This entire post is basically one huge spoiler, so please be cautious when reading, especially if you haven’t read volume 21 yet.
Although volume 21 of Nana brought the series to what could have been a dramatic finale, the series is actually on hiatus because Ai Yazawa was being hospitalized for an unknown illness. The manga tells two stories: one of the present day alongside brief glimpses into the future. However, with the series unfinished, there is a gap left between the present day and the future, so many questions have been left unanswered. When did Nana Osaki leave all of her friends behind to go to England, and why? What happened to Black Stones and Trapnest after Ren Honjo’s death? And what happened between Hachi and Nobu? But the biggest question I think many fans want answered is who are the parents of Ren and Satsuki? I have a few thoughts about this subject, but please be aware that my opinion is pure speculation and that there is no right answer as long as the series remains unfinished.
I’ll start with Ren, the boy we see with Takumi in England in volume twenty. This may get confusing because there are two Rens: Ren Honjo, Nana Osaki’s boyfriend who dies at the end of volume twenty, and Ren the child, so from now on I’ll be talking about the latter unless I use Ren Honjo’s full name. Even though Ren calls Takumi ‘daddy’ and Hachi asks where he is during a phone call with Takumi, many fans do not believe that Ren is the child of Hachi Komatsu and Takumi Ichinose. When Hachi got pregnant, she had just broken things off between her and Takumi and began dating Nobu. However, when she realized she was pregnant, she and Takumi got engaged even though she loved Nobu because she believed there was a greater chance that the baby was Takumi’s (since he didn’t use protection). The fact that Ren has light hair has led many fans to believe that Ren is actually Nobu’s son with Hachi. As for my personal opinion of this theory, while I do think it would make for great storytelling that Hachi dumped Nobu because she thought she was having another man’s baby, just for that baby to turn out to be his, I really don’t believe that Ren is Hachi and Nobu’s child. Just because Ren has light hair doesn’t automatically mean he can’t be Takumi’s son, especially since Hachi has light hair as well. At the beginning of volume 20, Ren is very cold to Takumi, which reminds me of Takumi’s coldness toward most people. Naoki even comments that Ren has Takumi’s “evil eyes,” and thus for these reasons I believe that Ren really is the son of Takumi and Hachi. I wouldn’t be surprised if I were wrong though – after all, this is Ai Yazawa we’re talking about.
Now, before I move on to talking about Satsuki, I feel I should mention that there is a significant group of people who believe that Ren is the child of Takumi and Reira. At the end of volume 19, Takumi sleeps with Reira despite the fact that he and Hachi are already married. Takumi frankly asks Reira if she would really settle for being his mistress, but it’s obvious Reira is unhappy with what happened between them because she’s always loved Takumi. This development, along with the fact that the very first time we see Ren is with Reira in volume 16, is probably why so many fans believe he is the child of their affair. Now while pretty much any theory is fair game, I feel that this one is pretty unlikely. While we don’t know much information about either child yet, I suspect that Ren is the older one between him and Satsuki. He seems to be more independent than her (he’s described as someone who wanders off by himself, whereas Satsuki is always with Hachi or some other adult), and in volume 19, Hachi asks Satsuki if the person she wants to buy chocolate for on Valentine’s Day is her “big brother.” But considering the fact that Hachi is pregnant during the present storyline, presuming Ren was Reira’s child, this would mean that Ren would have to be younger than Satsuki. And when we first see Ren and Reira together in volume 16, he calls her by her name, which doesn’t make much sense considering the fact that he calls Takumi ‘daddy.’ Thus, I feel that at the very least, it’s highly probable that Hachi is Ren’s mother.
Next, I’ll be moving onto Satsuki Ichinose. Unlike Ren, most fans are pretty much in agreement about who could possibly be Satsuki’s parents. Satsuki’s debut appearance is in volume twelve, which is the very first time the manga ‘flash-forwards’ to the future. She calls Hachi ‘mommy’ and Takumi ‘daddy,’ and she and Takumi definitely have a strong bond (he clearly misses her when he’s in England). She also has jet-black hair just like Takumi, and thus many fans believe that she is Hachi and Takumi’s daughter. However, I am not most fans. I believe that Satsuki isn’t the child of either Hachi or Takumi – instead, I believe that she is the child of Nana Osaki and Ren Honjo. I am well aware that I am in the minority on this topic, but it all stems from one line: “Because I have a kid.” Hachi says this in the opening narration of volume 19, and it’s struck a chord with me ever since. She says this to justify to herself why she hasn’t gone looking for the disappeared Nana Osaki, but the use of the singular term ‘kid’ speaks volumes to me because it suggests that she can’t biologically be the mother of both children. It may be a mistranslation, it may mean nothing at all, but for whatever reason as soon as I read that line I connected it with the very first thought I had when I first saw Satsuki in volume 12: she looks like Ren Honjo when he was younger. Aside from this, in volume 21 Hachi mentions that the guitar is like a lullaby to Satsuki, which is interesting considering the fact that Ren H. played guitar in Black Stones. And Satsuki is extremely close to Yasu, just like Nana is.
But there are other reasons why I feel as though Satsuki is Ren Honjo and Nana Osaki’s child. Throughout the series, one thing that always bothered Nana was that she knew Ren wanted kids even though she didn’t. Nana also mentions right before she finds out about Ren’s death that she kept forgetting to take her birth control pill during the month after they argued and she went on tour, and that her stomach was burning. So if Nana found out she was pregnant after Ren H. had died, how would she handle it? Would she run away from her responsiblity and her baby – just like her mother ran away from her? And it would make sense that Takumi and Hachi would raise Satsuki as their own, considering the fact that Nana and Hachi are best friends and Takumi was Ren Honjo’s band mate. But, this is just my opinion, and there is no right answer – and we may never get one, unfortunately. There are so many mysteries left in Nana, so many more relationships to develop, and characters that could be further fleshed out. But I love every bit of Nana that’s come out so far, and I think Ai Yazawa is amazing to be able to create such a multilayered story that literally can go anywhere. They just don’t make ’em like Nana.
I think your right about Satsuki being Ren’s and Nana’s child but I was thinking maybe Nana left her to Hachi because she didn’t think she would be a good mother (Nana said in one of the chapters that’s why she didn’t want to be a mother or something similar) so that’s my guess anyways.. but for now we will just need to wait for Ai to come back with more chapters.. I really hope she does soon! >.<
Thanks for commenting! I agree; my theory is that Nana probably ran away from her baby because she can’t handle tough situations (which we see with her hyperventilation problems, as well as her denial about Ren’s death). And I’m definitely hoping for Ai Yazawa to restart Nana, it really deserves to be completed.
What about the part in the manga, where Satsuki told her mom that she wanted to make chocolates for Shin. After that Nana and Satsuki went and visit Jun…Jun stated that Satsuki does have Nana’s genes for being boy crazy…..I do think that Satsuki is Nana K. and Takumi’s child.. I’m still hoping that Ren is Nana K. and Takumi’s kid….This manga left me wanting more…I’m still sad the fact that Ren died, but I also want to know if Nana finally found Takumi in bed with someone else and if that’s why she doesn’t really want anything to do with him. And he finally wants to value his wife….smh men
Hey. I have always thought too that Satsuki is Ren and Nana’s daughter, however, I can’t remember what volume it is, but after Hachi and Satsuki were in town looking at valentines chocolates, Jun made a comment like ”Satsuki has your DNA after all” (because Satsuki likes Shin), and Hachi’s reacted like that was an issue (if you see what I mean.)
& I do too wish that Ai Yazawa becomes well and restarts Nana. 
I’d love to hear what you think
Thanks so much for commenting! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who feels like Satsuki isn’t Hachi’s child. It’s interesting that there have been comments made like that for both of the children – in volume twenty Naoki says that Ren is Takumi’s ‘spawn’ because they have such similarly cold eyes, while in volume nineteen, as you mentioned, Jun says that it must be in Satsuki’s DNA to like pretty boys. I don’t know what to make of these lines, but I almost feel like Ai Yazawa’s trying to throw the audience off. And even though it is possible that both children really are Hachi’s, I just don’t think Ai Yazawa would write something so obvious because it’s not her style.
I do agree with your opinion about the “daughter “being nana n ren’s child because it seems like a very strong possibilty but, for the son ren i strongly believe that he’s the son of hachi n nobu. If u watch the last ep of the anime, hachi states at the end to nana, way before she knows weather shes having a girl or a boy that she wants HIM to be just like nobu. This also explains why ren is the oldest out of the two children even though the daughter was introduced to the story first. Its also werid that she says “him” when hachi and takumi were so sure they were having a girl when they were
Thanks for commenting! Glad to see I’m not the only who thinks Satsuki is Ren and Nana’s kid. I actually read the manga but haven’t watched the anime yet, so this scene may have happened differently. I do remember Hachi saying she wanted her baby to grow up to be like Nobu, but in volume 13 of the manga either a gender-neutral term was used: ‘kid.’ Still, I do understand why people hope Nobu is Takumi’s father (many of them wished Hachi and Nobu would have stayed together), just as I hope that Takumi is the father because I prefer him for Hachi – Hachi has grown a lot from being with him.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that likes Takumi for Hachi. To me, he represents a more grown up relationship for her where Nobu was more childish. Also, I believe that Takumi loves her for who she is and not this pure ideal of what he thinks she is. She’s not innocent and Takumi knows this and she knows Takumi isn’t innocent either.
By the way, I hadn’t considered that Satsuki could be Nana and Ren’s child this makes a lot of sense.
Thanks for commenting! I get some flack for liking Takumi and Hachi better, but honestly, I felt like Hachi looked at Nobu too much like a ‘prince charming’ rather than for who he really is. I never really felt like she was in love with him, but rather, in love with the idea of being a) in a relationship, and b) in a relationship with someone who won’t hurt her. But with Nobu, she also couldn’t grow.
I have the feeling that little Ren is not Takumi´s and Hachi´s kid, but NANA´s and Ren´s. First of all, he´s very independant, he has a natural talent to play the guitar, he´s dressing style is totaly Ren and he looks just like Uehara Misato (Nana´s little sister). Even though he has light hair, he could be Nana o.´s kid, cause her mother and sister have light hair and he looks like Misato. I totally agree with the person who said it would be too obvious if little Ren was just Takumi´s and Hachi´s kid, it just not suits Ai Yazawa! And the way the formers members of Blast speak of the kid just seems like they´re skeaking of Ronjo Ren. What do you people think?
Thanks for commenting! I actually had never considered that Ren may be Nana’s and Ren H.’s child because I still very much believe that he is the older of the two children, but I think your theory is as valid as anyone’s (and it certainly makes more sense than the theory that he’s Reira’s son). I had also forgotten that Nana’s half-sister has lighter hair – so it wouldn’t be impossible for her child to have light hair. Still, since both Ren H. and Nana have dark hair it’s hard for me to imagine them having a light-haired child, not to mention I do think Ren’s coldness reminds me of Takumi (though that may be because he was raised by Takumi and not because of genetics).
Since I saw the little Ren , I assumed he was the son of Nana Osaki and Ren Honjou but discard the idea to see the color of her hair, I thought mainly by the way they dress and the fact that no separate from his guitar but as mentioned may not be genetic , but just something acquired from their environment. I was blown away with the possibility that Satsuki was the daughter of Nana and Ren , but now I think it’s a possibility … The kids do not seem to take more than a year between them that would mean that Hachi would have had to get pregnant again almost immediately after giving birth to her first child ( a) . Sorry I found this block until now but would like to communicate with you that ” talked ” about it , I’m casually writing a fanfic and what led you would leave surprised because after reading again and again the manga come to another conclusion that perhaps many have ignored and that has to do with the flight of Nana to England and the fact he does not want anyone to find .
This is my email : marialexe_89@yahoo.es , contact me first and then managed from there as we continue to communicate : D
It´s funny to think that before we – the readers – get to know about Ren´s death we get one point of view, but after knowing this fact everything changes, our understanding of the dialoges about the future changes completly. I read recently one interview Ai Yazawa made a long time ago in which she says that every story she creates has a meaning, but only a few readers are able to understand it. I think Yazawa gave a few hints about this story meaning a feu chapter ago. When that reporter obligated Nana´s mother to make an interview right after Misato runaway home, she said it wasn´t for Nana´s sake but for her own. The reporter made a coment about what he lerant with Nana´s mother speach, somenthing about sacrificing everything you love or is important to you doesn´t mean that reaching your dream will bring you happiness, or something along those lines. Nana sacrificed every thing for her dream, her pride, her love towards Ren and even her child- if she actually had one. That´s way i think that she had a child, because it would make sense that she sacrificed even that to reach sucess and would not reach happiness in the end. There´s one monologue of Hachi to Nana in the future saing that all she praied was for Nana and Ren to see each other again, but i don´t think she would speak of Ronjo Ren, because it would mean that Nana O. would be dead, but if little Ren was actually Ren´s and Nana´s it woud make sense that she wanted them to meet up again!
Wow… This sure opened my eyes… Thank god it’s only a theory. Until up now I thought ren was reiras kid, but if he is older… Fair enoughxD and if satsuki is babas child that would add up to the reasons she ran away.
so it sounds true … But then why wouldn’t ren want to live with his mother??:(
Thanks for commenting! Even if Ren isn’t older than Satsuki, I have my doubts about Reira being his mother because at one point she calls Ren “Takumi’s kid,” while Ren calls her by her first name. Doesn’t exactly sound like they’re family. As for Ren not wanting to live with Hachi I never saw it that way – I just think Ren is the type of kid who does his own thing and that’s why he wants to stay in England.
omg…it all makes sense!…i just wish that it would be finished it is so sad and such a shame, I wonder how the writer is doing right now
Both the theories and comments have been very insightful. Upon finishing watching the anime and reading the manga, I thought that perhaps little Ren’s parents were Reira and Takumi because there was this one page in the manga where Junko tells Hachi that they should live with each other/get back to together. Hachi then snaps at her and tells her that there’s no way that she could after what Takumi had done or something along those lines. This then lead me to believe that Reira gave birth to Takumi’s child. I mean although she would be extremely sad and angry that Takumi cheated on her, I think it’s something that she suspects would happen and in a way prepared for it, but a mistress, and on top of that Reira, give birth to Takumi’s child is something on another level. However, after reading this article and the comments, I’m starting to think that little Ren is Nana & Ren’s child and Satsuki is Hachi & Takumi’s child. Thank you for such an interesting theory (:
Thanks for commenting! I can see why people would think that Takumi’s betrayal with Reira resulting in a child would be the ‘ultimate betrayal’ for Hachi, but I think the fact that it was Reira is what’s most hurtful. Also, I can’t see why everytime Nobu and Hachi have a discussion about Ren it gets so awkward between them if he was Reira’s child. However, that awkwardness is totally understandable if he is Hachi’s child (whether with Takumi or with Nobu), because of the history between Hachi and Nobu. And I’m glad this post has provoked your thoughts!
wheres the manga any links
I always thought that little Ren was Hachi’s and Nobu’s child and Satsuki is Hachi and Takumi’s child. I gathered that from the kids’ appearances. (I also always hoped that Hachi’s baby would be Nobu’s :’)
But after reading this thread, other scenarios are possible: little Ren is Hachi and Nobu’s kid. Little Ren is older than Satsuki, thus it’s only possible that he’s Hachi’s. Who would little Ren’s mother be otherwise? No character in the manga was pregnant before or at the time Hachi was pregnant. Hair color also suggests little Ren is Nobu’s kid. He might have ‘takumi’s cold eyes’ because he was raised by a cold selfish Takumi and they might have a rocky relationship. Satsuki on the other hand could be Ren and Nana’s kid, whom Nana left for her depression, incapalities or insecurites. (But this is rather unlikely bc Takumi seems to be very fond of her with real fatherly love and all that jazz so she’s most likely Takumi’s…)
Other scenario: little Ren is Ren and Nana’s kid after all. The kid’s name would be more suitable in this scenario. For the kid’s ages to match the storyline, Hachi would had to have a miscarriage and lost the child and we will never know who the father was. Takumi stays with Hachi and she’s probably very thankful for that (mind the ‘in love with the kidnapper’ thing) and they soon get another kid, Satsuki. Nana on the other hand finds herself pregnant after Ren’s death and gives birth to little Ren. Nana thinking she’s not a good enough mother or she can’t stand to look at little Ren or whatever, leaves little Ren to Hachi and Takumi. Little Ren being in England with Takumi and Reira while Nana is also there is a little icky too.. will they meet?
and i suspect that misato-chan is sending her pictures of england-nana..
So confusing… i’m reading the manga again atm and this time I watch out for clues!
Thanks for commenting! Your hair theory (that little Ren is probably Nobu’s kid because they both have light hair) is actually a popular one but I don’t understand why, since Hachi has light hair as well, so it’s not like it’d be impossible for Takumi to be little Ren’s father. And I’d considered the second possibility (that Hachi had a miscarriage, making it possible for Ren to be Nana Osaki’s child yet still older than Satsuki), but it seems somewhat improbable. I do think the theory that little Ren is Nana and Ren H.’s son is interesting and I’d never even considered it until someone came up with it earlier in the comments, but I do think the theory that Hachi had a miscarriage is unlikely (especially considering the fact that she’s ~8 months pregnant by the time Yazawa stopped publishing).
about hair theory: it’s just more likely that nobu (light hair) and hachi (light hair) would ‘produce’ a light haired child.
junko’s comment made it clear for me. i agree on your stated reasons for ‘nanaxren as satsuki’s parents-theory’ but junko’s comment slayed them all with one strike 
but obviously the chinese peeps also think hachi has children and not just one kid 
assuming that satsuki is hachi and takumi’s child, the siblings hair color wouldn’t match.. of course siblings can have different hair colors but THAT different? and what reason would Ai Yazawa have to let them have different hair color? it’s certainly not just to confuse the readers, her stories and characters have always a meaning, nothing is ‘just because’.. this theory is just more probable for me
also junko said once to hachi that satsuki really has her dna because she fell for shin/pretty boys and hachi will encounter a lot of trouble in the future if satsuki behaves like hachi..
as for the ‘i have a kid to care for’ line.. it really confused me too while i read it.. but when i checked on the manga again (unfortunately not in original japanese, but the chinese translation where the english translation comes from on anymanga.com) it says in chinese ‘i have child’, although the word for child is singular, the correct translation/meaning would be ‘i have children’ (‘i have A child’ is differently expressed in chinese). i think it’s a mistake of the translation.. grammaticly the term is singular but that’s how one says ‘i have children’ in chinese (‘i have kid’ 我有孩子 = i have children). if you can find the original japanese version we could check on that again
what bothers me is that Ai Yazawa kinda emphasized on nana taking the pill.. either it’s to show how self-concious nana feels about being a mother and how traumatized she is from her mother leaving her, or it’s to make the ‘nana forgot to take the pill’ thing more believable and not so out of the blue (or both). also her stomach ache is suspicious.. but she only forgot to take ’em while she was away from ren and on tour and they didn’t have sex anyway… before she would always take the pills.. her stomach ache could really come from her late intake of the pill and Ai Yazawa only drew that scene to show that nana’s will to take the pill is slightly ceasing..? if ren really got her pregnant, wouldnt she already be in like her 2nd month in the last chapter?
Nana would be 8-10 weeks pregnant by Chapter 84. When you’re on the pill and miss one, it throws you off.
Nana’s in big emotional distress. She’s eating, but Hachi mentions that she sleeps all the time. And then she’s suddenly starving for beef.
It’s far from impossible. If Nana misses her pill and has unprotected sex, she’s taking the chance of pregnancy. We know Ren doesn’t use condoms.
I would have to reread those last chapters for other hints — probably in the narrative, since I don’t remember anything significant in the action.
sorry for the ube long comment >.< i always get excited talkin about NANA.. i just wanted to add sth: everyone trash the Reira is Ren's mother theory! it's impossible and out of the question!
Don’t worry about it – I’m glad the topic interests you as much as it does me! I can see why the theory that Satsuki isn’t Hachi’s went completely out the window for you with Jun’s comment – her statement is the one reason I’m open to some of the other theories that have been mentioned. And as for the timing of Nana’s possible pregnancy – the last time Nana and Ren had sex was the day before she went on tour, which was exactly a month before his death. It’s very possible for her to not have noticed the pregnancy in such a short period of time.
I just caught up with the manga and I love it to bits that it makes me sad how hanging Ch.84 left off… anyways, I never saw the “Satsuki is Ren and Nana-rockstar’s daughter” angle and now that you mention it, it actually makes sense. Correct me if I’m wrong but I rarely saw Takumi playing the guitar around Hachi so it must’ve been either Ren or Nana. And the whole “Nana forgets taking her pill and stomach pains”, it adds up [at least in my head it does.XD]… I do hope Yazawa-sensei will still continue the manga, doesn’t matter if it’s now or in the future…
And I totally agree with you: They just don’t make ’em like Nana. I’m trying to look for something else to read while I wait for Yazawa-sensei’s return and I really can’t find anything good… Everything seems so cliche.
Thanks for commenting! The only person we ever see play guitar around Hachi is Nobu, which is interesting considering the fact that he could still be the father of Hachi’s child (whoever that child may be). But what’s alo interesting is that whenever Nobu is shown playing guitar in sequences taking place in the future, little Ren always comes up, which makes Nobu uncomfortable (yet Nobu never seems to get uncomfortable when Satsuki comes up).
The best recommendations I can give you would be Yazawa’s other series (of course) such as Paradise Kiss, as well as josei such as Princess Jellyfish and Honey and Clover. I’d also suggest Sand Chronicles and We Were There, which both deal with the passage of time and have realistically tragic characters in a way that reminds me of Nana.
NEWS!!!!
1.) 2 page of Junko’s Bar on Cookie!!!!
Nana fans, rejoice! After over three long years of waiting, we may see signs of life and art in Ai Yazawa once more. The most recent issue of Shueisha’s Cookie Magazine, which published Nana, gave audiences a two page Junko’s Place quickie. Junko, Shoji, Shin and Ginpei all appeared to banter about the appearance of the comic, and what it might mean for readers. They also make light of the fact that the comic doesn’t feature an advance on the story. Though they don’t say for sure what the future holds, we do know this – another Junko’s Place is headed our way, likely in the May issue (due out March 26th).
(Crunchyroll)
2.) Cover for “Waning Moon” Manga Revealed,!!!!!!
Waning Moon, or Kagen no Tsuki, is the series Yazawa created before Paradise Kiss. Like all good Yazawa works, it tells the story of a love that can’t quite come together, broken hearts and tragic death. Sound familiar? The two volumes are due out in Japan on the same day – March 19th
awesome! i hope new nana comes out soon
OMG! So I thought the explanation for the two children would be that Hachi was having twins, but now that you mention it Satsuki TOTALLY looks like Ren and Nana. Also, I was so sad when Ren died because it seemed like he was about to leave the band so he could be with Nana and start a family he always wanted, and I thought it was tragic that he never got to be a father, but you’re theory makes this possible.
As for the line “Because I have a kid” I think that is just a translation error or maybe Yazawa wrote that before she decided to add in the character of young Ren. Even if Hachi and Takumi adopted li’l Ren, a mother would still refer to the adopted child as hers. Having one biological child and one adopted child doesn’t mean you only have one kid. More likely, I think Hachi may be referring to the fact she has “a kid” in the immediate sense, since li’l Ren is living overseas.
Thanks for commenting! A lot of people hold the theory that Satsuki and Ren are twins, even though they look fairly different. It’s definitely not impossible. I can’t refer back to my books right at this moment but I’m pretty certain that little Ren had appeared by the time Hachi says she has “a kid,” even if he hadn’t been named yet at that point. And you’re definitely right that most parents would look at their adopted child/children as their own. I actually think what you’ve written here makes sense – that because only Satsuki is in Hachi’s care since little Ren is away, the singular term was used.
As for Ren’s death, it’s pretty clear that right before his passing something was about to *break* between him and Nana. They had gotten to the point where they could no longer ignore the fact that their lives were heading in opposite directions. But I have to say I’m not sure I think Ren was ready to give everything up for Nana – I’m fairly sure if anything big had happened to change their relationship Nana would have been the one to make the first move.
Well I just reread the few chapters before his death, and as you may recall, right after Ren tells Takumi he wants to leave Trapnest, he says he wants to see Nana. He repeats this sentiment again to Reira right before he passes out on his bathroom floor after taking his last hit. The next day he was on his way to rehearsal (or rehab, I don’t know which) when he ordered the driver to turn around and take him home. Once home, he pulled out a small gift box from his drawer of mangas (the one that Nana refuses to open later) and gets in his car to pick up Reira and meet with Nana. While in his car he gets a call from Hachi and tells her that he plans to confess to Nana about his drug use.
Personally, I think Ren was planning to tell Nana the night he died about his decision to leave Trapnest and about his drug use. Yasu had stated earlier that he didn’t think someone sensitive like Ren could handle the industry. Perhaps this is why he turned to drugs in the first place? Or, maybe he used them to forget about Nana after he joined Trapnest?
We also see Ren remembering the conversation where Nana said she didn’t want him to write songs for anyone but her, and indeed he says Takumi’s compositions will be suitable in his absence, so clearly he is bothered by Nana’s feelings.
I think Ren wanted out so he could be with Nana. As he said to Hachi, although he could never love any woman more than Nana, he believed they needed to spend some time apart to gain perspective. Early in the series he tells Nana of his wish to return to the warehouse apartment with her someday. The fact that the warehouse is the building he subsequently crashed into (after mistakenly seeing Nana on the roof I might add) leads me to believe that this was his intent on the night he died.
As for what was in the box for Nana’s birthday, I don’t know. I thought maybe it was a key to the warehouse apartment (thus fulfilling his wish for her to move there with him), but I think she still had her key now that I think about it.
All in all, this series MUST be continued. I have fallen so deeply in love with this group of characters. I can’t say that about any other mangas or book series I’ve read (except Harry Potter).
I have the exact same sentiments… It’s too much of a cliffhanger, that so far only fan fictions have soothed my longing for Nana and the gang… T^T
Hachi’s had at least two sonograms. It would be hard to hide a twin at this point.
There is one important thing I must tell you about Japanese translation. There is no such thing as plural or singular in Japanese. If I am referring to a (one) book it is “hon”. If I am referring to a group of books it is “hon”. Two books are “ni hon”.
Hai and I’m glad i came upon this blog, even thou am like wow late… i do like the theories about the children, i never thought about them being twins, but now that i read this page and when you commented here
” A lot of people hold the theory that Satsuki and Ren are twins, even though they look fairly different. It’s definitely not impossible.”
It struck me, that perhaps they really are twins, as you said it isn’t impossible for i have a cousin with twins a girl that’s blond, blue eyes and white skin while the brother is black hair, dark eyes and tan skin, its funny when you look at the family
BUT it made me realize that they might as well be twins, all thou i DO love the theory about one of them being Ren’s and Nana’s child.
(ps they have 5 children, all 3 girls are light while both boys are dark :P)
Can we create a Kickstarter campaign to get Yazawa to finish this story?
But what if she isn’t too well yet?
I LOVE this theory!!
It makes so much sense out of so many things that make no sense. I’m not gonna crawl through my books, because I’m too excited right now, but Ren Honjo tells Hachi that Satsuki is what he would name his child, right? And the way Yasu looks into Satsuki’s face and smiles — like she’s the best of the two people he loved the most.
And throughout the manga, I’ve accidentally mistaken close-up panels that show either Takumi or Nana — their hair and the way it falls over their profiles has been very similar.
Would there be a room at the Terashima Inn for Hachi and Takumi’s daughter? While I still hope for Hachi and Nobu (yeah, I know), it makes more sense, in terms or story, character and propriety for it to be the room of Ren and Nana’s baby.
I do think lil Ren is Hachi’s. The way he gets a cup for Naoki and tells his Daddy to shove it is priceless, and totally Hachi. And I agree he’s older, and it would be so cheesy to bring out a longer undisclosed pregnancy. It makes so much more sense that he’s Hachi and Takumi’s.
What I was struggling with was the idea of Hachi going back to Takumi in earnest after Ren’s death.I do pull for Hachi and Nobu, and clearly there’s unfinished business there. I hoped that she wouldn’t abandon Nana — AGAIN — thus inspiring Nana to leave. Kind of old and tired.
But she would absolutely do it for Nana’s child. If she thought that was the best way to provide stability for two children, she would return to Shirogane as Mrs. Ichinose. And I think that perhaps that’s the only reason that Nobu would accept it, and we would see the sad resignation that seems to between them now. But as the head of Terashima Inn, he could also provide for a child, and it would be interesting to see what happened there. If Nana gave Satsuki to Hachi to be her mother, he probably wouldn’t fight it though.
Oh! Remember how Satsuki ran off to the chocolate shop, and Hachi panicked about her ‘taking off?’ Hrm…..
Now I need to reread with this theory in mind. Thank you so much!
Two more thoughts — this would work nicely with all the parallels that have been shown between Nana and Hachi — the same engagement rings, etc. One more important thing to tie their fates together. It would give so much more meaning to the way that they are all (esp Hachi) waiting for Nana to return.
And Takumi … I wonder if he took lil Ren away from Hachi because he thought she loved Nana’s child better than his? It could have been a misunderstanding — Satsuki being younger and needing more care — now I speculating on what would work thematically and getting carried away, but this theory is so wonderful to me. I was so excited that that there were unpublished chapters, but then they left so much more confusion to me — this really helps give me direction.
(First, I’m sorry if my sentences are a bit weird, I’m French and even tho’ I understand English perfectly, I sometime have difficulties with the writing part.)
I really like this theory!
The English-wiki says that Ren is probably Takumi’s and Stella’s spawn. I really hated this theory but tough that it was possible since Ai Yazawa rarely mention things, like the existence of Stella, without a good reason, and that, after all, Takumi and Ren J. were in England, which is where Stella lived.
But now that I’ve found an alternative, I tough of the whole thing and realize that NanaK was already pregnant when Takumi went to England, making that first theory virtually impossible since Ren is older than Satsuki.
The little details like NanaO missing pills, craving for beef, sleeping a lot and all are also the kind of details Yazawa-sensei would not have put emphasis on for nothing…That’s without even mentioning the importance she put on Ren wanting a kid and NanaO fearing of not being able to be a good mother (Like when she’s questioning her gynecologist about maternal instinct, that before she even knew about the whole Hachi being pregnant thing).
…Now I HAVE to re-read the manga. Q___Q
Thanks for commenting!
Ah, Wikipedia, I love you but I hate you sometimes. Since the question of Ren and Satsuki’s paternity hasn’t been answered officially in the manga, it shouldn’t even be mentioned on Wiki. As for the theory that little Ren is the child of Stella and Takumi…yeah, it sounds far-fetched. Stella was only mentioned in volume 11 and we’ve never seen her, so I think that theory is highly improbable. The chance that Reira is Ren’s mother is higher, and I seriously doubt that theory as well.
I’m glad so many people agree with me on the theory that Satsuki is Nana and Ren’s child! There are so many clues, and yet they can be interpreted in such different ways that fans are coming up with various scenarios about what could have happened after Ren’s death. But most of all, I’m especially happy so many people have brought up new theories I would have never thought of in these comments.
I have reread extensively since coming across this theory, and I can’t quite reconcile myself that Satsuki doesn’t have Takumi’s eyebrows. It’s such a minor thing, and yet no other character has his eyebrows. Ren’s come close, but not quite.
I love this theory — it’s such rich ground for exploring Nana’s issues, and works so nicely. The possibility is clearly there.
Starsmaria, I was wondering if you knew anything about Ms. Yazawa’s personal history, and how her ex-husband was very abusive? I didn’t learn this until recently, and it has seriously made me think about where she might be headed with the story, or where she might have been headed…
I believe this theory can be possible to I 100% that ren is takumi and hachi child because of a lot of facts and the fact ren died so if I was them and my best friend died and I knew I was pregnant having a boy I would name the child after him because he Ment so much to so many there friends too.. With the girl well I originally thort of something completely diffent I thort Maby after hachi gave birth to ren and then after she had ren she was still with takumi due to Maby him being sick or something cos she would look after him but then fall pregnant straight away after she had given birth which is very possibal but then later she finds out about takumi and reiya and to her that like the ultamit betrayal because due to hachi comments though some chapters u can tell she always worries about the 2 of them so I can understand that being a very big type of betrayal and also in the chapter where u see takumi with ren takumi says two things 1 being hachi gonna want ren back by the end of the season or something like that and 2 u can tell he’s feeling guilty and that after wat he’s done he dosent think that hachi will be with him again after all he sacrificed everything for the sake of his job it’s no surprise that Nana doesn’t Wanna come back to me…. So I think ren is there child but sachi I not sure there’s so many possibles she could be a second child born straight after ren or RENs twin sister but I dnt think so cos I recon ren looks older then his sis so the other possible but another possi is that sachi is Nana and Ren child that’s possibal too but I can’t believe she would just leave her child like her mother did her but I guess we will have to wait and see
I also wanted to add onto the justification that Ren isn’t the child conceived between Layla and Takumi. I was reading over volume twenty, and there is a scene in which Layla mentions how she wanted to destroy everything that was precious to Takumi but then the moment Ren holds her hand she is able to feel calm/gentle again. She then states how she was supposed to feel bitter/hatred towards his hands. By adding up those statements together it lead me to believe that Ren is Takumi’s child, and most likely Hatchi is the mother.
Regardless of who the parents are, I look forward to Yazawa Ai completing this complex and beautiful story
I never thought that Ren is Reira and Takumi’s son, but because the mother appears as Hachiko :/. Anyway hope some day-hopefully soon-to continue the manga.
I think all of you are imagining thinks cause of lack more volumes of this manga. It is perfectly clear that both child are Hachi and Takumi. Look at Satsuki she’ s got brown eyes just like Hachi and black hair and it’s obvious that Takumi really love her the same goes for little Ren if one of those child weren’t Takumi he wont care about them so much and one thing when you take a good look -Ren is younger than Satsuki and it’s very common that woman’s get pregnant right after gave birth so in my opinion both kids are Hachi and Takumi. Don’t make unnecessary stories.
and even if Ren is the older one(cause I found that Satsuki calls Ren onii-chan) there is no way that he is Reira and Takumi’s or Ren and Nana, cause the one who was pregnant first was Hachi and he didn’t look like Nobu (I know Takumi said it is no matter if kid is his but still think that he wouldn’t care so much for Nobus kid) As for Satsuki she can’t be Nana and Ren cause she didn’t look like Nana or Ren cause of big brown eyes which look exactly like Hachis
It’s 2014 already and I know I’m late to this post. I’ve read Nana since it first came ou in 99 or 2000 I think. It’s been such a long time and since there was no update I kind of forgot about it. And when you didn’t read it in one go but as slowly as it was released you oversee a lot. So I recently started to reread and rewatch everything Ai Yazawa. I can’t believe it has been 5 years since that last chapter. She must’ve been really sick. It is selfish, but I really like to know the end of the story. Especially because I don’t think that there will be many more volumes. I think Nana was nearing the end when Ai Yazawa was getting ill, it seems to me it would be wrapped up in maybe 3 or 4 volumes.
I was always wondering about Chibi-Rens parents. But when I reread I realized this ain’t the issue. Ren is definitely Hachi and Takumi’s child. The one she is pregnant with since Volume 6. Little Ren looks like Takumi. In the Takumi flashback chapter Chibi-Takumi exactly has the same look. Ren doesn’t look like Nobus child at all. And Nobu was using condoms, Takumi wasn’t. I will be really surprised if the parents of little Ren are not Takumi & Hachi. It all just fits. Making us doubt this all seems like a big red-herring to me.
So now after rereading I realized that the real mysterium is Satsuki! And went to look through the internet to see if somebody else has the same theory, and here I found exactly what I was thinking. Nana O. + Ren Honjo = Satsuki! It seems so obvious now that I read this. But the reason I first suspected it isn’t even mentioned here! So there must be some truth to it. Let’s see, the reason I think she is their child happens in Chapter 79. The future scenes at the Terashima Ryokan. When Satsuki is with Hachi, Nobu, Miu and Yasu at the table. Satsuki got excused from school for a grave visit. Why? She doesn’t have a relation to Ren. I was wondering then, why do they let her skip school? It is very important in Japan and not easily done. And then they talk about how important that visit is and that Satsuki probably doesn’t understand the grave visit, that she doesn’t realize….but why should a visit to the grave matter to Satsuki at all? If she is Hachi and Takumis daughter this whole trip shouldn’t be that important for her. The way everyone looked at her at the beach, and all. The more I think of it, the more I’m convinced that Satsuki is Ren’s daughter. The only reason I doubted it before I was unsure of was that Nana was always taking the pill, but when I read this post I see that she wasn’t!
Satsuki might even be the reason why Nana didn’t commit suicide, yet. I want to know how it all fits together, I wonder if she will ever complete the series. Even if not there should be a novelization or some sort of conclusion.
Thanks for commenting! You know, that grave visit always struck me as interesting, and I could never put my finger on it, and now that you’ve explained it I understand why. I didn’t think too much about why the adults were making a big deal of Satsuki visiting Ren H. because Ren was important to all of them – but for them to be particularly concerned that Satsuki sees him would make perfect sense if my theory that she’s his daughter is true. And I always wondered if Ai Yazawa had planned Satsuki to be Nana’s answer as to why she hasn’t died yet, so it’s nice to see someone else who thinks along the same lines as I do.
Thanks for replying! I don’t know which version of Nana you are reading, I assume it’s the official english one? I don’t have that volume in japanese and I’d like to know exactly what is being said. In an english scanlated? version I seeked out it was basically all just talk about Satsuki being a small child – so she doesn’t understand in generally what a grave visit is. So if I had read that version maybe I wouldn’t have came to the same conclusion. In my language it says that she probably doesn’t understand why THIS grave visit is that important. I think it is a huge difference. Anyway, I wonder if we will ever find out! After rereading I’m still convinced it is like this, but I have a harder time seeing how it will come to this. Because Ren is dead already and Nana doesn’t even know she is pregnant yet. WHY does she run away after giving birth to Satsuki? It is a long time. Then the fact that she resented her mother so much for leaving her. Also leaving Satsuki with Takumi!!! whom she hates so much. It is quite hard to get behind this. What the hell happened to make her decide to do this? These are the thoughts that make me doubt the theory some, still.
I’ll try to translate what is written in my version in chapter 79. The page I’m talking about is 93 in my version.
Nobu: Kids. Sometimes they say stuff that is surprisingly adult.
Miu: Children are often more aware of their surroundings than adults realize. They understand a lot.
Yasu: But I’m wondering, does Satsuki understand the meaning of this grave visit?
Miu: It would be bad, if she thought that it is a common grave visit.
Pretty telling if you ask me. Why does it matter to Satsuki if she thinks of the grave visit of a usual, normal one??!? I know I don’t have to convince you, but really reading all the future scenes the solution is right there. The way everyone is reacting to her. Nobu is totally sweet to Satsuki and there is no melancholy or pain with him. But everytime Nana and Nobu talk about little Ren, you see this bitter nostalgic look in his eyes. I think Nobu really loves Satsuki, but his feelings for Ren are more complicated, he even is sad that he doesn’t get to see him often. Yes, Ren is Takumis so it is a different relationship than with Satsuki. Nobu was Nana O.s best friend. And Yasu is like a second father to Satsuki. The scenes with these two are pretty telling, the look in Yasus face when he is interacting with her. Once more, it wouldn’t make sense if Satsuki was H/T’s child. Some of the drawings of their interactions are exact replicas of Yasu and Nana O.s scenes. They way he caresses her head and strokes her hair for example. Aargh, I want to know the truth already.
I do believe at ur theories..it doesn’t make sense that nobu is the father he always use condom he clearly said that and how takumi looks at little ren when he woke up is how father should be. About satsuki, yes it’s nana osaki and honjo ren..just by the name it’s not coincedence that it was ren who taught about a flower name and nana osaki even said “so ren wants to name his kid by a flower”. And about the DNA that junko talking about with hachi what she said and what i understand is “she got ur dna after all” she said it with after all i don’t know if u got what i mean. Nana osaki left i think because of the responsibilities i remember one of her lines she said that she doesn’t want to have a kid and just want to pursue her dreams. I also remember what she said when she wants to die but she can’t coz she doesn’t want to throw away the life that hachi saved she said this because what i think when she was still pregnant with satsuki ahe felt of just wanting to die but hachi just stayed by her side and stop her for killing herself and the child inside that is where i think little ren was raised by nobu and them and learned how to play guitar.
This is an old post I know but I just have to say something regarding little Ren belonging to Ren and Nana, not that I think he’s their kid but it is possible for Nana to have been pregnant the whole time and not known it.
There have been cases of women who don’t gain any weight and continue to drink, smoke, and take their pill but still end up giving birth to healthy good sized babies. Most never realize they’re pregnant until going into labor (a cousin of mine had always been skinny and sort of a party girl, she never smoked though, one year she started hyperventilating and being really moody- sound familiar? Turned out she was pregnant with an adorable little girl now age seven)
I’m not saying it’s probable but it is possible for Nana to have conceived any time that year and just never showed any of what people think of as normal symptoms. (By the way hyperventilation and anxiety are symptoms of pregnancy for some women) Then there are her cravings and one early scene which always bugged me for no other reason than character continuity, it’s stated Ren never uses condoms but they obviously had sex right after the Trapnest concert in his hotel room. In my experience a man who doesn’t use condoms doesn’t have them. Well many hotels do provide them and Nana may have been prepared but it still doesn’t seem to me he would’ve used one ever with Nana.
Again I doubt she was pregnant but it could happen.
Also (Sorry for the long post) as to why Nana would leave her child behind if she had either Sachi or Ren, it could have been because of her mother. Nana was unstable and with Ren dead there was no one who would have been seen legally fit to be the child’s guardian, so the evil grandmother might have tried to take it away. Hachi said she was sorry she couldn’t protect Nana in one of her future thoughts so maybe it was because the person hurting Nana was her mother again. And I don’t think she would have left her kid with Takumi but she might have signed over legal rights to Hachi and counted on Yasu and Nobu to help raise her child.I don’t know how Japanese law works in this situations but where I live a mother, even if she is deemed unfit has a right to choose who to sign her kids over too then child protection investigates the new guardian. Hachi and Takuni- married, sane and wealthy in most cases equals suitable guardians. So maybe Nana couldn’t stand to see her child being raised by some one else or the paparazzi attacked her for giving up her child and she ran.
For me Nana + Ren = Satsuki. Ren would’ve made a good father if he quit using drugs and I think he was on his way to doing that.
Sorry again for coming into the convo so late and posting so much.
Thanks for commenting – Nana sure makes people write long and hard! The thought that Nana left her baby to Hachi purposefully, rather than simply just running away, had never occurred to me. It could definitely make sense; if Nana tried to raise her but became overwhelmed and left her with Hachi – that’s why she would have so much hope that Nana will come back one day. And I never knew hyperventilation is a symptom of pregnancy – interesting.
I feel like I have to write here to talk to somebody about Nana. I watched Nana long time ago, but been rewatching and reading it now and I’m burning to speak out!
Whenever I see pictures of Satsuki, I don’t really see her looking like Takumi at all. Sure they both have long black hair, but that’s about it. I think she has Nana’s eyes and Ren’s eyebrows and overall, looks more of a mix of them, than Hatchiko and Takumi.
But I don’t know about the son Ren. I want to believe that he is Hatchiko’s and Nobus. Now why would Takumi want to keep a son, that is not his, with him and away from Hatchiko? My answer is, to keep him away from Nobu and make sure Ren believes Takumi is his father, so he can keep Hatchiko to himself. Who knows, maybe Takumi can’t even have kids of his own.
Also, why Ren might act like Takumi is simply,because he has been raised by Takumi. Just like Satsuki, she acts like Hatchiko, because she has been raised by her, but Ren more than likely acts and has ‘evil eyes’ like Takumis is because Takumi has raised him. Kids learn from their parents, not from their genes. Genes are small part of your personality, is how you are raised and what kind of people you have around you is what kind of personality you will have most of the times.
I also read somewhere (maybe it was here, I dont remember anymore!) that it would be unlikely Ren to be Takumis, since black hair is more dominant than lighter hair. Of course this is manga so anything could happen, meaning black hair wouldnt be dominant and that is why his son has lighter hair.
But honestly, I would just see it making more sense that Ren is Nobus. Takumi keeps Ren near him, because if he would let Nobu to be the father and know he is, wouldn’t that mean that Takumi has lost? Wouldn’t it be the first time he has lost the fight of some woman? During the whole series, I remember Takumi always being the one who wins every woman. And if they would know it’s Nobus, it means Hatchiko would more than likely divorce him and go back to Nobu.
Though the most biggest question is. Was there ever a DNA test taken who is the dad? And if not, I can see the only reason why they didn’t take a test, because Takumi didn’t want that. I don’t think he would have wanted to take the chance to know it might be Nobu’s and lose Hatchiko for good.
Argh I want to know if I’m right about this, I need more NANA.
I think it is quite impossible for Ren to be Nobu’s baby
I mean, he always wore a condom, and a broken condom is something you notice. They made it pretty clear that the chance that Nobu was the father were veryyyyy low.
Plus, in volume 20, when we see Reira in London with Ren, she thinks ” When I take the hand of this boy [Baby Ren] who has your name, I’m filled with kindness. Though, I should hate him…”.
If it was obvious because of his appearance that Ren is Nobu’s child, why would Reira think that ? She says she should hate him because he is the son that Takumi had with another woman.
Plus I don’t see what it would add to the story. Nana did not care at the time if It was Nobu’s child or not and Takumi made it clear that he did not care either, that he would raise him or her as his own.
I am late as well, but I’ll jump right in. I believed this theory for long and went back to read the manga for clues. Right before Ren chooses Satsuki’s name, Hachi’s narration ends the previous chapter with these words “I hope you will call out to me…with the cute name that Ren gave” …When i read this I went “wow” yes, Hachi is asking Nana to call out Satsuki’s name, Hachi wants Nana to come back to her daughter…It was overwhelming, it was similar to something that the future Nana O. says in a previous chapter “Even now I’m still calling out to you… with that beautiful flower name” (Ren or Satsuki? no one knows!).
Considering the fact that Yazawa-sensei introduced us to Satsuki first and then gave little Ren a spectacular introduction is why it always made me feel that one of them at least is not Hachi’s kid. But Ren seems undoubtedly to be Hachi’s at least (and it really doesn’t matter now if it’s Takumi’s or Nobu’s).
However, there are many discouragements to this theory which were mentioned before, one is Junko’s comment about the DNA (Hachi didn’t seem to make a big deal out of it at all), there’s no way Junko wouldn’t know this is Nana Osaki’s kid if it was. The second is when Hachi and Nobu are speaking in the future way before we knew of little Ren’s existence:
Nobu: “Is it okay to leave your kid alone so long” (he doesn’t specify which kid)
Hachi: “It’s okay, Satsuki has been living with her grandma and grandpa since the end of the year” (she immediately speaks about Satsuki even though he didn’t specify)
Nobu: “so um…only Satsuki?” (hint of little Ren?)
Hachi: That was because I was really busy with the wardrobe work at the start of the year. I had help so it didn’t bother me.
(they go on to talk about the Inn and the bands back in Nobu’s town and then Nobu goes: “what about Ren, leaving him be is it okay?”)
I mean it’s a good way for a twisted conversation to hid the fact that they’re talking about little Ren but it doesn’t serve the theory for Satsuki at all. If Satsuki is Nana and Ren’s kid, why would she be living with Hachi’s parents, not unless we dare think she’s living with Nana’s mother and stepfather. Impossible.
The beauty about this mystery is that it is so easy to be lost within the narrative, Yazawa-sensei’s technique of giving us the silent thoughtful look on the character’s face could be interpreted in so many different ways. For instance, whenever you see Satsuki speaking about her family, and everyone including Hachi looks sad, silent and thoughtful, it doesn’t serve to know what they’re sad about exactly, is it the Hachi-Takumi estrangement thing? or is it that Satsuki seems to think her family is Hachi and Takumi and not Ren and Nana? For the longest time, little Ren wasn’t introduced, so every mysterious gesture that the characters did or a mysterious conversation (like the ones I relayed above) could be interpreted to serve the foreshadowing of Ren Honjo’s coming death or the existence of little Ren and nothing to do with Satsuki who by now is a regular-Hachi’s-kid fact.
For the future sequences, there is so many hidden things in between and so many word-play when you read it again. For instance, I could be totally imagining it, but every single shot including Junko and Kyousuke had them hiding their hands, either in their pockets or just barely out of the shot, that’s because it’s not the time yet to know if they’re married in the future. It’s inconsequential but I would have loved to know, I appreciate every character so much that I want to know even this. Then we have Miu and Yasu, are they still together? she’s there at least, which is more than we can say for Asami, but is she and Yasu still together? In the same chapter of the above Hachi and Nobu conversation, Yasu and Shin are in the car, Shin says that Nana will be deported from the UK anyway, and Yasu says “but I want to protect her in every possible way before this happens”, and Shin looks at him with again the shocked silent thoughtful look. As if he’s thinking about how Yasu is still hung over protecting Nana. Then again, In this same conversation, Yasu asks Shin about a Misato-chan (which Misato, no one knows!), Shin replies on behalf of her and Yasu says “you should have brought her along” either it means that Shin is dating her or that she is his manager now (which would make sense if she’s Mai) and they hear Reira’s song, giving us another sad shocked silent look.
The only thing I’m glad for in the future is that Hachi seems to work in something related to fashion, (which couldn’t have happened I’m guessing without a financial kick off from Takumi). The fact that she finally became mature despite the tragedies just goes to show how Takumi was the only one who could make her so.
Long post as well…you must be tired of reading people’s comments, but well…I’m still waiting.
Thanks for the comment, and no, I’m not sick of them at all. The fact that there are so many theories (and such engaged conversation about what may be) is a testament to Yazawa’s skill as a storyteller. Your comment about Ren’s introduction being ‘spectacular’ as a clue that something about the kids is amiss is spot-on: the more we got to see of little Ren, the more I felt both kids weren’t Hachi’s. And you’re totally right that almost everytime Satsuki speaks, especially about family, everyone around her gets uncomfortable. You brought up the reason for this may be because she doesn’t know, but maybe it’s uncomfortable because she does. She seems wise, and maybe she’s figured out that Ren and Nana are her ‘real’ parents, if that’s case (if they haven’t outright told her already, which would explain the importance of the grave visit).
And good catch about the car conversation with Yasu and Shin – it’d never occurred to me that they could have been speaking of Nana’s sister!
” Even now I’m still calling out to you… with that beautiful flower name ” In french, it is not translated like that … ” I wish I could hear you pronounce the name Ren chose for my daughter”. We should read the volumes in japanese to be sure
Forgetting to mention Ren right away, could simply be, that Hatchiko is really trying to cover up for Nana. Hatchiko knows Nana hates media, so to really make it seems like the kid is hers, she might be trying to devote more time for Satsuki than her actual child. Lets not forget, if the child is really Nobu’s, think of the burden she is carrying knowing how Takumi is not the real father and she is keeping 2 people (the son and the father) from knowing the truth, and not being able to be the son and the dad they could be. That can tear up anyone from inside and even distance themself from their own kid.
And since I think Hatchiko is trying to be a mother for Satsuki, why not she wouldn’t be at her grandmothers place? Wouldn’t it be more suspicious, if she wouldn’t be? They are, after all, still followed by the media, I would think, since Takumi is still famous and all. I’m sure she hasn’t even told her own parents Satsuki isnt her child.
There is always a possibility none of the kids are her kids.
Actually, I don’t think that Satsuki is Ren’s and Nana’s child based on the same argument that you had about him being the child of Reira and Takumi, simply because Ren is older than Satsuki, by a couple of years I think. Ren Honjo, on the other way, died before Hachi’s first child (probably Ren Ichinose) was born, and him being older than Satsuki means that Satsuki was born AFTER Ren Honjo’s death and AFTER the birth of Ren Ichinose as well (which was also born AFTER Ren Honjo’s Death).
Ren Ichinose could be Nobu’s and Hachi’s child, but I doubt Ai Yazawa would do something so obvious like that. He could be Stella’s and Takumi’s child too. But my best shot is that he is really the son of Takumi and Nana, and he was clearly named after Ren Honjo as an homage, so is Satsuki, when is seeing that Ren Honjo would like their daughter (takumi’s and Nana) to be called Satsuki. It has been notice that Takumi actually really Loves Hachi, but he just have high sex drive(which is not good at all T_T). And then, we really don’t know how much time has been since Nana Osaki’s desappearance, but we know that these two children were born between these years.
I just re-read the whole thing… and I remember that I used to hate Hachi so much for beingsto careless and never learning from it, that now after reading all of this again It made me realise that everything in this manga is about confronting inner ghosts. Hachi herself. And I think that is why I got so f……ing emotionally drained after reading this stuff. It’s about real life – well almost.
Thanks for commenting! I know a lot of readers (especially female ones) dislike Hachi because of some of the choices she makes, but I honestly never held them against her and I feel somewhat defensive of her character. I think the reason why people dislike her, even if they’d never admit it, is that she reminds them of themselves. There’s something vulnerable about her, and deep down, she just wants to know that she’s important to the people she cares about, sometimes doing foolish things to get that love, but other times, wonderful things, like when she cooked a feast for Blast even after they said they couldn’t drop by. I think that’s something we can all relate to.
But wouldn’t that make sense? Satsuki is younger than ‘Ren’. Nana was pregnant with Satsuki (probably early states) when Ren dies. Hatchiko gives birth to ‘Ren’ way before Nana gives birth to Satsuki. It doesnt seem like they have that much age difference, ‘Ren’ just acts more mature, probably because he has been around Takumi so much, while Satsuki has been around Hatchiko.
I might have gotten completely confused by what you typed though!
I’m really starting to consider this solution … In volume 21, the scene from the future, when they went praying at the beach, Hachiko thinks “I know what she [Satsuki] asked for… she wants her family to be reunited. You [Ren Honjo] must me embarrassed that she’s asking you that. I should be the one doing something for her”.
You can interpret it in two different ways :
1. Satsuki is Takumi and Hachi’s daughter and Hachi meant that she’s the only one able to take the decision to go and live with takumi again, thus making the family whole
2. OR she said that Ren must be embarrassed because .. well, he is dead and cannot see his daughter and Hachi is the only one who can bring Nana back.
I just found your article (2014 and still no sign of Ai Yazawa :'() so I’m reading it again and again hoping to discover something …
Your theory is very interesting and it would actually be a very good twist that Satsuki is Ren and Nana’a daughter (in a way it would be also comforting to know Ren left something else than his music
).
You talk about something Hachi said in volume 19 about having a kid : in french, it is translated this way “because I have a daughter” (and not because I have a kid).
I don’t remember in which volume but Hachi (doing the narrator voice) says “I wish I could hear you pronounce the name Ren chose for my daughter”. In my opinion, this means Nana never met Satsuki because she left before her birth… but as you said, the author always try to mislead us
And I really like Hachi and the way her character evolved. She went to being selfish and capricious to being a caring person. I also like Reira, even though many people dislike her because she slept with Takumi knowing he was married. I have a lot of compassion for her : she has one and only true love, who put her on a pedestal and never considered her as a woman. She is lonely and knows Takumi will never return her feelings. That makes me sad for her and I wish Ai Yazawa made a happy ending for her too.
Sorry for my bad english ^_^ Thanks for your article
There is an episode where Hatchi thinks that, I mean the ““I wish I could hear you pronounce the name Ren chose for my daughter”. ” Because I have not heard or seen that one before. Was this in the french translated one? Because I must go re-read this.
It is in volume 19 !
I don’t remember exactly what episode is what I’m referring to but I will describe it. It is when hachi broke up with takumi and went to find nobu in his job. That day they went to nobus apartment and had sex. The anime shows that the couple after the sex, talk with each other and after the talk they had about nana osaki and the younger days of nobu they did again. In another episode nobu said that he always took protection but I think that this moment forgot to take the necessary protection and that’s why maybe hachi got pregnant from nobu!!!
i don’t know if it’s true it’s just a theory I thought…. I really wish Ai Yazawa to get well and continue this masterpiece!! 
Omg I just finished watching the episode you just described!! Nobu and Hachi had sex twice, immediately after the first time. And there was no sign of a condom!! You can’t use a condom TWICE!! So there’s a possibility that mini Ren is Nobu’s son.
And btw there’s no doubt in my mind that Satsuki is Nana and Ren’s daughter. When I look at her jawline, I see 100% Nana Osaki. Just because she has black hair doesn’t mean she’s Takumi’s. First of all, Ren is the child Hachi was pregnant with. Second of all, both Nana and Ren have black hair. Third of all, all of Satsuki’s facial expressions remind me of Nana Osaki… To me, she’s the seed of her parent’s eternal love
And Ren is Hachi's child so it's OBVIOUS that Satsuki is Nana's child.
Here’s my theory.
At first, I was on the side of Satsuki being Nana and and Ren’s daughter. And Ren being Hachi and Takumi’s or Nobuo’s. But not anymore. Here’s why I think a different scenario may be possible. And its not only because that would be be almost too obvious.
As has already been pointed out, Satsuki seems to be a year or two younger than little Ren. So the possibility of her being Nana/Ren’s daughter wouldn’t fit the timeline. If Nana got pregnant just before Ren died, Satsuki wouldn’t seem but slightly younger than Ren. Not even a year. And no other characters were visibly pregnant at all during Hachi’s pregnancy. Which somewhat rules out any other child than Satsuki Belonging to Hachi. I think that Satsuki is Hachi’s daughter.
But the possibility I’m leaning toward is that little Ren is the child of Nana Osaki and Ren Honjo. I think that Nana gave birth to him before she left for Tokyo. Ren was gone about two years before Nana decided to leave for Tokyo. In the manga, right before he breaks the news to her, she mentions needing to go take her birth control pill. Instead they end up in a passionate lovemaking session, and afterward he tells her he’s decided to leave. I think this instance is the moment that little Ren may have been conceived. I think its possible that Nana gave little Ren up to an orphanage after having him. She repeatedly said that she didn’t want to be tied down with the responsibility of motherhood right now. Also, if you recall when Hachi was talking to Nana about maternal instinct, Nana got visibly agitated with Hachi when discussing that mothers shouldn’t take having a child lightly. At first, I thought this was Nana feeling bad about what her mother did to her. But now I’m wondering if she was feeling guilty for giving up her own child.
Also, I think that Satsuki is Hachi’s because of the discussion at Jun’s house after Hachi and Satsuki were out shopping and satsuki was wanting to buy Valentine’s chocolates for Shin. Jun said that Satsuki shared Hachi’s genes/DNA, so she must be Hachi’s biological daughter. I’m sure Hachi would have told Jun if she wasn’t. Also, Hachi reacts like a mother who’s worried about her daughter’s tastes in men, rather than shock or remorse about keeping a secret.
I could totally see Hachi finding out at a later time that Nana had given up a baby, and agreeing to rescue him from the orphanage. I also don’t see Takumi putting up a fight about it, because he and Ren were close, and he knows that it would mean a lot to Hachi. It also makes sense that Ren is in London with Takumi, when Nana is till on the run and supposedly in England. Maybe they’re planning to let the two of them meet. Ren is also reportedly a bit of a loner, independent, wanders off by himself a lot. Just like Nana and Ren. Even though Nana is dependent on others, she’s definitely a lone wolf, along with Ren Honjo and it seems little Ren shares this trait. He could also be independent from growing up the first couple of years in an orphanage rather than with a mother looking after him constantly.
The only thing that I’m wondering about when it comes to this theory, is how Nana was able to keep this from both Nobuo and Yasu. If I recall, BLAST found a member to replace Ren and continued playing local shows. But for how long? Did Nana go under the radar for long enough to have the baby and keep it a secret from those two? Also, the hair color argument comes into the picture. But things happen.
Any thoughts on this?
So this really has nothing to do with the parentage of either kid but I need to vent because I made myself incredibly sad just now. I was rereading Nana, again and I came across this…
“The loneliness caused by not hearing Ren’s voice, I felt it deep in the night. I felt it deeper than anyone else.
Even now at times I look back. In this ordinary life without Ren, I think my life with him was like a dream.
Especially on a snowy night like this.
On a night as cold as this. Someone keep this guy warm for me, please.”
Originally I used to read this as Nana’s thoughts before leaving for Tokyo but having finished the whole thing a few times I know that it never changes tense even when it switches character, it’s always past tense as if Nana and Hachi have met up on some far off future date and are recollecting their time together.
Anyway this thought made me very sad because if it is future Nana narrating then she never gets any sort of happy ending, she’ll always be sad missing Ren. It could also mean that she has, at least partially, blocked out the memory of his death, because she blocks out memories that are too painful for herself. That’s why she’s begging some one to keep him warm. So maybe Hachi retelling her side of the story and having Nana tell her side is her way of somehow trying to help Nana remember. Then they get to the part where Ren dies and Nana can no longer tell the story and she leaves so we never get the ending because the narrators are gone.
Yeah that was my crazy rant and now that I got that out I’m less sad. By the way Satsuki doesn’t appear to be that much younger than little Ren to me, maybe a couple of months but not years. Boys are usually bigger than their sisters, so it could make him appear older and as for him being mature and independent, he lives with Takumi who probably leaves him alone a lot. Where as Satsuki lives with her mom and has more people around who treat her as a child. I think Satsuki could definitely be Ren and Nana’s kid, if only because I wanted Ren to have a kid.
I have a friend who’s brunette and her brother and mom are blonde but she gets the DNA from father side. I would like to think that both kids are Takumi and Hachi’s and they finally find Nana she has Ren’s kid and nobody knew she dropped out the spotlight cause she is too emotional to deal with the media and raise Ren’s kid and that’s should be what surprises everyone. I think the daughter visits the grave because that whole group adopted each other as family and since she’s the only kid who’s around she’s sent to honor the grave. Nobu needs to move on Takumi brought maturity to Hachi. I think Takumi’s behavior is cause of his past, he hates being alone and the sex is wanting to feel connected and close to someone. He had to grow up and do it all alone with a sick mom and alcoholic father and despite it all Hachi is his peace of heaven and he adores what he knows is his, but don’t feel he has true friends. Why would Layla be hating on little Ren… I say the parents are Takumi and Hachi. The same night Hachi slept with Nobu did she not end back up in bed with Takumi? Takumi knows how she and who she’s been with and if you know your science you know Takumi is the father. Once a guy know you’re sleeping with other men his body subconsciously sends out sperm ahead of his to kill the rival DNA …Nobu didn’t stand a chance he was already told and under the impression Hachi broke up with Takumi and never thought of rival and she slept with Takumi more times Nobu. Only in anime fantasy Nobu has a kid with Hachi. Be nice if they met Nana raising Ren’s boy/girl twins and they start having a liking to music as well….guess I’m late to this party maybe lol
So I rewatched and unless she been with Nobu for at least a month that also proves it not his judging by how far along Hachi was. Plus from what was said unless she got pregnant before or finds out after Nana don’t have kids with Ren. I took in account the speech she gave Hachi. And I would say her taking off was a combo of not liking Takumi and the thought of a kid that’s his and losing Ren was the final collapse in her world. She set up Hachi for her own gain so they do have the selfish thing down. I don’t see myself in Hachi, I at least wait a year before a new relationship so far. I loved this anime too but it obvious fans are grasping for straws. Let’s just wait and see what happens… Maybe the live movie might shed some light.
I honestly think it would be really cool if satsuki turned out to be ten and mamas daughter and ren was hachi and nobus son the twist would be that takumi and hachi have no kids together and married a jack ass I Genuinely like takumi after reading his story but he realized that he loved reira along time ago and kept saying brother sister complex to justify there love for each other idk how he is now but I reall think reira and takumi should get together and no I and hachi should give it another go now that yuri is out of the picture I really did not like her I felt like she was a manipulative b***h
I don’t think Satsuki is Nana & Ren daughter. In one chapter, we see Jun and Hachi talking about the crush Satsuki has on Shin, and Jun tells Hachi that maybe she has her genes and thats why she can fall easily in love with Shin looks, which makes Hachi worried that maybe she will be like her. If Satsuki wasn’t her daughter, they would not be using the Dna in that way, so then i was sure that Satsuki is Hachis daughter with Takumi.
About Ren, it may be Nobu’s child. Everytime we see the future, Nobu put a very sad and worried face everytime they talk about Ren, and he actually ask a lot about him. Also, in the scene when they are celebrating Nana’s bithday at Terashima Hotel, the wish Satsuki has it’s labeled as impossible by Hachi, but that doesn’t make sense if the family as a whole it’s Takumis. Maybe it is because Nana doesn’t come back, but if i read the faces we see Nobu and Hachi makes, it may be possible because they know Ren it’s their son.
Thank you for making this!! I agree 100000% thay Satsuki is Ren and Nana’s child. She does resemble Hatchi, but I just don’t believe she is Hatchi’s and Takumi. I believe Ren is Hatchi and Nobu’s and that (although, I strongly disklike Takumi) he is very mature like Yasu and decided to be by Nana’s side because they both agreed being with him would be more stable financially. Fingers crossed her and Nobu end up together! I believe Satsuki was born to Nana O after Ren’s passing (which I’m praying was what he dreamt occurred while in a coma that was an occurrence of the accident) because whyyy Ai whhhyy :’’’(?!?! And that Nana has a mental break down. She felt she would be no mother and could be no mother and Hatchi by her side during the birth stepped up and told her to go find herself and she and Takumi will care and raise Satsuki. That is why she hasn’t gone to look for Nana. Because she knows that Satsuki would feel that instant connection and the truth would be revealed and after raising this child as her own, couldn’t bare to be without her. I mean what else would keep Nana from Nana. I hope she continues the story. Nana wa sky life and it helped me get through some really rough patches in my life.