Sunday, January 08, 2006
Omatase shimashita~ The review of the Nana The Movie is finally up!
After the movie adaptation of the manga Last Quarter, Nana is the next manga by the very talented Yazawa Ai to be turned into a live-action movie. Nana The Movie is directed by Otani Kentarou and stars J-pop singer Nakashima Mika as Ozaki Nana and Miyazaki Aoi as Komatsu Nana.
Nana the Movie follows the lives of two twenty year-old girls coincidentally named Nana, as they move from their hometown to the glitzy, big-city world of the Japanese capital, Tokyo. As they struggle to find their footing in the capital city and fulfill their dreams, the audience is led into a realisitic, moving retelling of the familiar modern narrative of big-city dreams and migration. And although Singaporeans may not be familiar with "going to the capital" stories (since our capital IS our country), the two Nanas' strong desire to start a new life in a new place is certainly universal enough for most of us to relate to.
The manga series Nana (which is still ongoing) has been very popular in Japan since 1999. Although fans can be very particular, I believe that they will not be disappointed by the movie. For live-action movies adapted from comics/manga to succeed, they generally have to be true to the plot, the characterization and, this is most tricky, the style of the mangaka. Nana the Movie succeeds for the most part in all these particulars.
The general atmosphere of the movie captures the dreamy feel of Yazawa-sensei's manga very well, with beautiful city-landscape shots accompanied with the lightly sad yet whimsical classical instrumental soundtrack. One can tell that the production crew has also been very faithful in replicating the settings of the manga, from the interior of Jackson Cafe to Room 707, which is the old apartment shared by Nana and Hachi (the pet-name of Komatsu Nana).
Yazawa's trademark quirky fashion sense is also faithfully reproduced in the movie. Nana's ultra-cool punk outfits are the envy of all VK fangirls (including me!) and all the characters are dressed up in the exact clothes and accessories that they are supposed to be wearing in a particular scene. The smallest details are gotten pat down, right down to Yasu's favourite Black Stone Cherry cigarettes!
And what is a movie about Nana without the music? Nakashima is perfect as Nana, the aspiring punk-rock vocalist of BLAST, with her deep, husky voice and icy-cool attitude. She sings the theme song Glamorous Days in exactly the way fans would have imagined Nana singing in the manga. The song, which is written by Hyde and the lyrics penned by Yazawa-sensei herself, instantly catches on with its energetic rhythm, J-rock influences and inspiring lyrics. Itou Yuna also makes a cameo appearance as Reira, the regal vocalist of rival band Trapnest, and her song Endless Story is achingly beautiful and deeply memorable.
However, as a fan, I have a few quibbles with the casting besides that of Nana and Hachi. Matsuda Ryuhei is a major let-down as Ren, the bassist of Trapnest and love interest of Nana. No matter how spiky his hair is and how much black eyeshadow he uses, he fails to convey that aura of devil-may-care arrogance that fans love Ren for. In fact, his pallid face often makes me think of a "xiao bai lian" (male gigolo)... more than literally.
The styling of Nobu is also wrong and the actor's face is simply inappropriate for the role. Nobu is supposed to be a simple guy-next-door but Narimiya Hiroki looks and acts too much of a buffoon to be taken seriously at all. And Maruyama Tomomi (Yasu) unfortunately looks the part but neglects that Yasu may look fierce but is a kindly big brother to all the members of BLAST and Hachi, always helping them out of their messes with his trademark smile of helpless resignation.
Despite these little problems, fans of the manga will have a fun time watching the movie and comparing it to the original manga. Fans will also have the benefit of extended knowledge about the characters and their lives, which will deepen the pleasure of watching as certain story elements have been left out due to the time constraint. Although first-timers can still understand and enjoy the show, fans will be able to better understand the tension between Hachi and Shouji and why he feels attracted to Sachiko (plus the irony of Sachiko's name too). The movie focuses much less on the dynamics of their relationship and thus suggests more strongly than the manga that Shouji has been a monster for two-timing Hachi.
But all in all, Nana the Movie has been an enjoyable watch and I will recommend it to both fans and non-readers of the manga.
Official website: click here for more information on the movie.
http://www.nana-movie.com
kaoru said at 5:16 AM
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