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.
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 is estimated to make around 10 billion Yen at the box office.
The Nana phenomenon has also spread to the US, see Comic Readers and iComics for reviews of the American Shojo Beat.
