Nana

Nana (stylized as NANA) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa. It was serialized in Shueisha’s Cookie magazine from May 2000 to May 2009, and then entered on indefinite hiatus, with almost all its chapters collected into twenty-one tankōbon volumes. The series derives its title from the name of the two main characters, both of whom are called Nana. Nana Komatsu is a small town girl who goes to Tokyo to follow her boyfriend and college friends, with the hope of having her dream life. Nana Osaki was in a popular punk rock band in her hometown. She goes to Tokyo with the goal of making it big as a singer. The two Nanas meet on the train ride to the city. Later, they run into each other again when they happen to check out the same apartment, and the girls decide to become roommates. The series chronicles their friendship and their lives as each chases her dreams.

The manga was adapted into a live-action film in 2005, with a sequel released in 2006. An anime television series adaptation by Madhouse directed by Morio Asaka aired on Nippon TV between April 2006 and March 2007. All Nana media has been licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media, which serialized the manga in their Shojo Beat magazine until the August 2007 issue, while also publishing it in the tankōbon format. They released both films in 2008, and their English dub of the anime was broadcast on the Funimation Channel beginning in September 2009. In 2002, Nana won the 48th Shogakukan Manga Award for Shōjo manga. As of 2019 the manga had over 50 million copies in circulation.[5]