#manga misc

[pontipines]

Blah blah blah the comphet, Hachi in love with Nana, yuri blah blah blah.... anyway, the real reason Hachi can't really fall in love with Nobu is because of the grooming she underwent in her youth.

Now, where the Hachi/Takumi relationship only becomes abusive after the phone scene ("Our Nana is pregnant..."), the two still follow a dysfunctional pattern for what should be a friends with benefits: Takumi arrives, picks her up in the car, they do what they have to do at the hotel, and then move on with their lives. Does this pattern sound familiar? Yes, because that's exactly what happened with Asano, the professor who groomed Hachi.

And here we come to the original point: Hachi's idea of ​​love is shaped by this attachment style, regardless of any possible sexual orientation (in fact, I think if Nana had been an emotionally open person, Hachi wouldn't have obsessed with her so much). Hachi can't fall in love with Nobu because that's not how she intrinsically experiences love, even though she wants to because she knows that hers is actually the healthy way to love ("ehhhh, but he idealizes her" my sisters in Christ, at the beginning of the relationship everyone idealizes everyone. Nobu isn't particularly problematic in this aspect 🙄)

[pontipines]

Mini rant because every time I open Nana's reddit/tiktok/video I get an ulcer: How, given the current situation, do you think Hachi divorcing Takumi to get together with Nana will solve the problems?

Hachi has two children, very young ones (so you can't even use Ted's lame excuse in How I Met Your Mother where "hey, but the kids are grown up") to take care of, and Nana has been adamant that she doesn't want children, and the narrative also shows us that she doesn't know how to handle such young children! Because if she had known how to handle kids, she wouldn't have treated Shin so bad.

I mean, Nana didn't want children with Ren, the man she loved and was with for two years. Do you really think she wants to be a stepmother to the children of the man who took away the two people she loved the most? And mindi you,one of them is named after the one who died (both, actually, since Satsuki was named that by Ren. So there's insult to injury: this child is a constant reminder for Nana of what she and Ren could hypothetically have had)? Ofc no,it would be cruel

Furthermore, in Japan, shared custody didn't exist until two months ago, so if Hachi divorces Takumi, considering they're stuck in 2007, it means one of them has to shoulder the children alone. Honestly, I don't think Hachi wants to take the children away from Takumi nor give them up for be a groupie of Nana again

(Same for Takumi. He would never abandon his children, but he wouldn't have the strength to take them away from their mother either, since he knows the pain.)

The truth is that if Yazawa didn't continue Nana, it's also for this reason, in my opinion—Ai Yazawa always writes "socially acceptable endings," meaning those that adhere to the Japanese social model. Yukari in Paradise Kiss could easily have become a famous, single, and satisfied model, but she married Hiro. Why? Because it's the socially acceptable ending for Yazawa herself. Someone with such a utilitarian view of love certainly wouldn't have written a work intended to be yuri in this sense. (But I'll talk about Yazawa's latent sexism sooner or later.)

[pontipines]

Thinking about Nana,more specific Shin and: Where the in-universe explanation is that he is his idol, I think the close resemblance between Ren Sr. and adult!Shin is Yazawa's way of either giving us a foreshadowing into Shin's future or indirectly telling us about Ren's past.

Let's start by saying that there's a precedent for this: Reira and Ryoko. Initially, the resemblance between Shin's matron and Reira seems to be solely a way to explain Shin's attraction to the singer. However, it was also a foreshadowing of what would be Reira's future—the grooming of Ren Jr in London. In fact, little Ren looks a lot like Shin.

Based on this, I think it's not absurd to think that the resemblance between 22-year-old Shin and Ren Sr. actually serves the same purpose. Especially since the similarity are already there: both bass players, both abandoned by their parents, both have experience with drugs and ladykillers. This could therefore mean two things-

1) Shin is destined to become like Ren, or rather, Shin will be a Ren who has made it. A better Ren,as he promissed to Nana. So,despite all his problem he will be able to get back up and becoming the most successful of the group. Going even futher: it could be that in Shin's future he could have his own Nana. (and so just as Ren said he wouldn't fall in love and then met Nana, so Shin who criticized Ren×Nana could actually have a similar encounter.). Only in this scenario, he will know how to handle her differently.

2) Alternatively, it could be another glimpse into Ren's past. I'll be honest, I don't think Ren would ever have had his own special, and that's because part of his character is based on this aura of myth that surrounds him. Everyone, not just Nana,sees Ren as a hero, not understanding his fragility. So, considering that, as Yasu and Nobu say, he had his first experiences when was young, it's possible that with the resemblance to Shin, Yazawa wanted to imply that Ren also had his own Ryoko/Reira (obviously not in the sense that he was a prostitute, but rather in the sense of someone older who messed up his concept of love, before meeting Nana).

[pontipines]

What series would you recommend for a first time shoujo manga reader?

I'm finding myself with a lot of time on my hands where I don't quite have energy for novels but the formatting of comics makes them easy to consume en masse. I like comics quite a lot and like many things that were inspired by shoujo, but I've never read any manga before.

I know Sailor Moon is obviously The Big One, but that doesn't make it the best necessarily or the most friendly to a first time reader of the genre, so what would be your pick?

Oh, interesting question! That's because "shojo" isn't a genre, but a demographic (so girls between 15- 18), and then they actually divide into genres (romance, slice of life, majokko, etc.). So it depends on what you're looking for specifically! Now, I'll give you a nice list so you can choose! So:

Honorable mentions: Inuyasha, Urusei Yatsura, and Ranma by Riumiko Takahashi. Her works are on par with shonen publications, yet Ms. Takahashi became so famous precisely because she writes like a shojo.

Sailor Moon: Well, let's get one thing straight—Sailor Moon the manga is COMPLETELY AND DIAMETRALLY opposite to the anime. The Toei series changed a lot of story points, which is why, despite it being a staple of the genre, I think recommending the anime is a disservice to the manga.

Card Captor Sakura: Another fundamental majokko, along with Sailor Moon, this is ideal if you want to get into the CLAMP subculture, as well as shojo. Madoka Magica takes a lot from Sakura, especially the protagonists (Sakura = Madoka / Tomoe = Humura).

Yuna the Scarlet Princess: This is a classic id you like Adventure. Since you are into comics, you'll probably like this, since the story is essentially a fantasy! Especially for Yunaz, the protagonist, who undergoes a beautiful evolution. From spoiled princess to "outlaw".

Lovely Complex: Let's move on to school anime - the "problem" with this genre is that the men are often questionable. If all goes well, they're just really asshole peers. If not, there are straight-up romances between adult men and underage girls that...OK, JAPAN! Anyway, we were saying: Lovely Complex is sooo cute, and most importantly, they have a NORMAL relationship! The basic idea is silly, but it makes sense if you consider the protagonists' ages.

Host Club - This is like THE SCHOOL ANIME™. You have to watch it for the culture, lol. Simple plot: Girl infiltrates an all-boys boarding school. Gags ensue.

Fruit Basket - Another classic! The story of Honda, a young girl who finds herself having to break the curse that afflicts her family. Famous for its intricate family relationships.

Toradora: A lot of people don't like it anymore. I understand it hasn't aged very well in some ways, but it remains a cornerstone of my pre-adolescence! Taiga meant a lot to me.

The Roses of Versailles (Versailles no Bara): Since you like comics, you will probably appreciate "The Roses of Versailles" by Ryoko Ikeda, which, unlike the shojo stereotype, is first and foremost a political story. For me, like many others in Italy, it was my first shoujo, even though I was perhaps a little young to watch it lol! Anyway, the plot - We are in Paris during the final years of the monarchy, and we follow two storylines: on one hand, the difficulties of Lady Oscar, a noblewoman raised as a man by her father and currently head of the royal guard. On the other, the fictional life of Queen Marie Antoinette.

Dear Brother (Onisamaa ē...) - Also by Ryoko Ikeda, this is a darker story; I recommend it if you're looking for something adult. The story is set in a girls' boarding school and tells us about the destructive passions of the girls who live there; all told from the POV of Mariko, our protagonist. Perfect if you're looking for sapphic stories.

In order: Neighborhood stories-> Paradise Kiss -> Nana: all three of Ai Yazawa's series are essential to me, but I think mainstream audiences watch them in the wrong order. I think Nana is the most famous modern shojo in the world and one of my favorite series, yet I consider it a TERRIBLE introduction to the shojo world, because, a bit like Madoka Magika, it's full of clichés and deconstructions of the genre that, if you're unfamiliar, lead you to misunderstand the story. So, the best way to catch up on Ai Yazawa's works for me is: Neighborhood stories (which is cite but light-hearted and has a happy ending), then Paradise Kiss (which is more dramatic), and then finally Nana (so you can cry properly).

The list is endless, so consider this part 1!! I hope it's helpful, and let me know if you have any other suggestions. Take care! 🩷

[pontipines]

Naruto the only shonen where the polyship between the three mains would fix them. Not only because all the angles of the triangle touch but also because Sakura is the earth to Naruto and Sasuke's sun and moon - It's what keeps them grounded in reality, while if they were alone, those two idiots would already be on their fifteenth blunt and would have started astral projecting into space. (Which they already did)