A lot of what has been written about this film focuses on how faithfully the manga was adapted. On balance, it seems the manga fans are satisfied. If you are a fan of Nakashima's music, you will also, in all likelihood, get something out of Nana. And the under-14 crowd might enjoy it. For the rest of the world, this film is puerile.
In fact, even the under-14s should keep away from this. The two protagonists, Nana and Hachi, represent the extremes that young Japanese women are meant to live up to - fluffy, cutesy air-headedness, in the case of Hachi, or chain-smoking, unprotected sex'ing, don't-give-a-f%#k posturing in the case of Nana. It is a glib rendition of Japanese womanhood presented through the filter of corrupting middle-age adults. This film was a huge hit here in Japan, and a lot of the younger element of that audience will think these women are something to aspire to. That thought depresses me.
Having said that, it is not difficult to figure out why this film has succeeded commercially. The manga origins explain (but do not necessarily grant clemency to) the absurd coincidences, contrived conflicts, distilled emotional manipulation and clunky dialogue. The surreal interior sets, in particular the medieval bathroom shared by Nana and Ren, and the stately-home-style apartment Nana and Hachi share, are seductive. There are some fine looking boys and girls to look at, (even if the over-rated Matsuda gives off the same wooden air he sunk to in Gimmy Heaven). There are catchy tunes here. Nana as a character has some attitude and Nakashima's performance has charisma. But how is it possible to not loathe Hachi? This is hardly Miyazaki's fault, she no doubt only worked with what she was given, but such facile, image-obsessed females do exist, and are celebrated by uninformed women and misogynist males, and this Cult of Cute makes it all the more difficult for ambitious, talented females to succeed. I kept waiting for Nana to slap Hachi, or at least give her a good shake. Instead, Nana is co-opted into the Hachi world, and delivers up her 'dream' for her at the end. If there is a sub-text to this film, it is that no woman can succeed or be truly happy without a man coming to her aid.
Now that Nana 2 is out, maybe it will re-dress the balance. Nana will dump Ren and make it on her own as a vocalist. Hachi will stop shaking her head when she speaks like a nodding dog in a car windscreen, shave her hair off, come out of the closet and begin an affair with her ex-boyfriend's lover.
Or maybe it will just be more vacuous fare that the blissfully ignorant teenage masses will flock to.
In fact, even the under-14s should keep away from this. The two protagonists, Nana and Hachi, represent the extremes that young Japanese women are meant to live up to - fluffy, cutesy air-headedness, in the case of Hachi, or chain-smoking, unprotected sex'ing, don't-give-a-f%#k posturing in the case of Nana. It is a glib rendition of Japanese womanhood presented through the filter of corrupting middle-age adults. This film was a huge hit here in Japan, and a lot of the younger element of that audience will think these women are something to aspire to. That thought depresses me.
Having said that, it is not difficult to figure out why this film has succeeded commercially. The manga origins explain (but do not necessarily grant clemency to) the absurd coincidences, contrived conflicts, distilled emotional manipulation and clunky dialogue. The surreal interior sets, in particular the medieval bathroom shared by Nana and Ren, and the stately-home-style apartment Nana and Hachi share, are seductive. There are some fine looking boys and girls to look at, (even if the over-rated Matsuda gives off the same wooden air he sunk to in Gimmy Heaven). There are catchy tunes here. Nana as a character has some attitude and Nakashima's performance has charisma. But how is it possible to not loathe Hachi? This is hardly Miyazaki's fault, she no doubt only worked with what she was given, but such facile, image-obsessed females do exist, and are celebrated by uninformed women and misogynist males, and this Cult of Cute makes it all the more difficult for ambitious, talented females to succeed. I kept waiting for Nana to slap Hachi, or at least give her a good shake. Instead, Nana is co-opted into the Hachi world, and delivers up her 'dream' for her at the end. If there is a sub-text to this film, it is that no woman can succeed or be truly happy without a man coming to her aid.
Now that Nana 2 is out, maybe it will re-dress the balance. Nana will dump Ren and make it on her own as a vocalist. Hachi will stop shaking her head when she speaks like a nodding dog in a car windscreen, shave her hair off, come out of the closet and begin an affair with her ex-boyfriend's lover.
Or maybe it will just be more vacuous fare that the blissfully ignorant teenage masses will flock to.