[Kaoru Chujo]

This show just does not disappoint. The anime I love most leave me with this full feeling in my chest: fullness of love, doubt, joy, fear. Paku Romi shows why she was chosen best seiyuu of last year for this role. And Olivia's ending song "Winter Sleep" pierces my heart, like so much of the rest of the music did in this episode. NANA moves in a higher dramatic and emotional universe from 99% of other anime.

Spoiler for ep44:

Here comes Ren's addiction. The two couples at the same time was wonderful: dramatically both crude and subtle. The camera briefly showing Nana's view of the ceiling worked well for me, for one of the few times that angle has. I haven't read this part of the manga, so I don't know what's coming next, but Takumi is sure to notice Shin's lighter back around his neck.

Staff for this episode:
-- script by the main scriptwriter, Konparu Tomoko 金春智子
-- storyboard by Sayama Kyouko 佐山聖子 who has done a number of other episodes, and also a lot of storyboards for eps of other series, including ARIA the Natural, Uta~Kata, Chrono Crusade, Princess Chu Chu, Last Exile, Bokura ga Ita, et al., and has worked with top anime writer Yoshida Reiko.
-- directed by Yamazaki Tomomasa 山崎友正 for whom this seems to be the first episode (he has done episodes of Gargoyle of the Yoshinagas and Nerima Daikon Brothers)

I liked the results of their work.