Thread by @MeruemGoat, I have rewatched 11 out of 47 Nana episodes as of writing [...]

I have rewatched 11 out of 47 Nana episodes as of writing this thread (I plan on rewatching the entire thing).

For those that aren't familiar with the story of Nana, here's the basic plot (no spoilers):

[Anilist]

1) Komatsu Nana moves to Tokyo, following her boyfriend Shouji to gain a life she has always dreamed of. On a train bound for Tokyo, she meets Osaki Nana, the vocalist for the punk rock band "Blast", also moving to Tokyo to achieve her dreams of becoming a professional

2) Sharing the same name, the two of them perhaps through a twist of fate, ended up becoming flatmates in Tokyo, where together they support each other through each of their love lives and careers.

I haven't stopped thinking about this series for days. Saying that this show gave me an existential crisis seems accurate. I remember it having a similar impact when I watched it 1.5 yrs ago, but the effect has certainly multiplied w/ new experiences & knowing what happens later.

The writing in this series is absolutely masterful. The nuance and care that has been put into setting up and developing an ever-growing cast of characters have made them grow into something new entirely. They don't feel forced or fictional, they feel real. And that is the crux,-

and the most terrifying thing about Nana. The feelings, thought processes, decisions, and mistakes of these characters are very human and natural, so much so that you could feel yourself falling into the same mistakes any one of the cast members made.

[spoiler alert]

This series has two main characters, Nana Osaki ('Nana') and Nana Komatsu ('Hatchi').

Hatchi is a very simple-minded girl, sweet and naive in her way of thinking, with no real dreams aside from becoming a bride. She has always been boy-crazy, love-at-first-sight type of girl.

It's her second nature, and she doesn't do it on purpose. She is simply, as Nana put it, 'like a dog' - "You stick around all-friendly and sincere, but you require a lot of caring" (ep8).

Hatchi has a lot of emotional needs and is heavily dependent on whoever she attaches herself to. She doesn't attach herself to the person, but to the concept of having a bf or a rich husband who will provide for her & fulfill her fantasies about having a traditional family life.

It would also not be weird to assume that this is why she tends to fall in love with older men, who give off a sense of security and reliability.

It's why her emotions are often shallow and flimsy.

Her crushes are based on convenience, she falls in love with whoever is the nearest, which led her to a myriad of failed attempts at getting into a relationship, & to a lot of heartbreak.

However, as I've mentioned before, malice isn't the driver for Hatchi's decisions.

It's naivety mixed w/ selfishness, both most likely stemming from growing up in a loving and nurturing family, with no real struggles or dreams to pursue.

These two things make an individual independent and strong-willed, but Hatchi's only real struggle in life has been linked-

to men and relationships, which is why they have been the center of her worry and development as a person. They define her and her goals in life.

This will become very apparent when she [spoilers for the second half of the series in the next two tweets]

becomes pregnant and is forced to make a choice between being with the man she is in love with and a man who she slept and became pregnant with. The former is a sweet boy who has been nothing but loving and supporting of Hatchi, but the latter is rich and practical.

He offers her a deal she cannot refuse given her current character development, a luxurious life without worry, as long as she decides to marry him and have his child. Hatchi ultimately takes the offer, cementing her as someone who would do anything for her dream of being a wife.

The other protagonist of the series, Nana, is the polar opposite of Hatchi. She's grown up with no parents to speak of, raised by a grandmother who worked her to bits and limited her behavior (i.e. wearing 'girly' and 'seductive' colors like red and pink was forbidden).

Depressed and with no clear path ahead of her, Nana was lost. Until she meet Ren - a charismatic rock guitarist, who invited her to his band. The two developed an unbreakable bond, based on desire. Both had no family, and they quenched their loneliness with each other.

However, unlike Hatchi, Nana grew up independent, with a great desire for freedom. For her, freedom is everything. Therefore, after losing the stability and comfort she found in living with Ren, she doesn't chase after him as Hatchi went after Shoji.

She knew that going after him would doom her life to being chained as a housewife. Instead, she is aware of her weaknesses and purposely waits to improve her skills as a vocalist, while waiting for her opportunity to make it in Tokyo as an independent musician.

Freedom is the first main aspect of Nana's personality, and the other is control. Growing up with no family and nowhere to call home, Nana feels an extreme urge to control the people around her.

Just like Hatchi's shallowness, Nana doesn't do this out of malice or ill will. It gives her a feeling of stability and comfort.

We first see this when she decides to put a necklace with a lock on Ren (literally), a lock to which only she has the key.

Necklaces are generally perceived as a symbol of deep commitment, and in certain cultural interpretations, a chain. But this wasn't enough for Nana. She added another layer of bounds, so Ren can never be fully anyone else's but Nana's.

To further prove her point, she does a tattoo of a lotus, also read as "Ren" in Japanese. This shows the depth of her commitment and attachment to Ren, to the point of engraving his presence on herself permanently.

What may be less known is that, in tattoo art circles, getting a tattoo of your lover is very frowned upon, as it poses a risk of having to go through a painful removal process in case of a breakup.

Although it's never outright said, Nana's behavior shows that she knows no boundaries (or pays them no mind) when it comes to Ren. She has devoted herself to him completely, and expects the same from him (shown in metaphorically "locking him away" from the rest of the world).

[SPOILER in this and next two tweets] Another case where we saw Nana's need for control was when her relationship with Hatchi was threatened by Takumi Ichinose, Hatchi's abusive husband. He's someone outside of her trusted circle of friends, an outsider, who's taking Hatchi away-

from Nana, making her lose yet another close friend and drives her further into loneliness. Nobu points this out, saying that Nana is "extremely protective of her garden", where everything is within her grasp, & where she feels safe.

But once Hatchi leaves her garden and thus "abandoning" Nana, she feels betrayed and angry, and falls into deep despair.

'Nana' is a character-based story. The main drive are friend, romantic and professional relationships between the members of the cast, primarily those surrounding our two protagonists. Naturally, most analyses I've seen on this series are based on the two main characters.

This makes sense as there is so much material to cover, especially given the nuance and detail the creators put into it.

However, 'Nana' is, for me, also a story about context and the impact our surroundings can have on us.

Nana and Hatchi have the same name, are the same age, they arrived in Tokyo at the same time, living in the same apartment. However, they have had different life experiences, which shaped them into different people.

Both of them have their insecurities and goals, but they way they handle their problems is completely different.

This is, in part, due to the differences in their support network. Hatchi is more open than Nana (we see her telling her entire life story to anyone who's willing-

to listen), and finds no shame in asking for financial, emotional or other types of help. Her close friend-group are more of caretakers than just friends. They're always guiding and criticizing her actions, to the point of acting like her 2nd parents (Junko & Kyosuke especially).

Nana tends to be more closed-off, and her only real support is Yasu, who's always there to help, but he never really questions her decisions. He merely helps her achieve her goals. It is also later revealed that [SPOILER in the next tweet]

he is in love w/ Nana, but never attempted to approach her out of respect for his best friend Ren. It is also explained that Nana knows about Yasu's feelings, and about the source of his attachment, but she is very appreciative of this sole, firm source of stability in her life.

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