other achievements
A little extra page of sorts to list other acheivements that can be credited to Ai Yazawa.
Movies
Ai Yazawa has had two of her works turned into live action adaptions. The first being Kagen no Tsuki which was beautifully done and featured such famous faces as Hyde and Chiaki Kuriyama. Though not totally faithful to it's manga counterpart, there are new elements that make it more appealing as a movie. It's been recently licensed by US Geneon Entertainment and can now be acquired on DVD with english subtitles.
Nana's popularity is astounding. Almost every shoujo fan will have read this title, and for those that haven't they are sorely missing out. It's not surprising then that, at the height of it's popularity, plans were made to make it into a live action movie.
With famous songstress Mika Nakashima starring as Oosaki Nana, the first installment was a big hit. Great music, great acting, and fairly true to the original story, the movie is a must see for any Nana fan. A second live action is now in production with a slight cast change due to various issues.
anime
Gokinjo Monogatari was the first of Ai Yazawa's works to be made into an anime. Totalling at a whopping 50 episodes, Gokinjo Monogatari has yet to reach North American shores though it has been licensed in Italian.
Nana was recently made into an anime and is still going. I got bored after the second episode. :D
The Paradise Kiss anime was by far and large my favourite of the lot. The 13 episode anime takes the story of the manga and spins it in an unique manner. Top notch animation, brilliant seiyuu and a killer soundtrack. My only gripes are the rather rushed ending and the fact that Isabella wasn't voiced by a man. :(
other
- Princess Ai - Character designs
- Glamorous Sky sung by Mika Nakashima - Lyrics