Ranked #174

SaiKano (Manga)

Let me start by saying I consider Saikano to be the best manga I have ever read. A nearly perfect blend of seinen and shoujo, sci-fi and drama, I picked Saikano up on a whim with fairly low expectations and was honestly consistantly stunned by its quality.

Story 10: Most of the negative reviews I've read of Saikano seem to revolve around this category. Saikano is a war drama, it is a sci-fi, but by far its focus is romance. And this is where it really succeeds. Rarely do you see a true romance epic, but I cannot think of a better term for Saikano. From the summary I was worried this was just another "Magical Girlfriend manga", but in a similar way that Evangelion isn't just a mecha anime, Saikano really surpasses all of the standard cliches and stereotypes.

Art 9: Personally, I really love Takahashi's art style, but I can see how it could not be some people's thing. (If you liked the art in the FLCL manga, chances are you'll like it). Specific to this series however, I would like to applaud him for two things. Chise's weaponry is not only fascinating and more than slightly disturbing, it is also very visually appealing. Also, the sex scenes were tasteful, romantic, and never seemed gratuitous, all of which seem to be rare qualities for a series that includes several.

Character 10: This is definately where Saikano exceeds other great works of the genre; with a normal grasp of character Saikano would be fairly similar to shows such as "This Ugly Yet Beautiful World". But Saikano's characters are almost unarguably (and increasingly) realistic, sometimes painfully so. They don't beg us to like them; they aren't flawed to make them interesting characters. They are all real people, examined more honestly than most people ever get to see more than a handful of people.

Enjoyment 10: I cried at some point during each volume of this series. Saikano is SAD. I'm not even sure what to say beyond that. I think it really speaks for itself; go into Saikano with an open heart and I promise you you'll feel something.

Overall 10: Saikano is an ultimate underappretiated work, matching and at points exceeding much of the medium's finest works. If you are looking for a mature, heart-rending love story, I really don't think you'll be disappointed.

Good if you like... romance especially tragic romance; immaculately detailed plots and characterization; stories with a slow, thoughtful pace; Apocalypse stories; humor used to highten tragedy; slice-of-life school dramas; flawlessly imployed literary techniques (especially symbolism and foreshadowing). read more

Saikano (Saishu heiki Kanojo) is an outstanding story of love, hope, war, despair, and companionship that takes places in a post-modern era. With a divine mix of modern realism and futuristic science fiction, Shin Takahashi brings a fanscinating world that envelopes the characters of the story with both light and dark elements.

Following the romantic relationship between Shuji and Chise, Saikano's story of a love-time story shows the complications of being apart when togetherness is the most important key of survival. While a bulk of the story is a sci-fi war story, the real focus lies on the struggles Shuji and Chise overcome to realise their love.

The artwork in Saikano contains a unique texture that embodies the characters with their background surroundings. The constant appearance of "blush" on all the characters gives off a sense of emotion while facial expressions serve strong to set a mood. Sharp and soft at the same time, the physical appear of Takahashi's work is one that is well suited to this type of story.

The characters are all prime in their sense of reality. Every character is well aware of the world around them and they work well in their situations. The lack of last names was included by Takahashi to allow readers to develop a sense of companionship with the characters. With every character developing equally through the times of struggle and depression, the reader can come to relations with at one character during the progression of the story. Even secondary characters are given great attention to show their place in the story, no matter how small it may be.

The manga itself is an excellent composition of a superb love story, great artwork, and outstanding character development. From the initial romance to the climactic conclusion, readers will never find a dull moment with the manga. This seven volume series is a must-have for fans of romance or sci-fi drama.

Readers should be warned of the graphic sexual content of the final volume. While attributing greatly to the story, it may be unsuitable for younger readers. read more