Title: Nana 25th Anniversary Edition

Volume: 01

Mangaka: Ai Yazawa

US Publisher: VIZ Media, LLC

Age Relevance: Adult (High School Crossover at Librarian Discretion- See Note)

How Essential Is It?: Essential

Curricular Connections?: N/A

Reader’s Advisory Tags: Romance, Drama, Music, Fashion, Classic Series

Anime: Hulu

Content Warnings: Sex, Drugs, Alcohol, Sexual Assault, Abusive Relationships

Publisher Synopsis:

A chance meeting on a train to Tokyo sends two girls named Nana on a collision course with destiny!

After a string of epic romantic failures, Nana Komatsu is ready to take control of her life and get a clean start in the big city. After prioritizing her musical ambitions over love, Nana Osaki is ready to stomp her way to the top of Tokyo’s punk scene. With determination in their hearts and dreams in their eyes, these two women are ready to take the world by storm! But first, they need a place to live. Roommates, anyone?

Anxious to get into a Tokyo groove, both women are on the prowl for a funky and cheap place to live. But inexpensive apartments in Japan’s capital city are hard to find. Thank goodness each Nana has a clique of cool friends willing to help out. Too bad these friends are a little eccentric!

Booklist Review Available Here.

Note:

I’m a big fan of Nana. But when it came to giving an age rating, I had to really consider the manga in totality. Currently, as of the current point in the story, Nana characters are no longer fresh out of adolescence and just learning how to be adults. Hachi is now a parent, and the characters have matured with both Yazawa and their audience. There’s also a lot that happens in later volumes that is heavy, and when age rating, I consider a national audience. So, please consider Nana with your immediate community and the context of each volume’s content in mind.