Nana : 4 of 5

Even though I already bought the Japanese special edition DVD of this movie back in 2006, I really wanted to get this new release so I could enjoy the official English subtitles, as well as support new Japanese DVD releases in the US! Nana is kind of special to me since it's the first thing that really made me feel plugged-in to current Japanese culture, since I was already reading the manga when the movie was released to theaters in Japan. You can read most of my gushing comments in my original review, but although Nana has its flaws, I really enjoyed watching it again, and it was even better than I remembered! Just like the first time I saw it, I loved the expert use of flashbacks to reveal the backstory without weighing down the main plot, and once again I thought the music was awesome! Hachi (the cute Nana) is so beautiful (I love watching her in the audience in the concert scenes), and Mika Nakashima (I listen to lots of her music now) does a great job in her role. Now that I have a few more Japanese dramas under my belt, I'm also starting to recognize more actors! Hachi's bad boyfriend Shoji is played by the young doctor from First Kiss, and the girl he cheats with was the bassist from Nodame Cantabile. Now that the story is fresh in my mind, I'm really starting to consider buying the manga volumes to read it again (and to make it to the end, since Shojo Beat stopped carrying it when the story got too racy). I'm also looking forward to the sequel film (even though I have read mixed reviews), which is finally coming out soon on DVD in the US!