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# “Nana”, Ai Yazawa
- URL: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/nana-2803jsp/
- Published: 2005-09-04T23:09:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-04-17T11:51:35.000Z
- Author: Open democracy
- Tags: #en, #Migrated, #Import 2026-04-09 19:17, #ImagesUploaded

![nana_565.jpg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3f/80/3f804bea-4b2d-4ddf-9ff0-6ec7d0afa5fa/content/images/2026/04/nana_565_ULpZ362-1776425894848.jpg)

nana\_565.jpg

From right to left: “cute” Nana, “rock chick” Nana and boyfriend

Japan is a country of booms, cults, and fantasies of freedom. All are found in the rich world of *manga*. The current *manga* rage is in the pages of *Shojo Beat*, the creation of the artist [Ai Yazawa](http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/manga.php?id=2745&ref=opendemocracy.net).

Two young women – each named Nana, one a punkette, the other a “classical modern” girl – meet on a train and become friends, sharing a flat and pursuing their dreams of love, career and happiness. The layered characters, rich plotting and sympathetic observation make the adventures of Nana a compelling read for a generation of young women who find there an echo of their own evolving lives.

Now Nana is immortalised on the screen. Directed by Kentarô Ôtani, the eagerly anticipated *Nana: the movie* premiered in Tokyo on 3 September, and according to the fan site [Everyone needs Nana](http://nana-nana.net/index.html?ref=opendemocracy.net) is estimated to make around 10 billion Yen at the box office.

The Nana phenomenon has also spread to the [US](http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/24174/?ref=opendemocracy.net), see [Comic Readers](http://www.comicreaders.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1531&ref=opendemocracy.net) and [iComics](http://www.icomics.com/rev%5F061505%5Fshojobeat.shtml?ref=opendemocracy.net) for reviews of the American *Shojo Beat*.