Those years, the 《NANA》 my bestie and I chased together—youth, friendship, dreams, all left in Ai Yazawa's manga ✨📚🎸
In middle school, I was someone who liked borrowing classmates' manga to read. One volume, two volumes, gradually stepping into the world of shoujo manga. By high school, I had completely fallen in love with Japanese manga artist Ai Yazawa's works, almost collecting all her series into my youthful memories.(´▽｀)♡
《Paradise Kiss》, 《Neighborhood Story》, 《I Am Not an Angel》, 《Gokinjo Monogatari》 and others—each work features delicate character emotions, fashionable outfits, and the spirit of chasing dreams. The characters she draws are not perfect, yet feel as real as friends around me.
What I cherish most is not just the manga, but that period of youth chasing 《NANA》 with my high school bestie.
We met at fifteen or sixteen and became close friends for five or six years. Back then, we always imagined ourselves as the characters in the story—I was Nana Osaki, she was Nana Komatsu. We chased the manga together, watched the anime together, went to the cinema to see the live-action movie together, and chatted about friendship, love, and future music dreams.
What moved me most about 《NANA》 was not just the romance, but the courage of two girls supporting each other and chasing dreams on their life paths. Although there are many adult relationships and intimate scenes in the story, what truly touched me has always been the friendship, the music, and how everyone strives to live as themselves.🎤🖤
Ai Yazawa Profile
Born: March 7, 1967, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan
Renowned Japanese shoujo manga artist
Specializes in blending fashion, aesthetics, music, and love into her manga
Representative works include 《I Am Not an Angel》, 《Neighborhood Story》, 《Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai》, 《Paradise Kiss》, and 《NANA》.
Representative Manga Works
《Gokinjo Monogatari》
《I Am Not an Angel (天使なんかじゃない)》
《Neighborhood Story (近所物語)》
《Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai》
《Paradise Kiss》
《NANA》
Will 《NANA》 release a new volume?
As of July 2026, there has been no official announcement regarding the release date of 《NANA》 volume 22 or the resumption of serialization. The series has been on indefinite hiatus since 2009 due to Ai Yazawa's health issues, but she has expressed a wish to one day complete 《NANA》, so fans worldwide continue to hold on to hope.
Perhaps the most beautiful thing about 《NANA》 is that even though the story has paused, it still accompanies a generation's youth.
Thank you, Ai Yazawa. Thank you, 《NANA》, for reminding me of that high school bestie who chased dreams, read manga, and talked about friendship and love together. That youth will never end.🌸🎶💕
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