Nana Volume I Part B – Nana Oosaki January 6, 2009

I am sorry for the long awaited summary. Things got caught up and I got tangled up and now, finally, I am having some free time to spare to write more about this wonderful story.

Oh, yeah to those lazy people out there, do read the Part A first. haha. It is a bit lengthy (laughs nervously) but nevertheless DO READ!

Let’s begin.

This part of the story revolved around the past of Nana Oosaki. She was well, a more favourtie character than the other Nana (which I have a love hate relationship with)

She was left by her mother when she was four. Her grandmother raised her up and well, was really strict with her. She had never knew her father, because her own mother had no idea who is her father.

While encountering all this, she “picked up the pieces of her dreams”.

And this is our NANA!

Laughs. The story started with Nana performing as a member of a band called Blackstones. It consisted of Nana as the vocalist, Ren as the guitarist (no idea), Nobou as the bass? (laughs I cant differentiate between these two roles!) and Yasu as the drummer. It seemed like a normal daily thing for them as they were very happily performing. ^^

And it seemed like this band was very famous among the locals as their fans waited in the cold and waited for them for the mere glance of their idols.

Nana kssing ?

The band members received their gifts and then, celebrated another sucessful performance done. They ate in their restaurant and parted their way. Before leaving, Yasu reminded Ren to tell Nana something.

Ps : Yasu is a law student. (so random isnt it?)

Forewarning.

Laughs. I can’t help but to admire Nana. She said that performance was well her drugs as she always get high performing. Then, Ren asked whether it was as high as having sex. She just answered that that depends on the guy.

Laughs. I love how she is so cheeky.

I love this picture

And upon arriving, they walked back together to their home with smiles on their face. I really really love their simplicity here. You think it might be easy to walk back with someone you love? Not really, I think that once you are this close to someone, that someone will also be a double edged sword. He can hurt you and he can give you happiness.

Laughs. The home seemed to be their place. They had a shower together. Somehow, they started talking more about Nana’s past. She was well taken care by her grandmum and she blamed the death of her grandmum on herself.

Sure, she was troublesome and had always argued with her grandmum but deep inside she had definitely love her grandmum who had substitute her mother. Nevertheless, it was her love for her grandmum that made her felt guilt and when she told Ren all of it, Ren’s face was a face of tortured.

On the day, that her grandmom had died, she used all her saving to buy a present for herself. She brought a frilly red dress and went with Nobou to a band performance, where she meet Ren. She was mesmerised with Ren.

It seemed like she wasn’t the only one mesmerised because Ren who initially was annoyed with her, felt in love with her too. It seemed like they had those fatal attraction to one another. laughs.
After a while of making love, they stopped and Nana seemed to be reluctant to be pregnant. She said that she would like to be with Ren, singing.

Ren said that it wasnt going to be a big deal if Nana was pregnant. That was where they differ at.

Out of the sudden blue, while kissing one another, Ren announced that he was going to go to Tokyo.

Apparently, Ren got recognised and was about to debut as a singer in Tokyo. Unable to be selfish, Yasu told Nobou that Ren had finally gotten a chance to live his dream, despite the other three that was out of the picture. Nobou intially was sad and then, realised that Nana would be devastated.

Because Nana really loved Ren. The first time, they meet was on the death day of her grandmum. The second time, Ren and Nana met was at Nobou’s house, where it was the begining of Blackstones. At that time, Yasu and Ren wanted to invite Nobou to form a band with them. When they were talking about their vocalist, Nana appeared to return a CD to Nobou.

Ren chased after Nana and she agreed to be their vocalist. Laughs. And that was how Blackstones was formed.

It was like how Nana said.
She was gravitated to Ren and so was Ren.
In the times, when they were in Blackstones, they went out together, lived together, had numerous memories together.

And it was those times spent together that made the separation harder.

She could easily followed Ren to Tokyo but she chose to stay back. She will work hard for herself and then, go to Tokyo to build a singer career for herself.

Most probably, she doesn’t believe in an easy earned happiness, hence, she left Ren.

It wasn’t easy for Ren too.

And that was how they broke up.

With their break up, she was more determined about her dream and lived hard everyday for it.

For me, she was one of those girls that I really admired.
It seemed like nothing can stop her.

So, on her 20′th birthday, she bought herself a one way ticket to Tokyo. ^^

Nana Volume 1 (part A) – Komatsu Nana December 19, 2008

I am doing this because of my best friend who is illiterate with manga or otherwise known as comic. I love love stories. This is one of the best story I had ever encountered because it is something all women can relate to. The issues touched throughout the whole story is vast and well, comtemporary to our everyday musing.

In short, I LOVE THIS AUTHOR AND ITS CREATIONS.

Lets start. ^^

The first person we were introduced was Komatsu Nana, one of the heroine in this story. She is well a fickle person, without a spine and yes, she was involved with a married man in high school.

Tokyo?

The man next to Nana was announcing to Nana that he was going to Tokyo. Instantly, this Nana panicked and then…. was searching her small mind to find a way to continue this relationship. Obviously, she had cared about this relationship a lot and  … the man just said.

It’s been fun. Thank you

you, know … All the woman in the world would have smile back at that man, and then said the same thing also. something like, yeah. and then, they will hide it down inside themselves or they might find someone to talk too….

in this case, our nana here… talked to….
her best friend, JunKo.

nana and her nonsense

The way, she talked about it ensured JunKo that it was somewhat a fling. Of course, it might be her way of exaggerating that made it felt nonsensical or it might just be somehow, the way Nana express herself. Nevertheless, JunKo who had knew Nana for a long time, closed the topic either because she doesn’t want Nana to ponder on it too much and made the topic seem lightly, by scaring her.

The both of them then continued college, with Jun Ko aiming for an art institute in Tokyo and with Nana who was just refusing to be separated from Jun Ko. Nevertheless, Nana said it might be a way for her to forget old love by finding one new in the college. On their way to the college, she was analysing with JunKo about her fickleness and how she was so easily to fall in love.

Somehow, one way or another…. their discussion then, turned into a comparison about how JunKo can stay level headed with boys whereas Nana who fall in loves with every boy she meet.

It was true. Nana kept on falling in love. She felt in love with a pizza deliver boy before, her art teacher, the cashier at the video rental place, and even a stranger she meet in the movie.

After her unrequited love from the cashier, she developed a habit to watch movie alone in the cinema. One day, feeling faintish, she caught the attention of her future boyfriend. He helped her and bought her a drink. Somehow, they found out that they like to watch movie alone and got more into details about how she was feeling weak from dieting and how, it ended with her yelling to him, telling him the restaurant she work in as a part timer.

He just left.

and he returned into the picture two weeks later.
Throughout these two weeks, (she even complaint to JunKo these two weeks) she admitted that she missed him a lot, even though they had just a short fateful (according to her) meeting.
The moment, she saw him waiting for her in front of the door of the restaurant, she felt in love deeper.

though…

Even though I soon noticed that he had a wedding band on his ring finger, I decided that it didn’t bother me.

and that is how her affair begun… and ended on the day, he said that it was fun. Thank you.

Based on Nana’s previous experience, JunKo just suggested that she need to learn a person in a more profound depth before going out as a boyfriend. Nana totally misunderstood the advice and decided that she needs a boy. friend. yes. just a male (XY ) who is a friend. She had decided that she will have a good friend who is male.

And …. then ….

She fell in love with the first guy she met in the college.
Laughs. At some point, actually, here, I was really fed up with this character. Why in the world is she giving out her heart to strangers and then, have the audacity to be hurt by it? How can she just claim to love someone at first sight countless of time and then, I-DONT-KNOW do her stuff?

Because, yes. I really think she is a dumb blond. And proven to be one without a spine too.

Enough of ranting.

Anyway, the guy that she fell in love with was named Shouji and this guy apparently, was a friend of JunKo. They decided to meet up together and drink at JunKo place. At that time, Nana had already hypnotised herself to act naturally, to not consider Shouji as a future candidate for a boyfriend and could only loosen up under the influence of alcohol.

After a few bottle of alcohol, she started spilling her love history from the pizza guy to the cashier guy and then ….

to a person … that she wasn’t even sure of his name. because the man she had affair with might had just lied to her.

She cried unknowingly and started bawling. It just show that Nana, despite trying to cover it up with cheerfulness, was trying to fool herself. The only thing was, she seemed really in love with Asano (the guy she had an affair with). JunKo who knew, quickly comforted her and the whole scene made Shouji and his guy friend awkward.

Shouji waited until she calmed down and left the apartment with JunKo encouragement to woo Nana. Shouji left his friend who was too drunk to move.

Later on, as the term started rolling, the four of them became closer to one another. Nana was falling deeper for Shouji and vice versa. However, she had already also hypnotised herself too much until she could only see Shouji as a friend. Soon, they realised that this group of four had to be separated soon as Kyousuke (the man who was left behind since he was drunk) and JunKo got accepted into the same art institute in Tokyo.

Shouji and Nana then, started to try to aim for the same institute. Nana, as expected failed and Shouji decided to stay behind one more year to try again.

The day, when JunKo and Kyousuke were accepted, Nana and Shouji went Tokyo to celebrate. During that time, when they were walking back to the hotel which all four of them were staying, Shouji told Nana of his plan which was to study in Tokyo to reaim to enter the art institute. Nana who had no a single aim, claimed to want to move to Tokyo. She was someone who really, really, want to conserve her comfort zone with was her gang of four. Shouji finally snapped and asked her how would she support herself. All his anger was suddenly brought to a surface and was plainly claiming how selfish Nana could be.

He walked away from her and left her alone after he exploded. He went back to the hotel only to find JunKo snapping at him, for not awaring of Nana’s feeling towards him. Together, JunKo and Shouji dashed out of the hotel, knowing that Nana won’t recognise the way back. Kyousuke left behind and was waiting for Nana, just in case Nana didn’t get lose. Lol. Actually, I wasn’t sure why he stayed in the hotel.

Meanwhile, Nana bumped into Asano. She realised that she can never bring herself to hate this man, even though he would consider her a fling. However, in the end, she was still happy because he didn’t lie to her about his name when they bumped into Asano’s colleague. They said goodbye with Nana’s ordering Asano not to cheat again. Asano just laughed. In a sense, this was what Nana really needed.

A closure.

With Asano’s help on getting back to the hotel, she finally calm down and called Kyousuke who was in his room. Sounding so cheerful, Kyousuke was guessing that Shouji found her and confessed. Kyousuke was just breaking the whole secret out, and told Nana that Shouji was also in love with her. Hanging up on Kyousuke, Nana went of finding for Shouji. Meanwhile, Junko came back, realising that she should have called Nana’s cellphone before rushing out to find for her.

They (Nana and Shouji) found one another and found themselves in an awkward position. They pretended nothing happened and went back to the hotel. Upon trying to enter Kyousuke’s room, JunKo kicked them out and said that she wasn’t going to be bothered anymore.

which forced the two awkward love birds alone.

They solved their arguement by Nana, promising to wait one year at their hometown, while Shouji aiming for the institute again. A year later, she would be going to Tokyo to work.

Somehow, making the resolution together, they realised that each another knew and Nana finally managed to break out the wall of friendship-image she had with Shouji telling that he love her.

hum.

My thoughts.
I freaking hate character like Nana Komatsu. To me, she seemed really weak. Someone that always need to be in a comfort zone, instead of someone who will always create a comfort zone.
However, what I am really amazed was at how talented the author with her plot and her character. Nana Komatsu is a human to me in this story and it was a really good way of explaining her character through a story like this. All her other character was cute too, especially Junko.

and that was why I wrote 1645 words.^^