Admittedly, there are more male-centered homoerotic anime series in existence (called yaoi, or boy’s love, as a direct opposite of yuri), as Japan, like America, is a patriarchy-at-large, and relative to lesbian women, gay men are overrepresented. There’s not enough relational evidence to justify “NANA” as yuri, in the same sense that a vast array of anime can be categorized, but the cruciality of looking at Japanese media and society is immeasurable, since homosexuality – and even homoeroticism – in print and broadcast media runs perpendicular to America’s traditional relationship with LGBT representation. On Jezebel’s “ROYGBIV” subsite, yuri anime is explicated to be lesbian themed Japanese media. Despite differences, both Komatsu and Osaki become best friends after meeting each other “by fate” in the series’ first episode, and throughout the series and its abundance of heterosexual relationships between both Nana characters, their friends and relatives, “NANA,” like other constituents of the Japanese anime canon, is a queer text in need of deconstruction.Īll Things Considered: The Cultural Context of “NANA” It’s important to note that their dreams are, indeed, respective: Nana Osaki is a headstrong, rebellious, independent punk rocker longing for musical success, whereas Nana Komatsu personifies the stereotypical girl-next-door character of traditionalism that is not unique to American culture – she wants to find a man and get married, despite understanding that she should stay in college and grow less dependent on male figures (an issue she’s had since her high school years). “NANA” is a soap opera in a way, that follows two 20-year-old women – both named Nana – through their newfound lives in Tokyo, Japan, where both plan to follow their respective dreams. The show – a “slice of life” type television drama aimed at young adult and older women – was unique in content, and the anime adaptation proved to be equally successful as the original manga that’s currently under an indefinite hiatus. This connection is what makes the series significant, despite its flaws that underrepresent the reality of Japan’s LGBT oppression and misrepresentation that arguably reflects the United States’. More importantly, “NANA” is a heterosexist program in which queerness is a subversive, but as a subtext rather than straightforward theme – in the series, all romantic/sexual relationships (and there many) are between a man and a woman, making for an absence of LGBT representation/relationships between any gender at all, although the connection between the two best-friend roommates frequently borderlines romantic, notably in times of heterosexual hardship. In this way, the program is incredibly accessible, which makes it one of the more popular drama anime aimed to a mature audience.
Today, “NANA” is available for streaming in numerous places, including Netflix and Hulu, but full episodes can be found on bootleg anime websites and YouTube. Sweeney In the late 2000s, “NANA,” an anime adaptation of Japanese artist Ai Yazawa’s manga series of the same name (published from 2000 to 2009) was licensed for distribution in North America by Viz Media.