Nana

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

"Hey Nana, do you remember...?"

Nana "Hachi" Komatsu is a 20-year-old Genki Girl from the countryside with a bad habit of falling in love at first sight (with any man who glances in her direction). Nana Osaki is a 20-year-old punk rocker from a different small city, who's coming off a bad breakup with her boyfriend (and former bass player of her band). When "Hachi" decides to follow her boyfriend to Tokyo, and the other Nana heads there to start her music career, the two young women meet by chance on a snowbound train. They rent an apartment together several days later. Surprisingly realistic drama and an oddly romantic friendship ensues.

The manga Nana is technically Shoujo, but according to The Other Wiki, it's often been confused for Josei, and according to that same wiki, by 2005, it was the fourth best selling Shoujo manga. The first live action movie was the #2 film in Japan in 2005, behind only the latest film from Studio Ghibli. The anime ran for 47 episodes, and is licensed for distribution in North America.

Not to be confused with Shichinin no Nana.


Tropes used in Nana include:

Hachi: I wonder... who that girl was. You don't see anyone around here wearing a red dress anymore.

  • Looking for Love In All the Wrong Places: The big source of drama for.. well, almost everyone in the series.
  • Love Hurts: The result.
  • Meaningful Funeral: Averted. there are scenes with Ren in his coffin, scenes before the funeral and after the funeral but not really one single scene from the funeral itself.
  • Meaningful Name: Nana K. (Hachi) has a superstitious obsession with the number seven, believing that it brings bad luck. Two sevens in one place are particularly unlucky. "Nana" is the Japanese word for "seven" and she lives with another girl named Nana.
    • Also, their apartment number is 707.
  • The Messiah: Hachi can melt the hearts of even the toughest people.
  • The Mistress: Hachi, surprisingly, during her high school years.
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye: Nana to Ren
  • No Fourth Wall: An entire scene in episode 15 makes heavy references to the production of the show, and has minor cast members discussing when they get time off (during sweeps)... and worrying about the show being canceled if "Hachi" were to kill herself.
    • The manga is possibly even worse (or better, depending on your point of view) in this respect. The Nana's regularly ask the author to hurry up boring scenes, and at one point castigate her for overusing number seven-related symbolism.
  • Noodle People: Almost everyone. More noticeable in the manga.
  • Odd Couple
  • One Steve Limit: The aversion of this is the idea from where it all kicks off.
  • Operation: Jealousy: It's heavily implied that this is why Reira started going out with Yasu in high school.
  • Opposites Attract
  • Perky Goth
  • Red String of Fate
  • Romantic Two-Girl Friendship
  • Secret Relationship: Takumi/Hachi and Shin/Reira
  • Seven Is Nana: The whole premise.
  • Sex Changes Everything: For pretty much everyone
  • Ship Sinking: Well... Ren is dead.
  • Smoking Is Cool: Everybody except Hachi and Reira.
    • And Nobu.
  • Smug Snake: Takumi.
  • Snow Means Death
  • Special Edition Title
  • Sprouting Ears: Nana K is often shown with dog ears and the dog comparison is discussed among the characters. It's part of the origin behind her nickname Hachi.
  • Stepford Smiler: Almost the entire cast, though particularly Hachi, Reira, Shin, Yasu and Misato.
  • Stockholm Syndrome: All but outright stated-- once by Hachi, in relation to being Takumi's wife and once by Takumi himself, while referring to his relationship with Reira.
  • Team Mom: Hachi, who is usually the childish one in most of her relationships, is actually quite motherly towards the members of Blast (with the exception of Yasu, who is this type of character himself), even before she finds out she's pregnant. Afterwards, it only increases especially in regard to her taking care of Nana after Ren's death in the current story arc. Shin even starts referring to her as his mother.
  • Theme Tune Cameo
  • Those Two Guys: In-universe, Takumi mentions that most people only know him and Naoki as "The long haired guy and the blond guy"
  • Tomboy and Girly Girl: Nana Osaki is the tomboy, Nana Komatsu is the girly-girl.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Yasu dealing with the paparazzi and the media circus around Nana O and Ren's relationship in episode 39 of the anime. Twice.
    • "Instead of looking in other people's gardens, make sure your own flowers bloom". --Badass Walk--
  • Unlimited Wardrobe: Pretty much everybody, but especially Hachi.
    • Justified, since the author originally went to school for fashion design before becoming a mangaka.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: Reira, who unfortunately suffers from a lot of UST because of it.
  • Wham! Episode: Episode 30, where Hachi finds out she's pregnant. And then it doesn't let up for a good half-dozen episodes.
  • Who's Your Daddy?: Hachi's pregnancy in the current storyline-- nobody's sure if Little Ren is (biologically) Takumi's or Nobu's, and some fans aren't even sure if his mother is really Hachi. Given the unclear age difference between him and Satsuki, he might even be Reira's.
  • Yoko Oh No