You can rest assured that this is one of the best media adaptations I've seen, and it's the best Manga <> Live Action Movie conversion i have ever witnessed.
All of the main cast looks as if they have come to life direct from the manga, and they feel real and vibrantly true. About the only negative i could say is that Shin doesn't look young enough (mainly because he's too tall, his style however is perfect and natural). About the only character that didn't jive with me was Nobu, but apart from that everything is perfect - from Yasu to the members of Trapnest, to Sachiko to Juu-chan, all perfect, living as naturally as real life.
Full credit has to go to the stylists and costume designers, who took NANA's unique and wild style of clothing and made it a living breathing stunning showcase you want to reach out and touch.
With regard to the story, i have nothing but praise for the authentic adaptation and brilliant pacing of the story. The movie basically covers from where Nana (Hachi) got on the train to go to Tokyo and it ends just after the concert, when Trapnest came over to Nanaes's (plural possessive of Nana) apartment. The ending is one that feels right, and wraps up nicely the threads throughout the movie. It leaves open the possibility of a sequel and most importantly, doesn't change the source material.
For all of you out there who have never read Nana you'll be pleased that for the movie, NO PRIOR KNOWLEDGE OF NANA IS NECESSARY. So you can go and watch it right now.
I've already mentioned how closely the movie follows the source material, and it is a joy to behold the manga come to life and acted out for this 2 hour movie. I have a very short attention span but for NANA i was on the edge of my seat.
With the NANA manga featuring detailed themes of music and bands, a question is how well real life was able to bring to life the exultation of the songs. I wasn't that wowed by the first BLAST track, but the ending was definitely nice to listen too. In particular Trapnest sounded awesome.
I could write on and on singing my praises for this movie,So what are you waiting for, watch it!!!!!!
