I want to apologize for the sporadic blog posts and comments. After jumping the hurdles of the end of the school year, I'm now trying to make my way preparing for the next school year. As the bookstore manager of my high school, summer is my busiest time sorting out book requests and book orders. I'm trying to come up with a better posting schedule so please bear with me. I've got lots of great books to review, authors to interview, and giveaways coming up!
Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Today I'll be reviewing the third volume of Nana.
Description (from back of the book): Things are slowly coming together for Nana O. The guitarist and drummer from her old band have joined her in Tokyo and she's finally found a ripping new bass player to replace Ren Honjo. The Black Stones are back and they're ready to kick some butt.
Nana K, however, can't shake her old nemesis, the Demon Lord. She's stuck in a dead-end job and there's trouble brewing with her boyfriend, Shoji. He's been working late and hasn't exactly been the most attentive lover. Poor Nana. Life in Tokyo is turning out to be a total bummer.
Review: In Volume 3, life had different things in stored for the girls. Nana Osaki has a lot things going for her at the moment. She has reunited with the guitarist and drummer from her old band. After placing a wanted ad for a bassist player, they've filled that void too. Now that the band is starting to come together, they are ready to play some gigs again.
Though we aren't given that much information about Nana O's band mates, they do have interesting backgrounds. Nobu is the guitarist who comes from a rich family (his parents own an inn). Despite being the heir to the property, his real passion is music. He shares Nana O's dream of making it big with a band one day. I get the feeling that he and Nana K. might get together as their are flirtatious vibes between them. Yasu is the drummer who usually handles the business partnerships and financial decisions needed for the band's success. Yasu's favorite cigarette brand is "Black Stones", from which the band got their name. He is also studying to be a lawyer in training, despite his clean shaven head, many earrings and dark glasses appearance. He is the big brother figure for Nana O and for Nobu at times, but I get the sense that he feels more for Nana O. Shin, the latest addition to the band, plays the bass and works what seems to be as a male prostitute to make his living. We are given small clues that his parents have abandoned him. I can't wait to learn more about these guys in future volumes.
Unlike Nana O, Nana K feels like life's punching bag. Nothing is going right for her. What seemed to be her perfect job at working at a vintage store is failing and being closed, forcing her to be unemployed. Fortunately, Nana K doesn't wallow for long and works to find a new job as an administrative assistant in a small publishing job. Her new job, however, is taking away time from her relationship with her boyfriend, Shoji. When Nana K. is away from her boyfriend, her insecurities rise to the surface and she accuses him of meeting a new girl named Sachiko. Sachiko was an inside joke for the first two volumes, however, her worst nightmare comes true when Shoji really meets a girl named Sachiko who is also an art student and works at his job. Nana K's and Shoji's relationship quickly falls apart when Shoji and Sachiko become closer. I have to say that I didn't care for Shoji for starters but I really wanted him to smack him upside the head for thinking with the other part of his body. Instead of coming clean with Nana K, he does the unthinkable. I really felt bad for Nana K in this book and I hope she doesn't completely fall apart in the next installment.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language, smoking, drinking, and a small sex scene in this volume. Recommended for older teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: Nana Vol 4 by Ai Yazawa, Honey and Clover by Chica Umino, Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa
Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Today I'll be reviewing the third volume of Nana.
Description (from back of the book): Things are slowly coming together for Nana O. The guitarist and drummer from her old band have joined her in Tokyo and she's finally found a ripping new bass player to replace Ren Honjo. The Black Stones are back and they're ready to kick some butt.Nana K, however, can't shake her old nemesis, the Demon Lord. She's stuck in a dead-end job and there's trouble brewing with her boyfriend, Shoji. He's been working late and hasn't exactly been the most attentive lover. Poor Nana. Life in Tokyo is turning out to be a total bummer.
Review: In Volume 3, life had different things in stored for the girls. Nana Osaki has a lot things going for her at the moment. She has reunited with the guitarist and drummer from her old band. After placing a wanted ad for a bassist player, they've filled that void too. Now that the band is starting to come together, they are ready to play some gigs again.
Though we aren't given that much information about Nana O's band mates, they do have interesting backgrounds. Nobu is the guitarist who comes from a rich family (his parents own an inn). Despite being the heir to the property, his real passion is music. He shares Nana O's dream of making it big with a band one day. I get the feeling that he and Nana K. might get together as their are flirtatious vibes between them. Yasu is the drummer who usually handles the business partnerships and financial decisions needed for the band's success. Yasu's favorite cigarette brand is "Black Stones", from which the band got their name. He is also studying to be a lawyer in training, despite his clean shaven head, many earrings and dark glasses appearance. He is the big brother figure for Nana O and for Nobu at times, but I get the sense that he feels more for Nana O. Shin, the latest addition to the band, plays the bass and works what seems to be as a male prostitute to make his living. We are given small clues that his parents have abandoned him. I can't wait to learn more about these guys in future volumes.
Unlike Nana O, Nana K feels like life's punching bag. Nothing is going right for her. What seemed to be her perfect job at working at a vintage store is failing and being closed, forcing her to be unemployed. Fortunately, Nana K doesn't wallow for long and works to find a new job as an administrative assistant in a small publishing job. Her new job, however, is taking away time from her relationship with her boyfriend, Shoji. When Nana K. is away from her boyfriend, her insecurities rise to the surface and she accuses him of meeting a new girl named Sachiko. Sachiko was an inside joke for the first two volumes, however, her worst nightmare comes true when Shoji really meets a girl named Sachiko who is also an art student and works at his job. Nana K's and Shoji's relationship quickly falls apart when Shoji and Sachiko become closer. I have to say that I didn't care for Shoji for starters but I really wanted him to smack him upside the head for thinking with the other part of his body. Instead of coming clean with Nana K, he does the unthinkable. I really felt bad for Nana K in this book and I hope she doesn't completely fall apart in the next installment.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is some language, smoking, drinking, and a small sex scene in this volume. Recommended for older teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: Nana Vol 4 by Ai Yazawa, Honey and Clover by Chica Umino, Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa
Labels:
2012 100+ Reading Challenge,
4 stars,
Adult,
Friendship,
Manga,
Manga Monday,
Music,
Nana,
Realistic Fiction,
Romance,
YA
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"Instead of coming clean with Nana K, he does the unthinkable."
Uh oh. That doesn't sound good at all Rummanah! Now I'm all nervous on poor Nana K's behalf and will be on edge waiting for you to tell me what happens in the next volume!
Adding this to my Manga Monday List! Great Review! Hard to review Manga.
I was just talking to someone who highly recommended Nana to me. I couldn't remember where I'd heard of it and now I realize it was your blog!
PS. I just started the first volume of Afterschool Charisma. I'm curious to see where it goes.
I didn't know there was a third already out. I haven't even gotten through 1 and 2.
I actually went to a book store today. I was shocked. It was Barnes and Noble. The Teen Section was relatively small as far as I'm concerned and I had to hunt for it. The manga section is one section. I didn't know James Patterson had a manga series out for Maximum Ride. There was something else that surprised me but I can't remember what. I couldn't find Melissa Marr's or Becca Fitzpatrick's Graphic Novels anywhere. Of course, the store was incredibly busy and not enough help. So, do you know if they would keep the Graphic novels separate from the Manga? The regular comic books were on a section right next to the manga.
Heather