of soap operas to subvert its genre. There's also a powerful statement about society and women that drives the story forward. It sounds like you're confusing the clichéd tropes with the more complex themes. You're entitled to your opinion of course, but it almost feels like we were watching completely different shows. Ditto. I found Nana so intriguing mainly because it was one of the first manga I picked up that that featured girls my age (college age) adjusting to living on their own, in the big city. Yeah, the premise is a bit cliche', but I have yet to find another manga that features a punk rock chick and a shop-a-holic mod-addict like you're insinuating. I also don't really see the immaturity you're talking about outside of Hachiko's character. The fact that you're criticizing it for the drama and over-the-top emotional problems with an Ouran avatar amuses me to no end.

Okay, so seeing these reactions prompted me to actually marathon the show for the past seven or eight hours and... well, after actually delving into it a little more, I can openly say I was wrong, in certain respects. I'm beginning to see exactly why people like it, and while I feel that there are many more mature shows out there, I'm starting to actually enjoy my time with the series. Thanks for your non-trolling reactions that made me reconsider my opinion. I can officially say that I've become a fan ^^.

As an interesting aside, after watching a lot of the episodes on Hulu, I promptly ordered the DVDs of them just to own hard copies. Talk about a change of heart, huh...