From betrayal to co-dependency, these female friendships are charming despite their complexity.
Friendship is one of the most commonly known themes of anime. The phrase “power of friendship” is thrown around often in the community, referring to both male and female centric anime where friendship is treated as a sort of plot armour. However, that is not the case for every anime.
When it comes to female friendships between two realistically-written characters, we see that the nature of their relationship is often pretty convoluted. Whether it’s jealousy, co-dependency, or betrayal, the often-negative themes are carefully woven into the nature of these bonds. Despite that, these relationships are able to win our hearts through their honesty and charm. In this article, we are delving into some of the most complicated yet lovable female friendships in modern anime.
Sawako Kuronuma and Ume Kurumizawa (Kimi ni Todoke)
We are starting our journey with a friendship that was arduous in the beginning, but became something both the characters came to cherish later in life. When we first meet Ume Kurumizawa (Kurumi) in the Kimi ni Todoke anime, she acts as a foil to the naīve and sweet protagonist Sawako. Unlike Sawako, who is ostracised by her classmates for her scary looks, Kurumi is a pretty and popular girl whom everyone seems to love and be envious of.
Between their differences there is a similarity: both of the girls are in love with the show’s male lead Kazehaya. When Kurumi gets to know about how close Sawako is to Kazehaya, she uses rumours, manipulation, and other underhanded methods involving Sawako’s friends to ruin her reputation in his eyes. However, when she fails, she ends up confessing her crush on Kazehaya to Sawako, who does the same.
Thus begins a tumultuous friendship between the two.
Despite being a teenage romance anime, the relationship between Sawako and Kurumi is surprisingly realistic. Looking at how Sawako is true to herself to a naive fault, Kurumi drops her sweet and friendly act and shows her true self. Eventually, Kurumi confesses to Kazehaya and is turned down. She slaps Kento when he suggests that he will start dating Sawako so she could have Kazehaya. Later, when Kazehaya and Sawako get together, some girls start speaking maliciously behind her back, and Kurumi steps up to them.
By no means is the friendship between Sawako and Kurumi easy for any of them, but it happens gradually nonetheless. Both Sawako and Kurumi stand up for each other. The two of them also share the same dream of becoming teachers, and Kurumi lets go of her jealousy to join hands with her towards their mutual goal. Despite her initial hate, Kurumi comes to realise why Kazehaya loves Sawako so much and becomes one of her companions alongside Yano and Yoshida.
Kimi ni Todoke has many examples of beautiful friendships. But none of them feel as honest as the one between Kurumi and Sawako. At first, you might hate Kurumi for the things she does to destroy Sawako. But eventually, you will come to see her as a convoluted and convincing character who goes through immense growth. Much like reality, not all friendships are born from sunshine and roses, but that doesn’t make them any less charming.
Maomao and Shisui/Loulan (The Apothecary Diaries)
We are taking a sharp turn away from wholesome character development into a friendship that could never truly blossom.
Maomao, the protagonist of The Apothecary Diaries, meets Shisui, another servant girl like herself in the Inner Palace. With the help of Xiaolan acting as a catalyst, Maomao and Shisui also become friends. Despite Maomao being a quiet girl, she feels at ease around Shisui who likes to talk enthusiastically about insects. The two girls, similar in age, find camaraderie in the often harsh environment of the Inner Palace. In the first season of the anime, Shisui also helps Maomao’s Moon Fairy plan by providing her with some glow-in-the-dark moths.
Maomao first notices something is off about the energetic Shisui when the latter tells a horror story in a very serious and mature manner during the annual scary storytelling meeting. Like usual, she has her suspicions, yet for the sake of their budding friendship, she doesn't let them doubt her mind.
However, things quickly change when Maomao is kidnapped by Shisui and Suirei and taken to the northern land. After various occurrences, we learn that Shisui is actually none other than Loulan, the Pure Consort of the Garnet Pavillion. Unlike Shisui, Loulan is poised, serious, and the perfect doll for the Shi Clan, especially her mother Shenmei, to place in the Inner Palace.
Unfortunately, the Shi clan is eradicated after their plan against the Imperial Family is exposed. But even though Maomao was captured by them, she never felt threatened by Shisui. This goes on to show how much she came to trust the friend she made in the Inner Palace, even when it was all a lie. Shisui explains that her mother’s obsession with revenge ruined her father, Prime Minister Shishou and the entire Shi clan. Despite being Shenmei’s daughter and more than a marionette in her plans, Shisui was able to save some Shi clan members by kidnapping Maomao and bringing Jinshi and others to their land before the coup actually took place.
Maomao, for her part, seems to have nothing but respect and worry for Shisui. As a central member of the Shi family, she was destined to be killed. Despite knowing this in her heart, Maomao couldn’t stop reaching out to her and trying to save her. It just goes to show that underneath all the political conundrum, these are just two teenage girls who found companionship in each other. In a world where Shisui wasn’t a high consort and Maomao wasn’t a prisoner, maybe they would have been friends with niche and quirky hobbies that others frown upon.
Maybe the reason why Maomao couldn’t let Shisui walk into certain death was because she saw herself in her. A girl shaped by circumstances to become a stoic and selfish individual who went through great difficulty to ensure her own survival. Even though Shisui survives, thanks to Maomao’s intervention through her hairpin, it’s likely that the two will never meet again. As she’s a wanted person for being part of the Shi clan, Shisui can never come back to the Inner Palace and lecture Maomao about insects. But I like to think in another life, one not so restricted by societal and political rules, Maomao and Shisui will talk their hearts out about poisons and insects, their special interests that nobody else quite gets.
Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki (NANA)
Infamous for their co-dependent relationship, Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki sets the standard of complicated female friendships.
Both these women meet on a fateful day on a train heading to Tokyo. Nana Komatsu is immediately floored by how gorgeous and cool Nana Osaki is, and the fact that they have the same name only makes her happier. Later, when they meet again while apartment hunting, the two Nanas decide to move in together.
Thus begins the deep and often toxic friendship between the two girls with vastly different personalities, but have an unending love for each other.
Hailing from a small town, Nana Komatsu has a bubbly, but often overwhelming personality. She falls in love easily and depends on the more ‘adult’ friends around her, which can make her a bit overbearing at times, earning her the nickname ‘Hachi’, for what Nana Osaki attributes to her ‘dog-like’ tendencies.
On the other hand, Nana Osaki is fiercely independent, trying to make it on her own as a punk rock singer and doesn’t like depending on anyone. Despite their differences, the bond between them is deep, raw, and realistic.
Nana Osaki stands up to Hachi’s philandering boyfriend and is always there for her when she needs. On the other hand, Hachi plays a big part in getting Nana and her ex-boyfriend Ren Honjo back together after sensing how much her friend still loves him.
Although their lives aren’t smooth-sailing, Nana and Hachi are always there for each other. Sometimes, their relationship seems to cross the bounds of normal friendship and feels like a co-dependent co-existence. When Hachi goes to live with her boyfriend Takumi, Nana feels empty. She even leaves her boyfriend Ren’s place sometimes and goes back to her and Hachi’s shared apartment because she feels suffocated.
Nana Osaki had her heart broken after Ren left for Tokyo. She wanted to stay behind because she didn’t want to depend on him. However, for someone who had abandonment issues all her life because of her mother, Nana Osaki could never trust Ren the way she did before.
Through her personal issues, she found a solace in Hachi, whose emotional dependence on Nana meant she was less likely to leave her behind. Similarly, Hachi found someone who will always be there to protect her no matter how many times she messes up. Their friendship is not perfect, but it's beautiful in its heartbreakingly raw honesty.
That’s why it broke the fans’ hearts when the series ended on a somber note after Nana disappeared after Ren died in a tragic accident. Ai Yazawa’s NANA manga went on a hiatus in 2009, and hasn’t returned since.
But given the heartbreaking way on which it ended has fans still hoping that it will return someday. If not for anything, then just to see Nana and Hachi reunite and live the rest of their lives in peaceful harmony.
However, here's the thing: NANA still has that chance to never come back and finish its story. And maybe, not all friendships are meant to last forever, and that’s okay. It doesn’t make them any less beautiful.
Friendship is an integral part of anime, but that doesn’t mean the bond between two people is always linear and smooth-sailing. People fight, feel jealous, depend on one another, and even break each others’ hearts sometimes. At the end of the day, that’s what makes these friendships so honest and realistic. If you enjoy tales with complicated female characters and relationships then you have to give these three a try!