Based on the manga by Seo Kouji, Suzuka is about a high school romance story. Yamato-kun, the main guy in the anime, traveled to Tokyo for high school in anticipation of a change in environment. He lives with her aunt. what is awkward here is that his aunt actually operates a women's dorm. In order to live for free, Yamato agrees to help her clean the place every day past 12am, Interested? then Go ahead.

One afternoon, casually, Yamato came across this pretty female jumper Asahina. He was immediately mesmerized by her beauty and her poise and ahtletic ability. It turns out that Asahina actually holds the Japanese high school record for jumping. An inspiration among many japanese people, she is under a lot of pressure to meet everyone's expectations. Yamato helped her along the way and a relationship developed between them.

Credits: hiddensnakehands

Story & Playability

The story of Suzuka flows like many harem mangas. The main character (male), Akitsuki, looking for a new start, moves out to a relative's house (his aunt). There, he lives with and meets many girls. He falls in love with the most difficult one, Asahina Suzuka (for which the Manga and Anime are named), the one who hates him the most out of all the girls. And of course, all the girls that are much easier to get along with grow attached to him along the way. There are many "peeping" and "accidental groping" scenes, all of which result in Akitsuki having to try to explain his way out of them. The secondary plot involves the track and field team which serves as a "tool" for Akitsuki to get closer to Asahina Suzuka and has Akitsuki trying to become one of the top 100 meter dash runners in all of Japan. The characters prove to be very stereotypical of this genre (ecchi / harem / romance), with one 'annoying and tail-chasing' male friend, two females who are overly "flirty", a younger character who looks up to and admires the main character in a semi-romantic way, and the cute and innocent girl that is super shy but learns to become more outgoing by way of meeting the main character. This has all been done before, but I feel by using these typical characters, it makes the manga more interesting when the characters eventually break their mold and show a different side. There are some plot holes and some timing and transition issues, but I give the Manga major credit for not having a whole "filler" when it could have in the middle section. The end seemed rushed but still hits hard and ends in an appropriate place.

Rating: 7

Graphics

The artwork is beautiful in most scenes. I think one of the most overlooked pieces of this manga would be that the characters have a new set of clothes with each and every day. There are some re-hashed wears, which is realistic, but I think the manga was great to have so many different set of clothes for each character. Not only this, but the clothes helped match the moods of the scenes and the time of year (of course). I also liked how the settings were realistic. The 'apartment' that Akitsuki lives in is not something that would stand out as something out of place if you saw it in real life, but it is definitely recognizable and identifiable. The character designs and styles fit the pace and purpose of the manga very well. I would say the small fault in design would be the use of many small frames and panels when one larger or medium sized panel could have accomplished it better, but that only appears every so often.

Rating: 9

Sound

I do not think I can comment on a "sound" of manga but the OST for Suzuka the anime was alright. Mediocre and unimpressive, but still added to the tone and feel of the anime.

Rating: 10

Fun

I thoroughly enjoyed this manga. Suzuka has some humor but not as much slap-stick as most harem mangas. I definitely think there was an appropriate amount of humor, romance, ecchi, and side-stories. I was rarely overwhelmed by any one thing, and never thought "why is this even in here?". I felt each side-story was justified and that the ecchi, though not necessary, still added to the manga's more 'mature' tone. I think the idea of having these characters in high school also becomes important later but first frustrated me as to why the characters were acting so 'mature' even at the age of 16, 17, and 18. Overall I would say the pieces fit together nicely at the end, but will leave some people unsatisfied.

Rating: 8

Final Verdict

8.17 (good)

Reviewed by boojitsu, Oct 07, 2008

Zerochan | Anime Wallpapers | Anime Galleries | Anime Lyrics | Advanced Anime | Anime Online
DA! | Watch Anime Online | Anime Stocks | DigitalArt | VNDB | Anime Wallpapers

© 2004-2009 Minitokyo - About | FAQ | Policy | Privacy