Manga Mondays: Nana Vol 5

  I'm really enjoying Ai Yazawa's blockbuster shojo manga Nana. Nana is the story of two young women, both from small towns, who meet on the bullet train and end up moving in together in Tokyo. Nana Komatsu is a small-town girl who has big city dreams of romance and leaving her old life (and self) behind, while Nana Osaki has come to Tokyo to try to find success as the singer of her (psuedo) punk rock band, Blast. 


Description (from back of the cover): Nana K. is going home--for an awesome TrapNest concert! She drags Nana O. along, convinced that somehow Ren will sense his ex-flame in the audience. But life is never that easy, and Nana O. isn't sure if she even wants Ren back. As for Nana K., is she prepared for TrapNest to come down off the stage and into her life, or will her fan-girl attitude land her in a heap of trouble?


Review: In the last volume we were left wondering whether or not Nana O. and Ren will get back together as well as if Nana K. will overcome her heartbreak of breaking up with Shoji. Nana O. is a hard girl to forget. Her looks and fashion sense are apart from many other girls. Nana O. is relieved to see Ren still wearing the lock necklace she gave to him, but she still feels unsure about their relationship. Could they reunite without having any weirdness between them? After much pushing from Yasu, who I think has a sliver of romantic feelings for Nana O., both Ren and Nana O. are forced to confront each other. We watch as how both characters become nervous meeting one another and we can't help but hold our breath to see what would happen when they meet face to face. With a sigh of relief and panels full of emotion, mostly spoken through eyes and body language we see Ren and Nana O. resume their relationship. Out of the relationships I've seen so far in the series, I think Nana O. and Ren have the strongest bond. Though they may speak few words to one another, you can easily tell by their body language how naturally they get along and what they have is truly special. I really hope this relationship lasts and becomes stronger. 
  Though she is thrilled that her best friend and roommate is happy, Nana K. feels a tinge of jealousy. She too wants the same-to feel loved by someone and to have a career that she loves. Like her love life, Nana K. has to restart her career after she gets fired from her secretary job for slacking off. Nana O. advises her to find something she truly loves doing so work won't be a chore for her. I also think the advice can be easily applied to relationships too. Unfortunately Nana K. doesn't take the wise advice and ends up having a one night stand with someone completely unexpected. Ashamed of what she has done, Nana K. lies to Nana O. about her night and I wonder how if that changes their relationship in the next volume.


Words of Caution: This manga is Rated T+ for smoking, language, and sexual situations. Recommended for mature teens and up.


If you like this book try: Nana Vol. 6 by Ai Yazawa, Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa, Honey and Clover by Chica Umino, Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa