The bed is made, the milk has spilled and all the players are left to find their perfect salty miso.  Was that a lot of cliches?  Yes, yes it was.  But truly, a series like Nana just pulls out all the motherly advice, cliche instincts in a soul.  Nana does, however, come up with the salty miso all on its own.  That's the point of the series.  Salty miso soup.  It's too salty, everyone complains, but there's always going to be that one person who likes the salty miso, not because of the soup itself, but because of the person who made it.  For the players in Nana, it's the sticky matter of finding that special person that's the hard part.

Decision made, Hachi settles into her new life while Nana and the others carry on with Blast--without their favorite cheerleader.  All the members of Blast are affected by Hachi's decision, but none more than Nana.  Regardless, Nana keeps singing and working, knowing that when Blast makes it, Hachi will see.  Unexpected circumstances toss Blast into the spotlight, and when they catch the media's eye, Nana runs with the opportunity.  She promised Hachi she'd become a household name, and nothing will stop her from keeping that promise.

All the buildup from the first three quarters of the series comes together in this final set of episodes.  Somewhere near the end of the third box set, the narration shifted from Hachi's point of view to Nana's, and we keep Nana's perspective until the end.  Nana's thoughts are enlightening, to say the least.  Her feelings, her motivations, her uncertainties, the hidden parts of Nana that Hachi could only guess at, are all revealed with stark clarity.

With Nana's point of view comes a shift in focus from Hachi's epically romance novel-worthy love life to the musical end of things.  Blast is more than just Nana, and the other members get a lot more screen time, along with the members of Trapnest.  The interaction between the friends and sort-of rivals of these two bands is refreshing after all the Hachi-angst.  A breath of new angst comes from watching Yasu babysit Nana and Ren.  Or watching the interaction between Reira and Takumi.  Old flames, unrequited love, and startling realizations keep the episodes fast-paced and lively as the story migrates away from simply the friendship between two young women to the two bands who will always be inextricably tied together.

Oh, Nana, you dished out the melodrama and angst with such interesting characters who so beautifully reflect the wants and hopes of all human beings.  So maybe most folks don't truly wish to be a rock star, but the idea of working toward a dream, big or small, is universal.  So is the wish to be loved, to have friends, to find a place to belong.  To find someone who will eat our salty miso soup with a minimum of complaint.

With such a satisfying, full, nicely paced story, Nana is definitely worth watching.  It's one of those series that's worth paying hard-earned money to own.  With the soap opera angst, it may not be for everyone, but the drama is handled so well that even non-shojo-loving folks like me dig the characters and story.  I am guilty of totally marathoning this series, right up to the end.  And I don't regret it.  At all.  That was some quality bunny slippers and chocolate time.  We can all benefit from that now and then.

A note:  Once again, as stated before, Nana isn't for children.  Way too many references to the grittier side of life and too many adult situations for the sprogs.

Details: Runtime 308 minutes, contains episodes 35-47 on three dvds.  Extras include "Lucy" animated music video, lineart gallery, clean opening and closing, and trailers.