Saikano

So, recently I am finding a bit more free time on my hands, and hence starting this blog. I am also (finally) taking the time to finish an anime series which I started watching quite a while back, called Saikano (in English, "SHE, The Ultimate Weapon").

Saikano tells the story of the main characters Shuji and Chise in the days leading up to the end of the world. Chise is a small, fragile looking girl while Shuji is quite the opposite; tall and brawny looking. They are quite the unlikely pair. We soon discover that Japan is at war with an unknown enemy and Chise has a major part in it because she has been turned into the "Ultimate Weapon" of the Japanese defense force. As the story progress, we will see Shuji and Chise struggle with Chise's growing abilities and the pain and suffering of war.

This is essentially a love story, but I must say it's one sad and depressing one; definitely not light hearted stuff. I do think the story captures the emotions of the characters very well though, you can really feel the pain they are going through. And the series has some very nice background music too, one of its strong point. The animation is decent for a GONZO production, I don't personal like the style that much but I think it's because they are trying to be true to the manga. Also, GONZO tends to draw "lines" on character faces like scratch marks or wrinkles; it didn't bother me that much in FMP but in this series it is very noticeable because the lines are in red and makes everyone looks like they are blushing all the time (understandable for Chise, but *everyone* is a bit much).

This is still not a bad series, just not as enjoyable due to the grim nature of the story. There's a live action adaptation of the story at the beginning of this year too (http://www.saikano-movie.com/). I hope to see it if I have the chance.

My rating: 6/10