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Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane Both volumes 17 and 18 of NANA open with flashforward scenes to the series' "future", giving readers longer-than-usual insights into where the characters' paths are taking them. Vol. 17's opener includes a meeting between Hachi and Shin, which is one of my favorite "future" moments so far. (Since he's so much younger than the rest of the cast, Shin is, of course, a handy barometer for trying to calculate how much time has passed between those scenes and the series' main events.) This particular scene also offers them--and us--the first real clue about what's happened to Nana in the intervening time; subsequent flashforwards pick up where this one leaves off, giving us a substantial window into their lives at that point. Back in the "present", there's a lot of other information offered up in these two volumes, such as an explanation for Mai's decision to use the name "Misato Uehara" when befriending Nana and Blast, and the nature of her actual connection to Nana. There's also fallout from Weekly Search's ongoing efforts to dig into Nana's past and expose her mother, who abandoned her when she was only a child. Meanwhile, Hachi's efforts to protect Nana from Search's investigation run into trouble as she realizes that she can't simultaneously protect everyone they're going after. As unfortunate as the circumstances are, all the excitement has the perk of bringing Hachi and Nana back into each other's lives in a more immediate way, possibly aided by Trapnest being out of the country to work on a new album. Hachi is utterly determined to be there for Nana at all costs, even though it also means being around Nobu, which is still uncomfortable for both of them. (And incredibly endearing!) This turn of events showcases one of the most charming, heartbreaking things about Nana and Hachi's relationship: they've been drifting together and apart to varying degrees since very early in the series, and the constant upheaval and drama makes them miss each other and worry about their relationship, but when they're actually together they easily fall back into the rhythm and affection of their friendship. With all that's going on around them, it's lovely to see how well Yazawa portrays this kind of friendship, where seemingly no amount of separation can really come between them. Volume 18 sees Blast facing new problems as the trouble that's been following Shin finally catches up with him, leaving Nana facing some tough choices. This volume also marks one of the occasional shifts in the wistful, reminiscing voiceovers that help remind us that we're watching the characters' pasts unfold; usually it's Hachi looking back and grieving for the choices they all made, but here Nana's voice makes another rare appearance as the past and the future draw closer together. These two volumes offer a multi-faceted look at the web of relationships between the main characters, reinforcing them while showing readers new aspects of what's been there all along. We're given more of an introduction to Nana's biological family and more of an idea of just how complex the various relationships between the Trapnest members are. It's a lot to take in, but Yazawa handles it all with her usual skill. NANA continues to be poignant and often devastatingly accurate in its depiction of deeply flawed people working their way through life. Each volume of NANA is sold shrink-wrapped, and includes the bonus "Junko's Place" story as well as The Family Times, a "newspaper" devoted to upcoming (at the time of Japanese publication) books/CDs/movies based on Yazawa's work. Vol. 18 also includes a 70-page bonus story focusing on Takumi. Review copies provided by VIZ Media. Think you could have written a better review of NANA v17-18? Write us and we'll probably let you give it a shot! --EiC PC |
6 October 2009
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