Saikano - everyone dies.

[pfarber]

I thought this would be something else... but it was a distopian drama about a guy that is in a reluctant relationship with a girl who is a military weapon.

It was pretty dark.. a lot was not explained like the war (with who, why) and who is Chise (pronounced Chee-Say) if she is not human? Where did she come from... how does she know she is what she is? Shuuji and Chise spend a lot of time not only coming to grips with the war, their situation, and the fact that Chise is routinely killing thousands of people with her 'power'. A lot of the darker things are just glossed over.. never really answered. Just mentioned and that's it. Some themes return... like Chise obliterating cities in their entirety with little effort with her power. You'd think they'd send her ass over to ENEMY'S lands and do that shit.. no obliterate their OWN cities.

One part I do remember toward the end is that Shuuji is yelling at a lowerclassmen for saying that he'd rather die than do something. When he says that half his class is dead due to the war it really made you think... I mean the characters were introduced, and then killed off... but until Shuuji made that speech the remaining students never realized that in fact, 50% of the class WAS dead.

Of course there is a love triangle... Shuuji is loved by both Chise and Chise's friend Akemi . Akemi has the most dramatic scene of the series.. as she lays dying in her bed after an bombing she summons Shhuuji to confess and also bear her soul. It was actually quite well done... you can really empathize with her as she realizes she is dying and clings to the hope that Shuuji will love her. She dies, Shuuji is like 'meh' and goes back to Chise. God damn it Japan... learn how to progress a plot.

In the end Chise does as she predicts, she ends the world and everyone is dead (even Chise) except her boyfriend Shuuji.. who is condemned to an eternity alone save for her memory. The anime ends whit Shuuji talking to her (his memory of hers) like she is there with him.

Dark, somewhat of a mess, but pretty good.

[pfarber]

There are two OVA's that finally explain Chise and what she is/was.

Its still pretty dark.. and although only a few lesser characters from the original anime are present, it does a good job of connecting a lot of the dots. It also explains why Chise is just out kill'n everybody. She cannot handle the stress of her responsibility that she is forced into.. and the 'weapon cells' (as its explained) consume her humanity... basically she goes nuts.

Everybody still dies, though.