Our Lady Hatchiko

With the release of Gokinjo we are off on a Yazawaverse side quest over on NANApod. Why ? Why not + we hit the point in the story where the Anime stopped and the influx of new readers started--so it seemed like a great point for an interlude. We have had every intention to work our way through every piece of work that we can find. Which has made me miss the old torrent days because I even had this anime and its just not as east to find things now that the internet jungle has grown.

So here we are, reading chapter by chapter, comparing the fan translations to the publication, and the social differences from when these stories were written vs today. Maybe you'll join us! -K

Nana: A Review

"Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll superstar. This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties."

This is actually the first review I've done for a manga and I'm kind of excited and nervous. And if you want to know why it is because this is one of my favorite mangas to date, but I'm also nervous because there are a lot of people out there who don't consider manga a form of literature. They use words like "kiddie stuff" or "boring comics" to describe what I consider to be one of the highest art forms that we have. Better even than Marvel and DC, which I don't consider to be very interesting or worthy of review because they have gone through so many changes and re-tellings and parallel universes for me to care. Also superheroes who aren't Sailor Moon bore me (sorry). Now you know my stance and those of you who don't appreciate my sentiment are welcome to leave if you are offended. But to get back to the review. Where to start? Well, without giving too much away, I'd like to say that this series is perfect for any of you out there who really enjoy "slice-of-life" manga. Or just books in general that deal with people and their day to day lives where no magic or supernatural elements come along to gum up the works. It is also perfect for those who love rock bands and enjoy reading autobiographies about popular heavy hitters such as The Sex Pistols, Marylin Manson, and The Red-Hot Chili Peppers. This story follows the lives of two girls with the same name: Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, who meet on a train and end up living together in Toyko while they each pursue their dreams of love and career choices. Again without giving too much away, the trails that each of the girls go through are things that many of us can relate to in our day to day lives. And I'm not talking about whether or not that cute boy in biology class likes us, as most shojo-manga and many teen novels seem to do. The story tackles real life issues such as abortion, sex, cheating, abuse, lack of parental guidance, underage prostitution, as well as what it means to be individually independent. It is a gut-wrenchingly sad story that I think every young person should read because, even though the story has not been completed as of yet, there are pieces in it that will call to you and moments that you will have to revisit again and again as you grow older and begin to understand what it means to make adult choices. That's really all I can say about it for now because this is one review where I don't want to spoil any bit of the plot. Be aware though that copies of the Nana manga are not sold in Barnes and Noble anymore and are becoming increasingly hard to find. But if you keep your eyes peeled in second-hand bookstores there is usually a copy floating around somewhere and if that fails the internet is a solid back up. I promise it's worth every penny.

Still Waiting...Always

First fanart for the podcast! by moth_lace

New bonus episode up!

Memory

I was standing in Uwajimaya and they were playing Wish by Trapnest. I was so happy and wished you could have been there to listen with me!

What Do I Need?

I need more Nana

So much in the Yazawaverse!

the world is on fire, but we have gotten back to uploading!

we are also taking a break form NANA for Gokenjo!!! The first episode is out!

Also with Quarter Moon getting its first 'official' English translation we will be popping over to that realm of the Yazawaverse sooner than we had planned.

original meme credit: u/piecitomorao

I don't often draw men, but when I do...

The Myth

Today's Mood

"Right now I'm working while polishing the shards of my dream."

-Nana

The Links ;)