Teenager Yamato Akitsuki has moved from the Hiroshima countryside to Tokyo to begin his high school career. In return for room and board, he has agreed to help his aunt and cousin run their bathhouse and the adjacent girls-only dormitory where he will be staying. On his way to meet his relatives, he passes by a local high school track and is mesmerized by a high jumper practicing her technique.
Later on, Yamato finds out that the high jumper is not just another resident of the dorm, but is also his neighbor. Suzuka Asahina is a heavily scouted track and field athlete who is attending the same high school he is enrolled in. A perfectionist by nature, Suzuka is put off by Yamato's clumsy and carefree attitude and finds it difficult to be near him.
Determined to win her over, Yamato joins the track team after discovering his hidden talent for sprinting. Through his interactions with the track team, his classmates, and the ever-inebriated college students in the dorm, Yamato finds the resolve to become a better athlete and a more suitable companion to Suzuka, even if it means pushing himself to the point of exhaustion.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Rusette
I have to say after seeing the whole series even though a lot of people said it sucked..it kinda left an impression on me. The people who enjoy romance, drama, and/or "slice of life" anime should make up the general audience. Or just someone who's interested in giving it a shot. Therefore, I recommend checking out other anime if you're seeking for something lighthearted with a hint of fanservice and a few action scenes. XD I recommend this anime to those who watches realistic anime under the romance-drama genre. Yeah, this might be a little entertaining for fans of sports anime. The anime revolves aroundthe relationship between Yamato and Suzuka.
There isn't much to complain about the aesthetics of the series. The character designs are pretty good and the music is okay. I love the piano background music when the characters are in somewhat not good situation. The areas where this anime truly shines are within the characters, their interactions, and their development throughout the series.
The main male character, Yamato, who is lot less whiny than Love Hina's Keitaro XD, narrates the entire anime for you. The character interactions and development are done quite effectively and very realistically. (I could almost relate to Suzuka)
The narration by Yamato really provides some great insight into what goes on in the mind of a guy who has a crush on a girl. I was giggling every time Yamato tries not to make a fool of himself whenever he's with Suzuka. XD There aren't any other interesting characters because there are quite a few. Although I find the supporting characters very useful especially towards to developing relationship between Yamato and Suzuka.
And Miss Suzuka here, our main lead female character, is my favorite character in the series. XD She's simple, nice with a cool attitude. I wonder why most of the people who decided to watch this, hated her guts. I mean, ok, she tends to be bitchy and bossy but she has her reasons. >:E
All in all, its a good series. I enjoyed watching it. ^^ Especially the ending episode.
The continuation of the series can be read through its manga. Go read it if you want to know what happened to them after the series. ;D
jai88
The story is fairly simple - a young man moves from the country to Tokyo to start a new life at highschool, and falls in love at first sight with a promising athletic student (the titular character of the show). In short it's a love story, and while the premise sounds bland, so do those of some of the very best animes. Suzuka, however, is not one of them. It's often described as "character driven" but this is a terrible thing because the majority of the characters (including the two main ones) are barely likable and have few redeeming qualities. Yamatoand Suzuka both play to archtypes almost to the letter and this is incredibly frustrating to watch. Although the entire series is based around their romance, you are left with an overwhelming idea that this romance only exists because the writers said it does.
Yamato is ridiculous in his submissiveness, but there are certain points where you can at least feel some empathy and sympathy for him (those these are rare) - he also demonstrates a desire to try, which everybody likes to see. However, Suzuka is intolerable for basically the entire series, and since you as a viewer weren't written to love her like Yamato, you end up spending 26 episodes wondering why you're watching an anime that is literally about her. Quite a few of the side characters are far more likable, but they have almost no backstory and screentime, and can't carry the series.
The art and animation is also fairly poor - I'm not sure when the series was adapted, but it is low quality and not very good. The music is also uninspiring and sometimes I felt it was extremely dissonant. Apparently the sound switches between mono and stereo inbetween certain episodes. I'm not sure if this causes any of it, but the soundtrack as a whole isn't a strong point.
Through the entire show you are just left with a sense of pointlessness as the characters advance nowhere, widdling away screentime with obvious and drawn out internal monologues. It quickly becomes obvious how the show is going nowhere and how easily all of the development could have fit into a series half its length. From what I have read of the manga (which progresses far beyond the anime) things sound like they get quite interesting - but the anime adaptation is very stale.
I honestly can't believe the scores this show is getting - but I know there are other people like me out there who are unable to drop a series once they start it. I hope that those people read this review - and instead of starting Suzuka they find something better to watch. That wouldn't be very hard to do.
Johnny_FBI
One of the main problems of romantic anime is that you can always predict how it will end. Just look at the DVD-cover and read the title and you don’t need to watch it. So the plot itself is not what we watch romantic anime for, we watch it for interesting characters, their development and feelings. But “Suzuka” was rather unusual experience for me; it kind of reminded me of “Macross”, because of the complicated love-triangle. First, we have Asahina Suzuka. You may call her tsundere, but the way she acts, thinks, feels makes her very realistic. At the times she can be very cold (hername actually means “Cold wind”) and uneasy to handle with but her warm, caring side is very touching.
Then you have Yamato Akitsuki. There is nothing special or unique about him, just your simple shounen hero. Luckily (for him, maybe) he manages to be not so stupid and irritating as other male heroes, like the ones from “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien”, “School Days” and “Elfen Lied” for example. Speaking of “Macross”, Yamato reminded me Hikaru, the way he couldn’t handle his own feelings was sort of the same.
Honoka, the second main heroine of the “Suzuka” is a caring, kind and cute girl who had a crush on Yamato for a long time. I can’t say that she is unusual type of character, but I glad that they didn’t make her as clichéd as Suzumiya from the “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien” (yes, I’m talking ‘bout it again and, yes, I don’t like this anime).
At first, I have to say one thing and don’t mention it again: sports theme plays no big role in “Suzuka” except the last 6-8 episodes.
The show starts rather slow and weak because nothing really happens; it’s like a long introduction to the characters. There are some times when romance goes completely away and we watch a typical mediocre shounen slice of life. But the second of the anime is just brilliant. We get to know Suzuka much more and Yamato changes dramatically.
What I liked the most about “Suzuka” is that every character behaves naturally. The way their feelings for each other were developing was almost life-like. Yes, it’s of course not perfect, but it definitely was great to not see in “Suzuka” any standard and over-used romantic clichés and exaggerating. And I must mention one more thing: usually, a main hero’s friend in this kind of show is an air-headed fool who thinks only about girls and tries to give stupid advices. But Yasunobu is nothing like that; he is calm and seems lot more mature than Yamato. In fact, in general all supporting characters were well-made.
This all good, but one of the main flaws of the series is a lack of those things which make you “feel” the show more: good music, animation and graphic. The animation of the show is quite poor: sport sequences look rather bad due to low budget (not sure, but I got a feeling that it IS a low-budget anime) and the whole visual style of the show is simple. I took a look at the manga and I think that black and white pages look much better. And the soundtrack is uninspired and mediocre. There are some nice tunes (like the second ending), but that’s just not enough for me. I can’t say anything about the opening because I couldn’t bring myself to listen to it even for a single time.
Still, all these flaws didn’t ruin the entertainment. The last 6-7 episodes of the show were very interesting and breathtaking; I was completely in to the story. I think that “Suzuka is a great example of how romantic anime should be made in terms of character development and depiction difficulties of their relationships.
literaturenerd
Overview: Suzuka is a romantic comedy anime about a quirky doofus who moves into a girl's dormitory run by his aunt. He then develops a crush for an obnoxious and abusive bitch who constantly beats him. So...this is Love Hina right? WRONG! This is something far, FAR worse! Background: Romantic comedies have always followed a similar formula. In the Western world this formula was created during the Commedia dell'arte in 1500s Italy. In Act 1 the male and female lead both dislike each other and seem to be opposites. In Act 2 the male and female discover common ground and grow closer together. In Act 3 there isa conflict and the male and female break apart, generally this is due to a misunderstanding. Finally in Act 4 the male and female reconcile and end up together. This is basically the plot of EVERY Shakespeare comedy with the exception of Love's Labour's Lost.
Suzuka decides to create a new formula. In Act 1 the male likes the female and she is an absolute bitch to him. In Act 2 the same thing happens. In Act 3 the same thing happens. In Act 4 they wind up together despite ZERO chemistry and it makes no sense. Suzuka is simply put one of the most frustrating and difficult to watch anime that I've ever sat through. It is just painful shit from beginning to end.
Plot:
In the first episode our hero Yamato sees Suzuka passed out in the sauna after the door jammed and she was locked in. He rips open the door and manages to save her life! She just hits him and yells at him for breaking the door instead of calling someone who could unjam the door and open it properly. This is despite the fact she would likely be dead by the time that person arrived! The next day, Yamato waits 5 hours after school in the freezing cold for Suzuka to finish her athletics practice and help her with her heavy bags. She is completely unappreciative of this help and treats him like a slave. Yamato catches a cold waiting for Suzuka and she completely neglects him during his time of illness. Yet she is jealous when another girl named Honoka takes care of him. Yamato tries to impress Suzuka during gym class, but she simply makes fun of him and insults him for not being the most athletic guy in school. Yamato trains hard and manages to break the school record for the 50 meter dash, but Suzuka is still dismissive and refuses to even give him a simple compliment! Some asshole tells Suzuka that Yamato likes her, so she does the logical thing and punches Yamato in the face! She then agrees to take Yamato on a date, leads him on, then suddenly rejects him hard! She then tries to convince the track team to not let Yamato join. He goes into a deep depression and she continues to act like a sociopath and do NOTHING to try cheer him up. This is all in the first 12 episodes! Yamato then decides to start dating the actually likeable Honoka, only to dump her and wind up with Suzuka for no reason!
If you managed to read through that plot summary without cringing yourself to death, you will notice this is less Love Hina and more "The Sorrows of Young Werther" made into a shitty shonen anime!
Characters:
Yamato is the stupidest and most irritating doormat cuckhold to ever grace a shonen anime. Suzuka has managed to gain entry into my Top 10 most hateful anime characters of all time! She does this in a PG rated anime without ever killing or raping anyone.
Seriously! Try to think of a character that reaches the very top tier of hatefulness while meeting all of the following criteria: 1. The show or movie is G or PG. 2. The character must never successfully kill anyone. 3. The character must be absolutely loathsome to ALL demographics and not just jaded older viewers that find a kids' character annoying.
I thought about this for an hour and honestly had a hard time. Scar from Lion King and Frollo from Hunchback are hateful G villains, but both are murderers. Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest never kills anyone (directly) but that is an R rated movie. The Carebears and Jar Jar Binks are annoying as fuck, but children don't hate them like adults do. Biff Tannen from Back to the Future and Ace Merill from Stand By Me both have too many comedic moments to achieve true hatefulness. Even Akinator the character guessing genie would have a tough time finding another character in Suzuka's category. The only other I can conjure up off the top of my head would be...Gmork from Neverending Story?! Yeah, let's go with that!
The art is decent, but never great. I love that the cover art on the DVD is Suzuka sweating profusely and spreading her legs wide. This is false advertisement because the smell of sweaty vagina in your face is still WAY more appealing than any moment of this anime!
Overall:
I watched this series on a dare from a buddy who takes a perverse pleasure in collecting the very worst anime. The thing is that Suzuka isn't an enjoyable "so bad it's good anime". Suzuka is like watching a burning bag of garbage roll down a hill while getting repeatedly punched in the throat!
Sapphire86
Suzuka- the name suggests its gonna be all about the girl but actually we end up following and knowing more about Yamato's thoughts and feelings. I started watching the show randomly as the synopsis sounded interesting but whilst watching it it caught the attention and interest of two guys i know who aren't normally into this genre and they ended up watching the whole series with me too- we all really liked it! The story focuses on the trivial matters of liking someone and doing something about it- it deals with embarassment, confusion, confessions and heaps of other emotions when dealing with the matters of theheart- everything which is easy to understand, empathize and relate to.
The setting being in a high school gives the anime an innocent, naive, full of wonder and dreams atmosphere- perfect and ideal for romantic crushes in the ever-so-dramatic teenage years!
Each character has a unique, strong personality and although there are many cliched moments through-out the show where you can probably predict what will happen next, that doesn't prevent the show from being enjoyable though; as to see how the characters in question will deal with each situation keeps you the viewer going and wanting to see more- the show also has moments and reactions which are quiet surprising.
The whole anime is topped with hilarious slap-stick humour and witty comments; scenes delivered exactly at the right time to give a well-balanced show between romance-drama and comedy.
The show ends with a feel-good factor and take home message- try, try and try again- then you just might get it!
infinity
- - - [ Suzuka :: Eps: 26 ] - - - - [Intro] - I was casually surfing the net, looking for new animes to watch when my eyes caught Suzuka. After reading the brief, I thought I would give it a try, since I wanted a break from action-packed series after Full Metal Alchemist. Anyways, I got the first episode. It was not bad but I thought the story was a bit uncool. But that was only a first impression, and a wrong one at that! At the end, it finished nicely, although not to my total liking. On with the brief! Suzuka tells the storyof a boy named Yamato that went to live with his aunt who owns a set of appartments to avoid paying rent. One day, on his way to school, he sees a beautiful young girl clearing a high-jump bar. He was both amazed and love-struck! However, what he didn't know was that the girl was also living in his aunt's appartment block!
While clearing the public bath, he (accidentally) compromises his position when Suzuka caught him between the breasts of Saotome Yuuka while Matsumoto Megumi was on the ground, her skirt nearly up. Suzuka immediately believed that Yamato is just a pervert and distances herself. However, after Yamato saves her from the Sauna after she kinda exaggerated the stay-time, they start becoming friends. Yamato finds that Suzuka is a very talented high-jumper and inspires him to enter the Track club to enroll as runner later in the anime. Can't say more without spoiling, sorry.
Maybe you guessed, but Suzuka is a romance/ecchi/sport kind of anime. However, there is not much ecchiness throughout the anime. Another point to note is that Suzuka Manga is still going, while the Anime completed. This means that the Anime is incomplete in a way, which is noticeable at the end of the last episode. More on that later..
- [ Animation ] -
Many people defined the animation in Suzuka as "crappy" or "not worth it". Personally, I don't think the animation is so bad. There may be a few glitches and wrong drawings, but they are not too noticeable. The characters are well drawn, specially Suzuka and Honoka who comes later in the series. The backgrounds were well-drawn and some special ones were very well illustrated. The character motions were dynamic and fluid, not robotic like in some series. I don't know why the animation got such a bad rating, but according to me, it's fine. However, do not expect to see lots of different places. Most of the time, it's just the same places: school, home, sports ground, cafetaria and Honoka's place. You could consider this as frame re-use, something which is not very liked among anime fans. There is not much to say here, so we move on to sound.
- [ Sound ] -
Again, I do not pay much attention to music and sound in anime. What interests me is the story, characters and animation. Suzuka does not contain any special music track which deserves attention. The sound and music do not leave a lasting memory. If you ask me, I've pretty much forgotten everything about the sound but not the story and characters. I got nothing more to say..
- [ Story ] -
The story, at first glance, looks really ecchi, with lots of scenes in baths, boob-shots and upskirts. But that's only at first, unless you mean Suzuka (Manga)! Anyways, the story is a basic romance plot, with a boy-sees-girl, boy-loves-girl-at-first-glance, girl-is-reticent. As the story develops, so does the bond between Suzuka and Yamato. Yamato is a real noob when it comes to love. He knows nothing and is shy like hell. But his passion for Suzuka drives him to do inimaginable things.
According to me, the story is nice and light. The plots are stupid sometimes and you will stare blankly at the screen, wondering what that baka of Yamato is doing when he should be doing this or that. However, the story has a good flow, neither too fast, nor too slow. There are some love-triangles and some love-conflicts which will finally resolve.
Overall, the story is good, with nothing special. It's a good romance plot for casual watching and for people who like the genre. No katanas, no blood and gore and no nudity. It's just a clean story that could be watched among family members, or at least with teens.
- [Enjoyment and Value] -
I think I can say I enjoyed Suzuka. It provided what I was looking for: No violence, just calm and serene scenes. I liked it, liked the story but HATED the ending. More on that in a bit. Suzuka could earn a rewatch from me, but not now. Just when I seriously need a break from my regular anime styles. But if you like the genre, that is sports and romance, Suzuka is for you.
Now for the ending. Without spoiling, the ending is kind of an unfinished one, considering that the anime ends almost in the middle of the manga. We do not get to see the end of the real story of Suzuka. It just ends there, in the middle of the good parts. You will be left with a "what will happen to these two?" sensation at the end and you will probably want to read the manga (which is tough to find). However, let me tell you that the focus switches dramatically in the manga after the time when the anime stops, turning more to the secondary characters. I will stop here since I wanted to justify my hatred for the ending, not to write a review for Suzuka (Manga).
Thank you for reading.. Hope my review is helpful to you.
angelofutopia
There's something wrong when my favorite character is the cat. I didn't really like much about this show. I thought that the music could be better. I thought the art wasn't anything to talk about. I wasn't all that crazy about an of the characters, and I think they cheated on the plot a little. First off they dedicate a lot to track and feild in this show. And yet in the end it's sorta ignored for other things. I couldn't stand Suzuka half the time and Yamato wasn't my favorite character in the later part of the series either. My major disliking for theshow is Suzuka. One second she was warm and then she was cold and you never got to know her well enough to understand. You know next to nothing about her but that she's mourning over someone that she can't let go of. And yeah I can understand that but she had mood changes that made me want to just give up. Yamato was childish and ended up hurting people. He was also selfish and even though he said he got it he never really did. I didn't like the plot. I didn't like the characters, and by the end I was totally disintrested. Maybe this show is for some people but it's not for me.
NeverKnowsBest26
Great teen dramas are a rarity. It is hard to find a teen drama that transcends the heavy melodrama that envelops most shows of the demographic. This is especially disconcerting considering how prominent they are in the world of anime. Shows like Toradora and Hanasaku Iroha manage to be exceptions, and they are gems for that very reason. Unfortunately, Suzuka only serves as a reminder of just how rare shows of that quality are. The story is pretty standard; boy moves to Tokyo and a girl immediately catches his eye. The boy in question is Yamato Akitsuki, a laid-back carefree high school student; the girlwho he fancies is the athletic perfectionist, Suzuka Asahina, and of course out of his league. Luckily for Yamato, Suzuka is his neighbor in the apartment complex owned by his aunt. However, as much as he tries to get close to her, she does a bipolar act of being kind to him one moment and brushing him off the next. As it turns out there is something in the guarded girl's past that makes her hesitant to enter a relationship.
To tell the truth, there is plenty of good that could have come out of this material. However, like Yamato and Suzuka's relationship, it is one step forward and two steps back. There are a decent amount of twists and relationship shifts to keep the plot from going completely stale. Some moments even manage to capture the hardships of adolescence fairly well. The problem is, however, that the show is rife with the contrived melodrama we already see all to often in this kind of show. Every action the characters make seems to solely serve the purpose of making things as dramatic as possible. There is not a minute of subtly, as the show goes out of its way to spell out everything for the viewer, including things they could (and likely have) figure out on their own. This really spoils the fun for anyone who likes their drama refine and subtle; while doing nothing particularly special for fans of melodrama.
Yamato's internal monologues are particularly irritating; he spends his time wondering how to impress Suzuka or what will make him a good boyfriend. While this might seem to make him easy to relate to in theory, it is spoiled by the fact that he rarely makes responsible (or rational) decisions, and he NEVER shuts up! His infatuation with Suzuka goes well beyond the border into obsession, turning the sentiment from sweet into grating. Suzuka, for all the effort into making her sympathetic, is little more than a glorified plot device. Sure, her back story does invoke sympathy, but her mood swings come at the convenience of the plot. Whenever things seem to be moving smoothly for Yamato, Suzuka has one of her mood swings and throws a monkey wrench in things; ensuring maximum drama.
Honestly, the supporting characters more likable, though not anything great either. The one exception is Honoka, the quite girl with a crush on Yamato. Honoka brings some much needed, well-deserved emotion. Her endeavors to catch Yamato's attention are the sweetest moments of the show; her character revelations are the most heartbreaking. The rest of the cast, while more tolerable than the leads, are pretty run-of-the-mill. From Yamato's lady's man best friend, to the nosy track team girl, to the drunken residents at the apartment complex; all the characters are there to lighten the mood, or explain situations. None of them develop beyond one dimensional archetypes.
Visually Suzuka is exactly what you would expect from a slice-of-life. Not really bad, but not good either; it definitely looks cheap. Character designs and backgrounds are more of the same, doing little if anything to differentiate from other series. Animation fluctuates from completely static to just enough to be believable movement. The show pretty much gets the standard slice-of-life treatment; the animation acts as a visual aid for what would otherwise be a radio drama. The soundtrack fairs better, but it still is pretty much what is expected. Composed entirely of either sappy orchestrated pieces for dramatic moments, or bubbly music for the lighter moments; the soundtrack is really nothing special, though it is used adequately.
Plain is the word to describe Suzuka, or would be if it did not raise the melodrama to a nauseating level. The show offers up nothing special, everything is done by numbers. Unfortunately, it is also so rife with melodrama it is actually off-putting. Perhaps some fans of teen melodrama would appreciate this, but for a more casual viewer the drama is layered on too thick. And even for those who have an appetite for melodrama, satisfaction can be found elsewhere.
DeadgrounD
This is a romance anime with barely any romance in it. And when romance parts do happen, they are done for the wrong reasons and just to push unnecessary, predictable and poorly written drama. This anime has 26 episodes, 23 min per episode. That's roughly 10 hours. That is a lot of time for some. So I warmly suggest you to spend few minutes to read my review, and then decide if you want to commit 10h of your time to this anime. First I will talk without spoilers, but later I will jump into spoiler territory (I will emphasize it). I don't like giving it a lowrating of 1 and I'm always looking for something positive, so I can avoid giving the worst rating if possible.
But this anime definitely surprised me.
The story is very simple, a young boy moves from the country to Tokyo to start a new life at high school, and then falls in love at first sight. That's it. But that's not the main problem of this anime. The real problem are the main characters. They are so badly written that I would be doing time in prison if I was to ever hung out with them. Especially Yamato. Whenever I see him on screen I just want to strangle the bastard. He's so dense, pathetic and hopeless it's mind-boggling. On top of that, in episode 18 you will find out that he's actually retarded. He went full retard. No joke. (I will explain in spoiler section).
You will facepalm every 2 minutes if you decide to watch this anime. In addition, the chemistry between two main characters is nonexistent. Keep in mind this is a romance anime. Another big problem this anime has is that it's extremely predictable. When I only watched first 3 episodes, I immediately figured out 100% of plot and what's going to happen. After finishing episode 26 I did not make a single mistake in my prediction. And I am far far from romance/drama anime expert. Similar to this, I have a problem with this anime name and name of episodes (I will explain episode naming problem in my spoiler section).
For example. There is a main character (Yamato) and two love interests (Suzuka and Honoka).
What do you think, who's going to win when the name of the anime is Suzuka??
Asahina Suzuka is: pessimistic, aggressive, abusive, arrogant, rude, impulsive, jealous, disrespectful...etc. Just the absolute abomination of human being.
Sakurai Honoka is: optimistic, loving, caring, helpful, thoughtful, supportive, kind, honest, respectful, grateful...etc. The kind of girl that you would gladly die for.
Now you tell me, which one of these two girls would you pick?
Because Yamato is like: Asahina, Asahina, Asahina, Asahina, Asahina.. Asahina! Asahina? Asahina! Asahina? ASAHINA!!
The guy just can't get her out of his head. He's constantly thinking about her, follows her everywhere and just can't go past her without addressing her.
Now you might think to yourself, what the hell did this girl do to make Yamato so obsessed with her and what made him fall in love at first sight? Well.. she jumped.. she jumped over a pole. . . Amazing right?
Now the ultimate question that you might ask yourself is "Ok, but does Suzuka like Yamato?" I can only answer that in spoiler section below.
--- SPOILERS ---
I will address issues here that I did not want to talk about in non-spoiler section so I can be respectful to people who haven't watched this anime yet.
First thing is naming of episodes. This is obvious, but I will give you just one example. In episode 13 Yamato and Honoka actually enter a relationship (Not that pathetic way like in most anime where they ask each other to be together and nothing happens, no, they actually kiss and start going out together). Episodes 13, 14, 16 and 17 are the best episodes in this anime in my opinion. But, even at the start of ep 13, I immediately knew that's not going to last. You know why? Because the name of the episode 19 is "Break Up". Now can you guess what's going to happened in that episode?? And this counts for every episode, this is just one example. That's why I hate this anime name and naming of episodes.
Remember above that I called Yamato a retard?
In ep 18 "Present" (can you guess what's going on in that ep?) It's Honokas (his gf) birthday and brain dead Yamato decides to go with Suzuka (girl that Yamato is obsessed with, and everyone in this anime knows this, especially Honoka) alone to buy her a gift. Let that sink in. And Yamato sees nothing wrong with this. He's clueless. Even in ep 16-17 he said to himself that he will do everything in his power to not hurt Honoka and make her happy. And then he proceeds to do this. Insane.
Now.. there's one more thing left.
The ultimate question of this anime.
Does Suzuka like Yamato?
Yes.. but (in my opinion) for a wrong reason. She likes him because he reminds her of a guy that she liked in the past, but he died in the accident. I did not like this at all. I would never allow myself to be with a girl that likes me because I remind her of someone else. Doesn't matter, alive or dead.
So to make long story short. She is afraid to love Yamato because she's afraid to experience love again. And that's pretty much it. But the problem here is that she does not gradually let go of her ex and then gradually accepts Yamato. No. She hates him from ep. 1 to 25. even for whole ep. 26. Only at the very end of episode 26 she suddenly and totally lets go of her ex and completely accepts to be Yamatos girlfriend. It felt incredible forced and unrealistic.
--- END of SPOILERS ---
I do not recommend this anime to anyone.
I didn't even know that this anime existed. I was originally planning to watch Fuuka, but I saw that it has a prequel named Suzuka.
Which surprised me. I like to watch anime in order and I don't like to give up on them once I start. But this was a painful experience.
I wish that I had never found out about this anime and I lost all interest in watching Fuuka.
This is my first review, so thank you for taking your time to read it.
I appreciate it and wish you all the best.
Take care.
TheGoatee
A crush is a strange thing. It can start when someone shows kindness or sympathy for you, or it could happen with no more than a glance. "Love at first sight" they say. But in the same breath, they say "Love is blind". When you fall for someone, there's not much you can do, even if they are a complete and utter b@#ch. Enter Suzuka, a sports/"romance" anime that will take you on emotional ride. That is, if that ride were on a unicycle over a long, gravel road... Suzuki is supposed to be a high school romance drama, but...was it supposed to be romantic? Everyepisode felt like I needed something happy to happen before I could go to bed, and 26 episodes, 5 cups of coffee and one broken portable dvd player later I was no where near satisfied. Now, I'm not saying nothing good happened, but the sad and depressing HEAVILY out-weighed the other, and not in a good way.
Yamato Akitsuki is a little bit better than your average harem-idiot, but not much better. The thing that made him better was that he is somewhat realistic. However, when it comes to be being a high school boy obsessed with his crush, he's a little too realistic. His actions made me go "Come on dude, really?" more times then I care to count. He even joins his high school track team so he can spend more time around her. Why track? Well, she happens to be a promising talent in the world of high jumping. Who you ask? Well, the title says it all.
Suzuki, one of the rudest, coldest, and despicable heroines you'll ever see in an anime. Now, there ARE characters like Taiga and Shana who are quite the same way, but they actual care for their men, and they admit to themselves that they have feelings for them. Suzuki on the other hand never ONCE admits she likes him to anyone, including herself, until the very end. And by end I mean the last five minutes. That would be okay with me if there was actually some hints or signs that she cared for Yamato, but it ends up being the opposite. In fact, she is so cold to him at points it becomes hard to watch, and makes you wonder why he is even trying. This in itself makes it hard for the viewer to want Yamato to succeed.
Then there is Honoka. Oh, Honoka. The only reason I continued watching, and probably why others did to. Honoka is the sweet, caring, and cute childhood friend character, and is genuinely in love with Yamato. I honestly wanted her to succeed, but this in itself led to another reason that the series became hard to watch. We all no there's no hope. Its named Suzuki. Its named after the one character that we want to succeed the least. Its heart-wrenching to watch her try only to get her heart broken.
Overall I was upset with the way the story turned out, but I can't ignore the fact that it got me talking about it. It definitely succeeded in bringing out the emotions in the viewer, so for that reason I didn't believe it was below average. and at some points was quite impressed with how the drama was done.
The art on the other hand was BAD. This is sad to me, because it starts with a promising scene with Yamato walking down the sidewalk looking through the fence. It looked very good. And....that was the last I saw of those scenes. Still frames were used, ventriloquism was performed, and a scene was created where Suzuki looked like she was 7 feet tall. These affected the drama at points because I didn't trust the art. What I mean is how can I trust that Suzuki's emotions are being portrayed correctly when Yamato turns his head only to have his hair stuck in the fabric of space for some reason.
However, I was humbly surprised by the soundtrack. Very pretty piano track accompanied the dramatic and "romantic" scenes, and was a big reason I kept watching. It added an element that was important to the drama itself, and if the soundtrack were poor, there is no doubt I would've dropped the series.
Well, if you want to take your chances on an unpleasantly heavy drama with very little satisfying moments, by all means go for it. It has fans for a reason, so it may very well be what your looking for. But personally, besides heavy drama and an above average soundtrack, it isn't worth sitting through 26 episodes.
gorskino10
WARNING:LOTS & LOTS OF DRAMA I had to put that up as like myself i really hate "Drama Abuse" if an anime is lacking in story/plot they add Drama in to make you feels more connected with it. Story: A cliche sort of story between he see's Suzuka at a school ground jumping the High Jump and falls head over heals for her but then realises she lives NEXT DOOR. Althought the cliche part is a bit annoying the way this turns into a 2 way love battle is nice and is really realistic as the way it developed. OH I FORGOT DRAMA, Well lets say nearlyevery episode has some sort of drama but its gets extreme near end which evolks a punch, Oh and its gets even more drama near the end.
Slight Spoiler
*It ended how i wanted too :)*
*Well Kinda*
Characters:
Both female girls are developed greatly and when a relationship start its really unexpected but a nice twist for the story.
You see enough from there past to make it ok (not alot) but enough so you know they had a past.
IF YOU DONT HATE SUZUKA (charatcer) ALONG THE WAY THEN THERES SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU.....
She is the reason for "HEAVY DRAMA" what i mainly hate about her is the way she treats the Main Lead character i really felt sorry for him he tryed everything she would dismiss it and also talk down to him, come on shes a perfect girl but he doesnt deserve this so somehow in this anime you feel really really connected with the Main Guy if you are a male :p.
Art-Sound:
Art - Very Nice
Sound - Quite perfect.
Enjoyment:
Well i was ADDICTED i admit it i watched like this series of 24 in about 2 days :). its one of a few i was addicted to but i would say the Drama and they way Suzuka acts towards the main guy is terrible, I just dont know why he didnt give it but THIS is the reason you feel more involved with this anime which is rare.
But somehow the ending made this a Perfect anime.
But if enjoyment is happy feelings then this isnt here it made me more annoyed than happy :)
Final:
I would say its more a 9.8 not quite a 10 but very close if they made Suzuka more nicer then defently a 10.
But DRAMA in this is annoying so dont watch this if you like happy/comedy's this anime got me fustrated which an anime should do but its one of those "HAVE TO WATCH" so i would advise watch it but be warned .
walshc25
I recommend this series. It has well written characters (both lovable and unlovable) and I found it to be funny. This series perhaps has some of the best supporting characters I have seen yet terrible leads. Let me explain: Both Akitsuki and Suzuka are terrible leads for this series. Both of them have no respect for their friends and they both behave in ways that would be unappealing to the opposite sex. Akitsuki is essentially an obsessive stalker, doing things like peeping into her apartment and screaming at her door that he's never going to stop loving her even though she already rejected him Suzuka is essentiallya try hard and a bitch. Whenever someone is nice to her, she goes on a lecture-esque rant talking down to them and whenever someone does something weird or mean to her, she acts normal. She has an obsession with track and field, and also with "having to be right".
Why did I give this romance story a 7 you ask? Well, aside from these characters, everyone else is pretty cool.
Yasunobu is Akitsuki's self proclaimed friend and he sort of knows how to act with the ladies...or at least thinks he does. He has a lot of good scenes, is funny, and offer's Akitsuki advice which Akitsuki manages to mess up. He also acts as great wingman and generally talks Akitsuki up in front of the girls.
Honoka Sakurai is the pinnacle of girl next door. She is shy, kind, eager to please, and tries really hard to get the guy she loves (Akitsuki). Every other male character except Akitsuki knows this and I don't blame them. She tries to take care of Akitsuki and even joins the track team just to be with him.
Of course there are more support characters and they all seem well done and likable, especially compared to the main characters.
This show is good if you don't take it at face value. It's funny, and I found myself watching it more to see how everyone around Akitsuki and Suzuka act than those two characters themselves. I think it's a good series that everyone should give a shot watching.
GeneralCox
Suzuka is not your typical anime romance/drama, whereas with a lot of anime romance it is either a harem or some magical tale, Suzuka stands apart as being a more realistic tale. The serise is based around Yamato and the girl of his dreams, Suzuka and all the trials and tribulations surrounding being round her. This series does take a panning from some people about the characters decisions during the series and how obvious it is that it is not the right thing to say, but for me that is the beauty of this anime, the fact is when you are in love you dosay things that you don't mean and are too stubborn to take back, I found myself cringing watching events unfold as have happend to me in real life, and looking to see how the characters got through those difficulties.
I find it hard to critise artwork and sound in anime, the artwork in Suzuka is not up to the standard of modern Gonzo series, but it works and is true to the manga artwork, the characters are all very well done and as for the sound, the characters all feel right, there isn't an out of place cast member so it all works well.
The main characters are all developed throughout the series and you do get to know the characters and their manerisms throughout the series, as I said earlier the characters come in for some abuse from some people, but isn't that the point? That the charcters are flawed like everyone else and can produce the reactions that make us want to go and rant on the forums about how stupid they have been?
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this series, even all the bits that made me watch it from behind the chair and pause to get the courage up to watch the next bit, I thought I was alone in doing this but I gave this series to a friend and he did the same thing. Its a must watch in my opinion.
mymiddlenut
Do not watch this anime first and foremost! Okay Suzuka the main heroine, a wonderful athlete and an even more wonderful bitch. I don't think there is any better word to describe her. The main character (i forgot his name) is in love with her (no spoiler here its pretty obvious even before watching it) for some odd reason I'm guessing it's because he is a masochist because all Suzuka does is bitch at him all throughout the anime. In the beginning I believed that he was actually too good for Suzuka because he would put in effort without getting much in return, but aftera while I just gave up on him as well. There were no characters that stood out from the others in a good way either. I feel that it is my duty to review this anime just so I would be able to save as many people as possible from wasting their life on this horrible anime that is "Suzuka". I wish someone would have done the same for me.
Caleb_Marvell
"If you stand still nothing changes.... but... if you take even a step forward....I have a feeling something will change, and something good will happen!" Here's the thing about the romance genre... usually when I watch a romance anime, I'm able to guess what will happen and get it right, like which character will get with another or what's about to happen in the story. Now, here's Suzuka, what appears to be a typical romance anime at first glance, but once you get further into the story, everything starts to make you have a different opinion about this anime. There are multiple instances where a rugwas pulled out from under me unexpectedly. I thought one thing was going to happen, but it turns in a different direction and something else happens instead. While that can be good for those who like being surprised and hate it when they can guess everything, in Suzuka's case, this isn't always a good thing. So, without further ado, let's get this review started, shall we?
Mmkay, so the story goes like this... Enter Yamato, your typical 16 year old who moves to Tokyo to live with his Aunt and Cousin as he enters his first year of high school. His Aunt is the owner of an all-girls apartment complex and bath house, but seeing as he has no other relatives in Tokyo, he has to live there. Lucky break, right? Well... as he's cleaning the bath, some pretty bad stuff happens to him in a short period of time, and then, at the worst time, enter Suzuka, who happens to walk in on him as he accidentally tripped on top of a girl, and that left a pretty bad impression on her. They later talk about what happened, it's written off as a misunderstanding, and that's where their relationship in this series starts off. Pretty typical first episode, but after each episode, more things started to happen that made me think differently about this show. It had some cliché moments like most romance animes do, but at the same time there was quite a bit uniqueness to the story, and that upped my opinion about this show.
Suzuka was brought to you by Studio Comet, the same company who brought other titles like School Rumble and Initial D, and it was directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi, who shouldn't really be known for anything huge. The anime was made in 2005, so about 8 years ago... and if I had to state my honest opinion, I'd say that the art style was mediocre overall... it wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything that I'd get hyped up over.
I watched Suzuka on DVD, so I watched it dubbed. The cast selection was pretty good, with Todd Haberkorn and Leah Clark playing the lead roles, and Laura Bailey, Jamie Marchi, and Robert McCollum playing some of the supporting characters. They did a good job playing their roles, usually with a lot of seriousness to their tone which fit the mood of the show most of the time.
Characters are usually what I spend the most time on talking about when I'm writing reviews, but in Suzuka's case, there isn't actually a lot to write about... but for starters, let's talk about Yamato, the main protagonist of Suzuka. I feel like he is your typical anime character, if not a little more clueless. A lot of the time, I'm wondering if he thinks before he speaks, and when he is speaking, if he actually knows what he's saying or if he's being controlled by someone who lives to ruin his life. A lot of the things he says or does makes me think that he isn't very considerate to others, and that made me want to shake him until he realizes what exactly is wrong. Now let's talk about Suzuka, the cold hearted love interest of the series, the one that this anime's name is based off of. Like I just said, she's cold hearted. At least 3/4 of the time, she is either ignoring Yamato (understandable at times...) or being a complete jerk to him. As for the other 1/4 of the time, she's either nice to him or worried about him, or she's not even in the scene. At points I wonder what Yamato sees in her, but I guess that's love for you. As for the minor characters, I can't really say that I had a favorite, due to the fact that there were almost no characters that I didn't want to strangle at some point. Asahina may be cute, shy and perfect, but she has some serious trust issues. Hattori might have given Yamato some relationship advice, but at least half of it got him slapped. Out of all the characters on this show, the one I liked most was Miki. She seemed like she was the most helpful and genuinely worried about people in Suzuka, and in my mind, even though I knew it wouldn't happen but was hoping for another rug pulling, I was rooting for her to get with him in the end. She had some minor flaws, like everyone else, but she was my personal favorite. But overall the character development wasn't exactly what I would call awesome. Like the art, it wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't good either.
My personal view on the show is that this isn't your typical romance anime. Once in a while, you'll come across a romance anime such as Say I Love You, or Itazura na Kiss, animes that actually fall under the romance slice of life category, because in reality, they are realistic if anything else. Suzuka is one of those animes. While I didn't necessarily care for most of the characters or art style, the story development and voice acting made up for it. There were moments that I felt super mad at people, and others that I felt bad for them, but overall this was a pretty good anime.
Final Verdict:
Story: 8
Art: 7
Sound: 8
Character: 7
Enjoyment: 7
Overall: 8
Markezzo
Sick and tired of romances in anime that don’t go anywhere? Wish to see something that dares to break the status quo and tell a story rather than appease the otaku-culture? Take a gander at Suzuka, a romantic triangle-drama with earnest character-development and constructive messages. We follow our oblivious main character, Akitsuki, in his struggle to get through to the hard-headed Suzuka. We witness as he screws up, yet learns by taking advice from friends and by simply by being tenacious. The main couple are flawed characters that repeatedly mess up, sometimes to the point of annoyance, although the growth they go through gives itpurpose. With a good supporting cast the show manages to stick out and feel like a fully fleshed out community of people, one that feels varied and natural.
The animation is one of the weaker aspects of the series, as it is very much done by the numbers, letting the characters’ interactions drive the plot rather than the visuals. The series does not try to be too open to interpretation and is very on the nose with its dialogue, never using any particular symbolism or creative visuals to tell the story. The artwork is very simple in that regard, never bad, but nothing special.
Suzuka holds a special place in my heart for catching me at a very important time in my teen-life, and to this day it is among the few animes that I’ve walked away from feeling like it changed me as a person, giving me some perspective. As a teenager I was one of those self-appointed "nice guys", and a bitter one at that. When I finally was confessed to by a truly kind girl, I decided to give her a chance, despite not being attracted or romantically interested in her at all. Over time I regretted the decision as a relationship built on dishonest feelings would lead nowhere. I had my circumstances and simply happened to run into this series while in a similar situation that was presented in the story. I’m certain that the messages that mattered to me might seem obvious to others, but none the less important for everyone to hear at least once. To be brutally honest with yourself, how to be more responsible, and that trying to please yourself by acting like a "nice guy" can sometimes in fact be most disrespectful thing you can do.
As an aspiring writer myself, my greatest wish is for my work to one day effect the people that read it. To make a difference is truly the best way to immortalize yourself. Despite its flaws, Suzuka managed to effect me for the better, and I am grateful to everyone involved that created this series. I must give this series the highest score there is.
nyesman
Suzuka often reminds me of a contemporary piece of artwork. It's sloppy in a few ways and you don't really understand what's going on in some places. But most of all, it gives you a unique experience and an enjoyable piece of art to look at. Once the artwork's motive or story behind it is revealed, you often come to a different perspective of what it is on the surface. Its story really left an impact on me in some ways. It reminded me of, well, me. Trying new things, and ultimately coming to like what your doing. The path of love is harsh, bumpy, andoften belligerent as you trudge your way through to find the one that you want to be with, as I tried to do myself. With every action you take, life has to throw you for a loop and send you spiraling through emotional hardships that you must confront and handle the best possible way you can. Yamato frustrated me because of the way he tried, and that is why I respect its plot. Because not everyone is perfect, and criteria must be met and your heart tested to know the truth about yourself.
The art was good. I've seen anime similar to the style and better. Some of the kissing scenes were awkward and facial expressions were weirldly misshapen at times. The high jump that Suzuka did seem realistic, but at the same time they over do it and it ineptly represents what would really happen. Overall, improvements could have been made, but it played off averagely through the show.
The sound. Oh, the sound. I crapped my pants when silly scenes would come on because the background music sounded so hilarious. My brother and I often joke around with it and say that a bunch of drunk guys got together and played on a synthesizer and decided that it sounded awesome, so they put it in with an anime. Voice acting was patchy in some scenes and presented itself stiffly, but on occasions the acting was over par. Luckily, well played endings and an inspiring opening came to save the day.
Characters were fun to watch, and I often enjoyed seeing them unfold. I frequently expected little from the cast, and they always came up surprising me. The decisions they make (especially Yamato's, in my opinion) seemed unorthodox and fresh. Suzuka is always changing her mind and confused, and as a result, she comes off rough. She's the "variable in the equation" that could change at any moment. The supporting cast was good, too. Yasunobu played an amusing role as the bro that looks after you and hands out advice here and there, and Honoka had some unforeseen surprises that came along with her fragile and innocent character.
I usually enjoy watching anime, and gladly this one didn't deprive me of that privilege. It was one of the first ones I watched, so what could I say? It was the right choice for "a first show." It had me hooked and kept me that way for most of the show. There is something about watching others trying to figure out what to do with their lives and what they want that grabs the attention of my eye. Plus, it was during a stage in my life where romance was a problem, so I had something to concur with.
The overall experience was pleasurable. The story and characters stood out and made the enjoyment spring highly for me. Art and sound could be improved. I would highly recommend this show to anyone new to the world of anime as a must see, but veterans may think differently about an anime that is often looked down upon. To me, it was an adventurous and great anime!
Anime-Rules15
Suzuka is a good/fair Anime. It has romance that can happen in real life.its character personalities are amazing, and everything else is fair. The anime was predictable, but believe there couldn't have been a better ending. This anime is the type of anime that will keep you screaming to your computer screen "WTF" I believe it is anime that is worth a shot. The Anime will keep you entertained from episodes 1-26. Thanks for reading my review
PsyChoticMonk
Do you long for the days of highschool teenage angst and being a complete moron? Well, good news then, you need help and this anime would fit you. If you are somewhere or anywhere remotely close to being a well adjusted individual then look somewhere else. If you are in that group well, my condolences. The characters here are completely unlikable and horrendous with no redeeming quality, so much so that you long for a School Days ending to them all. The whole situation here honestly becomes annoying where drama is created for the sake of drama. You know how much of a shitty anime thisis? Both English and Japanese versions have acting that is considered to be completely monotonous, flat and stupid. Doesn't help the situation that they switch from stereo sound to mono.
The music chosen was down right piss poor.
