Are Weeb There Yet?
An Exploration and Education in Anime!

AWTY 121 - Nana the Chad (Nana)

3 years ago
Transcript
Speaker A:

She's so cute when she laughs.

Speaker B:

Hello and welcome to our weep there yet in exploration and education and anime. I'm your anime idiot, patrick dugan.

Speaker A:

I'm an anime expert, d hollander.

Speaker C:

And I'm brenda mccullough. Your anime holly Parker or annie James from the parent trap.

Speaker A:

Oh, okay.

Speaker C:

I figured that'd be a hard one to get.

Speaker A:

I think it's hallie halley.

Speaker C:

I think of Holly and I think of rocket power. Holly also looking up that reference because I wanted to get their names right. Turns out the made assistant in it is named CHESSIE.

Speaker A:

CHESSIE?

Speaker C:

Chess. Not Jesse like the name, but CHESSIE like the board game.

Speaker A:

I knew that.

Speaker C:

What?

Speaker B:

I didn't know that. And I watched it fairly recently, so did not catch it at all.

Speaker A:

Is this specifically the Lindsay lohan one?

Speaker C:

Specifically Lindsay Lowhand one. Yes.

Speaker A:

Yeah. I was just thinking, I wonder if I wonder if they also had a maid name Jesse in the original one.

Speaker C:

I've never heard I assumed it was just Jesse and I was misearing it.

Speaker A:

Yeah, it's a weird name, but hey.

Speaker B:

Yeah, if they committed to it in the remake, I'd assume it had to be the same in the original because otherwise that's just a wild choice to be like, we're changing the name.

Speaker A:

What can we make what sounds more 90s?

Speaker C:

Hey, who are you? What's your name? CHESSIE. CHESSIE.

Speaker A:

That's a good movie. I like that one.

Speaker C:

That's a fun time. Anyway.

Speaker B:

What we have going on this week is sort of similar. They don't got the same face, but they got the same names. We're watching nana.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

This is a recommendation that came to us from twitter, from user at eek L-S-Y-E kelsey, I think eeklc jasper, if.

Speaker A:

You start chasing your tail on this table, I'm going to lose it. You do that on the floor, bud.

Speaker C:

Like the rest of us.

Speaker A:

Thank you, eagsley.

Speaker C:

Thank you for the recommendation.

Speaker B:

But yeah, so I just gave it, you know, the old cursory. Please don't be hentai google. From what I saw, it does seem just like punk rock carolyn Tuesday. So I am interested to see how it goes.

Speaker A:

I saw there was some, like, headline or something that said, like, nana is the anime that everyone has heard of, but it seems like no one has seen.

Speaker C:

Disagree. I've never heard of it.

Speaker A:

Oh, I've heard of it.

Speaker B:

Thank God. Balance is restored.

Speaker C:

The natural order of things. Yeah, I looked it up and reading the summary, I got real confused and thought it was the parent trap. And I don't think that's what it is. When I reread when you guys pointed it out to me, I was like, oh, I'm just an idiot.

Speaker B:

Yeah, you thought it was more of a fight club situation.

Speaker C:

Yeah. So there's two characters named Nana and one says, like, the other Nana. I was like, split personalities. Because it's anime, it's got to be absurd and insane. And everyone else, it's just two people with the same name. I was like, my best friend since childhood is also named Brendan. Why didn't I think that was a possibility?

Speaker A:

Yeah, but I don't know too much about it.

Speaker C:

I know nothing.

Speaker B:

It's still fairly a mystery, so I guess we'll find out together. It's us against the Nana world gals being pals. This is all it should be.

Speaker A:

This is all it should have been.

Speaker B:

We watched one episode and it was perfect.

Speaker A:

There are 46 more, and they don't need to exist. Probably at least some of them. There must be more.

Speaker C:

There must be more.

Speaker B:

We'll get into this first episode, but everything they're putting down, if they intentionally didn't make nanny gay, then they fucked up. They did bad.

Speaker C:

They misled. This is a time I feel like you already pointed out. It's 47 episodes total, I think, which is, like, surprisingly long for an anime, because it's like, we've seen it's either like, twelve episodes or it's like a thousand episodes, like one piece, and there's usually very little in between. And I think with the smaller seasons, it forces the pacing better. But when there's, like, Death Note, where there's, like, more time, not filler episodes, but kind of get drawn out episodes where it's like, two things of note happened in this episode, and the rest we could have skipped over.

Speaker A:

Yeah, but we'll get to that.

Speaker C:

We'll get to that.

Speaker A:

Yeah. So in the first episode, we open on someone, just a voice, asking Nana if she remembers the first time they met, and that this person believes that it was fate. And then the opening happens, and it's very punk, very fun. It's not my style, but as the song went on, I was like, okay.

Speaker C:

It'S a good vibe, it's a good song.

Speaker A:

And then we see a girl, and she got a text, but I don't know what it said, but either way, it made her super happy.

Speaker C:

Back in the day of subtitling. Didn't exist in the tough version at all, ever. And it's really not helpful.

Speaker A:

The whole screen is just her phone, and it's like, what?

Speaker C:

Wonder what that says.

Speaker B:

Oh, well, what am I looking at?

Speaker A:

She says that spring is here, but it's snowing out, so it's kind of funny. She just means the spring of her life.

Speaker C:

Spring type of youth.

Speaker A:

Her inner monologue says that she's running away and she thinks her parents she says she's pretty much running away, and she thinks her parents are secretly relieved that she's leaving.

Speaker B:

Love that anxiety right at the top.

Speaker A:

My parents hate me. It's fine.

Speaker B:

My parents are mad at me for existing.

Speaker C:

I mean, she is the middle child, after all. That makes sense.

Speaker A:

She's going to Tokyo and she's excited. She's got no time to feel sad or homesick. She's just going. She's excited to be able to see someone named shoji every day, who is her boyfriend. She gets on the train, and it's pretty crowded, and she comes across a seat that has a guitar on it. And when she leans over to ask the girl who presumably the guitar belongs to, the train breaks, and she falls on the punk girl that's sitting there. And the punk girl is like, Are you okay? I'm sorry my guitar fell on you. And she's like, no, I'm good. And then she asks if she can sit next to her, and the punk girl says yes. It's at this point that I know they're both named Nana. Is that revealed in the anime yet? No. I called them prep nana and punk nana.

Speaker B:

I literally wrote prep for this Nana as well.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

So yes, on the same wavelength.

Speaker A:

Perfect.

Speaker C:

I wasn't covering this episode, so I didn't take notes.

Speaker A:

Yeah. After this, Punk Nana isn't as involved.

Speaker B:

So it becomes the tale of one Nana.

Speaker C:

We just call her nan.

Speaker A:

So Prep Nana is looking at Punk Nana and thinking about how beautiful and cool she is and that she must be famous or something. She's wearing a designer ring. And then Punk Nana, she's smoking, and she's like, hey, is the smoke bothering you? And Prep Nana looks away, and she's just like, oh, no, it's fine.

Speaker C:

Nothing YouTube could bother me.

Speaker A:

You're so hot.

Speaker B:

Clearly in love.

Speaker A:

Clearly. It's love at first sight. She looks at this woman, and she's just like, oh, my God.

Speaker C:

The standard meat intro, like, falling on top of her, like, oh, now we can sit together and bond.

Speaker B:

Yeah, like, truly set up. How can you read this any other way?

Speaker A:

And Prep Nana is like, it stinks that the train has stopped. Like, I'm kind of in a hurry. Bob just texts shoji, so she texts him, and she texts super fast. And Punk Nana is, like, really impressed, and she says something about you high school kids. And then Prep Nana is like, no, I'm 20. And then Punk Nana says, oh, I'm 22, also 20, also not 22. And they're both doing the same thing. They're both going to Tokyo to start fresh and find jobs. Crazy. Just wait till they learn each other's names. Actually, I like the voice actress for Punk Nana a lot in English. I think her vibe is really cool. She's got, like, a nice, like, smoky raspy thing.

Speaker B:

Yeah, it's not like, in your face. Like, yeah, I'm a hardcore front man in every conversation.

Speaker A:

So Prep ana asks where she's from, and then shoji calls her, and she says, hi, this is Nana. And she talks about the delay on the train. This is a one sided phone call.

Speaker C:

That's where you are into you.

Speaker A:

And based on what we hear, it sounds like he's going to pick her up whenever. And he sounds nice. At this point, I was like, he sounds like a nice guy. I was so fucking wrong. I hate this fucking guy.

Speaker B:

Okay, yeah, this is like the only good episode because we don't learn anything really about any of these characters who are all secretly terrible at this point.

Speaker A:

So Prep Nana hangs up and Punk Nana is like, oh, is that your boyfriend? And then Prep Nana is like, he yeah. He moved to Tokyo to go to art school and he told me to stay behind so I could plan things out and save some money. And she makes it sound like he cares at this point. I was like, yeah, that's actually, like, a good plan. Don't just move to Tokyo if you don't know what you're going to do.

Speaker B:

Yeah, especially don't make someone else move to Tokyo when you know they don't know what they're going to do.

Speaker C:

I like all the prefacing because that's exactly what's going in my head at this point. He sounds cool. I'm waiting for that other shoe to drop. And he got him out.

Speaker B:

We'll get there quick, but so she.

Speaker A:

Saved money and now she's on her way and she's like, oh my god, I can't believe, like, I'm telling this all to you like a complete stranger. And then Punk Nana is like, well, we're probably going to be here a while so we can get to know each other. And then Prep Nana is like, great, I'll just keep talking.

Speaker C:

Punk Nana at one point says, like, sometimes it's easier to tell everything to a stranger because they can't judge you. And I just immediately realized that from I Love You Man, the exact same plot line. He meets Jason seagull's character and just confesses everything to him at once. He's like, why am I doing this? Because I can't judge you because I don't know who you are. And I was like, this is just gay anime. I love you, man.

Speaker B:

Unfortunately. I love you, man. Was gayer than this show.

Speaker C:

That's true. At least what we've seen.

Speaker A:

Prefnant buys them some beers and she tries to toast to shogi passing his exams. And Punk Nana is like, I literally don't care about that. Why would I toast to that?

Speaker C:

I have no idea who this guy is.

Speaker B:

You should learn this before you move to a city with lots of people. In conversations, you tend to try to include the other person.

Speaker A:

Yeah. Also, most people don't give a heck about you. So instead they cheers to the coincidence of their meeting and all of the qualities they share and that they have the same name. Wow. And then we hear future Prep Nana, like reminiscing on the moment and her pouring her heart out and all of that. So they get to the train station and Prep Nana sees shoji and just runs off. And Punk Nana walks the other way. So by their strangers, again, lost in the crowd, she runs into shoji's, like, not his arms because he doesn't have his arms extended. She just runs into him and starts crying.

Speaker C:

First red flag.

Speaker A:

Yeah. And she's just happy to see him. And she like turns around to see if punk Nana is still there, but she's already gone. And she's like, oh, we didn't even get to swap numbers. And shoji says, then it sounds like you weren't really friends at all. Stop crying.

Speaker C:

Wow.

Speaker A:

And I was just like, oh no, here we go. So they go meet their friends, June and Kyosque. And then there's like not really even a montage. But they drive to shoji's place. They go inside and suddenly Prep donna is like she gets embarrassed that she's like, oh, I'm going to stay alone with you. And she's like, oh, I was just expecting to stay with June. And then shoji was like, oh, well, that would be weird considering that June and Kyosque live together now as a couple. And she was like, oh, okay. I didn't know that. Good for them.

Speaker B:

My friends didn't tell me this vital thing. It's almost like I'm not that good friends with that.

Speaker A:

It's almost like they don't care about me. Crazy. But she's happy to be staying with him. And then the next morning, shoji is already gone when Prep Nana wakes up and she does some work around the house. She cleans and she decides she's going to have dinner ready for him when he gets back. And she's just like, I kind of like this, like being a little housewife he and he gets back and he eats the food. And he's like, wow, it's good.

Speaker C:

Shocking, surprisingly good.

Speaker A:

And then he's like, so did you go see a realtor about finding your own place? And how did the job search go? And she's just like, oh shoot. I didn't do any of those things. Because she was just having fun playing housewife for a day. And then he's like, well, did you stay in bed all day? Because she doesn't say that out loud. And she's like, well, I did clean your whole apartment. And he's like, is that what you came to Tokyo to do? To clean my apartment? And then she's like, is that the thanks I get for cleaning your shitty, terrible apartment?

Speaker B:

I've been in this city for like 8 hours. Can I please take a second to breathe and be like, hey, I'm homeless in a new city. Can I just at least be comfortable in my surroundings for a SEC? chill.

Speaker A:

Yeah. And she did him a favor.

Speaker C:

Cleaned and cooked. Yeah. I've had buddies crash on my couch in college for longer than this before I start giving them shit.

Speaker B:

And you were not in a relationship.

Speaker C:

With any of them?

Speaker A:

Yeah. She snaps at him and then he just fucking looks at her and doesn't speak to her. He just gives her the silent treatment. But she's right. Just because he thinks that she should find a job doesn't mean that he gets to be ungrateful for her doing this for him.

Speaker C:

Yeah, there's definitely a less shitty way of conveying his message than the way he did it.

Speaker B:

Yeah, because it's not like he left in the morning and was like, hey, good luck with a job search and have her go. yep, that's the only thing I'm doing today.

Speaker A:

He just left?

Speaker B:

Yeah, left left a note just saying bye.

Speaker A:

Yeah. Didn't even say good morning.

Speaker B:

Yeah. Guess I'll figure it out on my own, I guess. Do I even have a key? If I were to leave this place, could I get back in?

Speaker C:

Yeah, she would have been able to get back in.

Speaker A:

That's true. So he gives her the silent treatment for the rest of dinner and then he gets up to do the dishes and he's just like, thanks for dinner. The next day she goes to see a realtor. She's looking for a place. And the realtor is like, hey, with your budget, you're not going to find a lot right in Tokyo, but you can find a nice place outside of the city. And he shows her a place that has no deposit and is like, nice for the price.

Speaker C:

And I'm just like, well, suspicious.

Speaker A:

Crazy. Yeah.

Speaker B:

Impossible.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker A:

And he takes her to see it and it's this lovely big building. It's old and it's brick and it's got a nice view. And she's like, it's on the 7th floor and there's no elevator, but it's really nice. And then when they get into the unit, punk Nana is already there with her realtor. Wow. denny.

Speaker B:

Oh, weird. Had a fight with the shitty boyfriend and then immediately see this beautiful woman again. yay.

Speaker A:

Right? And then Prep Nana is like really excited to see her. But Punk Nana doesn't recognize her right away. So Prefna is under the impression that they were friends. Like they made friends on the train. But Punk Nana is just kind of like I mean, we know each other.

Speaker C:

We talked for a few hours.

Speaker B:

I didn't say goodbye, didn't get any contact info and assumed we would never meet again and was fine with it.

Speaker C:

Fair assumption.

Speaker A:

So Punk Nana says that she's not sure if she's going to take the place. So prep. Nana looks around. She's really excited about it, and she goes straight to her realtor. And she's like, yeah, I'm going to take it. And then Punk Nana gets mad, being like, well, I was here first. And then Prep Nana is like, well yeah, but you said you didn't want it. Like you weren't sure. And I'm sure I want it. And then Punk Nana is like, well now I've made up my mind and I want it. And then she says, well, why don't you live with your boyfriend? Did he dump you? And then Prep Nana is like, if things go on the same way, they might. And I'm just like, why don't you dump him? He did, you dirty. And that is the whole fucking theme of the next two episodes. I hate it.

Speaker C:

Preview that.

Speaker A:

Yeah. So Punk Nana asks what happened, and they start to talk about it. But then Punk nana's realtor calls the conversation nonsense, and she just looks up at him and she's like, you're so fucking dumb. Shut up. And then Prep nana's realtor suggests that they move in together because it does have two bedrooms. Two separate bedrooms. And they like the idea. But then Punk nana's Realtor pulls her aside to try to talk her out of it. He's like, do you really want to move in with her? She's kind of annoying. And as soon as she I think he felt okay saying that because it seemed like that's what Punk Nana thought too. But as soon as he says that, she's like, you're a sad, lonely man.

Speaker C:

Goodbye.

Speaker B:

I mean, he's not wrong, though, is the only thing.

Speaker C:

He's not wrong.

Speaker B:

Yeah, from the knee jerk reaction of seeing in, like, one realtor interaction. Yeah, big assumption. But seeing two more episodes, he wasn't wrong.

Speaker C:

He's not wrong.

Speaker A:

I think I don't know. She seems like she's grown a lot from the last from the past, but.

Speaker C:

We still see the god, it's rough. I do, like, just the two realtors, like, the drastically dipose personalities of them, where prepping ana is like, realtor, just like an old man, like, about to retire. Like, you guys can have this apartment. I don't need this to live like this. paycheck to live. I can fucking do whatever. And then the young, like, upshot realtor with Punk Nana, like, I got to sell it to just you. I need that full commission price. yo, man, fucking chill. You suck.

Speaker A:

So after that, Punk Nana is like, yeah, let's get some locks on the bedroom doors so when we want our privacy, we can have it, and we'll move in together. yay. And then she extends her hand and Prep Nana takes it. And like, oh my God, they were roommates. And then in her monologue, prep Nana says that when she took her hand, she felt a warmth go straight to her heart.

Speaker B:

Are you telling me she's not gay?

Speaker A:

At this moment in time? Who's to say?

Speaker C:

Who knows? No one can guess.

Speaker A:

So that's episode one and the end of our happiness.

Speaker C:

I will say, looking this up, I saw the anime came out in 2006, and we see Punk Nana with, like, earbuds in on the train. And remembering that earbuds existed in 2006 kind of fucked me off for a second.

Speaker A:

Really?

Speaker C:

Yeah. I have bad ears, so they don't fit on me anyway. So I probably didn't start using them until, like, 2010. So just like, they exist. Effective. But ipods existed in, like, 2003 or something. Just like, fight age is catching up to me like the fucking ghost it is and try to shovel off my dusty old me body into the grave.

Speaker B:

So let's talk about youthful high school students.

Speaker A:

I can't wait.

Speaker C:

I hate it.

Speaker B:

But yeah, listener. If you need, like, a pretty textbook example on queer baiting, watch these first three episodes because feel betrayed. First off, other nanny, forget about her. She's dead. She's dead in these episodes. She doesn't exist. It's pure funk.

Speaker C:

Nana heartbreaking.

Speaker A:

Don't know her.

Speaker B:

You know, like the cool, fun person you want to get to know. Let's learn about the annoying ones backstory.

Speaker A:

I don't know. That's the thing too. It's not even like I didn't like her in the first episode, but these episodes just made me so mad. It made me feel bad for her more than anything.

Speaker C:

Yeah, but we've definitely had shittier main characters. But it's just kind of like they.

Speaker A:

Render her so unlikable and it's so upsetting.

Speaker C:

You just see the same problems repeating over and over. And now that we have the foresight of where her future leads, we go back and just see, like, oh, you kept falling in these same pit traps, like over and over and over again.

Speaker B:

Anyway, so yeah, we get flashback. Let's learn preppy nana's whole deal. So Nana comes from just an average mountain town. Not too farmy, not too city. Just your average town. We're introduced to nana's boyfriend, who is moving to Tokyo because he is a full grown adult dating a high schooler. Also, should I mention he's married? Yes, he's married.

Speaker C:

I feel like we've seen this in it before, where it's like an adult dating, like an actual adult dating, like, a high schooler. This dude's 29. He's well into it before they painted it in shows where he's like he's 21 something, where he's just above, like, high school age. So it's not too creepy. This dude is full adult. I am 29. If you see me anywhere near a school of any kind, please sweep my legs and drag me off calling the police.

Speaker B:

Hey, Brendan. I know you're near an elementary school.

Speaker C:

I can't afford to live anywhere else in this goddamn city.

Speaker A:

It's okay, because you don't go outside.

Speaker C:

I don't go outside. I refuse to.

Speaker B:

Also, I'm your neighbor now.

Speaker C:

Hello, neighbor.

Speaker A:

We love it.

Speaker C:

We're recording this outside on the street. We have good noise cancellation.

Speaker A:

He's going to get a box on.

Speaker C:

The street with proof stuff.

Speaker B:

But yeah. So this full grown, adult married man is like, hey, I got to stop seeing you because I'm moving to Tokyo. She gets upset because she was in love with this person that only meets her in hotel rooms, takes her out.

Speaker C:

For a drive, and then takes her to a hotel room. And that's it.

Speaker A:

That's love, baby.

Speaker B:

But yeah. So she's in school in a bathroom, crying to her best friend Junko. She's freaking out. Junko is, like, the only good character in that.

Speaker A:

Junko and Kyoske are good?

Speaker B:

Yes. kyoka is the only redeeming way. She's like, hey, it's graduation day. We're literally about to finish high school. Don't worry about it. You'll find some. Oh, sorry. No, there's a flashback after this flashback thrown off my notes. So even more backstory. Nana just has an older guy thing because she falls deeply in love with art teacher, full grown adult man, like the manager at a restaurant, all this stuff. Nothing ever came of most of these, like, crushes. But senior year, she meets a creepy businessman and it was love at first sight. Oh, yeah. How they met, she was feeling bad about herself because all of her crushes on these older men never went anywhere. So she immediately started a diet and fainted in the train station. And that's where she met this guy.

Speaker A:

She actually fainted at a movie theater.

Speaker B:

Oh, what? But yeah, she's like the whiplash of thinking. This is gay.

Speaker C:

This episode in particular, it knocks you off the rails hard.

Speaker B:

Like every new piece of information. I was just going like, oh, no.

Speaker A:

Are you fucking kidding me?

Speaker C:

I do like when she's like, crying to Junko in the bathroom. chunko says we're high schoolers. Any guy in a suit is older. And I'll be like, you know what? I still have that mentality. If you're in a suit, I assume you're a professional. No more than me.

Speaker B:

Yeah, take my peer, put them in a suit. I will assume a minimum. They're five years older than me, but clearly they're so put together. But yeah. So she meets this guy in a movie theater and he's and she's like, oh, well, I work at this restaurant. If you ever want a dinner sometime, you should come. So several weeks later, after radio silence, he finally shows up. And she just had to ignore his wedding ring and the fact that his name is probably not the one that she got.

Speaker C:

She says it's not for a few weeks, but she says every day since then, every time I thought about him, I thought about him more and more and more and the feelings intensified. I was like, girl talks about how.

Speaker A:

Handsome he is, and he's really not that handsome.

Speaker C:

I did not check beautiful boy off on the back.

Speaker B:

He was wearing a suit that did a lot of the heavy lifting. But yeah, so they finally graduate. We're back in. We're not back in the present. We're back in the past.

Speaker A:

It's the present for these episodes.

Speaker B:

So they're done with high school. They decide they're going to go to art school. They went to an all girl high school. So this is the first time dealing with go at learning violence. Going into this new school, junko is like, hey, I know you always immediately fall in love with everyone. Can you please try not to fall in love with the first person you see? So the first person we see is future boyfriend shoji.

Speaker A:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

So they are all in the same class together. shoji and Junko are friends and also were introduced to Kyoski.

Speaker C:

Where is it?

Speaker B:

Kyoskey. Yeah. Future Junko's boyfriend. Kyoske. The only two cool people. I wish we could hang out with them more.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

So they're all in a class, and just being in a classroom with a boy, that's so erotic to her, she just immediately falls.

Speaker A:

Oh, God. It's just way too much.

Speaker C:

So hot. Heavy.

Speaker B:

Nana thinks Junko wants to date shoji, which is not true. The pairs have the same hair, just in different lengths. So it's like, yeah, we're telling you who goes together. Just watch an anime, please. But thinks that juneko wants to date shoji. And she's like, hey, leaning close. I got to tell you a little secret. You don't got to try to fuck every dude you meet, which is a revelation to not what you mean.

Speaker C:

They're people. Junko actually says, like, they're dudes, but they're also like, human beings aren't that just treat them like you would a human being. And she's like, no way.

Speaker A:

I don't even know how to do that.

Speaker C:

You're like, 18.

Speaker B:

Fucking girls and guys can't be friends with each other.

Speaker A:

It's gross.

Speaker B:

Remember how I loved being a housewife in the future?

Speaker A:

Still?

Speaker B:

Anyways, so she's trying to fight the instinct to fall in love and just keep fucking up so badly in romantic things because she just sees someone latches on and then is surprised that they aren't the perfect match. But the boys come over to Junko's house. They're all hanging out, and none is like, okay, friendship time. Got to psych myself up. Being friends with a boy. What a strange concept. She doesn't know how to react. So the solution, honestly, I relate, is drink enough to open up and just let everything out and just that's social lubricant. So naturally, she gets too drunk and just rants and cries about her ex boyfriends. They start out light hearted. She's really connecting, like, oh, you know, just stories about my exes. A lot of them were like, illegal relationships, but let's laugh. But when she finally gets to talking about takushi, she's like, oh, no. Starts crying because she's not over. June Co is like, okay, we reached sad drunk point for you to go to bed.

Speaker C:

It's winding down.

Speaker B:

So they put Nana to bed, and Kyoskay is passed out. So shoji is like, yeah, he can sleep here. That's fine. And as Junko is showing shoji out, she's like, hey, you know that Nana is into you, right? And he's like, what? She spent the whole time talking about ex boyfriends. That's not a great move when you're into them.

Speaker C:

She's a mess.

Speaker A:

She's stupid.

Speaker B:

And so begins the next two episodes. Constant back and forth of do they like each other? Do they hate each other? Let's change every scene so you don't.

Speaker C:

Know what's happening here. We want to see Ross and Rachel and friends. But in an anime.

Speaker A:

Neither did no, because I hate Ross. Ross sucks so fucking much, just like.

Speaker B:

Shoji, nana wakes up the next morning completely forgetting in a drunken state that. She revealed all this stuff. She goes out into the living room and finds Junko and Kyoshke cuddling. And then they catch her up and the fact that she told everyone everything about her exes. So she gets all embarrassed. Junko finally flips and is like, okay, yeah, I think you and shoji could be good for each other. That could work out. And God, they can't stop queerbaiting. Nana says, and I quote, because I wrote it out earlier, oh, June Co, if you weren't a girl, I would soap your girlfriend. And it's like, oh, come on.

Speaker A:

That's what every girl who turns out to be attracted to women says before she realizes she's attracted to women.

Speaker B:

It's like, I just want my best girlfriend to be a guy. And then it's perfect. It's like, no, you just have to kiss your girlfriend.

Speaker A:

It's fine.

Speaker B:

Just change the parameters of touch. And then you're right there.

Speaker C:

I like, that junko like, recoils. I thought that was like, oh, God, no. I would never want to date you. You're a hot mess. And I was like, thank God junko knows.

Speaker A:

You've got a good head on your shoulder, Junko.

Speaker B:

See, this is why I do think this Nana is annoying. Because Junko, also raised in the same town, didn't turn out this way. There is a chance that Nana could have just been a normal person that knows how social interactions and relationships work.

Speaker A:

But no, didn't work out.

Speaker B:

She just ignores all advice, and it's like, oh, no, let me fall in love and turn to disaster.

Speaker C:

I don't know how much we're delving into nana's backstory. I feel like there's an episode where we get the origins of this daddy fixation because it started in high school at some point, and that's clearly the root of a lot of her problems.

Speaker B:

Yeah, we'll probably get there, but boy, David did not want to see it.

Speaker C:

What about punk rock Nana? She's cool.

Speaker B:

It could be more of her.

Speaker C:

More?

Speaker B:

They're in class now that shoji was told that Nana has a thing for her. He's like, okay, do you want to go to a movie sometime? But now Nana just really sticking to her Guns of no. I'm not going to fall in love with everyone immediately, even though I've already fallen in love with this person and I'm going to be in denial about it for the next episode. She's like, no, and then somehow cuts her finger.

Speaker C:

She's cutting the paper. And yeah, she's thinking about like, I'll resist falling in love because I don't want him to happen again. And things about the dude, the creepy.

Speaker A:

Magic, I love that. In this college level art class, they're just cutting pieces of paper with scissors, seemingly for no reason.

Speaker B:

It's Art 101. I'll start with construction paper. It's fine.

Speaker A:

We're doing collages.

Speaker C:

Your first practice is you have to make confetti.

Speaker B:

So yeah, they go to the nurse's office, but no nursing site. It's shoji putting the bandage on her. And he's like, yeah, we got to take care of this immediately. Because if you don't address it right away, it's only going to get worse. And then she's like, oh, my love revelation to him.

Speaker C:

Weird.

Speaker B:

If I have issues and I just suppress them, I can't get through them.

Speaker C:

Who would have thought?

Speaker B:

So, shoji, can you teach me how to fix a broken heart? Delicious dialogue. They realize, oh, yeah. The way to get over an old love is a fling and to find new love.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

So she's like, yes, perfect. That's my chance. So naturally, it came up. And of course, Nana is like, all right, great. Where can I meet the cool guys in town? Fucking loser nerd.

Speaker C:

Yeah, lame ass nerd.

Speaker B:

So he directs her to go to a club. And that's where we end episode two.

Speaker C:

I don't have a substitute. Or three, she says, like, I value our friendship more than our relationship. Or she value notice when she's talking to Junko, she's like, I value having a guy friend more than having a boyfriend. I was like, no, that's backwards.

Speaker A:

Boyfriend can also be your friend.

Speaker B:

You also didn't think it was physically humanly possible to be friends with a guy yesterday. And now you're so staunchly in this corner.

Speaker A:

She literally just does whatever anyone tells her.

Speaker C:

It never benefits her. It never works out well. And she keeps doing it.

Speaker B:

Anything anyone tells her, unless it's actually good advice. And then she's like, no, I'm already latched on to this other shitty advice.

Speaker A:

That can't be true until new shitty advice comes along.

Speaker C:

Yeah. So we start off episode three. She's going to the club to try and find some cute, cool guys getting turned up. And God just sitting in the club just threw me back to college. I was like, I already have a headache. Just the imagery, the setting of a club, it gives me a headache, and I don't want to be there. And we see Nana. She's looking at the DJ, and it's like, oh, wow. He's pretty cute. And she ends up running into shoji. And now that I'm recapping the episode, let's see how long I can get those names right, because I can feel it sliding already.

Speaker B:

I was going from Nana to nana.

Speaker C:

I only remember Junko and Kyotoke because they're the only ones I respect.

Speaker A:

They're the good ones.

Speaker C:

So she bumps into shogi, and as they're leaving the club, why'd you run into shoji? Oh, maybe it's because he told her to go there. And he followed her there because he's a fucking creep. And while they're leaving, she's ranting about the DJ of like, oh, he's so cool. And he's great. And he's like, oh, why don't you ask him? He apparently gets like, different women every night. And he's, I think she says, an enemy to all women. I was like, weren't you just saying how hot and cool what you're also.

Speaker B:

Fucking a married man. You can't play that car.

Speaker C:

You can't judge. You don't get those luxuries. So yeah. Nana rejects him and says he's an enemy to all women and mentions that Junko seems to talk to her less now that she's dating Kyosque. And he's like, well, I know Junko and Kyokay are out right now. Why don't we go meet up with them and have a few drinks? So they go and meet up and decide like, hey, we're all young and got some free time. Let's just fucking go to the beach. Yeah, let's just fucking beach it up. Yeah, we can do that easily. They go to the beach. That's a beach episode right there. We've done it having one of those in a while. So we get the opening and then yeah, back to them at the hotel room at the beach. And Junko is getting tired. And Nana takes that as a hint of like, ah, you're tired and you want to go to bed. audible wink. Like, very odd. Got it, shoji, let's get out of here. But me and kyoko are sharing a room and you and chico are sharing a room. She's like, no, shut up. Let's go back to your room.

Speaker B:

They're trying to UK fish wink with that much.

Speaker A:

Soji you absolute stupid fucking virgin.

Speaker B:

God, don't you know how relationships work at all? I'm an expert.

Speaker A:

Hi. Nana and the chad.

Speaker C:

Nana the chad. And I'm just like, they're all fit in relationships. They're all in caught. Like, you should be like, yo, they want a fuck dog. Let's give them a minute. She takes shoji back to his room. And soji and Nana talk about if a guy and a girl can share a room and if it's even possible. It's not allowed. Nana gets all flustered of like, wait, I got to stay here tonight? I got to go back and switch rooms. No, then fucking you can't switch rooms now. He's like, oh, no, you're right. I can't switch now. I can't do that to our Junko.

Speaker B:

It's like, especially in front of the people fucking being like, we are going to give you your privacy so you can fuck that much clarity.

Speaker C:

I feel like he was getting junko were like, yeah, we didn't plan on doing it. I don't even fucking know if we will go. Probably just sleep.

Speaker A:

Junkie was like, I am tired. I am going to go to sleep.

Speaker C:

We are in a relationship. We're not sneaking around like high school and not shoot you're. Like freaking out about that and not worried that showed. She's a guy. And she said, I can't share a room with a guy. He's a sexual monster.

Speaker B:

They don't fuck anything.

Speaker C:

Like the way she's talking about life.

Speaker A:

And he says something about it too. Guys have urges. And it's like, dude.

Speaker C:

She's like, I can share a room with you because you're my friend. He's like, but I'm also a guy. Are you sure you can share a room with me? I am a sexual I was like, what the fuck are you getting at? Why are you both doing what? It's just a very weird what is.

Speaker A:

Wrong with you people?

Speaker B:

Yeah, they're both arguing why this is a bad thing. But also being like, no, we got to keep doing it because I'm a monster.

Speaker C:

It's just like, we got to power through this for our friendship. It's like you're clearly ruining your friendship by powering through what?

Speaker B:

No one is happy in this situation, but we're just going to ignore it.

Speaker A:

There are two beds in this room. Both of you lay in one each and go to sleep. And it'll be fine.

Speaker C:

Fucking get over yourself.

Speaker B:

Truly the opposite of the oh, no. The hotel only has one room with one bed. It's them with two rooms. There's no issue or two beds. And there's no issue. And they're like, oh, god, we're going to fuck. Oh, no.

Speaker A:

But I feel like this scene ends with shoji getting in one of the beds and being like, I'm just going to go to sleep. And then Nana being like, does he respect me?

Speaker C:

Oh, no. There's two beds. We got to use only one of them. It's like, why are these rules you're making up? Like, who established this? You're both insane.

Speaker B:

Don't you know the well known hotel room? One is for eating food in bed so you can be sloppy. The other one is for actually, to me.

Speaker C:

Come on.

Speaker B:

Like you've never traveled.

Speaker C:

I've actually heard that before. Anyway, they fucking have their pissy hissy fit. Nana cries because he does in every scene. And they go to bed. And next morning they're at the beach. Nana is in the water already. And Jim goes talking to shoji. And he's just like, I didn't get any sleep. I was too rock hard all night to sleep. And nana's like, hey, jungko, go with the water. So she goes up to go to water. She says like, hey, shoe, you can look after Nana, right? Like when I'm in Tokyo, you can take care of her. He's like, what? I mean, I guess she's like, good as long as someone's looking out for her. Bad move, ju go. Bad move. So she gets up and goes in the water. And kioski, like, swings by and sits down. I love him. One scene, kyoki just had like a jamaican hat, like around his dreads. They're really leaning into the whole dress.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker C:

Kioski sits down with shoji and they talk about how Junk is going to Tokyo to go to the art school. And he's like, yeah, I'm going to go with her. He's like, what? He's like, yeah, we're in a relationship. Like? Yeah. Why wouldn't I? I got nothing else going on. And I think he says he's going to art school too. So then we get a shot of them back in the hotel. And that's when she tells Nana here it is, Nana that she's moving to Tokyo to art school. And Nana starts crying, and she's like, my friends are leaving. What do I do without guidance from anyone else? While also refusing to listen to guidance from anyone else?

Speaker A:

My identity.

Speaker B:

I have no other friends because I drive them all away with my annoyingness.

Speaker C:

I only throw myself in unhealthy relationships that don't work out. And I know I go eat. God, I had a lot of friends that like that in high school. I like, Kyotoski. Even comments. He's like, Wait, you're not upset about me going to Tokyo? She's like, no, I don't terrify you. I just like kiosk, who's, like, very present in the moment. She's like, yeah, what the fuck?

Speaker B:

Just a reasonable chill, dude. Being like, fuck, my girlfriend's friends suck.

Speaker C:

He's like, the only one stable in this whole dynamic. They freak out, and while they're out yeah, she runs out, has some alone time on the beach, showed she follows after her and says he's thinking about going to art school in Tokyo too.

Speaker A:

This is such fucking bullshit. That Junko is like, yeah, you can stay here and look after Nana because you like her so much, right? Yeah, of course I can. Of course I can do that friend juko, that I've known you for so long. And then he's like, Actually, fuck that.

Speaker C:

Hey, what about fuck that.

Speaker A:

I actually want to follow you guys because who am I without you guys?

Speaker C:

So, yeah, he says he's going to Tokyo. He tells now that she should go, too. It's like, maybe you can find like.

Speaker A:

He tells her that she should go.

Speaker C:

You know how we just talked about all this and how they're going and we're moving on to do our own thing, to find our own identities and own goals in life. Come along. Let's just keep this ride going.

Speaker A:

But then he tells her that she shouldn't. That's my thing.

Speaker C:

Cut to them in junko's apartment. And they're all looking for colleges for Nana to get into because she didn't plan on going into any art schools in Tokyo. And now they got a scramble that she's studying real hearts that she can tag along with all her friends. Cut to them in Tokyo going to different universities. She didn't get into any of them because she's not really that great at art, because she never wanted to. She's just doing it for the teacher. She wanted the bone.

Speaker B:

And also to go to a co ed school and meet boys bullies.

Speaker C:

So they're having dinner in Tokyo, in the city, and they find out Nana got rejected everywhere. And shoji takes her out, and they're like, we're in Tokyo. Let's go around. Let's take a stroll in the city while we're here. And while they're walking around, shoji says, like, yeah, you might be better off staying at home at a local school and getting the credits there or something and transferring in the opposite of what I told you at the beach.

Speaker B:

This fuck guy so stupid.

Speaker A:

I hate him.

Speaker B:

Everyone watch flops. Every other scene about every deeply held belief they have. No one stands for anything.

Speaker C:

And anonymous, like, oh, it'll be easy. I can just find a job. I'll pay for my rent and the school. Well, once I find a job and I'll go to Tokyo, it's like, what about the tango college? She talked about that. It's like, my parents will pay for that, but I can pay for both an apartment and school on my own. Or I guess if she goes to school, her parents will pay for that. But she's like, I can make it work. And shoji starts yelling at her like, you can't just get the food stuff because you think you will, because your indomitable spirit will just make everything work out. You got to stop acting like a child. Sometimes you just have to grow up. She asks if he'll get lonely without her being with him in Tokyo, and he goes, no, I'll be relieved. And he gets all huffy and yells and walks off.

Speaker A:

And it's like, I hate this guy. He sucks so much.

Speaker C:

There is literally no redeeming qualities about this human being whatsoever.

Speaker A:

And the way he gets your head out of the clouds. You have to be serious about your future. I'm just like, what are you doing? You randomly decided that you were going to go to art school in Tokyo because your friends were what are you talking about? How do you have money for it?

Speaker B:

Shoji Shoe, you and Nana are the same person, except you're an asshole about it.

Speaker C:

Yes, exactly.

Speaker B:

She has protagonist syndrome and that she's just incompetent in anything she tries to do, but you're actively being a dick.

Speaker C:

Protagonist syndrome. So he yells about that. Everyone stares at them on the street because they're just fighting a palpable way. And he storms off and gets all pissy, and she realizes, hey, I don't know where the hotel is. I just assumed shoji knew, and he would just lead me back. And I relied entirely on him to know anything, because I am apparently oblivious to literally everything around me except for love. Except for that love. Sweet Duke. So she doesn't even know where she is. She's lost in the city. While she's kind of dumb shrugged, we see tears coming down her face and worried about where she'll go and how she'll get back to the hotel. And while she's freaking out about that, he appears. The married man who moved to Tokyo, he conveniently is right there on that city block right next to her in the whole fucking city. And I don't bother learning his name because I do not respect this man. It's suit, man. It's him or he or Suit. When she sees him, she just starts balling again and starts going full on cry mode. Back to the hotel room, we see chunko laying into shogi saying, like, the fuck you mean you just left her in the city randomly and don't know where she is, and she doesn't know where she is? Kind of fucking friend or you have.

Speaker A:

You not learned that she's stupid?

Speaker C:

She is, baby, but, like, the dumb baby that cries a lot and no one really likes. You know, those dumb babies in the tao. Chunk of says like, all right, nada is in love with the a fucking idiot, and I got to go find her because clearly you're not going to take care of her like I thought you would. And shoot, she realizes, like, hey, maybe I am an idiot. And he's just slamming back beers. And kiosk is like, yeah, you are. You both are. That's why you thought you'd be good together. And after pounding a few more beers, shotgun is like, I got to go find her too. And kiosk is like, wait, hold on. And he runs out the door. kfc just looks at the nightstanding. He sees junko and shoji's cell phones, and he's like, fucking people. Something like they act before they think or something, where it's just like, yeah, he's got to calm down and just realize the situation. God, you're so cool. You're so levelheaded and calm about fucking everything. What an actual adult. Meanwhile, nani is out to dinner with him, and it's clearly a nice, fancy restaurant. She's realizing, oh, my God, he hasn't changed at all. Oh, no, he says she hasn't changed at all. She's like, what? I look different? And it's been years.

Speaker A:

She says that she feels like she looks more like a child than she did when he met her. And he says, I like it. It suits you.

Speaker C:

Fucking grow.

Speaker A:

Fuck this, man.

Speaker C:

Yeah. He says her style is different, but the way she talks around him is the same. She talks like a high schooler, like, young and naive and impressionable and easy to trick. Fuck nah, pervert. Yeah, she says he's the same too. Whenever she asks what's wrong with him, he just goes silent. And she says that it's always been hard on her. Whenever he did that, he's like, oh, sorry. And then does it again. That doesn't help, man. We just established it's not helpful. So while their dinner, nana thinks about that maybe their whole relationship together wasn't a lie, like, she was worried about wasn't, like a weird, cruel trick that an older man was playing on a young, naive high school student, and he's a fire pedophile. Maybe it wasn't all smoking me.

Speaker A:

And maybe she's like, maybe he did love me. And I'm like, no, he didn't, you dumb, dumb girl.

Speaker B:

Just like, anytime someone she's interested in, like, just even the faintest, like, if someone's sprinted by at full speed, if this man just sprinted down the street and was like, hi, Danny, she would still be like, he's so sweet. He remembers in this interaction, it's like, no, fuck you. You're just in love with everyone.

Speaker C:

She literally fell in love with a pizza guy who doesn't know who she is. Like, she's like, it I ended things with the pizza guy because I guess he got a new job or something. It's like, what do you mean you only talk to him when delivering pizzas? I deliver pizzas. We don't give a shit about the customer. It's just like, oh, my God. And so she's thinking maybe that's just the person that he is. And maybe the relationship they have is just what a relationship with him is. Like, it doesn't matter what's with her. It's just that every relationship with him is like maybe that's like how his relationship with his wife is. You know, his wife he's been married to for years, and she shouldn't feel bad about the relationship they had in the past, and that was just another relationship for her. It wasn't a malicious or terrible relationship in particular, but it was and after dinner, he walked her back to the hotel, but not all the way. He doesn't want to be seen with her because, you know, affairs and all that. And as they're walking towards the hotel, he stops like a block short, and they run into a coworker of his. And he's like, Ha, ha, suit guy, what are you doing out here with this young girl? I'm going to have to tell your wife. And he's like, don't worry, I just took her out to dinner. I'll have to take you out to dinner to keep it quiet.

Speaker B:

He's like, Ha ha, please don't tell my wife.

Speaker C:

Yeah, it's like, haha clearly jokes to evade him, taking it seriously and actually thinking he's an affair. And now he's like, you didn't lie to him? He's like, yeah, because if I tried to avoid it, it would be more suspicious. So I just turned it off like.

Speaker A:

A chew because I'm skilled at lying about my relationships.

Speaker C:

I'm so used to this. I'm so practiced at this. And when the coworker sees him, he says, like, the suit guy's last name once again, didn't write it down. I don't care about this scumbag.

Speaker B:

It's fine.

Speaker C:

Nanny says, oh, well, at least I know you gave me your real last name. He's like, what? She's like, oh, well, you're lying to your wife. I assumed you lied to me and gave me a fake name. It's like, yeah, that's a fair assumption. This guy's a lying piece of shit. As she's about to leave, she gets like a sudden epiphany, like a sudden realization. And it's just like a very tense shot of her, like, looking at him. And before she leaves, she suddenly goes, hey, stop cheating on your wife. And he goes, I'll try not to.

Speaker A:

I'll try. You're a little old for my taste now, Nana, so I'm not going to sleep with you. But I'll try not to sleep with other high school girls.

Speaker C:

That's probably what happens. So she leaves and runs off. If she learns to not regret her relationship with him, she fucking should.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker C:

And while running away, her cell phone starts going off. She's like, oh, that ring turns annoying. I should change. It almost like she's maturing, but also not because she didn't realize the fucking predator she just had dinner with. So she opens herself in the kiosk, being like, hey, everyone just ran out to try and find you. No one has their cell phones. You people are dumb. But you guys got to relax. This would have been a lot easier. Like, while I'm fine, he's like, oh, yeah, by the way, shoji is out looking for you. He's drunk and also super in love with you. She's like, he's in love with me? Like, yeah, stop lying to yourself. And he's got to stop lying to himself. And you too, just got I can get it over with because I'm done with your childhood. This childish, like, bullshit.

Speaker B:

If we carry on a will, they won't lay for more than these two episodes. I'm going to die.

Speaker C:

Kyoki is the audience surrogate right now. He speaks on behalf of us.

Speaker B:

It's like, we know you end up together. Get through it.

Speaker C:

And she asks like, oh, well, I got to find shoji. where's shoji? Because he's like, I don't fucking know. He ran out without his cell phone. Like a goddamn idiot. She's like, I got to confess my feelings to shoji. And she runs off to find shoji somewhere in the fucking city. That's the end. And we also see junko come back to like, we got to go find Nana. I forgot my cell phone. And kosky's like, yeah, man, I already fucking call her. Like, I'm way ahead of this because I take a second to think about my actions. It's like, you're beautiful, man. You beautiful. dreadlocked, man. That's episode three. And Boy. howdy Boy? howie?

Speaker B:

So much potential. Just wait.

Speaker C:

That's conflicted.

Speaker A:

This is my thing about these episodes is that Nana preppy Nana. They don't portray it as such in the TV show, but she's in emotionally manipulative relationships and then is just like, oh, my God. I've learned my lesson. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy. And then she also, at one point in episode three, says that she should stop playing the victim. And I'm like, girl, you were, like, 16 when a man scooped you up when you were vulnerable at a movie theater and then fucked you a bunch of times. You are a victim. Like, you thought you didn't even know his real name. But like, this show is just like, she's stupid. And like, she is annoying, and she is stupid. But I don't feel like she's no, stop. I don't feel like she's stupid for this. You know what I mean? Like, her personality is stupid and annoying. But to portray her as stupid for being in shitty relationships because men are terrible to her, sucks so much.

Speaker C:

Yeah, I think you're right. They're portraying her as, like, stupid and airheaded about the wrong things she is. Yeah, but not about this part where she is a victim who was in a pedophilia relationship with a 29 year old man when she was in high school. And I think Japan at high school was, like 15 to 18 or something.

Speaker A:

Yeah, I don't even think she was 18 when she met him. And also, she doesn't even know if he was actually 29.

Speaker C:

Everything could have been a lie because he's a cheater and he only picks her up to go on long drives and then fucking a hotel room, just like yeah.

Speaker A:

And even in her relationship, I mean, we don't know a lot about her relationship with shoji, but leading up to this point, it's been terrible.

Speaker C:

It's not been great.

Speaker A:

It makes me really mad that the show is like, yeah, this stupid bitch. She keeps letting men manipulate her, and it's like, no, that's not what is happening. She's not letting it happen.

Speaker C:

I enjoyed the show because, like, most shows that don't take place in high school, it doesn't take place in high school for the most. It's like, great adults. I don't have to worry about weird, predatory relationships. whoops. You got me. You got me.

Speaker B:

Just kidding. They all are. Except for the two cool people.

Speaker C:

Yeah. I mean, in the first half, I thought this was a fun show. You pulled the rug out under me and then yeah, like punk rock naughty. It's like, yo, she's fucking red. I'm sure she's got a lot of fucking baggage. We'll get up into an episode six to ten, but we haven't yet. So right now she's still pretty fucking cool. Oh, well, I won't find out anything about her.

Speaker B:

It's like, no, and you said it.

Speaker A:

Before, too, I think, because it is 47 episodes. They're just like, yeah, let's just drag out this content of us being terrible to this girl.

Speaker C:

Like, if it was, like twelve or 13 episodes, I'm sure this whole flashback, like, all of college would have been in one episode if not, like half an episode.

Speaker A:

Yeah, we got the gist of it in the first episode. Honestly, if it was twelve to 13 episodes, this probably wouldn't even happen.

Speaker C:

These two episodes, two and three, just made us love chewko and Kiosky more. That's all it is.

Speaker B:

I had to look it up. Are we there yet?

Speaker C:

No. There's parts I like, but I don't trust it anymore. I did enjoy elements of the show. I enjoy that because it's not like actiony or, like big cinematic scenery shots or something. I think they put all the budget into the actual character design, so they're closed and hairstyles change fairly frequently. And I really enjoyed seeing that element of it and stuff like that. But I. Don't trust it anymore.

Speaker A:

I could see potential, meaningfully, hetero.

Speaker C:

I can see potential, but I have trust issues now.

Speaker B:

Yeah, but specifically I was trying to look up like, hey, undeniable in that first episode that they are trying to set up something queer. So I was like, okay, does that follow through? Let me look it up. So I found this article on animefeminist.com by Roy lemons. It's called A Tale of Two Nanas. The fuzzy line between homo romantic subtext and queerbaiting and nana. So I've just been scrolling through that just a little bit just to get a sense. And yeah, it seems like there's a lot of reference to the manga. Like the thumbnail of this article is the two nanas in bed together, sleeping. So that's kind of what they're going for. And the artist who made this series had queer characters in previous works. So yeah, it's pretty much confirmed. Yeah, not going to be gay. We're definitely just queer bait. And it's like, okay, then I'm wasting my time. No, why bother? Good day.

Speaker C:

Because I know there's the popular manua. It's a Chinese comic series with two girls in love. And I know it got a lot more restrictive in the romance, but it's because of the publisher was restricting it and saying like, you can't show them being any more intimate than you already have. Like, you know, sales or whatever, advertisers don't like it. And the Artist is like, no, fuck you. I'm going to keep doing it. And that's what's limited back series. So I am curious if there is some overarching issue or if this was the author's intent and this was their creative choice to do this direction.

Speaker A:

And if so, why do this to us?

Speaker B:

Like, I've full disclosure, I've only sort of skimmed this article because I've only looked it up since starting to record. But it looks like the creator of this series in their previous work, likely through the same company, had a buy main character and a trans secondary character. So it's not a censor thing. It's definitely a creative choice rather than limitations of what they're allowed to show with it being a conscious choice of we touch hands and I go straight to my heart and this girl's so cute when she laughs. And if you were a guy, I date you in a heartbeat. It's like, yeah, no, this is clearly a closeted gay woman. And we're not going to delve into that. We're just going to keep committing. Yeah.

Speaker C:

I've been in a loving relationship for 47 years with the same woman as a bit.

Speaker B:

You ever shit post so hard you.

Speaker C:

Just end up in a committed relationship in San Francisco? Yes, one time. That's upsetting.

Speaker B:

But yeah, just such a hard pivot. Such a hard pivot.

Speaker C:

Yes.

Speaker B:

This is punk rock Carol and Tuesday and less racist. So cool. And then we just get a bunch of shit piled on top of yeah, shitty, abusive relationships. Let's portray this naive child as an idiot for not immediately being great at relationships or knowing when they're actively harmful. And it's like, no, come on, just be gay. I came here for the gay.

Speaker A:

It's all we ask.

Speaker C:

Feel like I got Voltrond all over again. And it's just like because they're portraying it so much like that. So, yeah, if this is the style of, like, if the author or the creator has done similar stuff like this before with lgbt plus characters, why is this one taking a hard turn? I just got a lot of questions. It's just confusing because, like I said, I do enjoy elements of this story. I do like the dialogue between characters, how it is, like, not as trope. All right, here we go. If you just say not out preppy. Not out. I pretty much like a lot of this, but everything tied around to her just feels real trophy and just feels really misguided or, like, a weird direction. And it's just like it kind of feels skeezy. But everyone else, obviously so she's a piece of shit, but he's the token piece of ship. Ex boyfriend or soon to be ex boyfriend.

Speaker A:

So if this show was just about junko and Kyotge and then Punk Nana, hell, yeah.

Speaker C:

Dating another girl, hell, yeah.

Speaker A:

It's like, yes, I'm gay. I'd like to date you, punk Nana. Or even like, that'd be great.

Speaker B:

Yeah, even some acknowledgment, like, in that first episode of, like, yeah, I have a shitty past. Like, showing that she has grown and not being, oh, yeah, this is the same person. She hasn't learned anything from all the bullshit she had to deal with.

Speaker C:

Yeah, same person.

Speaker B:

Yeah, because they show her the same, quote, unquote annoying and kind of ditzy and all that trophy stuff. And it's like, no, you would actually have a really shitty backstory if you just come into it with some growth and we can build from there and be like, hey, I'm an actual adult person. I've made mistakes, but I'm learning and not immediately doing the opposite of any good advice given to me. Then maybe there's a therapy arc. God.

Speaker A:

Which she just goes to therapy and addresses the fact that this man was not in love with her and that it was a terrible, manipulative relationship. And then she's like, wow, my eyes are open. I love women. Let's just rewrite. Nana.

Speaker C:

My lesbian eye has opened.

Speaker A:

My first lesbian eye.

Speaker C:

Oh, God.

Speaker A:

Well, I'm glad that's over.

Speaker C:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

I got so excited when I was like, ooh, gay.

Speaker C:

Gay.

Speaker A:

Yeah, when you messaged us, I was.

Speaker C:

Like, oh, no, he's only on episode one.

Speaker B:

The hetero whiplash just hurts so bad. So I'm sorry.

Speaker A:

That's okay.

Speaker C:

It was a time experience. Thank you for the recommendation we've now gotten of what this popular, apparently well known series is. The first I've heard of it, but.

Speaker A:

I forgot it was a recommendation. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm yelling about it so much.

Speaker B:

Hey, that's part of the deal.

Speaker C:

That's the gamble. You Ron when he recommends, hey, we love you.

Speaker B:

You're great. You can enjoy all the shows you like and that is totally cool. You have our full support. Queer baiting doesn't work. It's not going to work here. Burned before. See, I've been burned before and I've learned. And that's the difference between me and Nana.

Speaker C:

If it makes you feel any better, it's nothing we wouldn't do to ourselves. I recommend a lot of shows. These two. We've all gone through it on one of a show or another, so we've all been there. It's the gamble. You'll run with anime. That's why we made this podcast.

Speaker B:

But wait, do we have something to look forward to next week? I don't want to say. What should we look forward to if it's a Brendan pick and it's going to destroy us?

Speaker C:

It's not me. This don't worry.

Speaker A:

It's not.

Speaker C:

Okay.

Speaker A:

We're going back to our roots. We're going back to our furry, furry roots. Oh, and we're going to watch the first three episodes of Brand New Animal.

Speaker C:

I've actually been meaning to watch this.

Speaker A:

Yeah. I am hopeful for I've heard good things. And if anything, the animation looks really cool, so there'll be that. If the rest is bad, it's studio trigger.

Speaker C:

They know. They know how to animate stories. We'll see animation. A plus.

Speaker B:

Mildly hopeful, I guess, is the tone to take into next week.

Speaker A:

That's the tone you should take every week.

Speaker B:

Minor dread is how I go into most.

Speaker C:

That's fair.

Speaker B:

But, yeah. If there's a show you would like us to watch, you can send your recommendations to us. Our email is arweed there yet? Or you can reach out on Twitter or Instagram are we there yet? On both. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram at Mr. Patrick dugan and listen to my fiction podcast echoed locations.

Speaker A:

You can find me on Instagram at honey d and on Twitter at honey d eight and honey dart. And Honey is spelled H-U-N-N-I-E nuance.

Speaker C:

Find me on Twitter at aBTS Brandon. It stands for Almost Better than Silence, which is a video game podcast I also do. If you aren't sick of me rambling here, seek help and then maybe listen.

Speaker B:

To the podcast while you're in the waiting room for the help.

Speaker C:

Yeah, it'll be a while.

Speaker B:

Thank you to camille ruley for our artwork. And thank you to Louis zong for our theme song stories. You can find all of Louis music at Louisong bandcamp.com. Thank you and we hope you'll join us next week as we learn to live with anime.

Speaker A:

Sometimes therapy is good.

Speaker C:

Punk rock girlfriend. Another punk rock girlfriend.

CW: Discussions of Emotional Abuse, Statutory Assault, Dieting/Food

I don't think a series has done our gay little hearts dirtier than this week's show. We watch a Queer Romance pilot followed by Extremely hetero fights and abuse in Nana!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/areweebthereyet

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/areweebthereyet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/areweebthereyet

Thank you:

Camille Ruley for our Artwork

Louie Zong for our Themesong "stories"

https://louiezong.bandcamp.com

Find out more at http://areweebthereyet.com

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Copyright 2018