Nana, Vol. 11

NANA―ナナ― #11

by Ai Yazawa

This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.

With the tabloids still out for blood, Nana and her Blast bandmates move into a weird dorm building run by their agency. But they've barely got enough time to settle into their new digs because their crammed schedule has them running from music studio to TV interview. The stress of band life and dealing with a disintegrating Ren have started to take their toll on Nana. If she collapses now, will she ever get back up?

Genres: Manga, Comics, Romance, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Josei, Shojo

256 pages, Paperback

First published August 11, 2004

About the author

Ai Yazawa (Japanese: 矢沢あい, Yazawa Ai) is a Japanese manga author and illustrator. Her pen name comes from singer Eikichi Yazawa, of whom she is a fan.
Yazawa started her comics career in 1985. She specialises in shojo manga (girls' comics). Most of her works have been serialised in the magazines 'Ribon', 'Cookie' and 'Zipper'.
Yazawa's stories focus on young, often rebellious women and their relationships. The characters are always very stylish, and Yazawa herself is known for her sense of fashion. (She even attended a fashion school for some time after high school.)
Among her most famous manga are Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I'm No Angel, 1992–1995), Neighborhood Story (1995-1998), Paradise Kiss (1999-2004), and Nana (2000-2009), the latter awarded a Shogakukan Manga Award in 2003. Some of these works have been adapted into anime and live action movies.

Reviews

[Sarah (menace mode) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prayers for Nana to see a therapist about 1) her repressed gay feelings for Hachi and 2) the anxiety attacks she’s been having about her repressed gay feelings for Hachi

[ana ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

when i run out of firewood for my fireplace ill use reira

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still so many feelings, and so many things I want to happen for certain characters in this story. Why can't everyone just be happy already? *cries* Oh wait. Real life isn't always sunshine and rainbows and joy.

[Lena Bejenaru · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I'm no longer the child who just stands there and waits for someone to come back.”🥲

[lee ⚢ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"hey hachi, the harder you struggle, the further you sink. people are such futile creatures."

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This SERIES.

I'm loving the developing drama within these books. Blast and Trapnest are both getting bigger in their own rights and relationships are being strengthened and tested. Hachi is finding her footing in her new life while Nana is struggling without her. You can tell that this is the beginning of Nana's fall if she doesn't find help soon. Her belief that Yasu only cares for her because of Ren hurts. And Reira's either losing or finding herself - she still has an arc to play out.

This ending killed me. I need volume 12 NOW.

4/5 stars.

[daph pink ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are they getting together again? I waited so long. Happy to see Nobu finding someone he can love.

[☾❀Mirelle✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please 🙏 let everything go well this time 🙏 😢

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A partire dalle 18.15, lungo la sponda del fiume si terrà lo spettacolo di fuochi d'artificio che in estate è stato cancellato a causa del tifone.
Sembra quasi un sogno...
Non posso fare a meno di pensare come sarebbe bello poterlo vedere insieme a tutti voi.
Ma naturalmente, il mio è solo un sogno..."

"Ti aspettiamo alle 18 nell'appartamento 707. Ci saremo tutti. Speriamo che sia bel tempo."

Il tuo non è solo un sogno, Hachi. Potremo di nuovo trascorrere una giornata felice, tutti insieme come quella volta. Possiamo ricominciare tutto da capo. Permettimi di ricominciare tutto da capo. Ritorniamo a quel giorno d'estate e scriviamo insieme un nuovo copione, che ci porti verso un futuro radioso.

Qualcuno ha delle lacrime da prestarmi? Ho finito le mie.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey! In all my talking about Nana, I forgot that I actually read this volume!

And to be honest, I briefly considered giving up the series after this one. For some reason, Yazawa abandoned the unique storyline and characters she'd been developing up until this point in favor for Stock Shoujo Contrived Plot Points, and the whole narrative really lost steam. Two very uninteresting new characters are introduced: single women! In a building with two single, heartbroken men! What a coincidence! Also, Osaka Nana starts having uber-dramatic panic attacks! While they're all living in a studio-controlled dorm, for some reason!

But I remembered that I'd heard that the series really becomes a downer around Vol. 12, and I was curious to know what happened, so I googled around and found an archive of fan-translated issues and ended up reading up through Chapter 76. I'm hooked again, and I'm going to keep buying the Viz releases.

You can all commence making fun of me for my addiction to romance comics for Japanese women.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg Nana pleaaaaaase, pleeaaase get up from your bench 😩

The drama in this manga is still TOP. NOTCH. And the characters are so well written. This volume was a little less depressing the the previous 2-3, so that was a nice little change of pace.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much happens in this one...still good though! I hate Takumi.

[katy *ੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this series is explicitly gay like nana wants Hachi so bad it’s crazy

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both Nana's are so complex. I'm so unsure of so many characters intentions... Nana, Hachi, Shoji, Ren, Takumi...

"Hey, Hachi... They say people realize the value of something only after they lose it, but I think it's when you face it once more that you truly recognize it. If I could see everyone now, I'd depend on them again for sure. I'm scared of that. That's why I can't move from this spot." -Nana

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been ages since I've read volume 10. I've forgotten so much, but a lot of it came back to me. At times this one was confusing but it was also pretty good. This is so complicated, I've forgotten exactly why Hachi/Nana is acting so oddly when she is just about to see the group.

The dorm thing is weird. The whole music scene and why anyone cares about the relationship between Trapnest and Blast has always had me puzzled.

Still, I like the characters. They're my friends.

[Caahpinotti ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

lloré quando estaban planeando lo reencuentro durante los fireworks not gonna lie

(¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.-> 🎆 “𝓎❀𝓊'𝓇𝑒 𝓃🧃𝓉 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝒽𝒶𝒸𝒽𝒾❢ 𝒾𝓉'𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝑒𝓍𝒶𝒸𝓉𝓁𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝒹𝒶𝓎, 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎❁𝓃𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶 𝑔𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓉 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓉🐇𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇❢ 𝒻𝓇🍇𝓂 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝑔𝑔𝒾𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔🫀 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓁𝓁 🧊𝓋𝑒𝓇 ☁️𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓂🫐𝓇𝑒❢ 𝑔🍥𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝒶𝒸𝓀 𝓉🍬 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝑒𝓇🦪 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎♡𝓃𝑒 𝓉🍡𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓇𝑒𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 🍥𝓊𝓇 𝓈𝒸𝓇𝒾𝓅𝓉 𝒻☁️𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒷𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒻𝓊𝓉𝓊𝓇𝑒❢” 🎆 >-.¸¸.·`¯´·.¸¸.·`¯(

[Lune · Rating 5 out of 5]

Takumi si je t'attrape.......

[Sonso :)]

Ojalá saber cómo usar mis palabras para poder expresar lo que pienso de este manga y lo que me hacen sentir las relaciones entre los personajes, especialmente entre las dos Nanas.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

devastador el yearning y los bloqueos de comunicación y sigo odiando a todos los hombres de esta historia (excepto a Yasu y Shin tk Yasu y Shin)

[Donezsah Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nana just makes me want to hug my friends.

[Radwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lot of messy convulted thoughts, but that last chapter was very dramatic and angsty, and I'm actually anxious of what will happen next (Takumi and Ren are both really toxic people, I prefer Yasu and Nobu *with all of their issues* over them)

[lily ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ · Rating 4 out of 5]

omg can the nanas please meet up again? it’s been so long since they even communicated and i wish the story could just regress back to them living in room 707 without all this band rivalry :(

every relationship in this series is so incredibly toxic but can someone please stop shin and reira? i knew shin was young but FIFTEEN?! she’s a criminal wtffff. also takumi is the most disgusting being on the planet! when he said “it’s reira who’s beautiful not the dress. it wouldn’t look good on you” i wanted to murder him through the pages. poor nana k she deserves so much better. takumi doesn’t even have a heart istg, acting like he’ll put his wedding on hold bc he cares about his career more?! don’t get me started on that little cliffhanger, hachiko why are you not running to that apartment girl, they’re all waiting for you! ughh and shoji? nana k can not be blamed for YOU cheating on her !!

ps. i am so confused by the bonus stories every time i read them 😭😭

[DonutKnow · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8

Lol, Nana takes the phrase ‘it’s complicated’ to a whole new level @Nana+Ren- but I do ship them ❤️

Waaaah Nobuo what are you doing?! I ship him and Hatchi too 😭 Too many ships...

I love Yasu as well- I hope he can find his happiness, he’s such a selfless guy.

Also Takumi is an ass, I don’t think he deserves Hatchi- he just needs a business to manage, that’s what he’s good at. He might be a sociopath actually 🤔 He’s so ruthless.

[V. Aryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really can't get behind Reira and Shin's relationship for obvious reasons. I get that he's "mature" but she should know better. I hope Hachi finds the courage to meet up with the gang next volume. You need your people, and they need you 😫

I've officially crossed that halfway point of the series and already I'll be sad to see it done. I hope one day Ai Yazawa has the strength and health to finish the amazing series.

[Yuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5
It had some interesting characters moments towards the end, however the thread connecting this people isn’t working for me because it doesn’t seem to have any weight. Even with some conversations among them about the music industry, I never feel any sense of urgency from them. Which makes these parts extremely boring to follow.

[Scarlett (Carrie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

One Line Review

I really just want everyone to be happy and for Ren to stop the drugs and choking.

[kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

“My dream was to make it big with the band and become a household name all over Japan. Even if the person I loved most wouldn’t say my name anymore.”

[Miska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hachi is too calm with takumi’s name choice!

[Zuli · Rating 3 out of 5]

the only piece of literature where I don't like fictional men in it

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is the run up to the(maybe) reunion of the Nana's..and it's been a while.
The split between them runs deep...and now the members of Blast are set to meet up with Nana 'Hachi' at the fireworks display.

Continues to be so well done...