The week would seem incomplete without reviewing a volume of Nana, the popular manga series where love and heart break go hand in hand. Reading this manga series is like going on an emotional roller-coaster every week. Always anxious to see who is enjoying happiness and who is wallowing in sorrow.
Description (from Goodreads): One of the tabloids hounding Blast and Trapnest have photos that make it look like Reira and Ren are having an affair. With Nana and Ren's engagement recently made public, the photos could spell doom for both bands. Takumi's willing to do whatever it takes to save his band, but how will it affect Nana K. and the happily ever after she's still hoping for?
Review: After Search’s cruel engagement gift which contained suggestive photos of Ren and Riera at the end of volume fourteen, this volume opens with the fallout from that and Takumi’s cunning efforts to keep the photos and bad publicity out of the papers. Unfortunately, the ramifications of the photos aren't easily rectified as Nana O's and Ren's relationship begins to fray further and they have to confront one another. Nana K. and Takumi are finally get married, thanks to Takumi’s sly plans of diverting the intention from Nana O. and Ren to himself and Nana K. Yasu and Miu begin to solidify their relationship as well, which makes me really happy because both of these characters do so much for other people's happiness. Of course all this new news brings Nana O’s abandonment issues to the fore front as she watches the most important people in her life drifting further away from her. Nana O. isn't a perfect heroine by any means and she can be quite self centered, but you can understand how she uses Yasu and Nana K. as her own anchor. In the earlier volumes, she came off as a strong, independent, force of nature, but I think she's terrified of being abandoned again and her fear is quickly triggered. Like Nana O. and Ren, Shin, too is dealing with the aftermath of the Search incident as Reira, suddenly aware of how vulnerable her world is to scandal, suggests they stop seeing each other. I was incredibly sad for Shin as I think he has finally fallen in love with a person who returns his feelings without making him feel like a prostitute.
Nana can easily follow the path of a soap-opera with the wild melodramatic plot twists, but what I think that elevates this story from that level is the attention to human interactions in the series. With her brilliant close-up shots of the characters, you can actually delve deeper into the psychology of each of the characters. No character is absolutely good or evil. Even as much as I hate Takumi (and boy do I hate this guy), I can't help but give him kudos for thinking on his feet. I also love the simple inner monologue lines that are written on the page which can exude so much truth that it can make you flinch with its brutal honesty. It is this attention to the details that keep me riveted and wanting to continue reading this series.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: Sexual situations, crude humor, some language, and nudity. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: Nana Vol 16 by Ai Yazawa, Honey and Clover by Chica Umino, Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa
Description (from Goodreads): One of the tabloids hounding Blast and Trapnest have photos that make it look like Reira and Ren are having an affair. With Nana and Ren's engagement recently made public, the photos could spell doom for both bands. Takumi's willing to do whatever it takes to save his band, but how will it affect Nana K. and the happily ever after she's still hoping for?Review: After Search’s cruel engagement gift which contained suggestive photos of Ren and Riera at the end of volume fourteen, this volume opens with the fallout from that and Takumi’s cunning efforts to keep the photos and bad publicity out of the papers. Unfortunately, the ramifications of the photos aren't easily rectified as Nana O's and Ren's relationship begins to fray further and they have to confront one another. Nana K. and Takumi are finally get married, thanks to Takumi’s sly plans of diverting the intention from Nana O. and Ren to himself and Nana K. Yasu and Miu begin to solidify their relationship as well, which makes me really happy because both of these characters do so much for other people's happiness. Of course all this new news brings Nana O’s abandonment issues to the fore front as she watches the most important people in her life drifting further away from her. Nana O. isn't a perfect heroine by any means and she can be quite self centered, but you can understand how she uses Yasu and Nana K. as her own anchor. In the earlier volumes, she came off as a strong, independent, force of nature, but I think she's terrified of being abandoned again and her fear is quickly triggered. Like Nana O. and Ren, Shin, too is dealing with the aftermath of the Search incident as Reira, suddenly aware of how vulnerable her world is to scandal, suggests they stop seeing each other. I was incredibly sad for Shin as I think he has finally fallen in love with a person who returns his feelings without making him feel like a prostitute.
Nana can easily follow the path of a soap-opera with the wild melodramatic plot twists, but what I think that elevates this story from that level is the attention to human interactions in the series. With her brilliant close-up shots of the characters, you can actually delve deeper into the psychology of each of the characters. No character is absolutely good or evil. Even as much as I hate Takumi (and boy do I hate this guy), I can't help but give him kudos for thinking on his feet. I also love the simple inner monologue lines that are written on the page which can exude so much truth that it can make you flinch with its brutal honesty. It is this attention to the details that keep me riveted and wanting to continue reading this series.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: Sexual situations, crude humor, some language, and nudity. Recommended for mature teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: Nana Vol 16 by Ai Yazawa, Honey and Clover by Chica Umino, Tramps Like Us by Yayoi Ogawa
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My heart can't take much more of this series Rummanah, I don't know how you're doing it! I want to throttle all of them! But, like you said, they're brilliant characters to be able to elicit such emotion from readers, so even as my heart hurts at all the drama I can't help but appreciate this series for what it offers:)