Nano (Hana Ishiyama Ohara) is a musician who made her debut in 2012. She began as an Utaite (singer who covers existing songs) on Nico Nico Douga, a Japanese website. She is credited for her musical work on Phi Brain, Arpeggio of Blue Steel, and Ark IX. Prior to 2017, before her face reveal, Nano had a mascot that appeared in early material: a young man who wears Nano's real-life signature hoodie.

During the early years of her career, released two music videos that include a girl, alongside her mascot. Many speculate if there's a story that's being told in them. They are respectively known as, "No Pain, No Game" and "Nevereverland". This analysis will be setting its primary focus on "Nevereverland".

"Nevereverland"

Cross Necklace

The music video starts with a cross necklace, floating in a ray of light. It then cuts to a shot of an empty street during the nighttime, and a shot of a boy's face looking up at the sky. The opening lyrics provide some exposition on what's happening here. For the sake of this analysis, we will give these two characters names, Naoko and Nobuya.

Long ago, inside a distant memory

There is a voice that says

"Do you believe a world of happy endings?"

Even when the road seems long

Every breath you take will lead you closer to

A special place within

Your Nevereverland

Nobuya Flashbacks

The guitar instrumentals start, and it begins to rain. Flashes of Nobuya play across the screen with shattered glass accompanied by splatters of blood in-between cuts. Naoko is nowhere to be seen, and given how the scene is set up, it's safe to say that she's no longer with him. Since one of the images had a scene with Naoko and Nobuya, this could be a hint towards the progression of their relationship, up until her death. Perhaps the rain reminds him of her.

RELATED: Exploring the Symbolism of Death In Anime

Nobuya Chained Down

The next shot shows Nobuya walking through the street, chain links flashing every few seconds, suggesting that something's weighing him down. The first chorus begins and the scenery changes to an endless street with ever-growing red rectangles in the place of buildings. Since the previous shot showed a street sign, we can assume Nobuya's taking "a trip down memory lane". That street clearly has some significance to him. The lyrics may serve to back this up.

As I close my eyes,

There aren't even any traces left behind, no sounds leaking out, no destination to be headed to

I know that this is what I want, this is what I need

Even as we speak - your afterimage comes to mind, like an infinite loop.

With our past scars left unhealed,

Such barren, never-changing days,

Are coming to an end.

So now, this is my Nevereverland I've longed for.

Nobuya Stuck In The Past

With no acknowledgment of the change in setting, he finds himself back in reality. The 2nd verse begins with a girl that passes him, wearing Naoko's uniform. He calls out to her, and she turns around, confirming his theory of who she is. This could imply that Nobuya is now in his memories. A wider shot shows the street and a specific building where we see a moving angle shot of Naoko. He continues walking forward and the background fluctuates once again. But this time, when it turns back, there is a boy in the background who looks exactly like Nobuya, save for a dim color palette. We can conclude that the Nobuya we see now is stuck in time (or his memories).

Stuck In The Past

Naoko Giving The Necklace

The bridge starts, and the cross necklace appears again. Now we finally get context on what's happening. Naoko gave the necklace to Nobuya and the next shot implies that they may have also shared their first kiss. This would make the memory significant for him. We see Naoko smiling one last time.

RELATED: Saddest Scenes In Anime

Nobuya Moving On

As the bridge ends, the red buildings dissipate, and Nobuya is freed from his memories, the sky finally clear. In the rainbow's reflection we can see Naoko's spirit passing by him, revealing that her spirit will always be there to watch over him.

Notice Anything?

Nobuya x2

There are a few things worth making note of. Naoko has blue eyes whenever she's wearing her school uniform, and Nobuya's range from blue to green. In the flashback, Naoko's eyes are brown, however. Nobuya also has brown eyes in Nano's other videos. It's safe to assume that this may simply be an artistic choice on the animators' side, in order to make the eyes stand out more in the dark.

For those who have seen the music video for "Now or Never", the "other" Nobuya in the background of "Nevereverland" may look familiar. Come to the bridge, right before the cross necklace appears again, a bunch of doves are seen flying away. Doves are commonly used as a symbol for freedom. In his acceptance, Nobuya is freed of his guilt. This could correlate with "No Pain No Game"'s theme of moving on.

Lastly, Naoko's outfit changed at the end to a dress. Even though she died wearing her school uniform, as "No Pain No Game" implies, the most precious memory of Nobuya's was a time when she wore the dress.

"No Pain No Game" and "Nevereverland" are available for viewing on Nano's official YouTube channel.

MORE: The Most Underrated Anime Of 2022, Ranked