I love Friends. There I said it.
(jeeeeaaaannnsss)
I’ve recently been making my way back through the enormous catalogue of the David Crane/Marta Kauffman show (10 seasons, 236 episodes!) and one thing has struck me while re-watching. These characters are really good friends. Obviously, but I mean they’re close in ways virtually no real life friend groups are. However, the group is by no means utopian. Each member has a notable flaw. Ross is overly emotional. Monica is a control freak. Rachel is vain. Chandler is snarky and has commitment issues. Joey's kind of dumb. And Phoebe is just plain weird. But that’s how they function. The group accepts each other’s flaws and moves through life and its many hardships as a unit. I don’t think “friends” is even the best word to describe them. Yeah, there is friendship, but there is also romance, betrayal, awkwardness, laughter, tears, love, hate etc. Friends is a freaking microcosm for humanity as a whole.
Anyway, the friendship depicted in Friends reminds me of a concept popularized in Japanese Anime and Manga, the concept of nakama. The direct translation is colleague, friend, or comrade. This idea of nakama is an extremely common trope in which a band of people who, either voluntarily or not, join together in whatever adventures and challenges lie before them. Most popular anime follow this structure. The term is famously relevant to One Piece. Luffy’s crew is a kind of ragtag group of friends who become like family; they are willing to die for each other. That’s nakama. I think “comrade” is the most fitting translation of nakama because it connotes a certain collective goal or cause. We’re all in this together. That sort of thing.
TV Tropes says, “This sort of group dynamic appeals to younger audiences who are unfamiliar with romance, and appeals to older audiences who live in a world of complex relationships…who are feeling nostalgic about the times when friendship meant a lifelong bond”. This is interesting because the majority of manga and anime is marketed toward the “shonen” age group (elementary through high school). While it’s a child’s trope basically, nakama is the same idea found in Friends, an adult show. Although, Friends has the sex dynamic at its core thats missing from most anime. Nakama has this sweeping relatability which explains it’s popularity. It’s a universal and idealistic concept, that you find this group of friends who become closer than family. Another good example is Naruto. Naruto is initially an outcast but eventually gains the friendship and admiration of the entire village. Although the first series (pre time skip) is mainly about Naruto and his squad (the nakama group), the show evolves into something a lot bigger in Naruto Shippuden. A kind of legacy called the Will of Fire becomes important which basically teaches that the “most important thing in life is being willing to risk your neck for someone else”. Anime like Cowboy Bebop have a big nakama group dynamic. They also make a friendship pact in Yu-Gi-Oh. The list is endless.
If you were to boil all popular manga and anime down to a single concept, it would have to be that idea of nakama. So my final message is: don’t take your friends for granted. Love each other.
