Saikano

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Saikano (Saishū Heiki Kanojo: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet)
最終兵器彼女 (She, the Ultimate Weapon)
Genre	Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Seinen, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Manga
Authored by	Shin Takahashi
Publisher	Shogakukan VIZ Media Grupo Editorial Vid Panini_Comics Éditions Delcourt
Serialized in	Big Comic Spirits
Original run	May 30, 2000 – December 25, 2001
No. of volumes	7
TV anime
Directed by	Mitsuko Kase
Studio	GONZO
Network	Family Gekijou
Original run	July 2, 2002 – September 24, 2002
No. of episodes	13
OVA: SaiKano: Another Love Song
Directed by	Mitsuko Kase
Studio	Studio Fantasia
No. of episodes	2
Released	August 5, 2005 September 21, 2005
Live Action Film
Saishū Heiki Kanojo: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet.

Saikano (最終兵器彼女, Saishū Heiki Kanojo^?, lit. She, the Ultimate Weapon or My Girlfriend, the Ultimate Weapon) is a manga and anime series by Shin Takahashi, creator of Iihito and Kimi no Kakera. Saikano was originally serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits magazine. The plot is about two adolescents who fall in love during a war.

A live-action movie adaptation was released in Japan on 28 January 2006 with Aki Maeda starring as Chise.^[1]

The Saikano manga and anime series have been licensed and is being distributed by VIZ Media in English in North America and the anime series is distributed in the UK by Manga Entertainment (as "She, the Ultimate Weapon").

Many of the locations used in Saikano can be found in Otaru-shi, about an hour west of Sapporo on the JR Hakodate Line. The train station, "Hell's Hill", the Asahi Observation Hill, and the school all exist within the city. The school Shuji, Chise, Akemi and the rest attend to is actually Hokkaido Shibetsu High School.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 2.1 Main Characters 2.2 Minor Characters 2.3 Others 3 Anime 3.1 Episode Guide 3.2 War 3.3 Reception 3.4 Theme Songs 4 Manga 5 Production 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Plot

The story begins with Shuji (シュウジ, Shūji^?), a high school student in Hokkaidō, walking up to an observatory and reminiscing about his girlfriend, Chise (ちせ, Chise^?). He finds her exchange diaries that she purposefully left behind. The whole story is narrated by him through flashbacks while reading Chise's diary. Chise, a fellow student in his class, declares her love for Shuji at the beginning of the series. However, Chise is very shy and Shuji is insensitive. Neither know how to express their feelings very well, but they do indeed have feelings for each other.

One day, while Shuji is shopping in Sapporo, unknown bombers attack the city in broad daylight. He and his friends run for cover, but notice a fast and small flying object shoot down enemy bombers. Separated from his friends, Shuji wanders through the wreckage only to stumble upon Chise. She has metal wings and weapons apparently grafted onto her body. She tells him she has become the ultimate weapon, without her knowledge or consent. However, she is seen by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) as the last hope for defending Japan from imminent invasion by unknown foreign forces. In the anime, it is not apparent why Chise was chosen to be the ultimate weapon or why the country is under attack.

This story, as suggested by the subtitle "The Last Love Song On This Little Planet", is primarily a love story. Although war is the backdrop for the show, we are not drawn into the war by extravagant battle scenes, or the intricate details of national politics. The story focuses primarily on Chise's reactions to her increasingly powerful destructive abilities, Shuji's reaction to the same, and the relationship between the two of them.

A number of minor characters who do not necessarily know of Chise's role in the war, have sub-plots that mostly concern everyday people in the context of war: a woman whose husband is constantly away from home, a school boy who joins the army to protect his sweetheart, a girl whose civilian boyfriend was killed in a bombing, and others.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main Characters

Chise (ちせ, Chise^?): She’s the main female character of the story. Chise is a shy, clumsy girl with very little self-esteem and has poor grades in everything except for World History. She was constantly hospitalized in Tokyo during her elementary years, and thus, has very few friends (except for Akemi). She starts dating Shuji, with Akemi’s help, and tries to make her relationship work with him despite his apparently aloof personality. However, Chise is very inexperienced and does not know much about relationships, to the point she reads shoujo manga for advice. She was turned into the ultimate weapon against her will, and the series revolves around her and her fading humanity. Chise tries to come to terms with her new weapon body by convincing herself that she’s protecting the one she loves, but comes to admit to herself that the only thing she can do is to destroy. She feels horribly guilty of all the pain and death she has caused and shies away from Shuji, believing she doesn’t deserve any happiness. As Chise’s weapon side starts to take over, her hearts stops beating, her body lacks warmth and her sense of taste and touch are dulled but other senses (especially sight) are accentuated and she’s basically immortal. However, a second darker persona starts to emerge halfway through the series, a cold, ruthless machine that delights in her growing, destructive powers and killing people without mercy. In the end, her love for Shuji is the last of her humanity she can cling onto.

Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Melissa Hutchinson (English)

Shuji (シュウジ, Shūji^?): He’s the main male character of the story and narrator of the series. He is a somewhat antisocial 17-year old high school student who gets higher than average grades and used to be on his school’s track team. Shuji is very unsure of his initial feelings for Chise and feels that their relationship is more trouble than its worth, though his feelings deepen as the story progresses. At first, he wanted to break things off with Chise but he then changes his mind and wants to give the relationship another try. However, things get complicated when his old love, Fuyumi, reappears in town. He’s the only person who knows Chise is the ultimate weapon and promises that he’ll never divulge her secret. Shuji is torn by this side of Chise, he loves her deeply, but he is terrified of her weapon capabilities. This causes a very noticeable strain on their relationship, and he finally succumbs to Fuyumi’s advances because of this. Shuji is feeling constantly guilty and useless, because of his irresponsible actions that tend to hurt Chise, and because all his loved ones keep dying around him. Later on in the series, he comes to accept his love for Chise and vows to protect her at all costs. He’s the only human being left in a devastated Earth thanks to Chise’s sacrifice, and they both live on in the memories of his past.

Voiced by: Shiro Ishimoda (Japanese), Mark Atherlay (English)

Akemi (アケミ, Akemi^?): She’s a childhood friend and classmate of both Chise and Shuji. Akemi is also Chise's best friend, and usually gives her advice on love. A typical tomboy, she always comes to Chise’s defense whenever Shuji inadvertently hurts Chise verbally. She harbors a secret love for Shuji since she was young, which he is oblivious of, but still encourages Chise to confess to him. She later starts dating Atsushi, knowing that her love for Shuji is unrequited. Akemi gets fatally injured (due to massive internal bleeding) during an earthquake that hits their little town, and with her dying breath, she tells Shuji her real feelings.

Voiced by: Yu Sugimoto (Japanese), Amy Provenzano (English)

Atsushi (アツシ, Atsushi^?): Shuji’s best friend. Atsushi is a mature, open, down-to-earth guy who holds a fascination for the military. Atsushi always looks out for others, as can be seen during the Sapporo raid where he's desperately trying to keep his friends out of harm's way. He decides to join the JSDF to protect the girl he loves, Akemi, despite being aware that she will never love him back. When he’s finally in the army, he’s appalled at the bad state the country is in, and never knows what exactly the weapon “Chise” is since the other soldiers never gave him a clear answer. He dies when Chise destroys the city he’s in, holding Akemi’s photo in his hand.

Voiced by: Tetsu Shiratori (Japanese), Joe Wyka (English)

Tetsu (テツ, Tetsu^?): Regime leader, Fuyumi’s husband, and the sole survivor of Chise’s first platoon. He’s very much like Shuji in terms of looks and personality, and that’s why Chise is initially attracted by him. He treats Chise like an ordinary girl, not a monstrosity, and even goes shopping with her; this makes Chise like him even more, and finds understanding and compassion in Tetsu. Later on, he gets injured during a fight and staggers to his quarters to hide, but four enemy soldiers were waiting for him and open fire. He dies shortly from his wounds (due to a major hemorrhage), but manages to tell Chise that he loves her, mistaking her for Fuyumi.

Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese), Abie Hadjitarkhani (English)

Fuyumi (ふゆみ, Fuyumi^?): Shuji’s first lover and Tetsu’s wife. She used to train the track team when she was younger and her students called her “Fuyumi-senpai” because of the close age difference. She had an intimate relationship with Shuuji when they were younger, and keeps bringing this up when she seduces him. She hates feeling lonely since her husband, Tetsu, is never home since he’s always away in the army so she decides to take comfort in Shuji, who has a remarkable similarity with Tetsu. Shuji finally stops her advances after Tetsu dies, saying that the only person he wants to protect isn’t Fuyumi. She slaps him and rides her bike to her parents’ house, never to be seen again. In the manga version, she is seen in her parents' house, helping her sick father and reminiscing about Tetsu.

Voiced by: Miki Ito (Japanese), Elaine Clark (English)

[edit] Minor Characters

Take: The most extroverted guy in Shuji’s circle of friends and Yukari's boyfriend. Take is the first one to get a girlfriend in Shuji's group (a fact Nori is very envious about). His girlfriend is named Yukari and they have been going out for two months by the start of the series. They constantly fight with each other (a fact only Chise seems to notice). He decides to buy a rose quartz at the Sapporo mall to try to get on her good side again. He dies during the bombing, holding Yukari’s pendant in his hand. His classmates put flowers and a framed picture on his old desk as a tribute to him after his death. In the manga version, he survives the attack.

Voiced by: Kishô Taniyama (Japanese)

Nori: The most immature guy in Shuji’s circle of friends. Nori is a shy and naive highschooler, who believed that the war would never reach their hometown and they should stop worrying about it. He desperately wants to have a girlfriend, and is slightly jealous of Take for having one. He later gets a crush on a second-year girl named Miho but it is unknown if his feelings are reciprocated.

Voiced by: Hiroki Shimowada (Japanese)

Yukari: Take’s girlfriend and part of Chise's group of friends. They fought constantly while he was alive, but she still had strong feelings for him. After her boyfriend’s death, she leaves the school. Soon after that, she gets a new boyfriend and decides never to love anyone seriously ever again. Later on in the series, she joins the neighborhood patrol to find the enemy soldier that crashed in the mountains. She finds the soldier accidentally (who has an American accent) while looking for the pendant she momentarily lost and kills him crying out Take’s name. She loses her life in the return fire, and clutches the pendant just like Take did.

Voiced by: Sachiko Kojima (Japanese)

Nakamura: Young soldier on Chise’s former company. He admires Chise very much, telling her that her combat skills saved his life. He is later mortally wounded by enemy fire when Chise fails to appear on a mission, instead opting to go on a date with Shuji. Tetsu takes pity on him and kills him to end his suffering.

Voiced by: Kishô Taniyama (Japanese)

Kawahara: Head scientist in charge of Chise. He is a nervous man that perpetually wipes his forehead repeatedly with a dark-blue handkerchief he always carries. His wife and daughter were killed during the Sapporo bombing. He gives Shuuji some pills saying that Chise needs them so her weapon side won’t take over and later gives her some much-needed maintenance. Feeling his job is finally done, he shoots himself in the head.

Voiced by: Atsushi Ii (Japanese)

[edit] Others

Sergeant Itou: Chise’s chaperon. He is in charge of keeping Chise up to date with headquarter decisions and keeping her schedule in order. He later goes insane after watching Chise’s full extent of her powers.

Voiced by: Manabu Muraji (Japanese)

Shingo: Atsushi’s army mate. He’s a playful, teasing person and gets along well with Atsushi. He dies when his military base is attacked.

Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (Japanese)

Rie: Girl who is part of Chise's circle of friends. She was spying behind a locker (along with Akemi, Seiko, and Yukari) when Chise confessed her feelings to Shuji.

Voiced by: Hiromi Konno (Japanese)

Seiko: Girl who is part of Chise's circle of friends. She was spying behind a locker (along with Akemi, Rie, and Yukari) when Chise confessed her feelings to Shuji.

Voiced by: Kiyomi Asai (Japanese)

Hana: The only female recruit that is seen in the series. She joins the military to avenge her boyfriend’s death. Hana loses her life while fighting since everyone mistook the gunshots as someone beating a drum.

Satomi: Akemi’s younger sister. She’s a very optimistic and cheerful girl who sometimes acts as a messenger between Akemi and Shuji. She's also part of the track team.

Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu (Japanese)

Shuji's Mother: She is a kind and gentle woman, who always worries over her family.

[edit] Anime

[edit] Episode Guide

Main article: List of Saikano anime episodes

The television series ran for 13 episodes and faithfully adapted all of the chapters in the manga. However, the last TV episode strayed from the manga's continuity and gave an original conclusion to the anime.

Saikano first aired on the Family Gekijou channel from July 2, 2002 to September 24, 2002. Two 30 minute OVA episodes were also released. The OVAs tries to answer some of the many questions that the anime series left behind, mostly regarding Chise's creation into the Ultimate Weapon.

[edit] War

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Both the manga and the anime feature a hotly-contested war. Battles are shown through the lives of people on the front, but the diplomatic particulars of the war are not revealed to the audience. A reason is never given as to why the war broke out in the first place, what the war is all about, or what countries the Japan Self-Defense Forces and Chise are fighting against. However, there is speculation about possible foes. For example, in one episode an enemy plane is shot down near the city and the pilot's one or two lines are in near perfect American English. In the manga, Chise speaks to the enemy soldiers, saying that she does not know much English, and later in the series there are certain enemy soldiers that speak French. The OVAs also portray some of the soldiers speaking French. This would suggest that there is an international coalition invading Japan.

However, in the end of both the anime and the manga, Chise remarks that many other parts of the world had experienced "horrendous things", and that "humans have done a lot of damage to this world". This may imply that the invasion was due to the lack of livable land anywhere else other than Japan, which was protected by Chise. This in turn would cause other countries to seek places where people are able to live. On the other hand, Chise could have been referring to her own creation and her part in destroying much of the world.

The only weapons of mass destruction observed in both the anime and manga was Chise herself, who by the middle of the story had the power to destroy entire cities and did so on a fairly regular basis. In more than one battle over a Japanese city, Chise simply vaporized the city and most of the people in it. Coupled with the comments about how the enemy had nowhere to return to and how Chise has been "working" all over the world, it seems unlikely that the invasion by other nations is simply over territory.

[edit] Reception

Most reviewers felt the focus on the relationship between Chise and Shuji at the expense of fight scenes to be a positive about the anime. However, Spectrum Nexus's reviewer found this focus to be "disappointing".^[2]

Source	Reviewer	Grade / Score	Notes
Anime News Network	Christopher Macdonald	Overall: B+ (for English dubbed) Story: A+ Animation: B+ Art: B+ Music: B-	Volume 1 review
Anime Jump	Chad Clayton	4.5 out of 5	Full review
Spectrum Nexus	Fusiongt	2.5 out of 5	Full review
DVD Talk	Ollin	9 out of 10	Volume 1 review
AnimeOnDVD	Luis Cruz	Content: A- Audio: A Video: A Packaging: A Menus: A+ Extras: A	Volume 1 review
Animefringe	Patrick King	90 out of 100	Volume 1 review
Anime Planet	Ultima	8.7 out of 10	Full review
THEM Anime Reviews	Jeremy A. Beard	5 out of 5	Full review

[edit] Theme Songs

Opening Theme

"Koisuru Kimochi" by Yuria Yato

Ending Theme

"Sayonara" by Yuria Yato

[edit] Manga

Originally serialized in Shogakukan magazine, the complete manga series runs for 7 volumes. The Saikano manga has been licensed by VIZ Media and translated into English. It has also been translated into Spanish by Grupo Editorial Vid, into Italian by Panini Comics, and into French by Éditions Delcourt.

The manga follows the anime very closely until the end, where it takes a dramatic turn. In the manga, Chise is portrayed as the one who, after having been almost completely replaced by machine, decides to "liberate" what is left of mankind from its suffering of having to exist on a devastated Earth. In the anime, Chise tries to save the last of the Japanese population from an impending natural disaster coupled with an arriving foreign attack force, but fails. In both, Shuji becomes the last surviving member of humanity. The anime ending is rather disjointed from the rest of the story, where Chise is actively attacking and eliminating population centers around the world.

[edit] Production

Staff

Director	Mitsuko Kase
Music	Takeo Miratsu
Original Manga	Shin Takahashi
Producers	Shigeru Kitayama  Tatsuya Hamamoto
Chief Animation Director	Masayuki Sato
Music producer	Takeshi Ando
Original music	Yuki Kajiura
Theme songs composition	Yuria Yato
Art director	Junichi Higashi  Toshihiro Kohama
Sound director	Keiichiro Miyoshi
Character design	Minako Shiba  Satoko Miyachi  Satoshi Ohsawa
Editing	Aya Hida  Kengo Shigemura
Music Editor	Yutaka Gouda
Color coordination	Eri Suzuki
Sound Effects	Takuya Hasegawa
3D Director	Hiroaki Matsuura

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official US Saikano website
• (Japanese) Official Japanese Saikano website
• (Japanese) Official Japanese Saikano movie website
• Saikano OVA1 fan site
• SaiKano at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• (Japanese) High school in Saikano