Drama/Romance
Mature (18+)
8.99
Hachi’s happiness with Nobu is slipping through her fingers as an unexpected complication with Takumi threatens to upend her entire life. And unlike her past romantic woes, the choice she makes now will change the lives of everyone around her.
The Demonlord is cruel. Just as Hachi is finding the love she deserves, her past actions come back to haunt her in a big way. Her decisions not only affect her relationship with Nobu, but also NanaO, who is just discovering what true friendship can be, and is seeing it slip away.
The last seven volumes of Nana have been a set up for what happens in this one. We have met all the players and seen how our two main characters, NanaO and Hachiko (NanaK), live, react and love. NanaO has a dream and is pursuing it almost single-mindedly. She thinks ahead and takes precautions so that nothing gets in the way of that dream. Hachiko has no direction. She drifts from lover to lover as much as she drifts from job to job. That lack of focus has now put her into a position that she can’t run away from, and has to face head on.
I enjoyed this volume greatly. It’s one of those that you don’t want to put down, because you have to know what’s going to happen next. Because we’ve had so long to get to know the characters, it’s easy to relate to them, and their reactions aren’t unexpected. Hachiko tries to deal with it alone, NanaO runs to Yasu, and Takumi is a real jerk to both Hachiko AND NanaO and Nobu. Junko and Kyosuke are supportive but realistic in helping Hachiko make her decision, almost like parents.
The best aspect of this volume is the way we see the characters take responsibility for their actions. Whether they like it or not, they really step up. Takumi doesn’t deny or try to run away. Nobu tries to be supportive, despite Hachiko keeping him at arms length. This is the type of thing that we need to see more in young adult fiction, and I really wish Viz hadn’t rated it so high or taken it out of Shojo Beat until after this volume. It shows consequences to actions that young people, especially girls, don’t see often enough, and it does it in a way without being preachy or condescending. I can just see parents backing off because of the Mature rating and plastic wrapping, when they should be letting the 14, 15, or 16 year old daughter read this.
Nana is a well written drama. Nothing is done in it that is frivolous or without reason. The characters look, act and feel like real people, and it makes their stories all the more compelling. This volume is an excellent example of what manga for adults can be. I recommend both this volume and the entire series highly.
10