On Sunday, Little Tokyo Galleria was bustling in a way that I had never seen before. Maybe it was the rain that fluctuated between a drizzly L.A. storm and a for real storm throughout the day. Maybe it was the combination of Labor Day Weekend and a Dodgers game that evening. IDK, but I like to think it was Nana.
The Little Tokyo Galleria is a very small, quiet indoor mall on the edge of the neighborhood that borders the Arts District and Skid Row. Outside of a grocery store and Daiso, it’s best known locally for Max Karaoke Studio and the bowling alley XLanes. On the weekends, though, the second floor of the three-story building hosts marketplaces that are similar to the artist alleys at fan conventions. People sell anime-related fan art, cute jewelry and accessories, plus vintage clothes, at stalls that are set up throughout the common area. On this particular Sunday, a group called Bkawaii organized a market inspired by the manga (and anime) Nana called Apt. 707.
Nana isn’t just my favorite manga, it’s the best comic/graphic novel series I have ever read. Over the course of nine years, writer/artist Ai Yazawa brought readers deeper into the saga of two young women, both named Nana, who meet by chance when they move to Tokyo and end up roommates in Apartment 707. Nana O. is a singer for a punk band called Black Stones (aka Blast). Nana K. is trying to figure out her life. I don’t even remember how it came onto my radar, but, got hooked on it fast. Nana is a total soap opera.
Aside from being addictive, Nana was pretty hip for its time. It’s drawn with an incredible eye for detailed fashion with specific references to Vivienne Westwood and a general look that’s Y2K subculture-y. I don’t know Japanese, so I have no idea how the original text reads, but the original U.S. releases were localized by Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile (and I interviewed her about it for L.A. Weekly in 2009, a story that I can’t believe is still online), so it made sense to American readers who had that music and fashion edge.
During its run, I would go pop into my local anime/manga shop and pick up the new issues when they were released. Then, they just stopped coming. The series unexpectedly went on hiatus in 2009, when Yazawa fell ill and it’s never been resumed. So, it’s interesting to me to see that there’s enough interest in Nana now for stand-alone events. Back in the day, you would see Nana cosplay at Anime Los Angeles and Anime Expo, but a whole themed-out artist alley is next level. Then again, last year was the 25th anniversary of Nana, an event that included the re-release of the manga as well as a Vivienne Westwood collab.
I fell out of the manga and anime algorithm a long time ago, so the only reason that I knew the Apt. 707 market was happening was because my friends Rhi and Marcus were DJing. Rhi wore a Nana O. T-shirt. Marcus had a Nana K. badge on his vest. I wore Nana nothing, but they still kindly let me sit with them while I ate a corndog. I thought about getting a Nana O. t-shirt for myself, but didn’t see one in my size and I probably have too many t-shirts anyway.
The market was overflowing with cute stuff. There were vendors selling deco press-on nails and hairbands topped with bows and doll heads. I bought myself a pair of dangling record earrings, the irony being that I don’t wear earrings when I DJ. Most of the goods here, though, seemed to be Nana related.
Honestly, I don’t think a Nana market would have worked in the manga’s heyday. You needed 20+ years to pass for the looks in the manga to become retro. The clothing vendors at Apt. 707 had impressive stocks that were mainly organized by character. Nana O. racks were filled with punk neutrals (black, red plaid and leopard print). Nana K. sections were full of pink, girly clothing. Someone even had a Junko section, named for Nana K.’s high school bestie who dressed like she was going to catch an underground hip-hop show and then a house afterhours. Spotted a few cool corduroy jackets in there amidst the skinny strap tank tops.
In the middle of the market, there was an Apt. 707 photo station, with standup cutouts of the Nanas and strawberry glasses, an IYKYK reference, on the table. There was a raffle as well. I regretted not entering when I heard that one of the prizes was Nana O. black eyeliner.
It’s been many years since I’ve read Nana, but this one event triggered so many memories of the story. All of a sudden, I was remembering how much I despised Nana K.’s boyfriend/husband Takumi and felt bad for poor Ren. And then I started wondering about how the series was supposed to end. Honestly, I’m more interested in the conclusion of Nana then A Song of Ice and Fire. I really should re-read Nana, I thought. I really need to find all my old books.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.
Listen to the September, 2026 edition of Beatique, which also features music from Olivia Rodrigo, ear, Purity Ring, Brigette Calls Me Baby, Slayyyter and more.
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