My thoughts on Saikano
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ SAIKANO, AND PLAN TO READ SAIKANO IN THE FUTURE, LET THY BE WARNED THAT HERE THERE BE SPOILERZZZZZZZZZ!!
Saikano is a pure shonen......
I read the first 3 volumes on wednesday night. I can't help but think of the technicality of this story. Aside from the fact that it is indeed a love story, the mechanics of "the ultimate weapon" very much confuse me. I mean, its mechanical, but then again, its not. She's not a machine, so where does she hide all those weapons when she's in regular human form? Is she just creating those things out of thin air? Are all those missiles in her body? Physically, that makes no sense, seeing how it doesn't fit....
In essence, its a pretty regular romance love story, but the way "the ultimate weapon" has been set up makes it blur the edges between science fiction and fantasy and really takes away from the focus of the love story that is supposed to be the center. I mean, I'm half expecting Shuji to go "KAMEHAMEHAAAA~!" and shoot someone....
So far, the only part I've found sad is the part where Chise went on a date with Shuji and as a result, Tetsu's team went kaboom. The part where Tetsu's team died was kinda sad.
But as a female, I can definitely say this story rouses very little within me. Cute clumsy girls are just soooooo overly done......
Saikano reminds me of "Voices of a Distant Star." In my opinion, when you have a story with a relationship that doesn't work due to the particular situation of either one partner, VoaDS did it right. That story was very heartfelt and emotional.
Saikano's focus is not the impossibility of Chise and Shuji's love, when I read it, I feel almost like its simply a 'cover' for more raunchy sex-me-up type of story. Its like the author went,
"Well, I wanna write a sad and heartwretching story about a couple. OOHHH, but I want to throw in lots of fan service to keep it interesting!"
BASICALLY, its a raunchy shonen in romance disguise.
To all male audiences, I would totally recommend this story. Shuji is a very good male character. If Shuji were a person, I think he would make a very good realistic male (not those dreamy guys in shojo manga, because those don't exist in real life...). Chise is a very UNREALISTIC female. Fuyumi actually isn't a bad portrayal of a very forward slutty woman... but CHISE! Chise would probably be every guy's dream (though maybe not the ultimate weapon part, and even so the ultimate weapon part, definitely not forever as ultimate weapon... imagine Chise being 60 and still flying around?? @_@)
From a girl's perspective, Chise is just........ I don't know. She's too stupid. I can't relate to the character. If I knew someone like Chise in real life, I can't acknoledge her personality as being real. I'd call her fake. If indeed her personality IS real (like, she has a doctor note proving she's demented), then I'd be sooooo very surprised that she's still alive.
However, I have to admit, that Chise is a very good portrayal of a girl who is trying to 'do the act' in front of a guy she's interested in... but she's just too... fake... for me to REALLY get into the romantic story part that is SUPPOSED to be the primary driver of this story.
Yes, that's long enough. I'll write more once I finish reading. Perhaps my opinion will change?
Saikano is a pure shonen......
I read the first 3 volumes on wednesday night. I can't help but think of the technicality of this story. Aside from the fact that it is indeed a love story, the mechanics of "the ultimate weapon" very much confuse me. I mean, its mechanical, but then again, its not. She's not a machine, so where does she hide all those weapons when she's in regular human form? Is she just creating those things out of thin air? Are all those missiles in her body? Physically, that makes no sense, seeing how it doesn't fit....
In essence, its a pretty regular romance love story, but the way "the ultimate weapon" has been set up makes it blur the edges between science fiction and fantasy and really takes away from the focus of the love story that is supposed to be the center. I mean, I'm half expecting Shuji to go "KAMEHAMEHAAAA~!" and shoot someone....
So far, the only part I've found sad is the part where Chise went on a date with Shuji and as a result, Tetsu's team went kaboom. The part where Tetsu's team died was kinda sad.
But as a female, I can definitely say this story rouses very little within me. Cute clumsy girls are just soooooo overly done......
Saikano reminds me of "Voices of a Distant Star." In my opinion, when you have a story with a relationship that doesn't work due to the particular situation of either one partner, VoaDS did it right. That story was very heartfelt and emotional.
Saikano's focus is not the impossibility of Chise and Shuji's love, when I read it, I feel almost like its simply a 'cover' for more raunchy sex-me-up type of story. Its like the author went,
"Well, I wanna write a sad and heartwretching story about a couple. OOHHH, but I want to throw in lots of fan service to keep it interesting!"
BASICALLY, its a raunchy shonen in romance disguise.
To all male audiences, I would totally recommend this story. Shuji is a very good male character. If Shuji were a person, I think he would make a very good realistic male (not those dreamy guys in shojo manga, because those don't exist in real life...). Chise is a very UNREALISTIC female. Fuyumi actually isn't a bad portrayal of a very forward slutty woman... but CHISE! Chise would probably be every guy's dream (though maybe not the ultimate weapon part, and even so the ultimate weapon part, definitely not forever as ultimate weapon... imagine Chise being 60 and still flying around?? @_@)
From a girl's perspective, Chise is just........ I don't know. She's too stupid. I can't relate to the character. If I knew someone like Chise in real life, I can't acknoledge her personality as being real. I'd call her fake. If indeed her personality IS real (like, she has a doctor note proving she's demented), then I'd be sooooo very surprised that she's still alive.
However, I have to admit, that Chise is a very good portrayal of a girl who is trying to 'do the act' in front of a guy she's interested in... but she's just too... fake... for me to REALLY get into the romantic story part that is SUPPOSED to be the primary driver of this story.
Yes, that's long enough. I'll write more once I finish reading. Perhaps my opinion will change?
posted by Yuy at
7:39 AM
2 Lushes:
While my lecture is TRYING (damn you bubble jet!!!) to print...
I'll give that Chise is a bit too unrealistic.
I'll give that Fuyumi is a total slut. Okay, not total..........but has no morals, or little of them.
And of course I'll give that it's a shonen.
And yes, it is physically impossible for all those weapons to hide in her body, though the whole "organic/machine" thing becomes really stupid later on...
I will NOT give that it is a raunchy shonen in the guise of a romance. If life were a fluffly shoujo then we'd have hot guys running around and everyone would be happy and everything works out alright.
I think the world has shown enough times that things don't always work out alright.
Shrug, I think it's nice. True, I haven't read as much manga or read as much as you have, but I still think Saikano isn't as bad as you make it out.
By
Steven, at 5:58 AM
Oh, don't get me wrong, I never said it was bad....
I only commented on what it is objectively, not saying good or bad.
I also like the artstyle.
I'm drawing chise and colouring it in later because i need to practise using the tablet, look forward to it on deviant!
By
Yuy, at 10:17 AM
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