Product Description

Based on the popular manga by Ai Yazawa, NANA follows the adventures of two girls both named Nana. While they share the same name, they couldn't be more different. Nana "Hachi" Komatsu follows her boyfriend to Tokyo in hopes to make a new start, while Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, is a punk rock beauty who has an ambition to make it big in the world of rock and roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends.

English subtitles

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25836 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-08
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Animated, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: Japanese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 114 minutes

Customer Reviews

"Even now, I keep calling your name..."
Okay, I haven't read the manga this is based on so I don't know how accurately it follows the storyline. However, I really liked this movie. It's about two girls who both share the name Nana but are very very different. There is Nana played by Aoi Miyazaki who is cute, needy, and a bit immature. Then there is the singer Nana played by Mika Nakashima (a singer in real life) who is a fiercely independent member of a rock band trying to work her way up to fame. They end up living together and learn and grow from each other. Some people may find it frustrating that Miyazaki's character can be so timid and weak or how her romantic relationship is dealt with. However, I think it is essential when watching this movie to know that this is in a different culture and so the gender roles are slightly different. Keeping that in mind, this is a great story about two drastically different girls' close friendship.

great combination of life, love, and rock and roll
I am not really into j-movies but one of my friends recommended this movie. I love this film! such a great cast as well. I became a fan of Aoi Miyazaki she is such a talented actress- I think one of the reasons why this film rocks is because of Aoi and her smile which tugs the core of the heart. The chemistry between Mika and Aoi is incredible that while watching the movie you can feel their sorrow and difficulties.. The scenes between these two characters are very well done without going over the top or dramatic.. The Nana 2 is a let down because Aoi is not in the cast anymore..her presence was truly missed..

The soundtrack is so cool! (mind you I don't speak a word of japanese, but I love the j-alternative type of music in the film.)

Ear Candy
Nana opens with the band Blast, short for Black Stones, performing in the frigid confines of Northern Japan. Feeling that that the band has grown beyond its confines in Northern Japan, the guitarist Nobu suggests that the band is ready to head to Tokyo. However, although it seems that some members are ready for the move, they are not quite ready to go together.

A short time later, a bubbly, cute girl named Komatsu Nana boards a train on her way to Tokyo. On the train she meets Osaki Nana, the vocalist of Black Stones. While they have literally nothing in common with one another they share a long conversation albeit one in which Nana K. does all of the talking. The viewer learns that Nana K is going to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend Shoji while Nana O is striking out on her own as a musician. When Nana K meets her boyfriend and mutual friends at the station, the two Nanas part ways, but after Shoji makes it clear to Nana K that she is to find her own job and apartment, the two chance upon each other again when they both think about renting the same apartment. Eventually, the two decide to become roommates and an odd bond is struck up between the two girls: one is very dependent and outgoing while the other is fiercely independent and withdrawn, but they soon come to depend on each other while growing as people.

I am generally hesitant watching films that are based upon long, and especially ongoing, manga series because I feel that there is quite a chance that I will neither fully comprehend the film or that the filmic version will be extraordinarily watered down in comparison to the comic version. The characters of Nana K, Nana O, and Ren, Nana O's love interest, are decently fleshed out, although they seem to be a bit static at times stuck in a stiff image of their character types. Other characters are quite one dimensional but more due to the brevity of the film than that of the director, since, for the most part, the target audience would already be familiar with the story from their readings of the manga.

A decently fun film with catchy J-pop music, Nana would certainly appeal to those interested in the comic series or series of a similar scope. However, for others who are not quite familiar with the world of the film and who have little interest in Japanese pop music, the film might come off as nothing but a bag of clichés and tooth decaying sweetness.