Saikano aka She...
Recently, I took the opportunity to watch Saikano...
There is some violence in Saikano, but, not much in the way of gore and bloodshed. There are some nice effects, but, we don't get to see much of Chise in battle. She's usually seen either leaving for battle or just returning from battle with clothes all torn. Sometimes she's shown as a small point of light streaking across the sky. There isn't much in the way of fan service. There are a couple of bare breasts near the end of the series. But, nothing is really shown. In general, the animation quality is quite good. But, some of the effects, particularly those in the last episode, don't look quite right. But, overall the series is pretty good. I gave Saikano a 4 out of 5. Please note that Saikano has been re-released under the title She.
Saikano centers around the relationship between Chise and Shuji and the entire story is told from Shuji's point of view with Shuji providing voice over commentary throughout the series. All of the characters are intertwined with Chise or Shuji in one way or another. And all of the loose threads revealed in the series are resolved in the end. The series has the feeling of a soap opera with elements of war thrown in seemingly at random. I found the story to be very engaging. I would have liked to see more of the war elements that were only hinted and suggested in the series.Volume 1
TV Series
A beautifully rendered story of two young high-school seniors in a rural countryside of Hokkaido. This is a love story of how their love for each other transcends and evolves to something infinitely deeper and binding.
Shuji and Chise - find themselves caught amidst a war of destruction that needs to be fought. Shuji one day discovers that his girlfriend has been turned into "The Ultimate Weapon," an engineered weapon capable of destroying entire cities. Discover how Chise and Shuji, divert their focus of war, destruction, and killing, into love and strength.
After completing her duties as a "Weapon," Chise starts to doubt her actions, as she watches city after city being destroyed. When an earthquake strikes during class, Chise reacts as if it were an attack and accidentally destroys a section of the school. After witnessing the incident, Shuji learns to fear his girlfriend, the Ultimate Weapon.
Volume 2
In the wreckage after a battle, Chise is reunited with Tetsu, and a new relationship begins. Meanwhile, Yukari still longs for her boyfriend, who was killed in the first air raid. When she comes across a downed enemy pilot in the mountains, he sadness turns to hatred, rage, and bloodshed. Just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, a huge earthquake hits bringing forth yet another disaster...
Winter arrives and the land is covered in snow. Chise and Shuji come to a nameless little town by the sea to begin their new life. Leaving their past behind, they rent an apartment and share a moment of happiness. But that happiness is short-lived as Chise's body begins to deteriorate. When Kawahara arrives to confront Shuji, he makes an important decision, both for himself and for Chise...
Another Love Song
OVA
Chise is a cute and delicate teenage girl who was transformed into the Ultimate Weapon, even though she wants nothing more than to be a normal girl in love. As the war escalates, we see more of the fearsome destruction inflicted by her on both enemy and friend alike, and we meet the coldhearted Commander Mizuki, an earlier, less powerful version of the weapon Chise has become. In a side story to the TV series Saikano, the heartrending ballad continues with Another Love Song.
There is some violence in Saikano, but, not much in the way of gore and bloodshed. There are some nice effects, but, we don't get to see much of Chise in battle. She's usually seen either leaving for battle or just returning from battle with clothes all torn. Sometimes she's shown as a small point of light streaking across the sky. There isn't much in the way of fan service. There are a couple of bare breasts near the end of the series. But, nothing is really shown. In general, the animation quality is quite good. But, some of the effects, particularly those in the last episode, don't look quite right. But, overall the series is pretty good. I gave Saikano a 4 out of 5. Please note that Saikano has been re-released under the title She.
