Ai Yazawa’s shoujo manga “Nana” is returning, although exactly when is still up in the air.
If you’ve been a shoujo fan since the 2000s, then you’re most likely to be incredibly familiar with Ai Yazawa’s “Nana”.
Stylised as “NANA”, this manga series first published as a two-part prologue in Shueisha’s monthly shoujo manga magazine “Cookie” in 1999, and was later serialised from May 2000 to May 2009 before going on an indefinite hiatus.
The manga is considered one of the shoujo genre’s greatest classics, and has a dedicated fanbase that still keeps the manga’s legacy alive, even after 15 years of silence. But why exactly did “Nana” go on hiatus?
First, what exactly is “Nana” about?
“Nana” follows the stories of two women: Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, who, although they bear the same name, are the polar opposites of each other.
Nana Komatsu, nicknamed Hachi, moves to the sparkling city of Tokyo right after she turns 20 years old, hoping for a fresh and exciting start with her friends and boyfriend. In Tokyo, she meets Nana Osaki, who is set on pursuing a music career with her punk rock band “Black Stones”. Despite their contrasting personalities and interests, the two Nanas form an unlikely friendship,x as they decide to become roommates to save money on rent.
Both Hachi and Nana O. have struggles in both their personal and interpersonal relationships, centering around overreliance, substance abuse, and jealousy. As they attempt to navigate these complications, their friendship teeters on the balance between staying and leaving. In the end, after tragedies ensue, Nana O. disappears, and the story is left at that.
Nana’s 15-year hiatus
“Nana” was put on indefinite hiatus due to one reason: Ai Yazawa’s health.
As the manga reached 84 chapters, Ai Yazawa unfortunately contracted an undisclosed illness and needed to go into hospitalisation a month after Chapter 84 was published on 26 May, 2009. Yazawa stayed in the hospital for nearly a year, and had no concrete specifications if she were ever to return to finishing the manga.
Unfortunately, Yazawa never really did go back. After recuperating from her illness and being discharged in 2010, she went on to do illustration work instead. Besides the mini-manga she drew in 2016, Yazawa has not stepped back into the world of manga-making fully.
The details of Yazawa’s illness have never been revealed, so fans could only speculate as to why. But the thing is, illnesses are incredibly, tragically common in the manga-making profession.
It’s no secret that the manga industry is cutthroat; artists need to work around strict deadlines, go through a number of revisions while completing extreme work hours, all while feeling the pressure from both publisher and readers who are expectant of your output.
The environment leads to copious amounts of overwork and physical and mental decline, leading to a number of hiatuses to recuperate, as is the case with Hunter x Hunter’s Yoshihiro Togashi, and sometimes, extremely, in death, like Kentaro Miura who passed away in 2021, leaving Berserk unfinished.
It’s likely that Yazawa suffered in that environment, and given that she has not formally returned to the manga industry, it’s also likely that her health issues have curtailed her ability to return full-time.
“I will do my best to make sure everyone reads it again.”
But for Yazawa, “Nana” is still far from over. And she’s determined to finish it one way or another.
According to an X (formerly Twitter) post by user bbyconchaa, Yazawa revealed in an interview for Heibonsha’s special publication “The World of NANA” that she’s fully set on making a comeback–though when is still up in the air.
The fanzine was released on 7 August, 2025, and included an illustration gallery with comments, 110 questions for Yazawa, and newly-drawn illustrations.
In one of the questions, the interviewer asked if there is anything that is decided in the story of “Nana”. Yazawa answered with:
“The story of NANA is already in the final stages, so it’s pretty much decided. But it’s my manga, that doesn’t necessarily mean that…(laughs). No matter how the story goes, I will do my best to make sure everyone reads it again.”
This revelation has reignited Yazawa’s fanbase with newfound hope. The “Nana” community has stayed loyal and ever-growing, with even social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram luring in a new generation of ecstatic readers. Each fan waits with bated breath for the story's conclusion to arrive.
To most, the story is a timeless introspection into the joys and struggles of a woman’s dive into adulthood, and whether or not Yazawa truly does complete “Nana”, its legacy as one of shoujo’s defining works is already secure.
