Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Nana – episode 5

May 10, 2006 on 11:02 pm | In Nana | 2 Comments

Travel toooooooo … thaaaaaa moooon …

Can I be forgiven for loving Black Nana right now? I really liked her story, and was kind of moved by what this episode had to offer.

Black Nana decides that she needs to be more independent. Consequently, she will not move to Tokyo with Ren, but will stay and work with the Black Stones for a while.

In a band, the decision of one person affects the lives of every other member. Ren seemed to be holding the band together and, because of his connection to Black Nana, he could have torn it apart. Through her discussions with Nobu, Black Nana comes to understand that she has taken so much from Ren but feels that she has brought nothing to the relationship.

One would expect a woman like Black Nana to have forever been the fiercely independent sort, going by the stereotypes of people who wear black and have makeup. Her mature realisation that she let her relationship define her identity is a big turning point in this sort of person.
It’s not sad because Black Nana cultivated her singing for her own benefit rather than anyone else.That does not mean that parts of it can’t be sad, because the Ren on the train scene was extremely powerful as only such a split second decision that has been weighed for weeks can be.

Ren was the transient man in Black Nana’s life. He helped to shape her, but once the pain is gone they wish only the best for each others’ futures. Great stuff: after the first episode I was high on Nana; the following three diminished that somewhat. Now I’m all sparkly sparkly again.