Nana Manga Review

26. Nana by Ai Yazawa

Type: Manga
Title: Nana

Author: Ai Yazawa

Publisher: VIZ Media LLC
ISBN: 978-1421501086
Pages: 192

Reader's Annotation: Nana and Nana are friends. Nothing can stop their need for adventure and success in Tokyo.

Summary: Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life and put all those messy misadventures behind her. She's looking for love and she's hoping to find it in the big city. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident and focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene. She's got a dream and won't give up until she becomes Japan's No. 1 rock'n'roll superstar. 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 (Amazon). 

Critical Evaluation: The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.  What's interesting is how the imagery and the text reflects that world she is discovering for the first time.   

Challenge Issues:

• Comic books and not books.
• Literature not challenging enough.
• References to sex and parties.

Challenge Ideas:

• Be familiar with the themes in the material and how they relate to young adults today.
• Stay calm and remember to not be personally offended by their comments or concerns.
• Libraries provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.  Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
• Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
• LISTEN to what they have to say and reiterate our freedom to read and be without censorship.
• All material for young adults are under the review of the branch manager and even further up, the Library Director and even City Council members.