completed watching nana, and it left me in chaos.

i just finished watching nana (the anime), and it was so good. i loved the storyline and how well written the characters were, each with so much depth. i don't even hate any of them. almost all of them are problematic, but i can't bring myself to hate them, not even reira or takumi. their personas are so complex, making it a absolute delight to analyze their actions and question your own perspectives. the best part is that none of them are saints or playing the hero, they’re just flawed humans trying to survive in tokyo, which i loved. except for hachi and nobu, most of the main characters carry heavy childhood trauma and family issues, which really drives their hunger for love. it explains why they cling to people just to avoid being alone, even when the love isn't genuine. characters like hachi, shin, and reira are so broken and hollow inside. they never received love from the people they actually needed it from, so they kept searching for it in others, desperate to be understood, which is honestly heartbreaking. also, nana and ren’s relationship definitely shouldn't be romanticized. they were equally toxic and codependent. the similarities between nana and takumi are also super interesting to think about. both were intensely possessive, prideful, and willing to do whatever it took to keep what they considered "theirs," though nana was definitely softer while takumi was straight-up manipulative.

while most of the relationships in the show were toxic and messy, i genuinely loved kyosuke and junko. they were so mature, at times almost acting like parental figures to hachi rather than just peers, while still managing to maintain their friendship with shoji. a lot of viewers accuse junko of taking shoji’s side when he cheated, but she was just trying to point out that hachi and shoji had already drifted apart, and that hachi’s own neglect played a role in the relationship breaking down. despite everything, everyone in hachi’s circle just wanted her to be happy and end up with someone worthy. finally, i never really shipped nana and hachi. they were both trying to figure themselves out and were clearly confused by their deep bond. even with all the underlying romantic tension, intense emotional intimacy, and internal confusion about their feelings, i still don't ship them romanticizing it would just lead to another toxic dynamic. nobu would have been a much healthier choice for hachi.