Imagining a Faithful Adaptation of Bride of the Water God
‘Tis 2021 and a year for Shoujo Manga-lovers to rejoice! ^^
Amidst the slew of recent news on remakes of legendary shoujo works (read- HanaDan: Thailand & Goong: Korea) fans of the source-material have been having an absolute field-day! We are in for yet another treat….. to complete the holy-trifecta, this time around, it is the beloved manga-series ‘NANA’ that has been green-lit for a Chinese drama adaptation!
The series is a slice-of-life, coming-of-age story, following the lives of two young women: a hopelessly die-hard Romantic and a jaded, Lead-Vocalist of a punk-rocker band, both coincidentally named Nana, as they struggle to establish their identities and fulfill their dreams from the eponymous ‘Apartment 707’, against the backdrop of early-2000’s Tokyo and its big-city glamour.
NANA is considered by many as artist Ai Yazawa’s magnum-opus, despite being incomplete & unfinished (the author has been on an indefinite hiatus since 2009). Serialized in Cookie & Shoujo Beat! from 2000-2009, the journey of the two girls in many ways mirrors that of an entire generation of women who grew up in that era, and embodies the peak of noughties-nostalgia. Yet, with its evergreen themes of friendship, love, betrayal, attachment, ambition and idol-fandom *cough, cough*, the story remains relevant. Based in a world of music, NANA has inspired several tribute pieces from various artists, and already has a hit official-soundtrack recorded by powerhouse singers Anna Tsuchiya & Olivia Lufkin.
Spawning multiple adaptations, many are aware of the story’s existence via its two live-action movies: NANA (2005) & NANA 2 (2006). A few others fell in love with it, with the release of the anime (2006). As it stands, the Chinese drama will not be a remake of any of the previous versions (as the story was still ongoing at their respective points of release), and will instead follow the manga closely.
Slated for 36-episodes, the C-drama will be directed by Taiwanese director/ screenwriter Leste Chen (of Moonshine & Valentine, Murderous Affairs in Horizon Tower fame) and will be licensed under Tencent Pictures. The news was first made public on January 22nd, and has been trending on Weibo ever since.
This new Chinese adaptation, however, is not going to be the first from China. A 2012 (unofficial) adaptation of the series named ‘Another Me in the World’ starring Stephy Chi & Chen Lu, was shelved indefinitely. However, judging by the current success trends of ‘big, two-female lead’ dramas (Dear Missy & My Best Friend’s Story), a similarly cruel-fate is unlikely. The cast is yet to be finalized as hawk-eyed fans keep tabs on who bags the coveted, titular Female-Lead roles. No news yet on which Chinese-megapolis would serve as the city-backdrop and during which era. The team however, has dropped concept-posters/ 'first look' for fans to take a peek at.
Are you excited to see the classic remastered in all its modern-day glory?! Tell us below! Also, who would you like to see as the two leads, and the remaining members of 'Trapnest' & 'Black Stones'? And who do you think should lend their voices to Nana & Reira?
