Forget "The Fantastic Four" or "Batman Begins," the comic book film to see this summer is "Nana." That is, if yer in Junior High School and a girl. The must read manga has sold 23 million copies, spawned a PS2 game, and even inspired tribute album by popular Japanese singers. This love isn't unwarranted as the manga does seem to be somewhat intelligent, and the PlayStation game is really a step above the typical girly girl fair. American fans can catch English language comic in "Shojo Beat," a manga for gals recently covered by Wired.

"Nana" follows the befriending of two women that share the same namesake, Nana. (Giddit?) Both gals embark on a serious of adventures, which are punctuated by the fact that they have totally opposite personalities (one is a prep, the other a punk). Yes, the plot is totally contrived and kinda reminds me of "The Parent Trap," but with angst or something. Grrrrl.

Coverage of the Movie [Mainichi Shinbun]

—B.A.

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