Nana and Incompleteness

What can we love in the unfinished masterpiece?

This past weekend, I finally finished Ai Yazawa’s Nana, a masterpiece of manga. Nana follows the story of two young women, both named Nana, who meet on a train to Tokyo and through a series of chance happenings become roommates and close friends.

There’s been discourse on Nana for decades, and I’m without a doubt a latecomer. I started reading the series in mid-2023, but my local library only possessed up to volume 19 (out of 21) meaning I was left meandering until a kind friend offered to lend me the final two volumes from her collection (thanks, Laz!). However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share my thoughts on the series and recommend it to others. There will be some light spoilers, and I’d encourage anyone and everyone to give this manga a try. So, if you’re the type who wants to go in cold, stop reading here and come back once you’ve delved into the series.

Nana is sadly on indefinite hiatus. Yazawa experienced some health problems several years into working on the series, and thus a new chapter hasn’t been published in almost 16 years to the day at time of writing. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see the ending, and yet the incompleteness feels like a reflection of some core themes of the story.

It sounds trite, or perhaps needlessly simple, to say Nana is about life. But I can’t think of any other way to encapsulate the scope of the series. Everything from coming-of-age to responsibility to honesty to sacrificing for your dreams and more are all explored by the vibrant cast of characters. Anyone who reads Nana will find something to relate to, and perhaps even a reflection of their own experiences or those of the people around them.

Responsibility is a big one that hit me as I read Nana. I’m at a point in my life where the number of people who rely on me continues to increase, whether in my personal life or at work. And this means needing to recognize an even greater weight to actions that I take. My life isn’t a shojo manga, so my choices don’t lead to the same ramifications (and I’d like to think I make better decisions than some of Nana’s cast) but it’s still something to recognize. I see this theme play out mostly with Nana Komatsu, aka Hachi, who in the span of a few months goes from wide-eyed young woman excited to party all night and blow her paycheck on new clothes to getting ready to become a parent and build a life where her child can succeed. It’s a jarring transition, and the struggles of her friends and family around her only add to it. And yet, despite not always succeeding, I respect that Hachi always tries, all the while fighting to maintain a positive attitude. It’s inspiring to watch her overcome these challenges even if she doesn’t always get it right. And that’s a great lesson Nana reminds us.

The fact that Yazawa hasn’t released a new Nana chapter in close to two decades is a shame given how close the story seemed to its conclusion. And yet there’s no way to be sure. Like life itself, I could see Nana wrapping up quickly from where it last stopped, or taking its time toward a satisfying conclusion a few hundred chapters later. There is much to still reveal and answer about these characters, and much to say about the circumstances surrounding them.

But that’s life, isn’t it? We come in partway through a story already in motion, and never see the full conclusion. In a way it’s almost fitting that Nana is left hanging. Fans of the story can concoct their own ideas for what would happen, for how the lives of these characters would continue. But even the conclusion to a story doesn’t always close every door. There’s something special about being able now to talk with other Nana fans about how the series affected them, and how they feel about the fact that the story may never get a proper final chapter. It seems fitting, in a sense, that readers are left to draw their own conclusions and speculate based on their personal experiences as to how the story would wrap up, and what final message Yazawa wants to leave in the telling.

Finishing Nana left me with a melancholy that’s hard to explain. Yazawa masterfully wove a tale with characters with rich inner lives and emotional conflicts that all felt real. It’s amazing how well-plotted the story is, with hints or foreshadowing paying off often as many as 10 volumes later. It’s worth exploring for any storyteller, whether in the comics medium or elsewhere. Every character has their place, and enters moments when it always seems emotion is at its highest. Each event is poised to offer extreme joy or cloying misery. And this is a major reason why Nana resonates with so many readers across the world.

I was lucky enough this week as well to have a chat about Nana with both my partner Stevie and my friend William. Both of them had different takes on the story, which helped me think of other perspectives for how this narrative could affect someone. It speaks to the strength of the story that there’s something for everyone in it, and much can be taken away. It’s a good reminder that viewpoints and how and when one encounters a story can also have major impact. I’m sure if I’d read Nana at a younger age I’d have some different thoughts and connections than I have now. Or if I read it without pursuing both having a family and creative endeavors as a major portion of my life’s goals.

I’m wondering this week, readers: have you read Nana? If yes, what did you think? Also, are there any other “unfinished masterpieces” that you enjoy?

Until next time!

Brett S. Simon is a writer of comics and prose, including titles such as Opus & Ashes, The Chesterfield Murders, Tales of Intrigue, Coins for the Ferryman, and more. You can find more of his work on Gumroad or his website.