Considering that it’s a romantic drama, the characters are the ones carrying the weight of the show and are meticulously written for that purpose. But if we were to list off all the important characters, who would stand on top? Well that’s what we’re going to try and figure out today! Fair warning: spoilers ahead.
12. Shouji Endo
This guy I really do not like. But since he’s so important to the show I feel like I have to include him. I can’t say that Shouji is a necessarily deep character, he simply made one choice that I can’t get behind. That choice wasn’t even the act of cheating on Nana, but rather his decision to keep it all secret and not just be transparent with the person he loved. The Junko’s room segments try to give him a bit more leeway… but nah, I can’t think of anyone to put below this guy. Not even you know who.
11. Naoki Fujieda
Not much to say about Naoki, even the show was aware of how unimportant he was. He seemed like a nice dude, wanted to be best friends with Yasu, so at least he has good taste, and just hung around the other characters. However, he didn’t cheat on anyone. So he isn’t at the bottom.
10. Sachiko Kawamura
Sachiko just fits inside of the “alright” category. She definitely isn’t very devious and seems to be a nice person overall. But on the other hand, she was hitting on a taken man, in a pretty calculated way too. But, since she both felt guilt for doing it and has been shown to genuinely love the cheating bastard, I will let it slide. And since she doesn’t have much more flare than that whole incident, she goes at the lower end of this list.
9. Nana Komatsu
Nana’s character was a rollercoaster, to say the least. She was initially a very relatable character who would act goofy and childish, but always stayed close to everyone’s heart. But as the series continued, her silly childishness soon became outright immaturity. She starts being all over the place emotionally and just can’t seem to get her life together. I feel like her decision to go for Takumi instead of Nobu is where she lost a lot of her fans. But to be fair, she was simply looking for stability. Start of the series, Hachi would have been in my top 5. But given the entire picture, even though I understand why she acted the way she did, I have to place her here.
8. Ren Honjou
Ren had the potential to be top tier material. But we surprisingly don’t see much of him. He’s similar to Nana in the sense that he both wants to make it big, but also questions whether leaving Nana to pursue that goal was the right decision. He’s fairly open about his love for Nana, but stardom brought in some nasty side-effects, mainly the paparazzi. If the manga was fully animated, that is to the point where it left off, I would have a lot more to say. But for now I will leave it at this.
7. Takumi Ichinose
Takumi is by far the most controversial character in the show, as he comes off as a sleazy manipulator. But on the other hand, he’s the only one brave enough to tackle certain problems head on. He constantly makes moves that position him as the absolute alpha in every room he enters. But he also has his weaknesses. I can’t rate him badly because I enjoyed the way he was written, like a lawful good situation. But I can’t rank him too highly because he’s still a prick, so this is where he’s at.
6. Junko Saotome and Kyosuke Takakura
These two get a joined place as they serve the same narrative purpose. And also because I can’t tell which one I like better. They are the rational side of the entire show, and usually serve to either say what needs to be said to Hachi, or to inform the audience of something. Although they are the reason it, doesn’t mean they’re always correct about everything, however they are so chill and kind-hearted that I can’t get mad over that. I can’t even say they’re secondary characters, as their screen time is quite laughable, but they’re my babies and will not go to the bottom.
5. Layla Serizawa
I know that most of the characters in this show are unlucky when it comes to love. But come on, the girl is zero for three! Layla came off to be like a combination of the two Nanas, being both childish and emotional, as well as proud and reckless. Her struggle to keep writing love ballads shows just how much her perception of love had changed, going from Takumi to Yasu and finally Shin. Concerning the last one, just don’t think about the implications their age difference makes.
4. Nobuo Terashima
I want to believe that Nobu really was the one for Hachi. He kept his heart on his sleeve and truly did look like a guy who just wants to find love. However, I also find him quite cowardly, as he could not face certain truths. He even states that he would rather believe certain lies than accept what had happened to Hachi. I can’t fault his immaturity too harshly, at least not as harsh as Hachi. But it did make him appear rather simple compared to the other band members. He is a sweetheart, though, and that will get you far on this list.
3. Shinichi Okazaki
I really enjoyed Shin. And he was definitely my favorite of the “broken” characters, as both his past and present were far from ideal, but he just kept pressing on as if it was nothing. Although the youngest in the band, he had the sharpest tongue, and made for quite a few “oh snap” moments. So whenever someone actually had a fight with Shin, I was on the edge of my seat. His love life, besides not being legal, is fuelled with passion and lust. A fact that makes him question himself quite a few times. I can’t say that I necessarily approve of all his actions. But I absolutely loved his character.
2. Nana Osaki
In my opinion, this Nana was the most complex, narratively speaking. Her selfishness and her kindness clash quite a few times. And her love life can only be seen as unlucky. Her pride is the cornerstone of her personality, but she also doesn’t want to be left completely alone. So she keeps leaning on some people while trying to help and/or control others. I personally loved her upfront to-the-point personality, and felt like she gave the show that dynamic drama pace that I like so much. Her control freak tendencies do rob her of the number one spot. But still an excellent character overall.
1. Yasushi Takagi
If you read the article carefully, this probably isn’t a surprise. Every character in the show has their faults. But Yasu seemed like the only one who didn’t allow for his faults to harm anyone but himself. One can only imagine how painful it must have been to watch Nana going back to Ren. But Yasu always looked at the bigger picture, with his only goal being for everyone to be happy. I can’t say I would recommend imitating this philosophy in real life, as you’d likely never truly love yourself that way. But seeing Yasu do it was just too amazing put anywhere else but number one.
