10. NANA

A couple nights ago, as I laid sprawled out on the couch watching a particularly emotional episode of Bokura ga Ita, my roommate made the comment that he couldn’t “understand” shoujo. “But I think I understand the appeal,” he added. “Soap operas are addictive.”

Indeed.

But, you know, just as soap operas are a dime a dozen, so are shoujo series. Thumb through a shoujo anthology at the newsstand, and you’ll see the same thing repeated again and again: the same premise, the same characters, the same art style, the same roses and flourish and mush and… oh dear, I hope the Family Mart next door stocks testosterone in a bottle. But, occasionally, a shoujo series comes along that, for whatever reason, shines brighter than all the rest. And, if the author is lucky, lucrative publishing deals, movie deals, merchandising deals, and a swarm of salivating fangirls (with deep pockets) will follow.

Oh, and an anime adaptation is fine, too.

So, if the NANA anime is well-received, it should come as no surprise. After all, it’s just the latest in a long series of successes for a popular and profitable franchise. But, just because something is a commercial success doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “perfect”, and it’s indeed true that the NANA anime has its flaws. Some of these flaws are a reflection of the original material, of course. The narrative IS uneven at times, no matter how you slice it and serve it. Hachi IS a pain in the ass for the first third of the story. And there’s no way in hell they can afford that giant apartment.

But, as anime adaptations of long running shoujo series go, NANA is remarkably well paced. The story is always moving forward without pause or apprehension. Stuff happens. Lots of stuff. Compare this to your average shoujo series, which can somehow stretch a confession of love into an entire season. The serial nature of shoujo can be both a blessing and a curse… the long and winding road is enchanting, that’s for sure, but after nine hours of driving, you’ll be thinking, “Enough with the fucking curves already!” Shoujo is either terminally addictive or terminally frustrating. Or, in the case of, say, Marmalade Boy, it’s both.

NANA, though? Nine months on, and I still have two hands on the steering wheel, the sunroof open, the radio blaring, and the pedal to the metal. Sharp curve ahead? Bring it on.