NanaPodcast

It's my 1 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

Our Lady Hatchiko

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

First fanart for the podcast! by moth_lace

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.

-Nana

I need more Nana

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!

Vivenna Westwood cameo in How I Met Your Mother. 😱

I put it on right away and I must say it looks pretty bitchin' with a black dress. A part of me would like to get a longer chain so that it hangs down to the center of my breast-bone. I think it would be very eye-catching that way (and very Shin-like). :)

Shoji was the worst partner for Hatchi after she broke up with Takashi. They had no chemistry whatsoever. It was a relationship born out of need rather than true affection. The fact that Junko practically pushed them to date was a little silly. Hatchi needed to be on her own after such a traumatic break-up, not cover it up with another relationship.

The there is Nana herself. In love with Ren, but unwilling to give up her dreams of stardom they are torn apart as their bands duke it out to be the top selling artists in Toyko. Back in her small hometown she and Ren shared a kind of quiet romance. The kind that can only blossom when the noise of the city and the press of the crowd are nowhere to be seen. But when Ren leaves, Nana is left to her own devices. And when they get back together in the big city all is not as it was before and the love between them starts to wane. Nana finds herself spending more time with Yasu and Ren finds he is more comfortable on a best friend kick with Reira. The change these two undergo for one another makes the tragedy even more heart breaking in the end. The moral of the story here being, the ones we love are so precious. Don't let them slip from your fingers because you never know what the future holds.

Finally started episode 1 of American Horror Story. Is it sad that I got super excited because the character, Violet, was reading Nana in one scene. That was amazing to see!