What happened in this episode and how did Hachi’s story ‘end’?
Hachi in one of the moments of the last episode of the anime
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There are animes that, due to their many virtues, manage to stand the test of time without falling into oblivion. An example of this is Nana, the series that adapts a large part of the story of the manga created by Ai Yazawa and that managed to capture the attention of readers thanks to its brilliant cast of main characters, including Nana Osaki, probably one of the best-written female characters we can find in this world.
Yazawa’s work also knew how to perfectly capture many of the problems that come with adult life, leading its protagonists to particularly dramatic situations on several occasions. Because Nana is still a manga without an official ending, its anime version had a sudden cut in its 47th episode, leaving several plots already started up in the air and concluding with an ending that, unfortunately, left many viewers wanting more. What exactly did this ‘ending’ tell us?
The following lines contain spoilers for the Nana anime.
This is how the story of Hachi and Nana Osaki ‘ended’ in the anime
To put things into context, this episode focuses primarily on Nobu, Nana Osaki, and Hachi, with a special emphasis on the latter’s plot with Nobu. It also has a certain sense of nostalgia in its first few minutes, as we are shown a time jump of several years in which we see Hachi walking with Satsuki, the daughter she had with Takumi, the great star of Trapnest.
In this episode we had the opportunity to see Hachi’s daughter
Our protagonist still maintains a strong friendship with Yasu and Shin and, despite being more mature, she is still the candid girl we met throughout the anime. She also continues to get along well with Nobu; her heart continues to feel something for him and she can’t help but think about what her life would have been like by his side. Nobu, for his part, also appears melancholic when he sees Hachi and her wedding ring, showing that he is still in love with her.
After this scene, we return to the end of the previous episode, with a devastated Hachi at the thought of having lost a possible friendship with Shouji, her ex-boyfriend and the boy she dated during the first episodes of the series. In tears, a helpless Hachi talks on the phone with Nana Osaki, from whom she had distanced herself due to several conflicts that occurred in previous episodes, some of them caused by the bad relationship between Osaki and Takumi.
Hachi wants to watch the fireworks with her friends and Nana, but she doesn’t feel able to be close to Nobu, since she is still in love with him even though she is engaged to Takumi and they are due to get married in a couple of weeks. Thus, the drama also ends up involving Nobu, who decides at the last moment not to see Hachi to avoid complicating our protagonist’s life even more, even though the feelings between them are reciprocal.
Nobu breaks down after deciding not to see Hachi
Hachi manages to meet up with Shin, Yasu and Nana Osaki to watch the fireworks together, visibly improving her mood. Osaki asks her somewhat angrily why she isn’t invited to his wedding with Takumi and later asks Hachi to try to be happy and appreciate the great sacrifice Nobu made for her, which causes tears of gratitude in our protagonist.
In its final moments, the episode shows some tension between Nana and Nobu due to the argument they had over Hachi before going out to see the fireworks. Hachi’s voiceover suggests that there was a rift between Nana and our protagonist, ending with the latter assuring that she will be willing to wait as many years as it takes to see her dear friend once more.
While it is true that this episode has some great moments and some scenes that can move the viewer, many missed the presence of such important characters as Takumi or Ren, especially the latter if we take into account the enormous evolution that his relationship with Osaki had in the final stretch of the anime. Nobu’s decision also generated divided opinions among fans; some were disappointed with him and believe that the boy made a serious mistake by not seeing Hachi and confessing his feelings one last time.
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