Manga Review: Nana Vol. 3 & 4 by Ai Yazawa

# of Pages: 183

Published: June 6th 2006

Source: Purchased Copy 

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.

I should start by letting you guys know that there was a long gap in between reading this volume and volume 2. I think I'm trying to savor as much of this series as I can because I don't want it to end due to the fact that it is currently on a hiatus. I read this, I believe, one evening when I couldn't sleep and I must say that this volume completely broke my heart. It was wonderful to see the relationship grow between the two girls; however, I can't believe that Shoji did what he did to Nana K. I thought that she really tried to do better and grow into a more mature young adult, but it didn't help in the end. I don't know if I despise Shoji as a character, but I definitely despise what he did. There were other ways to handle the situation rather than leading two women on at the same time. It was unfortunate to see that happen, but for some reason I think it's going to help Nana K grow as a person. And I definitely LOVED the way Nana O was willing to stand up for her friend in her time of need. That, in itself, was amazing. As always, the artwork and the story were completely mesmerizing and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the next volume.

# of Pages: 208

Published: October 3rd 2006

Source: Purchased Copy 

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.

After reading the third volume it took me a while to pick up this one. I think it mainly stemmed from the actions of Shoji and my fear of how Nana K would continue to function knowing what he had done. Nevertheless, I completely and thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It gave me a sense of nostalgia and I was happy to be back in their world reading about their ups and downs. This volume definitely focused more on Nana K learning more about Nana O. As a reader you are already familiar with her relationship with Ren, but Nana K does not know that she has a connection to this big superstar. It's amazing how many emotions Nana K goes through when she begins to learn more about Nana O. I think she begins to understand the idea that everyone can and does get hurt during their life. Once again we were privileged to see their relationship grow. It really was a beautiful volume and I'm excited to see where this story line between Nana K and Ren will go.