Nana
Director: Kentaro Otani
Actors: Mika Nakashima, Aoi Miyazaki, Ryuhei Matsuda
Year Released: 2005
Genre: Drama
See Also: Kamikaze Girls, Last Quarter
Whenever I ask my Japanese friends if they've seen Nana, they always tell me no, it's too popular. Then they ask if I've seen Click or whatever new Hollywood film, and I have to respond the same way: "No, it's too popular." I'll rarely watch a major Hollywood film yet I will gladly watch any major Japanese film. Why is this? First, because I'm obsessed with Japan, but second, because it seems that their films have just a little bit more going for them, whether that be gore, comedy, or heart-felt drama. Example: the last American drama to make me cry was Roman Holiday. The last Japanese drama? Nana.
Like seemingly every movie coming out in Japan these days, Nana is based on a manga. Ai Yazawa's series of the same name follows the lives of two 20-something girls, both named Nana, who share an apartment in Tokyo. Nana Osaki is tough, wears a leather jacket, and sings in a band, and Nana Komatsu (nicknamed Hachi, a dog's name because she acts like a puppy dog) is cute, perky, and seemingly an odd friendship match for the aloof singer. Yet it works, and much of the manga (as well of the movie) is spent on this relationship, a wise choice as it lets us into them as not just characters but as people, people we not only come to identify with but feel like we know.
Hachi (Aoi Miyazaki, Eureka, Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachthani?) is on her way to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend Shoji. On the train she sits down next to Nana (pop star Mika Nakashima) and, despite their differences, they begin talking. Once in town, Hachi runs into Nana again while apartment hunting, and they decide to split the rent on a place. Nana has come to Tokyo to make it as a singer. She quickly hooks up with two members of her previous band from her hometown, and, not long after recruiting a fouth member, the Black Stones are once again playing gigs. Admittedly so far there's not a lot to cry over, but there's quite a bit of shattered romance on the way for both Nanas. The film thankfully avoids melodrama—when it's time for you to cry, Nana has definitely earned it from you.
I've said before that I have the soul of a 15-year-old Japanese girl, and that may explain why I like these kinds of movies so much, but so does the fact that my heart is all male. Both Nanas are totally cute and girlfriend-worthy. Watching, I can never decide which I like more, Nana's vulnerable tough girl or Hachi's adorable puppy dog. I'll probably never be able to decide, but that's fine because it's just one of many reasons to keep watching Nana over and over again.
Otaku Alert: Although there's a sequel in the works, the only main actor from the first Nana that will be returning is Mika Nakashima.
Availability Note: Import only, though readily available on the Internet and at specialty shops. It will probably help if you have an all-region DVD player.
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