Education
She studied in a fashion school but later dropped out.
(The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan R to L (Ja...)
The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan R to L (Japanese Style). The tabloid feeding frenzy has finally brought Blast down, but Nana is determined to keep hope alive. She's going to take a gig as a solo artist, and even accept acting jobs she has no interest in. As long as she keeps herself in the spotlight, she knows there's a chance Blast can make a comeback. But while all eyes are on Nana, what's happening to her friends in the background?! Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of rock'n'roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421526719/?tag=2022091-20
(Nana K. is going home--for an awesome TrapNest concert! S...)
Nana K. is going home--for an awesome TrapNest concert! She drags Nana O. along, convinced that somehow Ren will sense his ex-flame in the audience. But life is never that easy, and Nana O. isn't sure if she even wants Ren back. As for Nana K., is she prepared for TrapNest to come down off the stage and into her life, or will her fan-girl attitude land her in a heap of trouble?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421510197/?tag=2022091-20
(The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan R to L (Ja...)
The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan R to L (Japanese Style). Ren's drug use is spiraling out of control and he doesn't want to drag Trapnest down with him. Neither Takumi nor Reira are willing to let Ren quit the band, and both do their best to give him the time he needs to get it together. But Ren isn't sure this is something he can handle on his own. Will he turn to Nana for help, or will their strained relationship make him try to face his demons alone? Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of rock'n'roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421530759/?tag=2022091-20
(This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the ...)
This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of NANA is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421504790/?tag=2022091-20
(R to L (Japanese Style). Ever since she got engaged to Ta...)
R to L (Japanese Style). Ever since she got engaged to Takumi and moved out of apartment 707, Hachi has felt like she's slipping out of Nana's life. When the tabloids start digging up Nana's troubled family history, Hachi tries to step in and take care of things. But will her good intentions stir up more trouble? Blast is rocketing to stardom, and the price for bringing them down keeps going up.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421523760/?tag=2022091-20
(Being an engaged woman isn't as wonderful as Hachi though...)
Being an engaged woman isn't as wonderful as Hachi thought it would be. She has a trendy new apartment, but she's isolated from all her friends and Takumi is hardly ever home. When scandal hits Blast hard, Trapnest (and her fiancé) flee to Europe and Hachi is left to watch Blast suffer in the scandal rags and tabloid shows.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421517469/?tag=2022091-20
(Takumi and Hachi are getting married, but it's far from a...)
Takumi and Hachi are getting married, but it's far from a joyous announcement. Nobu and Nana are devastated, and even Takumi's bandmates take the news hard. With paparazzi skulking around for a new scandal to exploit and tensions between Trapnest and Blast on high alert, will Hachi ever get her happily ever after?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421517450/?tag=2022091-20
(It turns out that Yukari is a natural when it comes to mo...)
It turns out that Yukari is a natural when it comes to modeling. In no time, her career takes off, and soon she's fielding offers from bigtime modeling agencies. But she soon discovers she needs her parents' consent before anyone can represent her. Yeah, like that's ever going to happen! When Yukari asks the love of her life, George, for some professional guidance, he gives her grief-not answers. Does this guy even know the meaning of love? Yukari is beginning to wonder if he's worth her time-or her devotion.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591820537/?tag=2022091-20
(Nana Osaki's band Blast is taking off in a big way--from ...)
Nana Osaki's band Blast is taking off in a big way--from sold-out club dates to a record label waving a contract at them. But the Trapnest menace still lurks, stealing away everything she cares for. Trapnest took her boyfriend, and even though Ren is back in her life, his band still comes first. And now her trusty sidekick Nana K. is being lured away by Trapnest bassist Takumi. But this time, Nana O. won't give up without a fight!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421510200/?tag=2022091-20
(This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the ...)
This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of NANA is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421504804/?tag=2022091-20
(The last thing Yukari wants to do is stand out. So when s...)
The last thing Yukari wants to do is stand out. So when she met the punk with the piercings and the stately drag queen while walking home from school one day, she wanted nothing to do with them. But curiosity and fate are working against the young preppy as she finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into their high-fashion wonderland of Paradise Kiss. Yukari has just the look that the eccentric fashion troupe wants in their new model, and their mysterious leader, George, always gets what he wants.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931514607/?tag=2022091-20
(Fashion, glamour, divas and designers put on their best t...)
Fashion, glamour, divas and designers put on their best threads and put on a show-stopping catwalk, featuring Yukari in the creations by the always stylish and aloof George. George's unusual and gorgeous creations received mixed reactions, with more attention going to Yukari's good looks than the clothes she was modeling. With his future uncertain, he and Yukari's relationship comes to a crossroads. He has never found himself so enamored with one woman, yet his career might not unfold as he has always planned. Was the somewhat cold reception at the fashion show a preview to his future designs? As George wrestles with his next step following graduation from design school, the rest of the Paradise Kiss crew debate their next moves. Yukari wants to go to school but also pursue modeling, and with exams coming up, it's hard to concentrate with George seeming so distant and upset. As the crew struggles with their post-graduation plans, the New Year approaches. Major decisions will be made and lives will be altered...forever. What will become of Paradise Kiss?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591822424/?tag=2022091-20
(R to L (Japanese Style) Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that ...)
R to L (Japanese Style) Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of rock'n'roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties! One of the tabloids hounding Blast and Trapnest have photos that make it look like Reira and Ren are having an affair. With Nana and Ren's engagement recently made public, the photos could spell doom for both bands. Takumi's willing to do whatever it takes to save his band, but how will it affect Hachi and the happily ever after she's still hoping for?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421523744/?tag=2022091-20
(This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the ...)
This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of NANA is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip, and all-night parties.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421503786/?tag=2022091-20
(Yukari is a spirited high school senior in the process of...)
Yukari is a spirited high school senior in the process of studying for her college entrance exams. Sadly the prospect of subjecting herself to a meaningless dull life leaves her feeling depressed about the future. In a bout of frustration and losing motivation, Yukari begins to ignore her courses as she begins to hang out with a group of fashion design students. Due to her attitude and her body type, her new friends feel she would be an ideal model for their designs, and eventually convince her to join their group. In this final volume of Paradise Kiss, Yukari has only days before she has to take to the catwalk as the teen-aged members of ParaKiss head towards graduation. George is now making a name for himself by winning awards in the real world of high fashion. So there is a real threat of London or Paris calling to poach him from Tokyo, essentially taking him away from Yukari. So what will be the future of this circle of friends? Yukari has hopes of continuing her education while still dabbling in modelling. She would hope to have George by her side, but with him spending more time designing on his own than with the group it appears as if he will be choosing work over love...for once.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/193565473X/?tag=2022091-20
("One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of ar...)
"One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art." - Oscar Wilde. The school fashion show is finally here, and it's a last-minute fight to the finish to get the awesome ensemble ready on time. The drama escalates when a stressed-out Yukari literally passes out from exhaustion in George's car. No one knows if she'll recover in time to model for the show. Meanwhile, a mysterious female friend from George's past shows up to support him on the big day. Are they just friends...or something more? Yukari's not sure who she can trust. All she's 100 per cent sure about is that she wants the Paradise Kiss posse to take first place at the fashion show, no matter what it takes. Will they reign victorious or be forced to taste the agony of defeat?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591821088/?tag=2022091-20
(This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the ...)
This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties. Hachi hasn't seen Nana or the rest of Blast since she moved in with Takumi, and Shin and Reira's joint birthday party seems like the perfect chance for a little reunion. But Takumi is furious at Hachi for crashing the event, and she is forced to choose Takumi over Nana one more time. But was this Hachi's last chance to get back in Nana's life? Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that moving to Tokyo will help her make a clean start and leave her capricious love life behind her. Nana Osaki, who arrives in the city at the same time, has plans to score big in the world of rock'n'roll. Although these two young women come from different backgrounds, they quickly become best friends in a whirlwind world of sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421518805/?tag=2022091-20
(Beautiful fashion, endless romanticism, and those incredi...)
Beautiful fashion, endless romanticism, and those incredibly well dressed gorgeous boys return in the second volume of Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss. A lot seems to be happening the life of Paradise Kiss’s enthusiastic heroine Yukari Hayasaka in this second volume. For starters, both her modeling career and her relationship with the enigmatic pretty boy George begin to take off. One day she's a normal high school girl, the next she stops attending classes and gets scouted by a modeling agency. Yukari thinks she has it all, now that she has George and the rest of her new friends at the atelier. However, what will happen when she realizes that maybe her love with George isn’t all that she fantasized it would be, and that she can’t run from her real life forever?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935654721/?tag=2022091-20
(• An ongoing manga series—over 17 volumes with over 38.3 ...)
• An ongoing manga series—over 17 volumes with over 38.3 million copies sold to date in Japan • Every volume has reached the TOP 10 in Japan’s best-seller list. • Inspired an anime series, live action movies, music CD, and PS2 game • VIZ Media has the rights for the Nana anime series. • VIZ Pictures is releasing Nana movie 1 & 2. • A top-ten title in Japan and winner of a Shogakukan Manga Award in the girls category in 2003 • Named one of the Top 50 Manga Properties in 2006 by ICv2 • Yazawa also contributed character designs for the Courtney Love inspired series, Princess Ai. The collaboration between the grunge rock queen and the wildly popular mangaka was an immediate hit. Hachi tells herself that she's got her eye on the future and her life with Takumi, but she just can't let go of the past and her friendship with Nana and the rest of Blast--especially Nobu. And the tangle gets thicker when Hachi's wedding has to be postponed in favor of Nana and Ren's nuptials. Can Hachi handle another delay in her happily-ever-after?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421518791/?tag=2022091-20
(Yukari's got big problems. She used to be a normal school...)
Yukari's got big problems. She used to be a normal school girl with classes and homework just like everyone else. But, ever since she met the fashion-forward posse known as Paradise Kiss, her life has been turned upside-down. She's fallen in love with fashion designer extraordinare George, a major player who calls himself an "equal opportunity lover." Her newfound love of modeling doesn't exactly thrill her parents - or fit in with her former long-term goals. And, since she's started cutting class to hang with her new friends, she's in danger of being kicked out of her casa. How's a fashion-obsessed supermodel-wannabe supposed to deal? Put on your coolest outfit, and join Yukari as she navigates her way through this wild world of fab fashions, fun friendships, and foxy fellas.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931514615/?tag=2022091-20
(The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan Reads R t...)
The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan Reads R to L (Japanese Style). The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan Tragedy strikes as the Search Weekly team takes their snooping too far! Hounded to the limit by remorseless reporters, Ren spins his car off the icy road in a horrible accident that will change the course of everyone's future...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421533081/?tag=2022091-20
(Yukari is a spirited high school senior in the process of...)
Yukari is a spirited high school senior in the process of studying for her college entrance exams. Sadly the prospect of subjecting herself to a meaningless dull life leaves her feeling depressed about the future. In a bout of frustration, Yukari begins to ignore her courses and she begins to hang out with a group of fashion design students. But what Yukari doesn't know is that this circle is known as Paradise Kiss, and they are run by a pair of young designers already making their mark on the Asian scene. Furthermore, while her life is going to soon change, it will not be due to the elite political or commerce based future her family may have hoped for, instead her life may eventually be set in a world of high fashion, with her strutting down the catwalk as the face of Asian fashion!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935654713/?tag=2022091-20
(Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending s...)
Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending string of boyfriend problems. Moving to Tokyo, she's hoping to take control of her life. Nana Osaki, on the other hand, is cool, confident & focused. She swaggers into town and proceeds to kick down the doors to Tokyo's underground punk scene.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421501082/?tag=2022091-20
(Mostly colored artbook featuring the works of Ai Yazawa. ...)
Mostly colored artbook featuring the works of Ai Yazawa. Contains drawings, an inside story, and a Gokinjo dictionary. Also has pictures of Gokinjo goods and picture and a message from the artist.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/408855096X/?tag=2022091-20
(Hachi's happiness with Nobu is slipping through her finge...)
Hachi's happiness with Nobu is slipping through her fingers as an unexpected complication with Takumi threatens to upend her entire life. And unlike her past romantic woes, the choice she makes now will change the lives of everyone around her.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421515393/?tag=2022091-20
(• An ongoing manga series—over 17 volumes with over 38.3 ...)
• An ongoing manga series—over 17 volumes with over 38.3 million copies sold to date in Japan • Every volume has reached the TOP 10 in Japan’s best-seller list. • Inspired an anime series, live action movies, music CD, and PS2 game • VIZ Media has the rights for the Nana anime series. • VIZ Pictures is releasing Nana movie 1 & 2. • A top-ten title in Japan and winner of a Shogakukan Manga Award in the girls category in 2003 • Named one of the Top 50 Manga Properties in 2006 by ICv2 • Yazawa also contributed character designs for the Courtney Love inspired series, Princess Ai. The collaboration between the grunge rock queen and the wildly popular mangaka was an immediate hit. This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties. With the tabloids still out for blood, Nana and her Blast bandmates move into a weird dorm building run by their agency. But they've barely got enough time to settle into their new digs because their crammed schedule has them running from music studio to TV interview. The stress of band life and dealing with a disintegrating Ren have started to take their toll on Nana. If she collapses now, will she ever get back up?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421517477/?tag=2022091-20
矢沢あい
She studied in a fashion school but later dropped out.
Her pen name comes from Japanese singer Eikichi Yazawa, of whom she is a fan. Yazawa started her manga publishing life in 1985. Throughout her 15 years of publishing, she wrote over 10 series in Ribon.
While most of her manga continues to be published in Japan by Shueisha, publishers of Ribon and Cookie (in which Nana is serialized), series like Paradise Kiss now appear in other magazines such as Zipper, published by Shodensha.
Yazawa"s most famous manga include Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I"m Not an Angel), Gokinjo Monogatari (Neighborhood Story), Paradise Kiss, and Nana. All five volumes of Paradise Kiss have been released in English by Tokyopop, with a new edition to be published by Vertical, Incorporated.
Nana was formerly running in Shojo Beat and is now being released by Viz Media, bi-monthly. In Japan it continues to run in Cookie and is currently up to 84 chapters, plus three side story chapters about different characters" early lives.
In 2003, she was awarded the Shogakukan Manga Award for Nana.
Nana was made into an anime (produced by Madhouse Studios) and a successful movie with a sequel in Japan. In June 2009, it was revealed that Yazawa had contracted a sudden illness, and had to be sent to hospital for treatment, putting Nana on hiatus. She returned from the hospital in April 2010, although has yet to reveal when or if she will be continuing the Nana manga serialization.
Yazawa"s works are most popular among people who love fashion.
The storylines generally are centered on young women and their relationships, something with which her young fanbase identifies. The characters are always very stylish, and she is known especially for her hip sense of fashion.
Yazawa herself attended a fashion school after high school but did not complete her studies there. Another key point is her strikingly unique, often rebellious characters, who tend to be juxtaposed against the more traditional ones.
(Fashion, glamour, divas and designers put on their best t...)
(R to L (Japanese Style) Nana "Hachi" Komatsu hopes that ...)
(Beautiful fashion, endless romanticism, and those incredi...)
(Hachi's happiness with Nobu is slipping through her finge...)
(Nana Osaki's band Blast is taking off in a big way--from ...)
(Volume 4 of Paradise Kiss - oversized deluxe Japanese edi...)
(Volume 3 of the Japanese edition; has color pages not inc...)
(Yukari is a spirited high school senior in the process of...)
(Yukari is a spirited high school senior in the process of...)
(Nana Komatsu is a young woman who's endured an unending s...)
(Takumi and Hachi are getting married, but it's far from a...)
(The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan Reads R t...)
(The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan R to L (Ja...)
(The all-time best-selling shojo title in Japan R to L (Ja...)
(Being an engaged woman isn't as wonderful as Hachi though...)
(This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the ...)
(This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the ...)
(This is the story of two 20-year old women who share the ...)
(This is the story of two 20-year-old women who share the ...)
(It turns out that Yukari is a natural when it comes to mo...)
("One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of ar...)
(Mostly colored artbook featuring the works of Ai Yazawa. ...)
(• An ongoing manga series—over 17 volumes with over 38.3 ...)
(• An ongoing manga series—over 17 volumes with over 38.3 ...)
(The last thing Yukari wants to do is stand out. So when s...)
(Yukari's got big problems. She used to be a normal school...)
(R to L (Japanese Style). Ever since she got engaged to Ta...)
(Book by Yazawa, Ai)
(Perfect version.)
(Perfect version.)
(Perfect version.)
(Perfect version.)
(Nana K. is going home--for an awesome TrapNest concert! S...)