Suzuka: The Complete Collection (S.A.V.E.)

If your anything like me then high school might stand out in your mind as those four awkward years when you realized you liked someone. Like "LIKE" liked someone. Unless your life was perfect at least one of these realizations probably led to heartbreak of one kind or another. This is where a majority of Suzuka's appeal was for me.

For the price you can get the entire series for (I believe I purchased it for just over twenty dollars), I would mark it as an excellent buy. Twenty six episodes are contained on four disks which have art(probably from the manga) on them and look quite pretty. The case is plastic and holds four dvds (two overlapping on each side of the inside of the box). Now onto the actual show!

Okay, so maybe that was a little vague. Truthfully this show contains elements of comedy as well as romance, but throughout the series the two are distinctly separated. This is to say, while those looking for a comedy fix might enjoy Suzuka thoroughly for all its awkward approaches by the main character, I found that the heart of the series lay well... in it's heart.

The main reason I found myself following this series was its tendency towards realism. Something not usually found in anime concerning love at first sight. Akitsuki Yamato is an incoming freshmen in high school in Tokyo who, while walking by the track one day, falls for a high jumper named Asahina Suzuka. Unlike many shows where the female lead visibly shows affection from the get go this series is paced so that you honestly can't tell whether all of Akitsuki's efforts to win the girl's heart will pay off until the very last episode. The characters develop at a steady pace and it never feels like the story is being rushed because of it.

While the music and backgrounds of Suzuka weren't awe-inspiring, they weren't bad either. Honestly I was more interested in the character's dialogue than the incidental music which would pop up whenever there was a chance for it to. The music was what you might expect from a romance series; long strings and heartfelt pianos with the commonplace wacky music for frantic scenes. This doesn't mean its bad, it just means that aside from the opening theme, you probably won't grow to remember.

Perhaps these things weren't that much of a downside considering that this series is primarily focused on the relationships (yes there are more than one!) of Akitsuki. I wouldn't really say this is a sports anime because even though the races are heart-pumping and necessary to the plot they only serve as a place for Akitsuki to dwell on his current girl troubles. Having watched this show through to it's 26th episode end, I must say that it left me wanting more. I wanted to further follow the characters I'd become emotionally invested in and see more, but I agree with the decision to end it where it did. It is really rare to find a show with such genuine emotion in it, and while it's not going to work as an alternative to a show like Love Hina which is more comedic, I think that it proves to be a much more memorable experience than its price leads you to believe.
Overall i give it a 4.5 (marred only by the music and lack of many extra features) to show just how under-rated and under-talked about this series is. If it can get a cynical 20 year-old bastard like me to tear up then it receives my highest recommendation.

This was quite possibly the most amazing and complex romance I've ever seen in anime. The series is completely character-driven (with only the slightest indications of a deus ex machinae to help set up certain situations). The characters all have their own personality flaws, and you really have to pay attention to the dialogue for the subtext that helps you understand these people. Once on that level you can see the chess game being played here to overcome emotional obstacles despite personal flaws. Every moment in this show was very rewarding, and I couldn't stop watching until I got to the end!

This series is not for children, though. There's no real nudity or bad language--it's just not many children would appreciate what's going on here.

Holy cow! I'm in love with Suzuka! This is a great story!

I remember buying the first DVD of this series at a DVD sale at a local video score. I thought I give it a try. Having not read the manga for Suzuka, my opinion might be a little short-sighted since I heard more rave reviews for the comic strips due its detailed development of the characters and plot. Basically, I bought series this fresh with no background of the story.

Overall, its a mixed bag: its plot is enjoyable overall yet you have to be patient for the story to unfold. The Suzuka series here suffers from some pacing issues and slow character development. The story later does give a significant backdrop to Suzuka's personality so we begin to empathize with her more. Yet the beginning starts off rough, with the two main characters not hitting it off and Asahina (Suzuka) seeming so cold that the foundation of their storyline starts awkward. Also, the beginning throws a huge smokescreen with the whole bathhouse comedic sub-plot. It made no sense and makes viewers confused if this is a lovestory or a fan-service ATM machine. Also, Asahina, I felt, was a flat character who spews venom towards everyone and lacks any depth, even with her haunted past. By the time her story is known, I felt it was too late to save her character, she just lacks depth and just runs her mouth. Akitsuki, meanwhile, is portrayed as an annoying loser who just pesters everyone. His internal gripes and love-moments with Suzuka make him seem obsessive rather a lovable/loser hero. The whole point of these "love-chase" kind of series is to believe that the hero has qualities that will ultimately shine. Akitsuki, throughout the anime, doesn't really have that. He just yells and runs back to her over, and over again. We are supposed to believe in him, but in the end we exasperate in desperation at his fallacies and bumpkiss exploits to try to win his crush.

The only major credit I give to the series are the supporting characters. I believe they hold it together where the two main characters lack real substance. Honoka is cute and loveable; you root for her and feel her pain during her roller-coaster feeling battle and towards the end SHE is the lynchpin who makes the story finish well. Miki Hashiba is charming yet a good supporter of both Asahina and Akitsuki. Hattori is as a fool (when it comes to his philosophy on girls) as wise in helping Akitsuki in his troubles. The whole sub-plot of track and field develops well, which I believe in itself is a minor character: the idea of how far you push yourself to reach your goal/love, the pain, the determination, the grit to finish well. The perfection-drive to fix your wrongs in your technique. It fits well and nicely, as Akitsuki realizes the joy of running changes his perspective on his love for Asahina.

Overall, would I recommend this one? If you want a more serious plot line, I think this one will do you well. If you are looking for something more light-hearted, Suzuka is not for you. I thought this was not a bad anime; there were some really great moments of laughter and "ahhhh," but the character development needs work, especially the two main characters. If the producers fleshed a more refined Suzuka, a woman of ambition yet carries a very heavy burden, and Akitsuki, a boy in the making who has a charm and is honest, then I would have enjoyed it more.