Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
PFarc
Honestly one of the worst anime I’ve watched, especially considering how much people hype it up.
The story isn’t really that unique. It’s basically messy relationships, cheating, bad decisions, jealousy, dependency, and people making their own lives worse over and over again. Some people call that “realistic,” but after a while it just felt repetitive and exhausting to me.
The art style fits the series and I can admit the fashion and overall aesthetic are probably one of the strongest parts. It definitely has its own identity visually.
The characters do have flaws and strengths, so they’re not badly written in that sense, but most of them became more annoying than interesting for me. A lot of the drama comes from people refusing to communicate, making obviously terrible choices, then cr…
Read at the sourcekittilivia
Took me a little over a month to finish Nana, an enjoyable ride. The anime plays out almost like a slice-of-life genre, following the daily lives of the two opposite Nana's close friendship alongside their lives taking different directions.
Originally, what I heard of this anime was that it was a Yuri anime. Surprisingly, that's really only hinted at / popularly shipped, with some good reasoning behind it. It has an emotional and bittersweet feeling, where episodes usually start off with a happy vibe and end on a more gloomy note, making you wonder what's next, and why the Nana's are reminiscing about the episodes we just watched in the past tense.
I found this anime to be an extremely easy watch and kept wanting more. I loved the interaction and bond between the characters, the music, a…
Read at the sourcejjenerationall
Nana is possibly one of the most realistic animes I've seen. What makes this anime special is how all the characters are very unique and struggle with many different things, and how all of their problems shape their dynamic. The main characters Hachi and Nana both have very different approaches to conflict, and seeing how they clash because of their different viewpoints creates a great story.
Hachi is a naive 20-year-old who doesn't have it all figured out but knows that she wants to be loved. However, Hachi's self-image issues and confidence levels impact the way she desires to be love and how she gives love. I believe her desperate desire for affection in a romantic sense makes for a really interesting character with a lot of interesting conflict.
Nana is a 20-year-old who puts on a f…
Read at the sourcegirlnextdo_0r
my best friend, nana, introduced me to this nana. after gave it a watch, i must say that these two reminds me of me and my best friend so much) we both have 'na' in our names)
having and maintaining platonic relationship with your best friend is really hard when you reach adulthood. at the start, it felt euphoric meeting someone that enjoys the things you enjoy, laughs at the things you laugh at, and suddenly your problems went away. then, you start breaking down your walls and maybe we crossed boundaries. sometimes we get disappointed with choices they made, the slow shift, the fights, the make ups, it is all needed in order to grow and stay together. and sometimes, the best answer is to move on. ah, i just love this anime. i hope me and my nana stay together forever.
and ya, i just wa…
Read at the sourceKino55
First off I haven't read any of the manga so I don't know how the story continues after the anime's run. There isn't too much to spoil, but I'll try to avoid the few main plot pivots. Tears will be shed early and tears will be shed late. Thank you NaNas.
Our cast consists mostly of Nana's band-mates, Trapnest, the somewhat rival band, and Hachi and her friends. For ease I will refer to Oosaki as Nana and Komatsu as Hachi. You could also give a honorable mention to the character "cigarettes" because man, I don't think I've seen a show with more smoking. lol This makes the drummer for trapnest the most irrelevant character to the story. He knows Yasu, he's kinda around sometimes.. That's it. He loses to cigarettes..lol
The best things about this show are the humor, art, characters, and the…
Read at the sourceImXolotL
Its a very serious anime, romance is good, comedy wont make you laugh your ass off but wont bore you either, main character is a woman but that is not a bad thing for this one(male writers cant pull this thing off mostly) characters are well written too they serve their purpose
and for the bad parts story opens up slowy dont wait for a thing to happen for the first 10 chapters they get you familiar with the characters and make you feel empathy for them similar to clannad but after those 10 chapters it really opens up you can trust me, you wont like it if you are looking for a jolly and fast paced anime keep it later if you are looking for a anime like those.
its my first review but Im confident about the things I said, ITS DEFINITELY A MUST WATCH but dont start to it if its not the right…
Read at the sourcekiwisamariti
I'm crying with the end off this anime because i will never experience something like nana again;
The writing, the style, the music, everything, this is definitly the best shoujo anime i will ever have had watched.
I feel like all the time in my life that i've spend not watching this magnum opus was a waste but also i'm glad that i didn't watch nana when i was younger or had less knowledge about shoujo anime, having media litteracy and knowing about punk and vivianne wastwood (and a bit of japanese) definitely improved my experience with nana a LOT.
The way that ai yazawa wrote the main cast is so extraordinary this anime blew my mind im so glad i consume art i feel like I'm gonna have blast, (haha get it) the moment i start to read manga and look closely at ai yazawa art. tho i've hea…
Read at the sourceThoftt
"Hey, Nana. No matter how much or how often people hurt each other, loving someone is never a waste."
Nana is a story that I really think hits home with a lot of people. Its portrayal of love is very realistic, and it really shows that love, is often met with a bunch of bullshit. That you need to deal with it, and that it really never is just rainbows and sunshine.
The characters are very deep in the sense that, there often is a lot of reason behind the choices they make, and I think helps them become very understandable and real. Even tho, there are specific characters that I think maybe are stupid, or make dumb decisions, I find myself understanding where they are coming from and therefor not hating or finding them out of place from the story.
I also want to talk about the music, bec…
Read at the sourceOrn84
Incredibly moving, a true masterpiece.
The beginning is fairly slow-paced, with simple and lovable characters, but little by little, the anime takes a much more interesting turn. The character development becomes increasingly complex, with breathtaking flashbacks.
The author portrays all the complexity of being a woman through deeply emotional situations that are, unfortunately, very close to reality.
The ending is so abrupt and sad that I looked up information about the author. I learned that she had been hospitalized due to illness, which put Nana on indefinite hiatus. At the same time, that ending feels painfully realistic: we all wish we could rewrite our own story, but that’s not always possible, and this anime throws that truth right in your face.
I truly think that watching these ep…
Read at the sourcearsenal9802
How young we were, and how foolish we were.
This is one of those cases where I ended up skipping a truly magnificent anime. It’s not just a breath of fresh air — it’s like an entire oxygen room where you can enjoy the most important thing: simply breathing. And every action here breathes with life. What they do may be illogical, absurd, or, on the contrary, correct and structured — but it all feels alive. We’re human — we act strangely, we all have our own quirks, our own stories, our own drama, our own happiness. And that’s exactly what draws you in: it’s ambiguous, and therefore it feels real.
For some reason, I get strong 2000s vibes from it, with their romantic dramas — but it’s not actually from there. It’s more like an image from my childhood, when I caught this genre already on it…
Read at the sourceCydnee
It has such great character building, the relationships and dialogue are real and beautiful. It's also funny, tender and cruel which would make for the most amazing show if it wasn't so infuriating with such dissatisfying conclusions. If you like to be kept on your tippy toes then this will definitely do it for you. I can see why the ending could be seen as beautiful in its own way but for me it did not hit the spot and it felt really awful, like all the happiness and sadness it made me feel up until the end was for nothing.
Read at the sourcejaekyungssgf
Okay but no one prepared me for how hard Nana was going to hit.
I started it thinking it was just going to be some cute early-2000s anime about friendship and music… and it literally emotionally destroyed me in the best way possible.
First of all, the fact that there are two girls named Nana? Iconic. But they’re COMPLETE opposites. Nana Osaki is this punk rock, emotionally guarded, “I don’t need anyone” type, and Nana Komatsu (Hachi) is soft, romantic, and lowkey delusional about love. And somehow their friendship feels more intense than most romance stories. Like you can actually feel how much they need each other.
The music?? Especially with Blast and Trapnest?? It makes everything feel 10x more dramatic. The whole vibe is so raw and real. It doesn’t romanticize love in a cringe way i…
Read at the sourceak1601
Nana is honestly one of the most beautiful yet emotionally exhausting anime I’ve ever watched.
At first, it feels like a simple story about friendship, love, and chasing dreams. However, the deeper you get, the heavier it becomes. This anime doesn’t romanticise adulthood or relationships. Instead, it shows how messy, painful, and complicated growing up can be. There were moments that were genuinely hard to watch, not because they were shocking, but because they felt real.
What makes Nana so special is its characters. Both Nanas feel incredibly human, each dealing with life in completely different ways. Their friendship sits at the heart of the series, and watching them navigate love, independence, heartbreak, and ambition feels raw and honest. No one in this show is perfect, everyone mak…
Read at the sourcenana975
This anime broke my heart, but it'll remain in my heart. It's not a coincidence that my username is based off of it. I really like both Nanas, at some point I felt like I could relate to them. And don't get me started on the soundtrack. While I really love the songs, some of them are a real tearjerker, because it reminded me of my partner. I was about to drop it after the first half because it was at times very depressing, but I managed to watch the whole thing, and I don't regret it. I recommend it, but with caution, because like some people said, it shows what reality is like, not all sunshine and rainbows, not black and white, that there isn't always a happy end and it is a huuge rollercoaster.
P.S : I have Hachi's ringtone as my ringtone xddd
Read at the sourcekozad
TL;DR - Hey, Nana... There are plenty of actual reviews of the show already, so instead of a review, I'll write a raving recommendation.
If you are new to anime, this is always on my list of "Anime is for grownups too. Here, watch this first."
This anime is a overlooked masterpiece, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop, Trigun, Full Metal Alchemist, Death Note, and Monster... Sure, it's nothing *like* those anime, but it's just as deserving of your time.
Many slice-of-life anime tend to be great and relatable. Drama and romance anime? Less so because there is conflict and drama just to have conflict and drama. Nana straddles all three genres without breaking a sweat. And although the show never addresses mental health directly, it does play a la…
Read at the sourceBlossomBrain
People who have never been abounded and had it all together in some way or another, can't relate to this story. And it is okay for them to not to. Nana showed me no matter where you are coming from and whatever you are doing isn't important. At the end of day you can never have anyone all for yourself and everyone suffers because of it in different ways. People might detach from the characters because of their fame, but it still doesn't matter. They all have a goal at the of the day and i loved how Ai Yazawa reflected their goal. It is the same goal but all go through it differently. To end their loneliness, to be loved and chosen by somebody. Every single character suffered from it no matter how different they were from each other. That's why we can never know someone's inner world unless…
Read at the sourcevagabvnd
To simply put it, Nana was a beautifully written anime. It was simple, and many scenes didn't need words to describe or help the viewer really feel the weight of a character's emotions, their dynamics, or situations. My first experience of a Ai Yazawa anime was Paradise Kiss. I knew about Nana first but initially hesitated to watch due to people's complaints of how heartbreaking it was. They weren't lying. However, I believe that although it left me emotionally wrecked, it was also realistic, and I truly believe everyone should watch it once in their lives because the sadness you feel after is pleasantly bittersweet.
first review! I write simply, I don't even have much experience with writing in general.. I'm a sophomore and I just have a deep passion for anime, and always end them with m…
Read at the sourceManjirin
Nana is one of the more realistic depictions of friendships, relationships, and the growth journey through life, and not just by anime standards. The characters are written in such a believable and authentic way to the point that even when you get to the more frustrating parts of the story, and you will - you'll often find yourself more frustrated with the characters themselves, as if they are real people than you are with the series creators or writers. These feel like fully realized and, by extension, flawed people. Especially the two leads, and this helps the anime establish a sense of groundedness and trust between the story and the viewer, forming the basis upon which captivating drama can be canvased.
The series can be admittedly very melodramatic at points, which isn't necessarily…
Read at the sourcenebraskies
Re-Watching Nana felt like opening an old photo album I didn’t even know I still kept. It was one of those anime I watched when I was little, and I thought: “Damn, the fashion, the style, the songs are so cool.” But I didn’t really understand it back then. Now, as an adult, I can only think about the pain, the situations, how everything fits together, and how much I relate to it.
Each episode brings me flashes of my teenage years: the way I used to dream, how I dressed, the streets I imagined walking, and even those loves that hurt more than they should have. The fashion, the music, the glances… everything.
The two Nanas aren’t just characters — they’re reflections of the opposite sides we all carry: the one who dreams of a bright future, and the one who struggles not to fall apart insid…
Read at the sourceJennyUltraMotive
Never have I seen such a realistic depiction of flawed individuals. Nana was incredibly easy to immerse myself in, hoping that these people would come through for eachother and live a better life after struggling through their mistakes. There are a lot of characters from shows, games, and movies that I rooted for, but the way I wanted the best for these people felt like I was in the friend group myself, which is not easy to do. Nana is brutally real, and these people feel real. Not only that, the aesthetic is beautiful. From the music, to the clothes, the punk-rock style is not only unique for anime, but accurate.
I have no real gripes with Nana other than things not going how I wanted them to, but that’s how life is. Sometimes things don’t work out, but that’s doesn’t mean that you can’t…
Read at the source
