[Shoujo] Nana by Ai Yazawa

I went to the Cookie fan site, because there's a section where you can write fan-mail to the authors. In other words, it's possible to send "get-well" e-mails. It's these kinds of times we must show our emotional support as fans, and let the artist know that we're behind her 100% and that we wish for their health.

Quote:

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矢沢先生へ、

こっちはナナのファンで、ハワイ主ですので、詳しく分からないが矢沢先生が病気してしまって、ネットで聞いています。病気は大変ですね。よく身体を休んでくださいませ。世界中ファンの俺達は大人しくお待ちして、応援します。いつたってもナナの続きを待ちますので、無理せずに楽にしてください。

矢沢先生は早くよくなりますように祈っています。

To Aizawa-sensei,

I am a fan of Nana and being a Hawaii resident, I cannot know in detail but through the net I've heard you have come down sick. That is very worrisome. Please take good care of your body. Us fans from around the world will wait patiently and cheer you on. No matter how long it takes, we'll be waiting for Nana's continuation so please be at ease without forcing yourself.

I am praying for Aizawa-sensei's speedy recovery.

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:amuse

I thought I'd see what this Nana was seeing as how amazingly popular it apparently is and I had never read any Shoujo. Read the first few chapters and found it pretty ok, but real life in fiction isn't my thing, enough of that in real life already.

Reason for this post though, is it me or are their legs freakishly thin? That seriously freaked me out, reminded me of Nagato in Naruto, who is supposed to be the living embodiment of pain and suffering. And in this manga it's apparently normal? :o

And why do all the 'cool' and 'adult' people smoke? Only exception as far as I read was Junko.

Hi Phoenix946! Thanks for trying Nana! (Hmm, I sound like a salesperson.)

I think the legs are just Ai Yazawa's style. A lot of stylized shoujo does that, makes their characters insanely tall and thin (see: CLAMP). IMO it's a reflection of the thin-obsessed fashion world. Want to make your characters look cool? Make them look like they've never eaten. Yay. I think Ai Yazawa's characters tend to look a lot like fashion sketches. I'd be curious to see if she ever studied fashion design, actually.

As for why all the characters smoke, I think it's a fairly realistic representation of rock band culture. All of my friends who are in bands smoke, I think. I'm not sure if the timeline of the manga has ever been established, I know the anime put it in 2001, but I'm not positive of the dates in the manga. But I've always that of Nana and Hachi as born in the early 80s like me, and the rest of the characters born in the late 70s. While I'm not sure if it's the same in Japan, the late 70s/early 80s born generation tends to be much heavier smokers than most, I think. Most people I know around my age either smoke or have smoked, while the people I know younger and older tend to have a much lower rate of smoking. It's not healthy or a great example, but I personally would have found it very unrealistic if those characters didn't smoke. Also, although it is certainly starting, I don't think smoking has been as vilified in Japan as it is in other countries. So that might make a difference.

As long as you don't try to sell me anything ;)

Hmm, sounds rather plausible on the legs, but wouldn't that mean only the girls are like that? Since cool looking guys are certainly supposed to have some body to show.

The rock band sounds fair enough, not sure why but it does seem 'normal' to smoke in such a life (although there too, the nervous guy band member didn't smoke iirc?). But if we're talking a simple cause by generation, it doesn't make sense that Nana, Junko and Shouji don't smoke imo. Again I only read the first few chapters so I don't know if later introduced characters oppose this.

I don't know, might be me but it comes across as giving pretty wrong examples of what is supposed to be cool. Easily influenced people could start thinking you're cool if you're an anorectic chain smoker.

the style of yazawa is very unique kind of skinny but good eyes!

Takumi, imho, character is not complex. He had a bad father, was a misfit (bad-boy) teenager, a womanizer and most importantly is madly in love with his career and since Reira is part of that scene, can't live without her. All the thing that he does, he is aware of it and he do it anyways. He is my least favorite character cuz he shows no growth, no commitment or even love. I think women to him are just an avenue for him to release his frustration, horniness (lol) and a place of warmth. I don't feel sorry for him nor do I gushed over him. So, if he can't even commit to a relationship without cheating, then imo, he is just your typical, horny, abusive of power, little man. I just wished that Ai Yazawa would have introduced at least one new male character that rivals Takumi since it is already 20 volumes long but alas, we have to sit and read the ever down spiraling and depressing relationship that is Hachi and Takumi. I am just hoping and praying that the 2 of them ended up with a divorce because I think Takumi needs to be single more so than being tied down. He is a swinger.

I don't think Shin should go to Reira cuz Shin himself is a kid. Among all the guys there, he's the one with the most screwed up upbringing. Reira did give him comfort for awhile until he realized that she is pretty screwed up herself. They are actually not suitable for each other. He can't take care of her cuz he is still growing up and Reira messed it up when she rejected him. I think in the future, Shin probably is so over Reira that I find it pretty hilarious. Shin needs a new woman to make him happy and Reira is not it. I've noticed that sometimes in real life, people always go out and seek comfort in their own inner circle and the same is happening here in the manga. So, my suggestion to Shin, RUN!!!!

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Originally Posted by Phoenix946

Hmm, sounds rather plausible on the legs, but wouldn't that mean only the girls are like that? Since cool looking guys are certainly supposed to have some body to show.

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Nope, the cultural ideal of beauty in Japan is a feminine appearance, not a manly one. Just look at the mainstream majority of Japanese male celebrities and artists, you often can barely tell them apart from their female co-workers.

While manga for guys focus on butt&boobs for the female characters, the manga for girls tend to feature skinny till normal looking male characters. Muscular and very sportive looking guys are more a thing of action and erotic manga targeting male readers, not so much of romance and drama stories for females. Even in Boys Love manga you differ between gay manga for guys (over-the-to muscular characters) and gay manga for girls (natural, skinny, feminine or slightly sportive characters).

I have to admit that many seinen manga turn me off because of the 'too manly' design of the male characters. I can better adjust on normal or skinny types when following a story.

IMO: I think Takumi has changed a little after he married Hachi-kou. After their child was born, I think he has developed a sense of responsibility to at least go home and initiate talks with Hachi.

Spoiler show

After Ren's death, I'm impressed with Takumi staying together and helping the other members out.

@Smoking-- Also let's keep in mind that smoking in general is very common in Japan (and the rest of Asia). I highly doubt tobacco companies make most of their profits in the US these days. Having so many characters smoking would be a pretty fair representation even if it weren't the "rock scene."

@Body Style-- Oddly, the word "Style" スタイル in Japanese means figure. Generally speaking, a girl with good "style" means a girl with a shapely figure, and a guy with good "style" is the more muscular sporty type. Aesthetically speaking though, it's a fact that Japanese women don't have the same view on muscular men as American women-- it's just not something in demand in the same way.

. . . just like it Japanese men (or women) don't seem to care about straight teeth. While I think there will always be a part of the human genome that attracts women to powerful looking men, if I think of the word "ikemin" (good looking guy), you definitely mean the kind of pretty fashionable guy.

The Japanese (at least in the cities) love Fashion, and one thing I kept hearing female American students while I was studying abroad in Japan was that they noted how much better Japanese men dress in general compared to American men. To a large degree it is cultural and I do think it also stems from a difference of taste between American and Japanese women (and again this probably comes down to some cultural difference).

hmm... still no news on Yazawa's hiatus? :wtf

hehe he's my favorite character because he's so complex, and he'll always have a redeeming quality IMO. It will show up sooner or later in the manga, and 100% of that will be because of Hachi. :love

No. I think the press release said she would need several months treatment, and I haven't heard/read anything else.

Has there been any recent news of her status?

^yeah, anyone know?