Yazawa Ai - Nana, vol. 15 (orig. Jap.)
I really need to reread this in English, because I am certain I missed a ton of nuance. Still, reading first in Japanese and then in English is fun: it makes me feel like I have not completely forgotten Japanese and when I get new volumes in English, the reread uncovers new layers.
Spoilers can't breathe
I am so worried for Oosaki Nana! So worried! At least I am fairly certain she's alive. I had been sure because she had voiceovers in some past volumes, but I got more and more worried with the erotic asphyxiation and the panic attacks and the memory loss. But if Komatsu Nana had been looking for her, and if she still wants to meet her again, Nana O. must still be there, just missing.
Everything is falling apart even as things are coming together-Yasu and Miu and Nana K. and Takumi mean less support for Nana O., Reira learning to be less self-centered ends up hurting Shin, Shin hurting from Reira leads to more acceptance of him from Takumi and less worry for Nana K., the Ren/Reira picture hurts Nana O. but lets Nana K. and Takumi get married. It's messy and complicated and nothing ends well, but all the wonderful moments are all the more wonderful for that.
The mystery of Nana O.'s past deepens; so the owner of Uehara Okonomiyaki is her mother, I assume? And the real Uehara Misato is her sister? I'm still not sure how band!Misato is connected to the Ueharas, although I'm sure she knows something she isn't telling. And it's so nice to have her back!
I am so glad about Yasu and Miu, even though it hurts Nana O. I love Miu's tentativeness and how she is older and quieter, but I also love how she is a fiend at the mahjong table. I think it is good for Yasu to have someone who isn't in Trapnest or Blast, who isn't tangled up in the complicated relationships going back to childhood, although I'm curious to see what will happen with Reira. I'm pretty sure nothing; if nothing else, Yasu seems to be very good at prioritizing, and he's clearly just picked Miu as his.
And oh, Ren and Nana! Ow, ow, ow. She feels like she's losing everyone, because she is even though she's still in everyone's hearts, and it hurts to see the people you love moving on. And her face when Nana K. tells her about being married to Takumi!
And then Shin and Reira... I still cannot believe I am rooting for them, but I really am. And I am so glad Shin at least has Nana K. to cry with. I didn't quite get everything about the rings, but I will hopefully get my hands on the Viz edition soon, so don't tell me! And Nana K. of course just wants everyone to be happy, even as she's sometimes blind to how unhappy they are, as with Nana O. and with Shin.
And then another flashforward! These are going to kill me. So Nana is still married to Takumi, which makes me wonder about the bathtub scene between her and Nobu in volume 12. And no one has seen Nana O. for quite some time, enough time for Nana K. to give up searching.
Spoilers can't breathe
I am so worried for Oosaki Nana! So worried! At least I am fairly certain she's alive. I had been sure because she had voiceovers in some past volumes, but I got more and more worried with the erotic asphyxiation and the panic attacks and the memory loss. But if Komatsu Nana had been looking for her, and if she still wants to meet her again, Nana O. must still be there, just missing.
Everything is falling apart even as things are coming together-Yasu and Miu and Nana K. and Takumi mean less support for Nana O., Reira learning to be less self-centered ends up hurting Shin, Shin hurting from Reira leads to more acceptance of him from Takumi and less worry for Nana K., the Ren/Reira picture hurts Nana O. but lets Nana K. and Takumi get married. It's messy and complicated and nothing ends well, but all the wonderful moments are all the more wonderful for that.
The mystery of Nana O.'s past deepens; so the owner of Uehara Okonomiyaki is her mother, I assume? And the real Uehara Misato is her sister? I'm still not sure how band!Misato is connected to the Ueharas, although I'm sure she knows something she isn't telling. And it's so nice to have her back!
I am so glad about Yasu and Miu, even though it hurts Nana O. I love Miu's tentativeness and how she is older and quieter, but I also love how she is a fiend at the mahjong table. I think it is good for Yasu to have someone who isn't in Trapnest or Blast, who isn't tangled up in the complicated relationships going back to childhood, although I'm curious to see what will happen with Reira. I'm pretty sure nothing; if nothing else, Yasu seems to be very good at prioritizing, and he's clearly just picked Miu as his.
And oh, Ren and Nana! Ow, ow, ow. She feels like she's losing everyone, because she is even though she's still in everyone's hearts, and it hurts to see the people you love moving on. And her face when Nana K. tells her about being married to Takumi!
And then Shin and Reira... I still cannot believe I am rooting for them, but I really am. And I am so glad Shin at least has Nana K. to cry with. I didn't quite get everything about the rings, but I will hopefully get my hands on the Viz edition soon, so don't tell me! And Nana K. of course just wants everyone to be happy, even as she's sometimes blind to how unhappy they are, as with Nana O. and with Shin.
And then another flashforward! These are going to kill me. So Nana is still married to Takumi, which makes me wonder about the bathtub scene between her and Nobu in volume 12. And no one has seen Nana O. for quite some time, enough time for Nana K. to give up searching.