Fuuka

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I can't tell you why I read this far. Here's how I imagine this series got created.

Author: What's the most formulaic way to make a popular manga. Let's take another androgynous lead and make a bunch of archetypical girls to form his harem! Wait we need another hook. Screw it, throw in some music and talk about climbing to the heavens or some bullshit. Wait we need Drama and angst! Let's kill off a character early in! That'll show that I'm edgy and anything can happen.

Seriously the art isn't anything special and is filled with fan service to keep 13 year old boys happy. ... The storyline is poor with only a few real twists and mostly focuses on the girls falling for this one moronic lead (who sucks but more on that in a sec). Now my real gripe with this story, The Characters.

If you aren't into the harem Genre this will have nothing for you. The characters don't really have any depths to them besides the superficial amount they mean to the main character. All of the girls in the series have one or two main characteristics and, shockingly, are in love with the MC. The few guys in the series are the same thing minus the loving the MC.
The one that really cements this for me is the Main Character. He is cheesy, wimpy, and a bit annoying. Now he turns out to be a giant hypocrite. I don't know why I was even a little surprised. SPOILER warning: I don't know how the hell an author could kill off the main character's girlfriend then bring in a girl that could be her clone in as the true love interest WITH THE SAME NAME as the former girlfriend. It is seriously like he was trying to troll his readers. Guess what, you succeeded and I hate you for it.

TLDR: If it looks like poop and smells like poop, its poop.

I'm a fan of shoujo. Some of my favorite animes are Kimi Ni Todoke and Ao Haru Ride. But I have to agree with the reviewer Legendzerox that this work is "abysmal", mainly because it has ZERO buildup. The pacing is extremely fast and doesn't leave you any time to get excited and full of expectation for their romance. Furthermore it's very liberal with using classic tropes from anime/manga that everyone has seen a thousand times, which get irritating very quickly and scream unoriginality.

Let me lay down some examples:

- The Main Characters (MCs) meet when the girl (Fuuka) bumps into the guy (Yuu), and calls ... him a perv when he sees her panties, even though it wasn't his fault. Originality level: 0

- At the end of the very first chapter, Yuu comments about Fuuka: "She's a weirdo who *never* listens to *people*, she's violent, and she *always* misunderstands the situation" (asterisks are mine for highlighting).
Really? You've known her for literally five minutes and you can already draw conclusions about the stuff she ALWAYS and NEVER does with PEOPLE? This line was absurd in so many ways that I facepalmed. Had to restrain myself from dropping the manga right there.

- Also at the end of the very first chapter, he says about Fuuka: "Even right now, it feels like some great force is pulling me in. Into the hot wind that envelops her". This was so corny that, again, I had to restrain myself not to drop. This stuff would be acceptable some chapters later, but not on the first.

- Hot guy hits on Fuuka, Yuu gets jealous, then we find out the hot guy is gay... wow, so original!

- Love rival appears on the *second* chapter. Oh, and she's also Yuu's childhood friend. 'Nuff said.

This story had potential, but it's so poorly executed that it eventually became too painful to go on. I dropped it on the 10th chapter. Its only reedeming factor is its clever use of the Yuu's obsession with Twitter and his cellphone. Yuu's thoughts regarding Twitter and the social comment thety provided were quite interesting.

*SPOILERS!!*


Okay, so I was super hyped hearing about the Fuuka anime and loved the synopsis so I checked out the manga. I'm going to say this right now: I put this manga on hold and possible, and probably, will drop it. I found out about the manga through the anime and I am SO disappointed.

Characters:
Fuuka had the potential to be fantastic, but it went downhill, and extremely fast. The character Fuuka was one of my favorite characters I've seen in a while. She was cute, fun, really nice, and overall a good character. She didn't have much development though. There was practically NO development for ... any of the characters in this show at all, aside from the Yuu and Koyuki past stuff, which i cant even consider development. It was just another aspect to add to the unnecessary drama in this manga and soon to be show. Just saying this again, but I haven't completely finished this manga, so please don't bash me.

Execution ( I added this bc why not ):
This manga could've been a fantastic music anime, which I love a good music anime from time to time, but instead it turned into extreme unnecessary drama without any substance. There was just intense overdone scenes every chapter and the scenes weren't executed properly. The way most scenes were executed were just abysmal, being as they all felt rushed and surprising, but not in the good way. *SPOILER* An example of this is the most ridiculous scene I have seen in a long time. Fuuka, the main character, drops her charm in a crosswalk during a stoplight. She goes back to pick up her charm, and a the light turns green. This truck then proceeds to go at 30 mph to hit Fuuka who was obviously there beforehand. There is no way I believe this truck would just "Full Speed Ahead," while a schoolgirl is standing in the way. I understand main characters CAN die, and I'm 100% fine with that, I've seen it before. I'd be completely fine with it, but the way they killed her off felt so rushed and out of place. Her funeral was rushed, every scene I read in that manga, from what I've read thus far, most things were out of place and it made this less enjoyable. It was absolutely absurd. This manga was just extra drama when it could've been a sweet and light-hearted music anime with it's own twists.

Story:
Fuuka started off strong with so much potential, and as I've said multiple times, went so far downhill there was no saving it. It was strong but it turned into "OMG I love him now im sad:(," and "My girlfriend is dead," and "OMG love triangle !!!" What was the whole point? It could've been a dram that would've been enjoyable. I could've respected it. I felt like I was reading a poorly scripted soap opera. I know they carry on the band in Fuuka's honor, but it was just poorly executed like most scenes in the manga. I was disappointed so much because I love my music animes.

Art:
Art-wise, depending on a person's taste, could be good or bad. Personally I really liked the art in the Fuuka manga. I thought the art was nicely executed and seemed really clean and professional, which can be a nice breather. I thought each character fully came to life through the art and how the manga was drawn. This was probably the only this about this manga I was truly happy and satisfied with about this manga. I don't have much else to say about the art, as discussing art and explaining it's beauty isn't exactly my forte.

Enjoyment:
I was really enjoying Fuuka in the beginning when I first started reading. I was enthralled and couldn't wait to read the next chapter. It would be the next thing I did. I would immediately go to the following chapter and be hyped to read it. Later on, I was just hesitant. I didn't want to see what unnecessary drama was next. I didn't want to keep reading. I put this manga on hold for now, because I think there's better stuff I could be doing/reading/watching instead of the Fuuka manga. I eventually only read one chapter a day, then a week, and just got bored of the extra drama andpoor pacing and just most elements of the show. I gave enjoyment a 5 because when I was reading the beginning, I was truly enjoying reading the manga. I've only gotten through 50 chapters, so many may not trust this review or not feel the same way, but this is what I think. I enjoyed half or so of what I read, but not the whole thing. After Fuuka died, I felt something missing. I know it seems unnecessary to say that and some or most of you guys will disagree, but I really felt for Fuuka and enjoyed her. Something was missing to me. That's my opinion of course, so you don't have to abide by that.

Overall:
Overall, Fuuka was decent. A four. I'm pretty sure what I said above was a pretty good explanation of why, but I just felt Fuuka wasn't that fantastic as most people are raving it to be. Fuuka was mediocre at best. Maybe fair if your really crave that drama and if you just so happen to win the lotto. Fuuka didn't have what it took, and there are so many other manga you could spend your time reading.

Sorry this review was so long! Nobody will probably read this whole thing anyways heheh... I just get passionate about this stuff sometimes oops. Anyways if you're a human being and bothered to read this review, thank you! I appreciate you for putting up with this review, because it probably took a while to read. Once again, sorry for the length, but once again, THANK YOU for reading my review and I hope someone or anyone found this review helpful at all.

-s <3

----------------------------------------WARNING------------------------------------
---------------------------This is more of a Rant than a Review-------------------

Three times I have read Seo Kouji's work, and three times I have been disappointed. I originally read Kimi no Iru Machi upon a recommendation by a friend. I was cringing halfway through at the sheer stupidity of the story and how unrealistic the main characters were. So I dropped it. I later stumbled across Fuuka, not even realizing it was written by the same author until I had long dropped it. I will be discussing Fuuka in a moment. Finally, I decided I should give Fuuka another chance. So to prep myself, I read Suzuka for ... the first time: and HOOO BOY that was a shitshow. An unrealistic and unlikable main heroine, and comedy that is only funny after my 10th Budweiser. But this review is not about Suzuka or KnIM, it's about the monstrosity that is Fuuka, so here goes.

Fuuka is a plain, run-of-the-mill love story that takes place in a modern time, with no supernatural elements. It actually starts off pretty enjoyable with quite good art and decently done comedy. The romance doesn't feel forced liked of Kouji's other work, and I felt like I might enjoy this series. And then I was wrong. There is a major event that completely shifts the tone of the story, and I do not believe it was for the better. (Anyone who has read it will know what it is.) The story turns from a fun, coming-of-age romance to a brooding, melodramatic mess. So with the plot and characters becoming useless, what is left? Well, the art is pretty good, especially in the music performances. One major issue I had with the visual experience, however, is the almost random and completely ridiculously timed fanservice. There will be a panty shot in a dramatic scene; or a down-the-shirt shot of someone who is crying and depressed. It's almost tasteless.

I could go on and on about how bad Fuuka is, but to be honest, out of the three Kouji manga I've read, it's the best (though that's not saying much). However, I cannot recommend Fuuka to anyone except diehard Suzuka/Kimi no Iru Machi fans. Go read something else instead.

Alright, that's it from me, have a good one guys, and I got nothing against anyone who likes Fuuka, so don't be a flamer. See ya.

Seo Kouji did pretty good at his previous series Suzuka. Fuuka can be considered the consequence. After reading Fuuka, this is my review:

Story: 2/10.
Honestly, compare to Suzuka, this one boring. The plot seems off and doesnt lead the reader to anywhere. Somehow, i feel like Seo Kouji make this manga in half-ass way. Plus, the death of Fuuka seems too bland.

Art: 7/10
Talking about his art, i support there is nothing much to say.

Character:5/10
The only thing that keeps me interest is the old Fuuka not the new one. The dead Fuuka have interesting personality and that what keep me until she dead. The new one ... doesnt show much of personality or i should say her personality doesnt have any things to be mentioned.

Enjoyment:2/10
The series did well at the start but after the death of Fuuka, it starting to become boring and boring. If Seo Kouji intend to make a good romance manga then focus on it instead of just making it too long and bland.

Overall:2/10
I would recommend you to read this one until the death of Fuuka. After that, you will see the manga lacks of its own spirit. The plot become bland, character doesn have much strong point in their personalities. Seo Kouji doesnt focus much on how to make plot twisted in best way.

** To explain properly i might need to go into a little bit of spoilers. Although, for this manga you might just want to deal with the spoilers in this review so that you won't have to waste time reading it.

My context -
First of all, i started the series with anime. I instantly loved anime and i jumped right over to read manga. It was painful to read after some chapters.

Review according to aspects -
Story - 2
I have to say the story started off great. It gave off the vibe of all the great music anime that aired recently. It was blatant about ... where it was headed with the fuuka and koyuki angle, which I was okay with. In fact, it was like other manga with "childhood friend who is popular" angle and it was well executed as well. The story was well paced and it felt like it progressed well. Then why i gave it a low score? Because things turned sour pretty quickly. It started around episode 33 ish where readers will know what happened. At the time it felt so wrong and forced but i thought that it was probably a necessary predicament for the protagonist to aim higher. But the story gets so boring and so bland. After that chapter i found myself cringing and trying to step away but the first few chapters had me hoping something like that would come up. And it actually did for a few chapters when the manga stopped trying to focus on the ill scripted love triangle and instead just focused on the music aspect. The fact that they introduced the "really similar but not same" missing character was so frustrating to watch. And this happened twice!! (trying to avoid spoilers)

Art - 9
The only thing that i enjoyed throughout was the art. It was a 10/10 but sometimes it was hard for me to tell characters apart so i gave it a 9.

Character - 5
This one is tricky. There are times when the characters all feel genuine and there are times when they are just dreadful. This is best reflected by the character development of koyuki. She was a "childhood friend who is a love interest" at the beginning and in the manga/anime world that is the worst position to find yourself in. I was rooting for her from the beginning but i had accepted that she'd never get yuu. However, her character was strong and she used to inspire yuu to get better and vice versa. How she got to "i will make you fall for me" to "i don't care if you don't love me, just go out with me" is beyond me. Same thing happened with almost all characters. These music loving, passionate and strong female characters all became a fanservice bait which is just sad to watch.

Enjoyment - 2
To be honest, i did enjoy the first part of the series leading up to the event. But not much unlike how deathnote transitioned after the death of L, fuuka went from great to hard-to-watch as the events felt forced and underdeveloped. They played the 'coincidence' game way too much.

Overall the manga is a good music manga with loads of bad drama, underdeveloped romance and out of context fan service (i guess being ecchi justifies it though). I don't know if anyone could enjoy this except for the artwork which clearly took a lot of effort. If the story aspects were worked on as much we'd probably have a masterpiece.