Vrai, Tony, and special guest, the Getting Animated podcast’s Destiny-Senpai, begin their multi-part watchalong of the shoujo classic, NANA. Destiny will be our expert as Vrai and Tony experience the story for the very first time, just in time for its 25th anniversary.
The need for well-written female characters is supposedly understood and advocated for in fandom spaces, but the moment these female characters show any unfavorable attributes or make mistakes, they are rarely given the same grace as male characters. The complicated women of NANA prove that there’s a limit to how flawed a female character can be before she’s no longer palatable to readers.
Though its depiction of queerness is a bit dated, it’s a powerful portrayal of a bond between women and the life of two young women trying to find their way in the world. It’s also a series that has found itself in a very unique place in discussion for its abrupt hiatus that has lasted for over a decade, with no ending in sight.
