Nana (stylized as NANA) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa. First published as a two-part prologue in Shueisha's monthly manga magazine Cookie in 1999, Nana was later serialized in the same magazine from May 2000 to May 2009 before going on indefinite hiatus. Its chapters have been collected in 21 volumes. The series centers on Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu, two women who move to Tokyo at the age of 20, with the story focused on Nana O.'s pursuit for fame and Nana K.'s pursuit for romance, all while struggling to maintain their friendship.
The manga was adapted into a live-action film in 2005, with a sequel released in 2006. A 47-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Madhouse and directed by Morio Asaka, aired on Nippon TV between April 2006 and March 2007. All Nana media has been licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media, which serialized the manga in their Shojo Beat magazine until the August 2007 issue, while also publishing it in the format. They released both films in 2008, and their English dub of the anime was broadcast on the Funimation Channel beginning in 2009. The anime series was later re-licensed by Sentai Filmworks in 2021.
Nana won the 48th Shogakukan Manga Award for the category in 2003. By 2019, the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
Plot On March 5, 2001, Nana Osaki and Nana Komatsu, nicknamed Hachi, meet when Nana K. moves to Tokyo at age 20. Nana O. aims to establish a music career with her band, Black Stones, while Nana K. joins her friends and moves in with her boyfriend. Despite their contrasting personalities, the two decide to become roommates to save money on rent. Their friendship later faces challenges as they navigate love, ambition, and personal struggles.
After Nana K. breaks up with her unfaithful boyfriend, she becomes involved with Takumi, the bassist of the popular band Trapnest, complicating her friendship with Nana O., who rekindles a relationship with her ex-boyfriend Ren, Trapnest's guitarist. Nana K. also develops feelings for Nobu, Black Stones' guitarist, but upon discovering her pregnancy, she marries Takumi. Nana O., distressed by the growing distance between them, resolves to reclaim their friendship by elevating Black Stones' success.
When a tabloid exposes Nana O. and Ren's relationship, Black Stones gains widespread recognition and debuts professionally. However, their relationship deteriorates due to Nana O.'s jealousy and Ren's substance abuse, despite their engagement. As media scrutiny intensifies, Nana K. uncovers details about Nana O.'s family, including her birth mother. Before Black Stones' first tour, their bassist Shin is arrested, prompting Nana O. to pursue a solo career. Shortly afterward, Ren dies in a car accident, leaving Nana O. to grapple with grief and reassess her reliance on Nana K.
Later narrative segments reveal that years have passed, with rumors circulating about Nana O.'s alleged death. Nana K. and their friends eventually discover that she fled to England and attempt to locate her.
Characters Main characters
Nana Osaki is a 20-year-old girl who moves to Tokyo to pursue a professional music career with her band, Black Stones, of which she is the main vocalist. She dresses in a punk style and often wears Vivienne Westwood accessories.
Nana Komatsu is a 20-year-old girl who moves to Tokyo to join her friends and her boyfriend, Shoji. She has a penchant for falling in love easily, and when she was in her third year of high school, she was in an extramarital relationship with Asano before Asano ended their relationship. Due to her kindness and faithfulness, Nana O. nicknames her , after the dog Hachikō. Wildly imaginative, Nana K. often blames her misfortunes on the "demon lord".
Black Stones Black Stones, known as for short, is a punk rock band with Nana O. as the lead vocalist. Ren was once a member of the group, but, after his departure to join Trapnest, they recruit a new member, Shin. They attract a large following, and ultimately sign a deal with Gaia Records.
Nicknamed , he is the guitarist of Black Stones and Nana O.'s best friend from high school. Nobu does not smoke and has a low alcohol tolerance. He also hails from a wealthy family who owns a Japanese-style inn and disowns him when he pursues a music career.
Nicknamed , he is Black Stones' 15-year-old bassist. He initially lied that his age was 18 years old, but Black Stones let him stay even after finding out the truth. Shin is mature for his age and acts as a confidant to Nobu, while he views Nana K. as a mother figure. Because Shin was born and raised in Sweden, he is not familiar with Japanese culture.
Nicknamed , Yoshihisa is the drummer of Black Stones. Off-stage, he is a trainee lawyer. Acting as the band's leader, he handles business partnerships and financial decisions needed for the band's success. Due to his maturity, he acts as an older brother figure to Black Stones.
Trapnest
Ren is Trapnest's guitarist. Prior to being recruited, he was Black Stones' original bassist, as well as Nana O.'s boyfriend. From a young age, Ren grew up at an orphanage with Yasu and found school boring, opting to practice his guitar alone. He is deeply in love with Nana O., but the two initially break up when Ren leaves for Tokyo to join Trapnest, as Nana O. felt that his success would cheapen her own fame. The two get back together, but Ren begins feeling that he and Nana O. have been growing distant, especially when Black Stones begins to become famous.
Reira is Trapnest's 22-year-old vocalist and lyricist. She is half-American and half-Japanese. She has been friends and in love with Takumi since childhood, but is frustrated that he sees her nothing more than a muse and the face of Trapnest. Reira dated Yasu for two years in high school and becomes one of Shin's clients to state her loneliness.
Takumi is Trapnest's 23-year-old leader and bassist, performing under the stage name . Handsome and somewhat of a playboy, he is a workaholic and dedicated to cultivating Trapnest's image, particularly Reira. He eventually enters into a relationship with Nana Komatsu.
Naoki is the sharp-tongued drummer of Trapnest. His musical interest was awakened by Takumi during middle school. He hoped attract attention from girls by playing in the band. Naoki was the playboy of the band, tricking his bandmates to fund their cause, to which end is not explained.
Supporting characters
Junko is Hachi's sensible and no-nonsense best friend. She is much more emotionally mature than Hachi and often pushes her to be more independent and responsible.
Kyōsuke is Junko's boyfriend who currently shares an apartment with her. He is good friends with Hachi and Shōji. His laid-back attitude to life may deem him a slacker in their eyes, but he is actually quite perceptive.
Shōji is Hachi's ex-boyfriend. During their relationship, he decided to move to Tokyo to pursue his career. He is a struggling art student and works as a waiter.
Sachiko is Shōji's restaurant coworker who becomes his girlfriend.
Nao is Hachi's older sister who lives near the Komatsu family's home.
Natsuko is Hachi's mother. Kind and understanding, she is a model mother to her daughters, and Nana Osaki considers Natsuko to be cool.
Satsuki is the daughter of Takumi Ichinose and Nana K.
Hachi's first lover, Takashi is a married man Asano carried on a secret affair with Hachi, which ended when he was abruptly transferred to Tokyo.
Music industry characters Gaia Records
Gō is the leader of the corporation which owns Gaia Records.
Ginpei is Blast's gay manager with an open interest in Yasu.
An ardent fan of Blast since its inception, Misato loves Nana and has befriended the band. However, "Uehara Misato" is not her true name. Mai claims that a fortune-teller told her that if she used the name "Uehara Misato", she could become closer to Nana, but may have actually chosen it because it is the name of Nana's half-sister. She later joins the staff at Gaia, Blast's record label.
Miu is an actress who shares a boarding house with Blast and Yuri. She seems to be aloof, but is sincere and perceptive enough to predict what Yasu will do. Miu quickly befriends Hachi and Nana notes after they met her for the first time.
Yuri is a porn star who shares a boarding house with Blast and Miu and tends to speak rude. She has a large advance to pay off, but is pressured by her manager into continuing adult films when Yuri has almost paid off the debt when he promises that her new contract will allow her to star in a film adaptation of a popular novel.
Yamagishi is the security guard who guards the hostel where Blast stays in. He has the look of a gangster and frequently sleeps at his post.
Cookie Music
The head of Cookie Music, Narita is flamboyant, but reasonably talented with music. He works frequently with Takumi when it comes to Trapnest's music and marketing strategies. Narita also provides Ren with drugs (a powder which Takumi later identifies as heroin). In exchange, Ren must continue to write hit songs. It is implied that Narita introduced Ren to heroine but later regretted this after Ren had become addicted.
Reira's personal assistant and manager. She is intelligent and has experience as a student at a law university.
Search Magazine
Kudō is the editor-in-charge of the tabloids surrounding Blast and Trapnest. According to Arai, he is supposed to answer to a higher supervisor, Yokoyama, but he chooses to be more impetuous in his actions. He employs Miyake and Kurada to investigate in his place.
Yoshiyuki is aearch magazine's editor-in-chief. He has already been married for two years. He is often the one to chide Kudou for his brash methods of investigations.
Minoru is a hotographer hired by Search magazine to track Nana O. and Ren. He has conflicting opinions with his employer, Kudou, and claims that once he sees a face, he will never forget it.
Other characters
Keiichi is the owner of a vintage furniture and clothing store near both Nana's apartment in Tokyo.
Sakagami is a 38-year-old woman who is Hachi's boss at her new job at the magazine production industry. She is crude and scornful, and will not hesitate to throw insults at all sorts of minor imperfections that Hachi has made.
Kōichi is a waiter at the Jackson's Burger restaurant. He is friendly with Hachi, Junko, and Shōji, who all curiously address him by his full name.
Production Manga author Ai Yazawa was asked to create two one-shots to accompany the launch of Shueisha's Cookie manga magazine, and she decided to make both stories related to each other so that they would be easier to read in case they were picked up for serialization. Yazawa stated that while creating I'm No Angel in the early 1990s, she had wanted to draw a story centered on a rockabilly band. For Nana, she decided to focus on a punk band instead because she had already drawn one of the main characters for I'm No Angel with a pompadour. The series prominently features the brand Vivienne Westwood, as Yazawa herself is a fan of the brand. Some outfits featured in the series are clothing from her personal collection.
Nana ran in Cookie for 84 chapters, until May 26, 2009 (July 2009 issue), and in June of that same year it was announced that the series would be put on hiatus due to Yazawa falling ill. Yazawa returned from the hospital in early April 2010, but it was unspecified when or if she would resume the manga. During Yazawa's 2022 art exhibition, she expressed interest in continuing the series once she could.
Media Manga