Last year, the popular Manga Nana celebrated its 25th anniversary. However, it has been on hiatus for 17 years, and fans are still waiting for the conclusion. Mein MMO reveals why the franchise remains so popular despite this.
What is the status of the manga? The manga has been on hiatus since 2009. The reason is a severe illness affecting the author Ai Yazawa. The illness has not been specified, but it forced the author to abruptly halt her work.
Even today, the author is still in sick leave. Over the years, the mangaka has repeatedly expressed that it breaks her heart to leave the story unfinished. However, her ultimate goal is to complete the manga someday.
In August 2025, the author made her last statement in the Q&A section of the fanbook “The World of Nana”. In an interview, she revealed that the ending of Nana is already determined. She wants to do her best so that every fan can read it one day. She is still committed to her goal of finishing the story one day.
This parallels the anime and manga to Game of Thrones. The author, George R. R. Martin, has also been working on the next part of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” saga for many years. However, he already has plans for what to do if he can’t finish the book before his death.
Nana depicts the brutal life
What happens in the manga? The story revolves around two young women who couldn’t be more different apart from their names and ages. Both are named Nana, are 20 years old, and move into an apartment in Tokyo together after a tragic event.
Nana Komatsu is a naive girl from the countryside who moves to Tokyo to be with her boyfriend and live a happy relationship. She desperately seeks security and finds herself in one relationship drama after another.
Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is the tough lead singer of a punk rock band called Blackstones. She moves to Tokyo to launch her career as a professional musician. Additionally, she wants to confront her ex-boyfriend Ren, who left her to join an extremely successful band in the city as a guitarist.
Although the two women have different views on life and are complete opposites in character, they develop an incredibly emotional friendship.
The manga ran from 2000 to 2009. Currently, the work is being re-released by Panini. A new volume is released every two months. Since the release started in August 2025 with Volume 1, it is expected to take until the end of 2028 for all 21 volumes to be published as a remake.
There is also an associated anime that aired from 2006 to 2007. You can currently watch it on Netflix.
Due to the 25th anniversary last year, Nana came back into focus for anime fans and is becoming accessible to a new generation. But what makes the anime and manga so special?
Why is Nana so popular? At its release, Nana was an extremely popular anime and manga. One could describe Nana as a slice-of-life anime that does not sugarcoat life.
- The story revolves around two young women in their twenties who deal with real issues such as loneliness, performance pressure, and dependence on their toxic relationships. They are not perfect and make many mistakes, which makes them extremely human.
- Although the two women are so different, they manage to form a friendship that is complicated but also brings many beautiful moments.
- The anime and manga have gained many followers due to its unique aesthetics and music. The style is inspired by fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Additionally, rock music plays a central role – many of you will know the iconic first opening.
The two Nanas influenced many young women in the 2000s who were struggling with similar issues. It is even more beautiful that these themes are now also becoming accessible to a new generation.
Nana is just one of many animes that unfortunately ended far too soon. There are various reasons why a story may not reach its final chapter. If you want to know which animes and mangas ended before their grand finale, you can check out the following list on MeinMMO: 6 strong animes that ended too early
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