No way am I spoiling this.

From the back cover:
Hachi’s happiness with Nobu is slipping through her fingers as an unexpected complication with Takumi threatens to upend her entire life. And unlike her past romantic woes, the choice she makes now will change the lives of everyone around her.

Review:
I knew this was coming for one of the Nanas (stupid article was just supposed to have only general comments about series, dangit!), but it’s pretty horrible all the same. I have zero sympathy for unplanned pregnancy woes—people are freakin’ morons if they don’t consider the consequences of their actions—but I can’t deny this makes for the big drama, and just when Hachi was on the verge of happiness. I sometimes wonder why I like series like this and things by Whedon, when I so desperately want the characters I love to be happy. I should know it’s never gonna happen.

Anyway, we get to see most things unfold through Nana’s point of view, which is fabulous. This time, the retrospective narration seems to be hers, though it’s similar to what has gone before, like she and Hachi are thinking the same things at the same time without knowing it. Maybe if something has happened to part them, then both are regretting it from whatever future point they’re speaking from. If the series ends with a tearful reunion between two middle-aged ladies, I am going to bawl my eyes out. It already makes me sniffly to see how intensely Nana loves Hachi without the latter being aware of it.

In a scene both terrible and awesome, Takumi comes to see Hachi, finds out she’s pregnant, and promptly calls Nobu to inform him. During the aftermath, when Nobu asks whether she really broke things off with Takumi before coming to him, she doesn’t say she did. The explanation for this initially confusing act is given later, when Junko figures out that Nana did that on purpose to get Nobu to leave. If he knew she really hadn’t been two-timing him, he’d want to help her, would probably give up on the band and take over the family hotel to be able to provide for her and the baby, and she couldn’t ask him to do that for another man’s child.

Nana is particularly upset by the news, because it means it could take Hachi out of her life, the very thing she most wants to avoid. She desperately tries to convince Nobu to claim the baby as his. I find her actions here fascinating, and because the character has been so well-established, her motivations are obvious throughout. And man, this bit makes me teary:

Hey, Hachi… I wanted to keep you chained to me, even if I had to put a collar on you. I was afraid of myself, so I always kept a little distance between us. I still can’t make friends very easily. I’m still… scared.

Artwise, my favorite part was a juxtaposition of this story with the efforts of Blast to obtain a recording contract with a major label. Shin, having an illicit smoke break in the bathroom of the said label, overhears a conversation that implies Blast won’t get much support and will face attempts to change their look and sound. As the dream of a major label deal goes down the drain, he watches his cigarette swirl in the toilet. The bottom half of the page is Hachi being sick, her own dreams spiraling away in similar fashion. I dunno, maybe it’s kind of crude, but I thought it made the point well.

I kind of dread where the story is going to go from here, because it seems like Hachi might end up marrying Takumi and the thought of her and Nobu never being together again is too sad to contemplate. I have some hope that things are going to work out to my liking, though it’s but a wee sliver.

Still too good to spoil, even fractionally.

From the back cover:
Hachi was happy to be Blast’s biggest cheerleader, but now that the band is taking off, she’s discovering that there are hordes of fans eager to take her place. At the same time, her involvement with Trapnest hottie Takumi is turning into a romantic entanglement she hadn’t expected. When a chance for another kind of happiness presents itself, will Hachi be strong enough to face the difficult choices that result?

Review:
Ai Yazawa excels at hitting the emotional high notes, no doubt, and I love how the plot turns in this volume. But even more, I appreciate the small moments that are included. For example, after Nobu and Hachi have talked some about their feelings, there’s a prolonged scene of awkwardness between them where they wonder what’s going on, where they’re going to go from here, what the other person is thinking. I think many mangaka would skip over that period of uncertainty, but Yazawa handles it perfectly.

On the surface, this would seem to be a happy volume. Hachi finally (ineptly) ditches Takumi, with whom there was no potential of love, and begins a relationship with Nobu. She seems to’ve learned from the Shoji experience and is willing to really give of herself rather than merely expect and accept adoration. Those two are ideally suited and I am happy to see them paired up, but I’m worried, because Takumi doesn’t realize it’s really over and I have a feeling he’s going to be making trouble.

Underneath, though, things are rather sad. Hachi says, towards the beginning, “I didn’t want to make you all mine. I just wanted you to need me, Nana.” And at the end, we learn that Nana does. She nudged Nobu and Hachi together all with the purpose of keeping Hachi in her life. The tragic part is that Hachi doesn’t know and would be oh so happy if she did. I’ve really liked the last few volumes and their focus on Hachi, but now I want to see what’s up with Nana and her possessiveness issues. A couple of her bandmates talk about it, so maybe that means it’s going to be dealt with further later on.

About the only complaint I could make is that there’s no translation note to explain why the band is referred to as Blast in the text but as Black Stones at the venue or on a celebratory cake Hachi bakes. There might’ve been one in the first volume, but it’d be good to have a reminder.

Lastly, I still love the retrospective narration but it’s another cause for concern. There are a couple of quotes that hint of ominous things to come, like

The feelings I professed that night remain unfaded in my heart. Just don’t ever forget the shining dreams we had back then.

and

So I’m still calling your name…no matter how much it hurts… until you answer me.

Holy crap, what’s gonna happen?! I haven’t been this worried or happy or scared for a set of characters in a long time, and I’m really loving it. NANA is a bloody masterpiece.

This is the kind of stuff one just doesn’t spoil.

From the back cover:
Nana’s band Blast is taking off in a big way—from sold-out club dates to a record label waving a contract at them. But the Trapnest menace still lurks, stealing away everything she cares for. Trapnest took her boyfriend, and even though Ren is back in her life, his band still comes first. And now her trusty sidekick Hachi is being lured away by Trapnest bassist Takumi. But this time, Nana won’t give up without a fight!

Review:
There’s a lot of complicated emotional stuff going on in this volume, some of it explained and some left to the reader to interpret. The major issue at hand is how the others see Hachi and the way that Hachi sees herself.

Everyone learns that Hachi slept with Takumi, thanks to his casual admission. They all assume she must love him, because they can’t fathom her doing that otherwise. The boys defend her. Nana is initially shocked to see them together, but quickly begins rationalizing it. She even covers for him and doesn’t tell Hachi about some rude things he said about her. Still, it puts a wedge between them and she spends most of the volume staying with Ren.

Nobu, spurred by the situation with Takumi, confesses his love to Hachi. But he’s another one with an idealistic vision of her, and though she’s positive she’d be happier in the kind of relationship he could offer, she still can’t break free of Takumi. I was having trouble understanding why she’d do that, but something she thought later made it clear—it’s because Takumi is the only one who gets that she is not so pure and innocent. He knows exactly how empty she is inside.

This is all incredibly deep stuff! Even though the relationship with Takumi is trouble, I’m still fascinated to see one of the heroines go through such a dark journey. I want to see her come out of it and pursue something healthier. She admitted several volumes ago that she was kind of playing up the naïveté because she wanted Nana to like her; I’d like to see her dismiss that, too, and just be herself. That may be the only thing that’ll bring Nana home again.

I love that the plot is completely secondary to the emotional journey of the characters. I’m torn, though, ‘cos I want them to get their happy ending soon, and I highly doubt that is going to happen.

From the back cover:
Nana K. is going home—for an awesome Trapnest concert! She drags Nana O. along, convinced that somehow Ren will sense his ex-flame in the audience. But life is never that easy, and Nana O. isn’t sure if she even wants Ren back. As for Nana K., is she prepared for Trapnest to come down off the stage and into her life, or will her fangirl attitude land her in a heap of trouble?

Review:
It’s rather hard to review this series without giving away all the plot developments, and they’re really too good to spoil. The volume picks up where the last left off, with the girls in the front row at the concert, Nana O. seeing Ren for the first time in years. I really like how things turn out with the two of them.

The latter half of the volume is Nana K.’s turn (I think I’m just going to start calling her Hachi, because everyone in the story does). She’s lost and making bad decisions, drawn to Nana’s glittering life because her own is such a mess. She’s mature enough to know that ultimately, her actions will lead her to feel pain, but she’s trying to live for the moment and put thoughts of tomorrow out of her head. I love how Yazawa is able to portray that she’s changed since we first met her, but do it in a subtle manner. She’s still got lots of issues and things to work out, but she’s not quite as naive as she sometimes pretends to be.

I continue to be madly in love with the technique of interposing real life images into the panels. My favorite is the use of some real office furniture at Hachi’s workplace. Simply seeing a real chair at her workstation makes it seem like there really could be a young woman like her out there someplace. I haven’t experienced anything like that with any other manga.

NANA manages to be entertaining, moving, realistic, and funny all while boasting some damned great art. This is not one to miss.