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Nana, Vol. 1 (Nana #1)

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 10,979 ratings · 195 reviews

Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down t...more

Paperback, 192 pages

Published December 6th 2005 by VIZ Media LLC (first published May 15th 2000)

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Community Reviews

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Aug 20, 2008 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

A review of the entire manga series. No real plot spoilers, but very vague references to future events.

My all-time favorite manga. The story of two girls, punk rocker Nana Oosaki ("big" Nana) and girly Nana Komatsu ("small" Nana, known in the rest of the story as Hachi), who meet on a train to Tokyo and become the best of friends. Nana's dream is to become a famous punk singer, Hachi's to live with her boyfriend, Shouji.

The first volume deals with the girls' past - Hachi's normal, fairly happy...more

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Feb 26, 2009 Kat rated it 5 of 5 stars

The artwork is fabulous-I want to make some of these outfits myself and you get a definite feel for Tokyo and Japan as a whole.

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Jul 12, 2008 Sarah Sammis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: pc

Nana Volume 1 by Ai Yazawa is a shojo manga and quite a departure for me from my usual manga choices. I saw this volume reviewed on my of favorite book blogs but it was months ago and I can't remember where. Anyway, the cover art appealed to me as did the title and I was looking for a change.

There are actually two young women named Nana: Nana Komatsu, who is introduced on pages 3-104, and Nana Osaki who is introduced on pages 105-176. The first volume comes to a close with a coda dedicated to a...more

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Feb 15, 2008 Trane rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: shojo manga fans, escapists and dreamers

Shelves: manga-and-comics

I'm completely addicted to Ai Yazawa's shojo manga Nana. Nana is the story of two young women, both from small towns, who meet on the bullet train and end up moving in together in Tokyo. Nana Komatsu (a.k.a. "Hachi") is a small-town girl who has big city dreams of romance and leaving her old life (and self) behind, while Nana Osaki has come to Tokyo to try to find success as the singer of her (psuedo) punk rock band, Blast. This all sounds like pretty standard fare so far, but once you throw in...more I'm completely addicted to Ai Yazawa's shojo manga Nana. Nana is the story of two young women, both from small towns, who meet on the bullet train and end up moving in together in Tokyo. Nana Komatsu (a.k.a. "Hachi") is a small-town girl who has big city dreams of romance and leaving her old life (and self) behind, while Nana Osaki has come to Tokyo to try to find success as the singer of her (psuedo) punk rock band, Blast. This all sounds like pretty standard fare so far, but once you throw in copious piercings, an underage bass-playing rent boy, art school friends, non-stop smoking, all-night parties, a cute sweety gothy fangirl, a deep romance between Nana O. and Ren (guitar player for rival band Trapnest), secret hotel trysts, crazy fashion, levels of girl bonding that are off the charts, and melodramatics like you haven't seen since you stopped watching Days of Our Lives, then you'll have a better idea of what you're in for in this series.

Yazawa does a few things really well in Nana. First, she creates characters that you can get attached to really easily so that you want to follow their stories. Once you're invested in the characters, the melodrama and gossip that mounts are unrelenting. Reading this manga kind of feels just like when one of your friends hands you some delicious, and perhaps slightly malicious, secret tidbit about a friend or acquaintance, usually prefaced with the phrase "Don't tell anyone." Yazawa is also frightfully adept at deploying a battery of shojo manga techniques used for the illustration of intense emotional states (startle lines, blushing cheeks, disembodied flowers floating in the air, smile octagons, etc.). This use of a secondary emotional language in illustration works in conjunction with the melodrama in a way that's far more affective than anything I can imagine in cinema. What Yazawa does best of all, however, is to deeply imagine the wide variety of affections, desires, and types of love that can run through groups of people without trying to simplify the complex emotional relationships that result. The (non-sexual, but definitely erotic) love between Nana and Nana is given more space in this manga than even the more traditional romantic encounters between the Nanas and their heterosexual partners. The idea of "love" that has managed to drop itself into the English language is severely inadequate to describe the types of emotional attachments that Yazawa instigates and investigates in Nana — perhaps a more appropriate way to approach the relationships presented in Nana would be to invoke the numerous Greek words for love and use those varietals as a jumping off point.

For all its melodramatics and emphasis on young love and rock-and-roll, this series is hauntingly elegiac. The events told in the story itself take place in a past that's registered in the key of loss by the voice of a disembodied narrator that appears throughout the course of the narrative: "I'll still call out for you, Nana . . . no matter how much it hurts . . . until you answer me." I'm not sure what future traumatics are in store in this series, but my guess is that the series ends with the loss of something unrecoverable. Whether or not anything is gained in the tradeoff will be the point of interest to look out for.

The reason I give four stars to the series instead of five is that, as entertaining as it is, it's mostly a kind of pop entertainment. Sharply felt, deeply delightful, but finally not one for the ages.

(less)

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Dec 01, 2012 Jessica-Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-manhwa, manga-series-vol1, series-dropped, adult-fiction, television-smellovision

I remember reading Nana back when I first discovered the world of online scanlations. This was my first realistic contemporary series that lacked that element of adorable that I was so accustom associating with manga at the time. I don't know how far I got in the series, but I loved every second of it and stayed up well past any reasonable bedtime to continue reading. Coming back to this so many years later has me wanting to re-read the series and re-connect with where I left off. However, every...more

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Jan 04, 2009 Jess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nana is an amazing manga. Probably the one that has drawn me in the most. Ever.

The thin pen line styled art is supremely illustrated, and the characters are extremely elegant. The punk/Lolita style is absolutely gorgeous. The expressions of the characters are drawn masterfully. The humor and the cute simplifications adds a lot of laughter to this manga. Although the storyline is full of problems and dismay, there's always humor to lighten up the mood. Especially Nana "Hachi" Komatsu who is extre...more Nana is an amazing manga. Probably the one that has drawn me in the most. Ever.

The thin pen line styled art is supremely illustrated, and the characters are extremely elegant. The punk/Lolita style is absolutely gorgeous. The expressions of the characters are drawn masterfully. The humor and the cute simplifications adds a lot of laughter to this manga. Although the storyline is full of problems and dismay, there's always humor to lighten up the mood. Especially Nana "Hachi" Komatsu who is extremely emphatic with her emotions. The sometime charicature-like representations of the characters are funny and cute (such as Hachiko as a dog).

Aside from the unique linear art style with extravagant details and intricacies, the story and characters are insanely real life. The sometimes bitterness and coldness of truth and reality make the soul of this manga. There are no "perfect prince" in this manga, nor are there the "perfect princesses". Nor are there happily ever afters. Every single character has their own deficiencies and faults and every single character in this manga are illustrated so well, they're almost real. Everyone's emotions, perspectives, and difficulties are heartfelt. The greatest part of this novel are the relationships. No relationship can ever be simply described, as in this manga. What is love? Was it love between Hachi and Shouji? Hachi and Nobuo? What about Reira and Ren? Reira and Shin? Do Hachi and Takumi really love each other? Can love be measured? Or is it simply chance and time? It really takes the weight of love and reality to the scale.

This is a manga you will cry for. It's also a manga that you will smile for with a genuine warmth within you. Ai Yazawa bundled life into this manga series. Life's turmoils, joys, happiness, warmness, disappointment, genuineness, innocence, failures, loves, despairs, mistakes, and even death. Every time you feel like, "this is it, this is the happy ending", it will not be. [Although we're still faithfully waiting on it]

Ai Yazawa is a master storyteller, with her plot forever winding and twisting. There's not ever a full conclusion or resolution, like real life. Sharp turns occur ever so often to make you jaw-dropped and awestruck. As well, she is such a genius that she makes it impossible for you to hate any single character in this book, because in reality, there is nobody who is genuinely evil or genuinely good. Everyone is fending for themselves in this world with so many of their own difficulties and that of the others around them.

In reality, everyone's not too different from each other.

Everyone has their own problems, and they're all just trying their best to find their happiness.

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Jan 20, 2013 Alison (AlisonCanRead) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

I loved the similarities and differences between two girls with the same name. The first volume is more of a prequel. We learn about Nana K. and Nana O's lives prior to Tokyo.

On the surface the girls seem very different. Nana K is fairly immature. Boy crazy without knowing how to build a relationship. Dependent on her best friend for her happiness and structure. Nana O appears to have it together. She has a good time with her friends, loves her boyfriend, and loves being in a band. Even when Ren...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Despair Speaking rated it 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you meet someone with the same name as you and yet is completely different from you? (Don't worry, that person is NOT your doppleganger!)

This, for me, was the most interesting thing about Nana. Nana Komatsu is a young woman hoping to start a new life after having gone through a lot of heartache. She moves to Tokyo and meets Nana Osaka on the train. Nana Osaka is everything she's not. She's cool, she's confident, and she's absolutely sure of what sh...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Alysse rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama, fiction, manga, music, romance, shojo, comedy, realistic-fiction, coming-of-age

Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of punk rock. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties!

This story has started off very well, and despite the odds of such a coincidence happening are lo...more Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of punk rock. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties!

This story has started off very well, and despite the odds of such a coincidence happening are low, the story is fairly realistic, so it was a nice change of pace for me personally after reading so much fantasy and sci-fi. The characterization is strong, and it is interesting to see how the events in a persons life -or character's backstory- affect their personalities, interactions, and viewpoints, especially when combined with their own desires and natural personality. Human relationships are the real focus of this story and it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds. I really do like the friendship between the main characters, Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki.
I also do like the artwork, although there are cases where it seems kind of obvious the artist dis not draw something. Also the noodle people thing is present. The characters do look unique from each other, and there is much detail in drawing the clothing, which makes sense, seeing as the author originally wished to enter fashion design.

Also, I have seen parts of the anime as well, it appears to follow the manga closely, but with the added benefit of music, seeing as Nana Osaki is the lead singer of a band, along with the majority of other characters. I believe the choice of using Anna Tsyuchiya for Nana's band, Black Stones, and Olivia Lufkin as Reira and the band Trapnest were perfect matches. (They even look a lot like the characters in real life!)
Overall, this is a very strong story, with a good plot, driven by strong characters and I really enjoy this. The maturity makes it difficult to believe this is a shoujo manga.(less)

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Nov 21, 2010 Alessandro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comic-vault

George Costanza's Seinfeld wanted to name his firstborn Seven. The western civilization wanted no part in it. But, apparently, the japanese loved the idea. Today, there's a handful of japanese people named Nana running around unchecked. Nana, for all you non-japanese speakers out there, roughtly means Seven. This manga (that is also called Seven) tells the tale of two such people. They both decided to travel to Tokyo and they both are hip and unbelievable dramatic japanese young girls. One of th...more

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May 10, 2012 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Nana is the story of two girls named Nana, both of whom are going through large changes in their lives as they grow older. Nana Komatsu’s boyfriend moves to Tokyo for work and she is left alone to pick up the pieces as she starts art school. She realizes she has hopped from one boyfriend to another over the last few years and vows to concentrate on friendship instead of love. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is a rock singer whose boyfriend moves to Tokyo to play guitar with a more successful band...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Sena rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourite-manga, manga, july-2011, shoujo-manga

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Kesinlikle en sevdiğim mangalardan biri=)Burda iki Nana'nın da birbirleriyle karşılaşmadan önceki hayatlarını okuduk.Baş karakterlerimiz iki tane genç kız.İkisinin adı da Nana=)Ama birbirlerinden tamamen zıt karakterler.Biri rockçı,diğeri sıradan bir genç kız.Kader bunları ilerde bir araya getirecek ama biz bu volume de bunların biraraya gelmeden önceki yaşamlarını görücez.Sıradan olan kızımız Nana sevgilileriyle çok büyük problemler yaşıyor.Hayır yani kzın tüm çıktıkların da bir problem oluyor....more Kesinlikle en sevdiğim mangalardan biri=)Burda iki Nana'nın da birbirleriyle karşılaşmadan önceki hayatlarını okuduk.Baş karakterlerimiz iki tane genç kız.İkisinin adı da Nana=)Ama birbirlerinden tamamen zıt karakterler.Biri rockçı,diğeri sıradan bir genç kız.Kader bunları ilerde bir araya getirecek ama biz bu volume de bunların biraraya gelmeden önceki yaşamlarını görücez.Sıradan olan kızımız Nana sevgilileriyle çok büyük problemler yaşıyor.Hayır yani kzın tüm çıktıkların da bir problem oluyor.Kızımız hep sorunlu insanları buluyor.Mesela bu çok eskiden bir sanat öğretmenine aşık olmuş.Adam bundan yaşca çok daha büyük.Ve ayrıca parmağında da yüzüğü var=)Nana bu yüzüğü görmesine rağmen adamı o kadar çok seviyo ki o yüzüğü görmemezlikten gelip,adamla yaşamına devam ediyor.Eee tabi adam bu kızcağızı kullanıyor,sonra da bi güzel postayı koyuyor buna:D Kızı terk edip gidiyor=)Ehh tabii bu da saf yavrum çok sevdi adamı haliyle üzülüyor.Sonra bunun bi arkadaşı var.Adı junko.Bunun da iki tane erkek arkadaşı var.Biri kyousuke diğeri shouji.kyousuke ile junko çıkmaya başlıyorlar.Shouji de nanadan hoşlanıyor ve junko bunları bir araya getiriyor.Ee haliyle bunlarda çıkmaya başlıyorlar=)Ee tabi daha bunların devamı gelicek ama favorim olan rockçı nananın hikayesinden bahsetmek istiyorum.Bu kız bayağı zor şartlarda büyümüş.Aile özlemi çekmiş bi kız.Okul yıllarında daima yalnız takılan bi kız.Okul yıllarındayken buna iyi davranmaya çalışan nobu die bi çocuk var bi de.Bu çocuk bunla arkadaş olmak istiyor ve buna dinlemesi için müzik cd leri falan verio.Öyle böyle bunlar arkadaş oluyorlar.Bu nobu da bir grupta çalıyor.Bir gün nobu ve grup arkadaşları gruplarına bir bayan solist aramaya başlıyorlar ve tam o sırada nobuya nana cdlerini vermek için geliyor.Bu sırada Ren-grupta yer alan,aşırı karizmatik çocuğumuz-nanayı gözüne kestiriyor ve onu solist olarak gruba alıyor.Öyle böyle ilişkileri alıyo başını gidiyor=)Ama bir gün trapnest adlı çok ünlü bi gruptan ren e teklif geliyor.Ren kabul etmiyor ama kurucuları ren in çok başarılı olduğunu ve öyle bi ünlü grupta çalmasının iyi olcağını sölüyor ve bunu ikna ediyor.Sonra ren tabi nanasız gitmek istemiyor ve nanayıda gelmesi için ikna etmeye çalışıyor.Ama kızımız aşırı gururlu olduğundan gitmiyor=)Sonra ayrılma vakti geliyor.Ren trene gidiyor.Nana ve Ren vedalaşşıyorlar ve nana ren ordan ayrılırken ağlamaya başlıyor.Aynı zamanda Ren'de trande ağlıyor-ki bu an benim bittiğim andır-.İşte böyle hüzünlü bir son olur mu dedirten sonlardan=)Ki animesinin ilk 35 bölümünü falan izledim.Her bölümün sonunda gözlerinizi dolduran bir yapım.Aynı şekilde müzikleri de çok iyi=)İki nananın da hayatındaki olaylar insanı derinden etkiliyor=)=)(less)

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Apr 25, 2013 Sophia rated it 5 of 5 stars

This as to be in my top five favorite manga of all time!!!!

This had everything that I think can be universal for a lot of audiences.

This is about two girls with different backgrounds both have a dream of leaving their small town and making it in Tokyo.
I love Nana Osaki!!! She a beautiful badass punk rock lead singer of Black Stones aka Blast. When her boyfriend Ren, the bass guitarist of the band and the love of her life leaves her and the band for Trapnest (a recording band) she is determined...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Manisha rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, it-was-amazing-rated-5

I love all the emotional drama in this! There is just so much drama going on, it's like gossip girl! And the 2 Nanas are so deep and moving and they have their own feeling and characteristics, but I'd say my fave is hachi, because she is so funny, and she has much more drama going on than the punk one. I don't at ALL get why she married Takumi, though! Like what reason did she have to do that? It's like the author wanted something interesting to happen at that point, so she just made hachi meet...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Azzahro Wijaya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga

Dua Nana yang berbeda, bertemu secara tidak sengaja di dalam kereta, dan akhirnya tinggal dalam satu atap. Mereka saling mendukung, saling menyayangi, tapi tak jarang mereka bertengkar karena beberapa hal.
Nana yang metal digambarkan sebagai sosok wanita yang setia pada pasangannya, Ren. Sedangkan Nana Komatsu yang lebih anggun digambarkan sebagi wanita yang suka gonta-ganti pasangan, bahkan sama pria yang udah nikah.

Aku merasa nasib mereka ini buruk sekali.
Nana Komatsu dikhianatin sama pacarn...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Starry rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll s...more Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll superstar. This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

I liked this manga, but I know in the end of the whole entire manga its a sad ending, so I don't want to spend my time reading happy and ending up being sad. I read manga's to be happy, and I don't like tragedy romance. So no, I will not continue reading this manga, but I really liked the first volume, and how it introduced us into the story.
SPOILERS:WARNING:

Nana Komatsu has had failed "loves" ever since she entered high school. Her recent one was Takashi Asano, whom she only gets together with once in a few months, and even though he had a wedding ring on him she ignored that and believed that he loved her. He leaves for Tokyo, leaving Nana in yet another heartbreak..
Nana's bff-Jun
Shoji and Kyosuke come in the picture, and Shoji likes Nana! Jun hooks up with Kyosuke.
Jun and Kyosuke are applying to a school in Tokyo. Shouji is also moving, and hooks up with Nana in the end. Nana is now saving up money to move to Tokyo and be with Shouji.

Nana Osaki
Ren is her inspiration. He is what made her get out there and sing her guts out. And broke her heart when he told her he was moving to Tokyo to be in a new band. They both love each other, but are taking different paths. 1 yr and 9 months later...Nana plans to have a one way ticket to Tokyo. Let the adcentures begin.(less)

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Jan 11, 2013 Hud-c rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mangachallenge2013, goodreads-recom, josei, reviewed, band-music

A bit of the blurb in here -

This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

Volume 1 is the prologue for Nana. Its an introduction of the two main protagonists - Nana Komatsu & Nana Osaki. First to be presented is Nana Komatsu. In her story, she was portrayed as a hopelessly ro...more A bit of the blurb in here -

This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

Volume 1 is the prologue for Nana. Its an introduction of the two main protagonists - Nana Komatsu & Nana Osaki. First to be presented is Nana Komatsu. In her story, she was portrayed as a hopelessly romantic girl, longing for love. Nana's an upbeat girl, talkative and naive at times. In the manga, there were numerous scenes where she confessed to a number of her crushes but end up being rejected most of the time. She's also an art student and has good friends namely Junko, Shoji and Kyosuke. On the other hand, Nana Osaki has a very strong character. She's a singer for the indie band names Black Stones (shortened BLAST). Nana grew up with her grandma instead of her mother (who actually abandoned her as an infant). Stubborn, strong-willed, Nana Omatsu is a girl who will do anything to fulfill her dreams of becoming a successful vocalist of her band.

At the end of their story in Volume 1, the two is shown planning to go to Tokyo.

First commentary will be on art. I've NEVER SEEN any manga characters as stylish and trendy as the characters of Nana. Ai Yazawa is someone to be envious about. The characters are all beautifully drawn. If you want to up your fashion sense, one should probably read this. (I don't really think much about what I wear but these girls make my eyes bulge out of jealousy.) On the story, I was a bit aghast reading about the first Nana (Komatsu). She actually pissed me off. She's annoying as hell. The only thing that saved me from throwing the book out of the window (I wouldn't do that anyway since this is not mine), was Nana Osaki. I like her character. And I love music (rock music).

IMO, the manga is worth redaing. Since it talks about growing up, mature decisions, love and pursuing dreams - Life itself. If you're tired of mangas with battles and saved the world theme, then this is worthy of your eyes and time.

What more I can say?

I'm having a trouble where to put this before- josei or shoujo. But I put it on josei eventually; I think though it isn't graphic as other joseis I'd read, the topics are still for mature audiences/readers. (less)

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Oct 27, 2012 Charlinda Jenkins rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-yaoi, favorites

Nana will forever be one of my favorite animes, movie, and manga. I love the character Nana (the rocker). She can be so calm and composed but underneath that tough exterior is someone who's vulnerable. I think the most epic part of this story is the relationship between Nana and Ren. I freakin love Ren!. He is so cool, sexy, sweet, sensitive, funny, and bad ass. They have the most unhealthy relationship, but are so meant for each other. Nana has a tough time accepting the way Ren makes her feel:...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Sara rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, current-fiction, library-book, manga, nana, series

We are introduced to 2 different girls in this manga. First, we meet Nana Komatsu, who is SO ANNOYING!! She falls instantly in love with every singly guy she comes across with. By the end of her storyline, she is in a long distance relationship with Shoji. Next, we meet Nana Osaki, who is in a punk band and is left by her boyfriend to pursue his dreams of fame. By the end of her storyline, she has been single for a while and ready to move to Tokyo. These girls haven't met yet, so we have quite a...more

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May 13, 2011 Elizabeth (Elizziebooks) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga, young-adult

Nana, Volume 1 is the first volume out of a 21 volume series written by Ai Yazawa. Volume 1 introduces us to Nana Kumatsu, Nana Osaki, and Junko (Nana Kumatsu’s best friend, she’s pretty much a bonus to the series). The manga shows us these three girls lives (but mainly the two Nanas). Nana Kumatsu is this melodramatic and quite boy crazy girl. She follows her heart and a lot of the time, it gets her into trouble. Nana Osaki is a very dark and serious personality. She’s the lead singer of her ba...more Nana, Volume 1 is the first volume out of a 21 volume series written by Ai Yazawa. Volume 1 introduces us to Nana Kumatsu, Nana Osaki, and Junko (Nana Kumatsu’s best friend, she’s pretty much a bonus to the series). The manga shows us these three girls lives (but mainly the two Nanas). Nana Kumatsu is this melodramatic and quite boy crazy girl. She follows her heart and a lot of the time, it gets her into trouble. Nana Osaki is a very dark and serious personality. She’s the lead singer of her band and is in love with one of the guitarists. Both girls have to make very big decisions as far as growing up and deciding whether or not to move to Tokyo.

The book is split in half as far as the stories of these girls, so it’s not flipping back and forth between the two characters. I thought that that was quite helpful as to not confuse the readers (even though the two Nanas are quite different in looks). That being said, both stories and plots were well written. There were times when Nana K would get really depressed and quite crazy, but it is explained quite well. Even though she has a bubbly personality, she’s had some very rough times. Nana O’s storyline was more sexual and more about her reaction to this boy leaving her for a bigger opportunity.

That doesn’t seem like much in the way of story, but this volume is more to introduce us to characters. That way, we get to know them a bit before the story really starts. I thought the overall writing was very well done. It hit some serious subjects but didn’t dwell on it too much so that it’s still a light read.

I liked the setting for Nana K. She was right in the middle of everything, which showed both how she was geographically and how she was psychologically.

I would recommend this volume to anyone in their late teens (16+) and beyond. There is some mature and serious content. I would also recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have patience for a novel but would like to start reading more. This manga had some good story and plot and character development, but it isn’t a long read (180 pages at most). Please be warned that you read manga right-to-left rather than how in English, we read left-to-right.

As far as rating, I was told by a few girls and a few guys that I would like this volume (and series). I would definitely give it a solid A (95/100). Seriously, good stuff. I’m considering reading at least a few more volumes.(less)

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Mar 29, 2012 Nate rated it 4 of 5 stars

I actually read the whole series, and will comment on that, not just Volume one.

What can I say? It's 6,000+ pages of relationship drama. The type of drama between young people that form deep and intense relationships in a short amount of time because those involved are flawed and somewhat broken.

I'm not that big a fan of the romance/drama genre itself. Mostly because trying to tell someones story in 300 or so pages tend to be truncated, confused or ham-fisted. NaNa, and really any Manga that ru...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Katia rated it 5 of 5 stars

J’ai découvert ce premier tome par curiosité, et je sais dès à présent que je poursuivrai cette série. Tout d’abord les graphismes m’ont beaucoup plus. J’ai trouvé les dessins bien finis, et le visuel des personnages m’a parlé.

Concernant le fond, j’ai bien aimé découvrir l’histoire de la première jeune fille, à savoir Nana Komatsu, cette jeune étudiante qui a du mal à comprendre les hommes. J’ai aimé son côté un peu désespéré, et perdue, tentant tant bien que mal de se raccrocher à son amie Jun....more

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Sep 18, 2012 Sakura Yue Michaelis rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: manga-josei

I guess I am not the josei type, cuz I did not like this manga too much. I heard, and read so many nice reviews about this... I even bought the anime, so I was eager to read the manga. Sadly, it was MEH to me.

There are two Nana in this story: one of them is a naive, silly girl who fells in love with any handsome man she meets, and the result is that she keeps getting her heart broken. The other Nana is a rocker girl, not naive, tougher in looks, but in reality, had her heart broken because her b...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Hugo Is Awesome rated it 5 of 5 stars

NANA MANGA!

Nana is a manga series about two 20 year-old woman with the same name (Nana) who live together but are completely different.

Nana Komatsu is trying to leave behind her old love-life and hav a fresh start, whilst Nana Osaki is trying to make it big as a rock and roll star. When the two meet on the train they quickly become friends and move in to an apartment together, different personalities aside.

This amazing manga was written by the genius mind of Ai Yazawa who also created Neighb...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

I remember trying to read this in middle school but didn't like it b/c of its explicit content and drawing style-guess that's why they have an OT rating. I picked it up again this year, and I'm glad I did because I love it. I love how the story is more complicated than most mainstream shojo nowadays, and how the characters have more developed personalities. Most of all I love how the story and dialogues have those cliche moments but while reading it, you don't realize its cliche-ness. It's proba...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Enni rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed Nana. Its very unique. The storyline really grab hold of you. I watched the anime but no ending so I went and read the manga hoping for a closure because it just cutted of. Then found out the manga doesn't end either (NoOoOo!) Searched online and found out the writers ill and don't know if she will ever return to finish it because its been so long!!! I check probably once a year when I remember to see if it up and running again but sadly still no new news about it. Its not your...more

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Mar 03, 2009 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 8z-manga-dropped, manga-total-volumes

I have been placing holds on various manga at my library so that I can try a variety of different series without hurting my wallet. The first volume of NANA came in, so I checked it out and read the first half last night. This series focuses on a life style that I have never lived. Because of some basic differences in my fundamental beliefs in how to conduct relationships, I find that I can't appreciate the story on very many levels. One of the draws of manga for me is the art, and I don't find...more

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May 28, 2012 Stargirl (Shoujo and YA Banter/Vocaloid Fanatic) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favorites, shoujo-manga

I love this manga. I was looking for more of Ai Yazawa's work since I loved Paradise Kiss and I found this :). Nana gives soooo many emotions, and deals with some pretty dark issues and is still a heart warming read. I love the characters and it seems like real life. :) The anime is good too!!! And I love that it's actually about music (unlike K-ON) and I love the art. Great series!!! I only hope Ms.Yazawa will continue the series, since I heard she isn't sick. The last chapter ended on a cliffh...more

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Jan 02, 2011 Mazohyst (Edel) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: beautiful-art, favourites, manga, teens, online-manga

Really amazing art. I'm in love with the outfits they wear. As for the actual story, it was a great way to start off the series. I'm kinda regretting the fact that I've only started reading this series now. Boy, I have been missing out on a lot! The characters seem a bit too stereotyped, at least, from first impression. Although I'm sure Nana Osaki has that girly side to her. The other Nana though, she seems like your typical ditzy teenaged girl. I'm really interested though to see where this wi...more

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May 14, 2009 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-class, teen

This is the first Manga I have read. Nana is about two different girls named Nana who are moving to Tokyo because their boyfriends are. The first Nana is blonde, a little ditzy, and has never had a guy just be a friend. The second Nana is the singer of a punk rock band where she met her boyfriend. It is the first in a series of these two girls. I would recommend this book and other graphic novels, manga and non-manga, to teens who might be hesitant to read. This particular manga would appeal mor...more

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About Ai Yazawa

Ai Yazawa (矢沢あい ,Yazawa Ai, born 1967-03-07 in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga author. Her pen name comes from Japanese singer Eikichi Yazawa, of whom she is a fan.

Yazawa started her manga publishing life in 1985; throughout 15 years of publishing, she wrote over 10 series in Ribon. While most of her manga continues to be published in Japan by Shueisha, publishers of Ribon and Cookie...more

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Trivia About Nana, Vol. 1

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Quotes from Nana, Vol. 1

“I wanted to have a good relationship. One that's romantic and dramatic, like in the movies. But I finally became a woman at 17 and learned that men aren't really that simple.” — 21 people liked it

“Laugh at love and love will make you cry.” — 16 people liked it

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avg rating	preview: Nana, Vol. 1 Goodreads rating: 4.17 (10979 ratings)
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Nana, Vol. 1 (Nana #1)

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