Life With Nana

It's July 7th.

I feel that this is a special day for every Nana fan.

Nana, as you can guess, is my latest obsession. Among all the animes that I have seen and mangas that I have read, Nana starkly stands out.

I watch animes always with the purpose to make myself happy and free for a moment. Just like the books that I read, it is my way of escaping, even if for just a moment, the real life.

In looking for animes to watch next, I always go to the “Slice of Life” category. I love this type of anime because they are light, short but nonetheless, still has substance, and in some little way makes you feel better and recharged to face the real life. At least, that’s the way it is for me. Usually there are 12 episodes of the animes. Nana has been the lengthiest I have watched so far. 40 episodes. I have always seen the title Nana but I always skipped it. After all this time, if you ask me now why I didn’t chose to ignore it one fateful night a few weeks ago? The Demon Lord made me do it. And I don’t regret every second of it. Maybe I do have one, it’s that I haven’t watched it sooner.

I’ve finished the anime, I’ve watched the two movies, and now I’m currently in chapter 54 of the manga.

I know I should’ve done it in reverse. But I wanted to give great attention to reading the manga and not get distracted with the movies and anime, so I finished them first.

Why I’m so obsessed with it is because it’s the most realest thing I have ever read and seen. Love and friendship in full intensity. Ambitions, dreams, desires are intermingled making it hard to differentiate one from the other, but isn’t it the case in real life also? Relationships are the hardest to keep safe in this world that’s full of craziness, and I’m not saying that if you read Nana you can get tips and learn the secret to a happy life, because Ai Yazawa did not intended it to be so. Her characters are as fucked up as we are.

Nana is not so much a feel-good anime compared to other animes/manga that I have been watching/reading. I’ve probably cried more than I had a laugh but I love it anyways for the feelings it made me feel and the thoughts it made me think and the love it made me realize and the overwhelming sadness in knowing the fact that of course things are the way they are because of things that we cannot help.

Reading on, I start to think of things and only understand it now. Like how sometimes we rely our hopes to one person in order to live, and that’s okay because we can’t all be strong on our own. Or how some wise men say not to rely your happiness to others because when they go away they bring your happiness with them. But guess what, such a thing is possible, as long as there’s a mutual understanding between the two people involved that they won’t let each other down, and that each person is willing to wait for the other no matter how long. And if someone think it’s a waste of life, think again. Letting go and moving on is only for those with weak conviction to wait for the other. If it kills us then let it kill us. What’s so bad in dying for the person you love? It may be heart breaking at times but the one that pulls us out from the dark is still the one we are waiting for after all.

I will cherish my thoughts and feelings for this story forever.

Thanks Ai Yazawa. Please continue the manga soon when you feel better.