Nana is an award-winning anime by Ai Yazawa, written in 1999, which follows two young women with the same name going out and starting their new lives in Tokyo, Japan. Nana Osaki is a punk-rock singer who wants to pursue her career as a famous musician with her band, and Nana Komatsu (nicknamed Hachi) is a small-town, country girl who is always seeking value and love through many relationships and can be naive at times.
Hachi is a girl who loves deeply to the point that she begins to be naive and allows men to walk all over her. She craves this love and attention because she hasn’t learned to love herself. When I was watching the show, Hachi always had a smile on her face for the most part, but in the small glimpses, you see the sadness that would always be in the mirror of her smile. She was always trying to find something to make her feel seen, and usually that find was chasing after men.Â
The anime also shows that people are just not what they seem. Hachi was seen as this simple character who was “dumb” to let all these guys step all over her. In reality, she really just craved connection because her heart was so big, and the men in her life took advantage of that. It showed how insecurities can get in the way of finding something real with someone who actually loves you for you.
Now, Nana Osaki is completely the opposite of Hachi, but instead struggles to be seen. Osaki is a free-spirited individual and doesn’t feel like she needs anyone. She is not naive in the slightest, but unlike Hachi, she pushes the men she loves away instead of facing her feelings. Osaki is a huge avoidant who is scared to get hurt, and in a way, she is like Hachi in the sense that she loves deeply.Â
Osaki was also portrayed as cold-hearted because she didn’t allow someone that did love her deeply to get close to her for the longest time. She was afraid of getting hurt because she always relied on herself for everything that she needed. Osaki felt like she had to stay away from her love to protect her peace, so that she could take control over her emotions, which led to keeping them inside. This control always made her have her guard up, and come off as if she’s strong, but actually, she has just as loving a heart as Hachi.
Both of the Nanas represent how two completely different personality traits can still mirror the same feeling in both individuals. They both feel so deeply for the people they care about, but just express those feelings in a different way. Osaki and Hachi both became great friends because they were able to see that they needed each other, and the meeting represents coming face-to-face with your struggles and learning to face them, no matter what they may look like.Â