2.5/5 The volume had its moments but I really can't make myself care about Shoji's storyline (he's such a nothingburger of a character, not even interesting in the watching-a-car-crash way) and he got so much focus this time around.
Nana, when stripped of everything else, is a story about a group of young 20 somethings (except Shin) who are basically incapable of being their own person. The only ones who are even relatively self reliant are Yasu and Takumi (although they also have issues, they just don’t allow themselves to be vulnerable about it). But it’s so relatable because so many of us have experienced being in these kind of emotional incestuous friend groups. And it’s captivating because instead of just letting the characters win and get what they ultimately want… the characters actually face real consequences for their actions. And we get to see them either learn and grow, or not learn and crumble. Cuz that is how real life works.