Nana

To everyone telling the ending wasn't good: This isn't even an ending, it's just the mid part of the anime. This show needs a season 2 to answer many questions of audience.

Now to enjoy this show thoroughly, you must read manga so you will understand what ending is going to lead to(coz manga was halted halfway due to writer's health issues). Only some chapters feel missing in manga and many things seem to be sorted out. Go watch this anime, read manga and you will have experienced one of the most mature and realistic show.

This show absolutely BROKE ME. I had never cried while watching a movie or tv show before until I watched this show, afterwards I had to sit in silence and just sob for like a half hour. It's so incredibly beautiful and the characters are so dynamic and relatable. I saw so much of myself in Hachi and it made me take a longer look at the people I fall in love with and spend my time around. It's beautiful and I love it, but I'm going to need a serious recovery period before I even consider watching it again. It's such a painful but stunning piece of art, and the music gave me chills. I'm so grateful that it came into my life when it did.

When most people watch anime, they want the typical action adventure underdog shonen plotline. If your like most guys and only like the mainstream stuff then this isn't your cup of tea. No. Nana is the cup of coffee I need every morning. This show is an emotional rollercoaster. As the first few episodes will give you more into the characters background and later on it gets more and more intriguing. I'll admit it was painful to watch because it was so realistic. Yes, you might get annoyed with hachiko for being dependent and clingy but I'll admit I do know girls that are like that. Nobody's perfect. We all have flaws. What do most of us in our 20s do? Smoke, drink, breakups. Nana does perfect that. There aren't much anime like Nana. Thats because most romantic dramas get adopted to live action series because its more suited to real life or it just stays as manga series only.

This anime tore into me deep. I related so greatly to the characters, I felt almost as if the things they experienced, were also happening to me. Particularly, the relationship between the two protagonists, left me shocked. There were so many moments that were poignant and sorrowful and others that were pronounced and light. While watching, I couldn't help but wince as characters made bad decisions, but I also understood them and saw myself making them as well. I will say I am saddened by the long hiatus from the manga and show as the creator Ai Yazawa is ill. I do hope that they animate the panels from the manga that haven't been animated yet, because there is quite a big event towards the last published release. A criticism that can be seen within the show however is that it does lean into queer-baiting, while maintaining and show based around hetero relationships and the friendship between two women. Whether or not this is for sure queer-baiting is yet to be seen since again the show hasn't been completed.

Nana is a series, where you get to really know each and every character with their flaws and strengths. If it's love or hate, you really understand them because they are so well fleshed out.

It makes them feel so real that every interaction between them hits you hard, if it's in a happy, funny or sad way, often it's devastating.

All that is only possible with the brilliant character writing from Ai Yazawa.

The songs are phenomenal and how they integrated them in the openings/endings is wonderful.

I can only hope that the story will continue and find its conclusion someday.

One of my all time favorites.