NANA ep.11

June 14, 2006 | 19 Comments

This is a rather good episode that mostly focuses on Hachi's unexpected life changes. Not surprisingly, she barely capable of supporting herself in a crisis like this. On the other hand, it's rather nice to see her friends turn out to be quite supportive after all. They are also clever enough to figure out how to help Hachi without making life easy for her. Animation-wise, this episode starts to show some inconsistencies here and there. Thankfully it's not enough to detract the show in its entirety and the animators are still motivated to show some unusual angles and animation style from time to time. One of particular note is Hachi's crying face reflected on a jar of pickled plums.

The episode begins with Hachi realising that she's now broke. She can't seem to understand why this is the case so Nana tells her that this is caused by Hachi's tendency to buy anything that she sees. Hachi tries to argue that she gets everything at a good deal from Sabrina. Moroever, the clothes that she bought simply got deducted from her paycheck. Upon hearing this Nana points out that this is why Hachi has a lot of clothes and no paycheck. Hachi then asks Nana how she can make it even though she doesn't have a job. When she finds out that Nana rarely spends her money on anything else, Hachi seems to be relieved. Nana, however, reminds her that they've agreed to split the rent by half. Because of this, if Hachi can't pay her share by the end of the month, Nana has no choice but to throw her out. Hachi is not happy upon hearing his harsh words but Nana does not have the time to deal with Hachi's melodrama because she has to go to work.

Hachi becomes panic now and as a result, ends up begging Junko and Kyousuke to help her out. Junko is not impressed with this and reminds Hachi that she came to Tokyo to make it on her own. Kyousuke then suggests that maybe Hachi should stay at Shouji's place for now. Hachi, however, refuses because she doesn't want Shouji to see her in this situation. Upon hearing this, Kyousuke decides to lend Hachi a 10,000 Yen ($100) but Junko stops him because she knows Hachi is just going to spend the money. Junko offers a better alternative and that is to share the rice that she receives from her parents with Hachi. This way at least Hachi won't get hungry. Later on inside the store, Hachi tries her best not to buy anything so that she'll at least get 70,000 Yen by the 26th of the month. After calculating some of her expenses, she thinks that she'll be able to survive a bit. She, however, can't help being worried about next month.

Hachi decides to skip lunch so she can save more money. She, however, can't refuse when Mizukoshi offers to treat her to a dinner. Meanwhile inside his campus, Kyousuke notices Shouji walking together with Sachiko. After getting an explanation, Kyousuke realises that Shouji seems to meet Sachiko everywhere from work to school. Kyousuke also points out that Sachiko seems to be the kind of girl that Shouji usually likes: petite and pale. Upon seeing Sachiko's charm, however, Kyousuke realises that the girl can cause a lot of problem for Shouji and Hachi. Because of this, he decides to report his finding to Junko. At the same time, Nana is seen practicing the drum with the rest of her band. Even though Shinn thinks that Nana is pretty good at the instrument, she can't help but being nostalgic about having Yasu as her drummer. Upon seeing Shinn's new outfit, Nana correctly guesses that Shinn has just spent a night at Nobu's place.

This causes Nana to wonder if Shinn's parents are not worried about him. When Shinn tells Nana that he doubts it, however, she stops asking more question about it. Shinn is surprised to see this and points out to Nana that normally other people would say that his parents must be worried about him. In reply, Nana tells Shinn that she's very aware that there are parents who don't care about their kids. At the same time, Hachi is seen telling Mizukoshi that Shinn is actually is still a 15 years old boy. Apparently Nana found out that he's afraid they won't accept him if they know his real age. Unlike Nana, however, Hachi thinks that Shinn's parents must be worried about him not going to school. Hachi also tells Mizukoshi that they are still looking for a drummer because so far Nana hasn't met a candidate that she likes. Hachi, however, believes that the reason Nana hasn't got a new drummer is because she still likes Yasu.

Later on after getting out of the pub, Hachi thanks Mizukoshi for taking her to the pub. She, however, is shocked when Mizukoshi tells her that the reason he takes her out is because he wants to tell her personally that he has to close down the shop. Meanwhile, inside a train station, Shouji and Sachiko are seen trying to catch the last train. They, however, miss the train because Sachiko dropped one of her shoes. Sachiko asks Shouji to go ahead but Shouji decides to wait for her and as a result, missing the train as well. Because of this he asks her why she wear that kind of shoes if she can't run well in it. Sachiko admits that it's because she did it on purpose. Unfortunately for her, Shouji's mobile then rings, revealing a crying Hachi on the other side. Shouji and Sachiko eventually share a taxi to go back home. Sachiko, however, refuses Shouji's offer to pay for the fare because she doesn't take favours from guys who have girlfriends.

That night, Shouji decides to share his saving with Hachi but it seems he doesn't have enough money either. Hachi is upset about this and accuses Shouji of spending the money on Sachiko. Shouji looks flabbergasted upon hearing this but tries to tell Hachi that the reason is because he just bought himself a new computer. Upon seeing the computer, Hachi thinks they should sell it but Shouji decides to give her pickled plums instead so she won't get hungry. The next day, Hachi is surprised when she finds an extra 300,000 Yen in her bank account. At first she thought it's a payment from Mizukoshi but Nana points out that the money actually came from Hachi's mother. Hachi is happy to receive the extra money and decides that they should celebrate by eating Sukiyaki. Nana, however, rejects the idea and tells her they are going to have Natto as a side dish instead. She thinks until Hachi can get a job, she can't eat meat. Hachi can only scream in terror.

Nana then advises Hachi to call her mother to thank her. In return, Hachi wonders if Nana ever get homesick. Nana confidently tells Hachi that she never feels that way because she doesn't have any home. Despite this, Nana can't stop herself from crying upon seeing Yasu standing in front of her door. While Hachi uses the opportunity to buy ingredients for Sukiyaki, Nana tells Yasu that he was the one who created the band. Yasu agrees and tells Nana that he couldn't sleep at night either. Besides, there are law firms in Tokyo, suggesting that he's moving to the city as well. Nobu and Shinn are then seen coming to the apartment with Hachi to greet Yasu's arrival. The episode ends with Hachi asking Nana if she still feels like she has no home. She points out that the dining room table and chairs are still 'here', just like the good old days.

Impression:

I never thought I'll say this but this episode for some reason made me interested with Yasu/Nana. In a way their relationship reminds me a little bit of Morita and Yamada from Honey and Clover. They are actually just friends but they are really close and supportive to each other that one can't help but wonder if the thought of being more than friends ever crossed each other's mind. On the other hand, Shouji and Hachi is one coupling that I wish will stop right now because it's starting to feel like a trainwreck. Since I follow the series on episode by episode basis, I almost forgot that he and Hachi actually had a rather big fight one episode ago. As a result, it's hard for me not to think of Shouji as a jerk in the relationship. However, a shot of Hachi crying like a big baby while insisting that Shouji sells his computer to support her life brings everything back to a perspective. I have to admit that while Shouji is a cheat, Hachi is also a rather annoying person to be with.

Having said that it's hard not to feel sorry for anyone who got sacked from their workplace due to a circumstance or another. Finding job is hard enough as it is now. I can only imagine how horrifying it is to find a job and then get fired after only working at the place for a couple of days. I think it'll at least chip a little bit at one own's confidence and emotional security. It also makes me realise that I haven't actually move from my job for almost 5 years now. I probably should do it soon since staying at one place for too long is not good for a career. But it's hard to do this when employment itself is rather hard to get. Anyway, it's unfortunate that this kind of theme seems to be more of a side story in NANA because I actually enjoy it a lot more than the romantic aspect of the story. Although in comparison to other Shoujo manga, NANA at least features this kind of life-related issues quite consistently.

© memento 2003