Chibi

Yay!... Somebody else mentioned the Manga! :3 <3

Their relationship is beautiful and the stuff literary works write of...
Two damaged and conflicted souls.... one relationship that covers every little dynamic in the spectrum from hate to love.

Well, I was one of the 'kids' who couldn't stand the idea of the two of them together and thoughts they were better off without each other than with. But, as I grew older, I realized how *much* their relationship resembles some of the real-life marriages I see around me (aka toxic and problematic to the n-th degree) and I developed a renewed appreciation for the two. I loved how Ai-san never failed to remind us primarily through Hachi's arc that 'life is not always candies and roses'. The dysfunctional dynamic between the both, is in many way, PEAK-embodiment of that :')

The only thing that scares me, is if Takumi's character is even *slightly* misinterpreted, we might get somebody who is very tropey and stock-character-ish. As much as I detest him, I love the myriad of layers to him (as the reasons why he behaves the way he does).... and he's my favorite character, after Osaki! <3

As someone who vaguely knows what topics are covered under the censorship, I have NO idea 'why' they have it, how water-tight it is... and what are the exceptions (i think even the censor-board doesn't know it yet, because they never officially spell out what's 'not allowed'... rather a project goes to the censor board and it's pretty much their mood whether they ask it to clip-down the 'offensive' bits or completely chuck a project into the trash-can... hence productions are always trying to step on eggshells)...

>>they'd make Chinese covers of the original songs <<
Now, why did I never think of this? It's a safe-play move, plus would garner more attention/ views of the anime fans....
Waiting for casting-news with bated breath! ^^

Tbh, patriotic stuff is okay for me in artistic endeavors, especially if it deals with either war or international sports, because to me, it feels quite natural... I quite enjoy seeing common citizens get super emotional as they swell with national pride upon success, irrespective of their nationality.
Heck, I remember cheering for North Korea's football team during Fifa'10 when they entered the KnockOuts! T_T
As long as it doesn't veer into jingoism-territory, and doesn't shove a political ideology into my face, I'm all cool! :')
About Sai, I actually liked HOW much effort the special-effects team took to ensure he had that transparent-vibe going on ALL the time. As someone who does video-editing occasionally, I know exactly HOW much painstaking-dedication it takes. You realize it's not CGI, right? I would appreciate them *just* for this. Ghost-makeup really doesn't affect my viewing, esp like you said, he's a ghost lol! I haven't read the Manga so I'm not sure if they botched it up, but based off the Anime alone, I thought they did a good job!
I sincerely hope Nana isn't a disappointment for you @PolinaElectric ... but sadly, it seems highly unlikely :/ :/ :/

I don't think either Takumi or Nana want to find out. Though I'm sure, deep-down they both know xD

'Bad actors for Japanese manga-adaptations'.... xD
Usually if the manga has a HUGE fan-following they recruit actors with massive fan-base, and I admit not every actor in the 95-00 line (ie. b/w 20 and 25 y/o age) is an acting-genius like YamaKen. Their fanbase is SO huge, people *actually* think these guys are good-actors. T_T
Maybe they are, if you like their very distinct style of manga-esque, over-exaggerated acting, but I could never be on the same page. The acting-style from 2000's that still hasn't changed today, gets on my nerves SO bad: forceful sudden hugs by pulling the girl in from a 10 foot distance, googly-eyes, fake-surprise reactions (EHHHHHH?~~~) and overly fake sweet high-pitched, 'Yamatao-Nadeshiko' type FLs, who have 'zero idea' how sex works -_-
So I definitely get your apprehension. However, while there might be absolute hidden gems in Chinese music-land to give us a solid Soundtrack, Nana very much IS its music, at its soul. That way, Japan seems to have the higher potential of giving us one, going by the precedent (i.e. the OST for the anime) <3
Each drama-land has its own strengths and disadvantages. They have got BIG shoes to fill with this, because look at the love outpour here for the og work! :'D We can only hope they don't royally screw it up.... because ~censorship~

Thank you... I'm not on China Weibo, so my news sources are always second-hand... would appreciate a quicker update! <3

Welcome to the territory, we have been looking for new fans <3
Ps. My first Thai-drama is going to be F4/ Hana Dan remake. So I relate to what you just said :)

I have M&V on my ptw list (mainly because I'm not a johnny huang fan, I never ended up watching it so far).... I loved Horizon Towers esp the noir-cinema vibes. This director might be onto something! :D
Istg, ParaKiss and Nana made me grow up too. I realized for the first time, not every story is 'sunshine and roses', and not every person in your life is meant to have a 'happily ever after with you' (including friends... what?!) As different a premise these stories had, I developed a solid appreciation for slice-of-life stories from Japan (that would actually masquerade as shoujo/ josei instead). Now only if these guys decide to remake/ adapt Honey & Clover, my life would be complete :') :')

They can literally afford to pick up the first five people trending on Douyin/ TikTok's street-wear, and they'd get a killer moodboard and also impeccable stylists! :)

Ofcourse, a fan knows NANA is its OST and the OST is NANA (among 50 other thing we love about it)!! NANA was to me.... an experience. It made me feel SO much, and when it finished, it left me hollow and numb. This also happens to be a story which feels like it lifted parts of my life and threw it on paper with ink, and it seemed so magically beautiful, hence my deep attachment to it beyond plain nostlagia. This was also one of the earliest manga I live-followed, and it felt like I made similar mistakes like the characters and also grew up with them in the process.
Interestingly, I gave in and watched the anime much later, after years of no updates from Ai-san. That was the last anime I watched fully, as it ruined me completely once again.

I think the fundamental difference between Takumi and typical jerk MLs from shoujo manga stories, is that in almost all cases the guy's hateful behaviour is justified by the author because of a ~traumatic and tragic past~ and the sweet girl comes along to give him his *redemption arc*. Which is such a contrived plot progression. Takumi was the way he was, much like we are the way we are. Which is so much more digestable and believable as a personality trait as a product of your environment than a forced back-story. And in no ways does Nana end up 'redeeming' him. Infact, her journey was recognizing Takumi for who he was unapologetically, and getting disillusioned with him over the years spent with him!

Hence i see your fears, Takumi's interpretation can go wayyy off, if it is a newbie actor OR if the scriptwriter doesn't know/ understand the work, inside out.

Yep you're right. Groupie-culture became Saesang-fandom. As much as I think Korea isn't ready to show its crazy-fan culture for what it is (the ugly realistic bits), i have a feeling korean music-scene is far more developed and experimental to come out with a chart-topping OST.

GL trend is the parallel BL-trend (boy's love) in cdramas. Since homosexuality is illegal, it's always creativeltyinterpreted as bromance/ sismance/ buddy-cop dynamic. Two recent high profile dramas that did it, are dear mIssy and my best friend's story (with a-lister FLs) :D

Cdramas have this notorious tendency to change the entire source-material (esp if it is a domestic web-novel) so going back in that case would mean experiencing a brand-new story. But since the license has been obtained from the author herself (aka official adaptation), they are sure to stick to it althought make little tweaks and changes along the way. And that's when it gets into disappointing-territory! T_T

How wholesome! UwU
I pray they don't ruin this, for your sake and for the countless other fans too!~
It's hard stanning an artist for 12 years, waiting for answers and a closure. Massive Respect <3
I hope they don't disappoint us this time! T_T

I know censorship is this gigantic elephant in the room, and you just don't know which project it will trample on next. Though, stuff I never thought would pass censors, have done so successfully much to everyone's surprise. I hope they leave NANA alone.
They might present the problematic bits in a very preachy and educational manner (like youngsters shouldn't do X or Y), and THAT would ruin it even more than chucking a plot-point out. The reason NANA resonated so much with the youth was because nobody was perfect (an illness of c-dramas to have spotless heroines, ugh)... and that everybody, including the famous guys you see on stage and on your computer screens, ef-up royally, from time to time. And the author was super-candid about it (aka not preachy), and it was so refreshing and real, because nothing was totally black or white.
:'( T_T

I cannot wait to discover all these problematic but absolutely gorgeous, eye-candy men (definitely geared towards a female crowd for sure) Tbh, I sort of had a dream-cast for this in j-dramaland from the present gen of actors. From China, I can imagine a Shin or Nobu but certainly not the difficult ones like Yasu & Takumi. Ren and Naoki are tad less difficult. Though whoever pitched Liang Sen for Yasu.... <3 <3 <3 for you! :D
And finding the correct singer Nana, is like a needle in a haystack. So i hope the idols (like Xin Liu) release an OST only (like Anna and Olivia) and leave the acting to actors :')

Aha, NO WONDER. Yes, I watched her in 2 episodes of both the series (which are on hold atm) Thought she reminds me a bit of Jang Nara. (she'll forever be a 25-year old and NEVER age)
LYT is really perfect for Hachi! <3 (tiny, small package, adorable little nose, uber-feminine) Though she's unlikely to take any more GL roles. Plus she's an A-lister already, and this adaptation seems very idol-y/ traffic actor kind... T_T

Physical resemblance 100/100. Right out of pages of the manga :3

Uh sorry, who's Lu Ke? :O