[Hynavian] Suzuka: A fairy tale ending in a modern setting? at Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

[Hynavian] Suzuka: A fairy tale ending in a modern setting?

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Popularity: 9% [?] Published by Hynavian September 26th, 2007 in Hynavian, Anime Reviews, Manga Reviews

Fans of the long running manga series Suzuka would have heaved a sigh of relief as Suzuka came to a neat closure with chapter 166.

I remember first watching the anime some time this year before the start of this semester’s hectic school life as I was really bored with my 3 months holidays. The series caught my attention due to a couple of factors. I had foolishly mistook it as a sports-based anime (Boss, please forgive me!) when I first watched it as there was an emphasis on a female protagonist who was performing high jumps consecutively. The “sports school”, the whole “track and field” backdrop and the many athletic characters that appeared gave me added misconceptions that it would be an anime based on sports. Truth was that I have never watched an anime that managed to integrate sporting events into becoming part of the anime plot. Suzuka managed to do so and hence I picked it up.

The 2^nd factor that got me interested was the discrepancy between the title and the characters in the anime. Though the anime was titled “Suzuka”, it appeared that the plot focused more on the male lead (Akitsuki Yamato) instead of the female lead (Asahina Suzuka). In my opinion, the anime did follow the manga closely and it did allow me to pick up the manga chapters that followed after the last anime episode. I did some marathon reading and managed to catch up to where the latest chapter was then and hence joined in the greater pool of Suzuka fans as we waited patiently for the periodic release of chapters.

Suzuka: My ~~short~~ Summary…

The male protagonist, Akitsuki Yamato, moved to Tokyo and stayed in his aunt’s Asahi’s Heights Bath House (a dorm for females) where he coincidentally became the neighbour of Asahina. It was love at first sight for Yamato as he was mesmerised by Asahina when he saw her practicing high jump earlier. Coincidentally they attend the same school, and coincidentally they were in the same class.

From the start, we see a pathetic Yamato trying his utmost to please and to win the heart of Asahina who was terribly mean to a goody Yamato. Yamato joined the school’s track and field team, strained himself physically as he wanted to keep up to Asahina’s expectations, constantly apologised to Asahina even when he wasn’t in the wrong, got slapped, shouted and was given the cold shoulder by Asahina but he never gave up. (Makes me wonder whether I can find such a “nice” guy in Singapore)

A goody Yamato begging for Asahina's forgiveness

A nice guy like Yamato (who could withstand girlfriend abuse) was well-liked by the other female characters too. Female characters like Sakis, Yui-chan and Honoka entered the scene and made the relationship between the 2 main protagonists worse than ever. However, with the manga titled “Suzuka”, Asahina ended up as the overall winner in a BGR situation as it would not make sense to promote a character who would be a loser at the end of the day. Asahina then left a heart broken goody Yamato in Tokyo for a year while she studied overseas.

Fans of Suzuka started biting their fingernails when it came to the later chapters where there was news of Asahina being pregnant with Yamato’s child. The whole manga appeared to be falling apart at that point of time as the probability of a plausible ending appeared to be low. At the previous RIUVA BK round table meeting, Crest and I were “analysing” the mess the goody Yamato had gotten himself and “commenting” on the possible actions that Asahina could possibly take but we dropped it and went on to talk about MxO as we saw greater plot development in that series instead. Though the next few chapters were predictable, I’m actually surprised that the mangaka managed to pull off a happy ending by fast-forwarding time to a year after Suzuka gave birth and to end it off with a wedding for the 2 main protagonists.

Suzuka has provided the many hours of joy and laughter and more moments of frustration as readers get agitated over the lack of progress in the relationship of the two protagonists. A mishap would happen and the relationship of the 2 would “downgrade” back to stage one when they’re almost nearing the final stage. However, all ends well as Asahina’s nasty attitude became better and I heave a sigh of relief for the goody Yamato. Though Suzuka may at first seem to be just a story of the lives of 2 young adults in high school (what’s so nice about reading the lives of 2 losers?), Suzuka would be a good bet if you’re looking for no particular genre or has some time to spare as it has a little of everything, ranging from some sporting action, fustrating love triangle relationships to comedy.

A picture reunion of all of our favourite Suzuka characters

Of course the ending was not “perfect” but it’s the best that one can get for a manga setting that is set so close to mirroring reality. No Cinderella carriage or a prince on white horse. Instead, a goody male protagonist and a truckload of good pals at a wedding church is the best way to end things the modern way.

This article was written to prove that Hynavian’s life does not revolves around Claymore only. Feel free to agree or to disagree with what I have mentioned

Popularity: 9% [?]

14 Responses to “[Hynavian] Suzuka: A fairy tale ending in a modern setting?”

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1 bj0rN 153 comments Sep 26th, 2007 at 4:21 am

After 2-3 long years~ This series have finally ended. T-T It was quite good in a way. And as expected… Most series that are school related always ends… after they graduate.
2 tj_han 1440 comments Sep 26th, 2007 at 4:35 am

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH SPOILER!!! I’M ONLY AT THE PART WHERE YAMATO AND SUZUKA HAD SEX. DAMN!!
3 Crest 99 comments Sep 26th, 2007 at 6:18 am

We need another round table meeting soon……. hmm yes Suzuka is great.. and I dont want it to ever end. *sob* *sob*
4 homeless_homo 39 comments Sep 26th, 2007 at 7:21 am

lolz love hina
5 korosora 24 comments Sep 26th, 2007 at 7:23 am

ARGH.
could you please tag the title as a SPOILER…
6 kokanaden 79 comments Sep 26th, 2007 at 11:30 am

What happened to Hashiba?

I changed allegiences from Suzuka to Hashiba halfway through the series. She’s hotter than Suzuka, and has a nicer personality too. Nosebled when I saw her in that bikini suit.
7 Slayze 8 comments Sep 26th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

End of series wasn’t typical, but still worked. The whole series by itself felt a bit repeative though. Lack of much sub-characters development at the end sucks too.

Also, it’s Mx0, isn’t it? As in “zero”.
8 Xstacy02 33 comments Sep 27th, 2007 at 12:00 am

Finally!

After October, (when tankoubon 18 comes out), no more those weekly trips to Kinokuniya to browse through Shonen Magazine for Suzuka, no more S$10.10 wasted (ahem, spent) on Suzuka, and no more Honoka and Ayano….(and the now-mature Miho)……sobz. (Shall remember those nostalgic days as I shed manly tears…)
At least a decent (if a little overly fairytale-like) ending for a series that never seemed to end (in my opinion). New girls, new plot, with Suzuka-Yamato relationship still stuck in the middle of nowhere, and a poorer me. Now, onto Kodomo no Jikan manga!!!
P.S. Anyone can find KnJ manga in Singapore? Kinokuniya bans KnJ from being brought into Singapore, so FORGET about trying to order from them.
9 ninghua 5 comments Sep 27th, 2007 at 10:28 am

In a way, it was a good and bad way to go. Proves that RUIVA is not just about mainstream, latest anime.

I kinda gave up when it hit chapter 155. When Suzuka announced that she was pregnant. Up to then I tolerated the eechiness of the series, if only for the story. But after that, I gave it up once and for all. I locked myself in my room. It was too closely mirroring real life. I watch anime and read manga to escape from real life, not to see if reflected.

I do miss Honoka-chan through. Personally Yamato was the world’s biggest idiot for leaving her. The world would beat a path to her door, and she’d turn us down.

In retrospect, it was not the best way to end, but it was the best given the circumstances of the story line. The frequency of a on-off relationship between Yakato and Suzuka would put any Hollywood star to shame. I’ll miss you, Hashiba.
10 AsouKai 85 comments Sep 28th, 2007 at 10:47 pm

kokanaden you ass, stick to your blue-haired Suzuka. Hashiba is so much hotter; I TOLD YOU SO.

What a convenient way to end the manga since there aren’t anymore fresh ideas. Pweh.

Should’ve ended sooner.
11 tony 1 comment May 8th, 2008 at 2:40 pm

its very jologs
12 ecstasy 1 comment May 20th, 2008 at 10:29 am

i wish that there will be more chapters PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
13 Tsubaki 518 comments May 20th, 2008 at 11:51 am

OH FUCK LA I TIO SPOILT.

1 [Hynavian] Claymore Extra Scenes Review at Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts Pingback on Oct 12th, 2007 at 3:18 am

Do not use any < and > for your own sake. It will end the comment there and then. Also, there is an automatic IQ filter which weeds out comments made by those who accidentally got transported from the stone age.

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