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Suzuka (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
written and illustrated by Kouji Seo
. The series is a character-driven romance story that uses the athletics of track and field
as a subplot. The story primarily follows the life of the teenager Yamato Akitsuki, who moved to Tokyo to change himself, and his main love interest Suzuka Asahina, a talented and highly scouted
high jumper who lives in Yamato's aunt's dormitory and attends his new high school.
Suzuka was serialized in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine
published by Kodansha
. It was adapted into a twenty-six episode anime
series and aired on TV Tokyo
in Japan between 6 July 2005 and 28 December 2005. Both versions of the series have been licensed for release in North America by two different companies. The manga has been licensed for publication by Del Rey Manga
under their mature line. The anime series has been licensed and is being released by FUNimation Entertainment
.
Suzuka has also made the transition into other media. A twenty-six episode anime directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi
and co-produced by Studio Comet
and Marvelous Entertainment ran from July through December 2005. The anime was later translated into English and released on DVD
by Funimation Entertainment
. Two light novel
s written by Ayuna Fujisaki based on the series have also been released. A related series, Kimi no iru machi (A Town Where You Live), has been running in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since June 2008.
moving to the big city of Tokyo, and his new next-door neighbor, Suzuka Asahina, a skilled high jump
er. Yamoto falls in love with Suzuka and pursuing a relationship with her he joins the track and field
team hoping to impress her. After joining, Yamoto discovers that he has the potential to become a top hundred-meter sprinter
.
Suzuka's character-driven plot predominantly makes use of dramatic structure
to facilitate character development. Characterization is further achieved through the use of character back-story
. The story in general employs a realistic
tone, but occasionally uses surreal humour
. Some events covered in the story are: track competitions, vacations, culture festivals
, and outings to a Karaoke Box
and a theme park. The manga and anime follow the same storyline, though there are minor differences. One of these changes is that the nude scenes are less graphic in the anime than the manga. Another disparity is the hair color of some of the characters such as the character Miki, who is depicted as having bright red hair on the covers of the manga, but is portrayed with red-brown hair in the anime.
of the series, has moved from his home in the Hiroshima Prefecture to stay at his aunt's dormitory in Tokyo. Yamato falls in love with his new next-door neighbor, Suzuka Asahina, a girl from Yokohama
who was scouted by a local high school because of her high jump athletic ability. While the main female lead remains Suzuka throughout the series, Yamoto later meets several other girls: Honoka Sakurai, a girl whose family caretakes a local Shinto shrine, Miki Hashiba, a sprinter and friend of Suzuka, and others. Yamato also develops a friendship with Yasunobu Hattori, a perverted young man who dreams about polygamy
and often gives relationship advice to Yamato.
first appeared as an initial one shot in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine
, published by Kodansha
, during December 2003.It was first serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine on 3 March 2004 and was completed on 21 September 2007, with one hundred sixty-six chapters in total. The chapters were compiled in eighteen bound volumes
by Kodansha, with each volume being released roughly quarterly. These volumes often include character profiles or extra stories. Suzuka has been licensed for North American publication by Del Rey
, becoming the publisher's first sports manga and second title to be added under its mature line, the first being the manga Basilisk. Fifteen volumes have been released in English with the first volume released on 29 August 2006 and the last, a 592 page collection containing volumes 13, 14 and 15, released in North America on August 31, 2010.
announced through their website that Suzuka was being adapted into an anime. The animated TV series was directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi
and was co-produced by Studio Comet
and Marvelous Entertainment. The twenty-six half-hour episode series originally aired weekly on TV Tokyo
in Japan on Wednesdays running from 6 July 2005 to 28 December 2005. The anime follows relatively close to the first seventy-two chapters of the manga, but certain changes were made to accommodate viewing for minors
: The hole in the wall between the rooms of Suzuka and Yamato does not exist,Yamato also sees Suzuka for the first time outside, instead of inside the school gym, and many scenes were removed or subdued such as those in the bath house
. In addition, a fight song
for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
baseball team Soreyuke Carp (それ行けカープ, lit. Go Go Carp) is included in the anime and soundtrack, but cuts off before the 4th stanza
because of a reference to Japanese sake.
The anime was dubbed
in Tagalog and broadcast by the Philippine station Hero starting on 3 December 2006. The anime series has been licensed for North America by FUNimation
, and released with the tagline
"Love is not a Spectator Sport". Their first DVD was released on 12 June 2007.
and theme songs, was composed by Takumi Masanori and POM. The vocals for the opening and ending songs were provided by COACH☆. Except for one member of the group COACH☆, all worked as a voice actor
for one of the series' characters. For the North American release, FUNimation had the opening and ending songs re-written and performed in English by Kristine Sa
. In 2005, three Suzuka soundtrack albums were released in Japan through King Records.
was published by Kodansha
under its "KC Novel" label. It contained three short stories
written by Ayuna Fujisaki with illustrations done by the series creator, Kouji Seo
.
, Maison Ikkoku
, and Kimagure Orange Road
since, early on, it used similar plot structure and plot device
s. These comparisons became less frequent as the story developed. According to Kouji Seo, Suzuka was to be a romance story from the beginning, and he had no intention of creating a harem manga. Since the North American version is uncensored, this caused the manga to be rated "Mature" and sold in shrink wrap
. Despite the amount of fan service
, the manga does not focus on that element. Kouji Seo pays attention to detail which can be seen in the clothing that gives off the sensation they are made out of different material along with the reflections in the windows during the nighttime. This detail can also be seen in his characters as they all have complex personalities that make them interesting and have substance. Overall the reception of the manga has been positive.
The anime has been described as having "all the trappings of a standard high school romantic comedy", but lacks the spirit and craftsmanship of the manga. Since the anime is a close adaptation from the manga, the criticisms of the plot are the same of it being described as generic. The anime sells "...themselves solely on the merits of character development". One effect of this character development is that some viewers will find the title character
and the male lead unlikable, with complaints of lack of sympathy
for both characters. The animation is considered to be ordinary with some scenes that have timing problems, look awkward, or have objects that seem oversized. The voice actors performances are considered to be mundane and sound rather flat, in both Japanese and English languages. Viewers with sensitive hearing might also pick up on the switches between mono
and stereo
audio in the different episodes. The sports scenes are poorly animated, and the best animated scenes include night-time scenes. Overall the reception of the anime so far has been mixed.
The response to the soundtrack for the anime is somewhat mixed. Most find the music respectable, but some may detest it when it tries to be funny. The opening and ending songs that were re-written and performed in English made the songs fairly close approximations of the originals and worked out better than one might imagine, but others still prefer the Japanese versions.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Kouji Seo
Kouji Seo
is a Japanese manga creator. He debuted in 1996 with the one-shot "Half & Half" in Fresh magazine. His two hits, Suzuka and Cross Over, both mixed the genres of sports with high school romance. Suzuka focused on track and field while Cross Over used basketball...
. The series is a character-driven romance story that uses the athletics of track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
as a subplot. The story primarily follows the life of the teenager Yamato Akitsuki, who moved to Tokyo to change himself, and his main love interest Suzuka Asahina, a talented and highly scouted
Scout (sport)
In professional sports, scouts are trained talent evaluators who travel extensively for the purposes of watching athletes play their chosen sports and determining whether their set of skills and talents represent what is needed by the scout's organization...
high jumper who lives in Yamato's aunt's dormitory and attends his new high school.
Suzuka was serialized in the Japanese magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Weekly Shonen Magazine
, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...
published by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
. It was adapted into a twenty-six episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series and aired on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
in Japan between 6 July 2005 and 28 December 2005. Both versions of the series have been licensed for release in North America by two different companies. The manga has been licensed for publication by Del Rey Manga
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
under their mature line. The anime series has been licensed and is being released by FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
.
Suzuka has also made the transition into other media. A twenty-six episode anime directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi
Hiroshi Fukutomi
is an anime director born July 25, 1950 in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. After leaving Tokyo Designer Gakuin in the middle of his studies, he joined A Production...
and co-produced by Studio Comet
Studio Comet
is an animation studio based in Tokyo, Japan. It was established January 21, 1986.-Notable staff:*Hiroshi Kanazawa *Kazuo Harada *Shin Misawa...
and Marvelous Entertainment ran from July through December 2005. The anime was later translated into English and released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
. Two light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s written by Ayuna Fujisaki based on the series have also been released. A related series, Kimi no iru machi (A Town Where You Live), has been running in Weekly Shōnen Magazine since June 2008.
Plot
Suzuka is a sports-themed romance comedy that intertwines the pursuit of love and athletics. The story is based around Yamato Akitsuki, a young man from rural Hiroshima PrefectureHiroshima Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Hiroshima.- History :The area around Hiroshima was formerly divided into Bingo Province and Aki Province. This location has been a center of trade and culture since the beginning of Japan's recorded...
moving to the big city of Tokyo, and his new next-door neighbor, Suzuka Asahina, a skilled high jump
High jump
The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
er. Yamoto falls in love with Suzuka and pursuing a relationship with her he joins the track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
team hoping to impress her. After joining, Yamoto discovers that he has the potential to become a top hundred-meter sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
.
Suzuka's character-driven plot predominantly makes use of dramatic structure
Dramatic structure
Dramatic structure is the structure of a dramatic work such as a play or film. Many scholars have analyzed dramatic structure, beginning with Aristotle in his Poetics...
to facilitate character development. Characterization is further achieved through the use of character back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
. The story in general employs a realistic
Verisimilitude (literature)
Verisimilitude, with the meaning "of being true or real" is a likeness or resemblance of the truth, reality or a fact's probability. It comes from Latin verum meaning truth and similis meaning similar.-Original roots:...
tone, but occasionally uses surreal humour
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
. Some events covered in the story are: track competitions, vacations, culture festivals
Japanese Cultural Festival
The is an annual event held by most schools in Japan, from Nursery schools to universities at which their students display their everyday achievements. People who want to enter the school themselves or who are interested in the school may come to see what the schoolwork and atmosphere are like...
, and outings to a Karaoke Box
Karaoke Box
A is a common type of karaoke establishment commonly found in Japan. Karaoke boxes consist of multiple rooms containing karaoke equipment, usually rented out for time periods. A typical karaoke box establishment contains 10-20 such rooms as well as a main karaoke bar area in the front...
and a theme park. The manga and anime follow the same storyline, though there are minor differences. One of these changes is that the nude scenes are less graphic in the anime than the manga. Another disparity is the hair color of some of the characters such as the character Miki, who is depicted as having bright red hair on the covers of the manga, but is portrayed with red-brown hair in the anime.
Characters
Yamato Akitsuki, the main protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
of the series, has moved from his home in the Hiroshima Prefecture to stay at his aunt's dormitory in Tokyo. Yamato falls in love with his new next-door neighbor, Suzuka Asahina, a girl from Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
who was scouted by a local high school because of her high jump athletic ability. While the main female lead remains Suzuka throughout the series, Yamoto later meets several other girls: Honoka Sakurai, a girl whose family caretakes a local Shinto shrine, Miki Hashiba, a sprinter and friend of Suzuka, and others. Yamato also develops a friendship with Yasunobu Hattori, a perverted young man who dreams about polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
and often gives relationship advice to Yamato.
Manga
The Suzuka mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
first appeared as an initial one shot in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Weekly Shonen Magazine
, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...
, published by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
, during December 2003.It was first serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine on 3 March 2004 and was completed on 21 September 2007, with one hundred sixty-six chapters in total. The chapters were compiled in eighteen bound volumes
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Kodansha, with each volume being released roughly quarterly. These volumes often include character profiles or extra stories. Suzuka has been licensed for North American publication by Del Rey
Del Rey Manga
was the manga-publishing imprint of Del Rey Books, a branch of Ballantine Books, which in turn is part of Random House, the publishing division of Bertelsmann. It was formed as part of a cross-publishing relationship with Japanese publisher Kodansha. Some of the Del Rey titles, such as Tsubasa...
, becoming the publisher's first sports manga and second title to be added under its mature line, the first being the manga Basilisk. Fifteen volumes have been released in English with the first volume released on 29 August 2006 and the last, a 592 page collection containing volumes 13, 14 and 15, released in North America on August 31, 2010.
Anime
In April 2005, Weekly Shōnen MagazineWeekly Shonen Magazine
, also known as Shōnen Magazine, is a shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha, first published on 17 March 1959. Despite some unusual censorship policies , it's mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the male high school or college...
announced through their website that Suzuka was being adapted into an anime. The animated TV series was directed by Hiroshi Fukutomi
Hiroshi Fukutomi
is an anime director born July 25, 1950 in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. After leaving Tokyo Designer Gakuin in the middle of his studies, he joined A Production...
and was co-produced by Studio Comet
Studio Comet
is an animation studio based in Tokyo, Japan. It was established January 21, 1986.-Notable staff:*Hiroshi Kanazawa *Kazuo Harada *Shin Misawa...
and Marvelous Entertainment. The twenty-six half-hour episode series originally aired weekly on TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
in Japan on Wednesdays running from 6 July 2005 to 28 December 2005. The anime follows relatively close to the first seventy-two chapters of the manga, but certain changes were made to accommodate viewing for minors
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
: The hole in the wall between the rooms of Suzuka and Yamato does not exist,Yamato also sees Suzuka for the first time outside, instead of inside the school gym, and many scenes were removed or subdued such as those in the bath house
Sento
is a type of Japanese communal bath house where customers pay for entrance. Traditionally these bath houses have been quite utilitarian, with one large room separating the sexes by a tall barrier, and on both sides, usually a minimum of lined up faucets and a single large bath for the already...
. In addition, a fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp
Hiroshima Toyo Carp
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Central League. The team is primarily owned by the Matsuda family, led by , who is a descendant of Mazda founder Jujiro Matsuda. Mazda is the largest single shareholder , which is less than the portion owned by the Matsuda family . Because of that,...
baseball team Soreyuke Carp (それ行けカープ, lit. Go Go Carp) is included in the anime and soundtrack, but cuts off before the 4th stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
because of a reference to Japanese sake.
The anime was dubbed
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
in Tagalog and broadcast by the Philippine station Hero starting on 3 December 2006. The anime series has been licensed for North America by FUNimation
FUNimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
, and released with the tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
"Love is not a Spectator Sport". Their first DVD was released on 12 June 2007.
Music
The anime's music, including the background musicBackground music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
and theme songs, was composed by Takumi Masanori and POM. The vocals for the opening and ending songs were provided by COACH☆. Except for one member of the group COACH☆, all worked as a voice actor
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
for one of the series' characters. For the North American release, FUNimation had the opening and ending songs re-written and performed in English by Kristine Sa
Kristine Sa
Kristine Sa is a Vietnamese American singer/songwriter as well as a television producer and host. Her career began with music in 2000, and has gone on to include a wide range of mediums.-Career:...
. In 2005, three Suzuka soundtrack albums were released in Japan through King Records.
Light novel
On 17 May 2007, a Suzuka light novelLight novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
was published by Kodansha
Kodansha
, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
under its "KC Novel" label. It contained three short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by Ayuna Fujisaki with illustrations done by the series creator, Kouji Seo
Kouji Seo
is a Japanese manga creator. He debuted in 1996 with the one-shot "Half & Half" in Fresh magazine. His two hits, Suzuka and Cross Over, both mixed the genres of sports with high school romance. Suzuka focused on track and field while Cross Over used basketball...
.
Reception
Suzuka has been compared to other manga such as Love HinaLove Hina
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha from October 21, 1998 to October 31, 2001 and was published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series tells the story of Keitaro Urashima and his attempts to...
, Maison Ikkoku
Maison Ikkoku
is a Japanese seinen manga written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi and serialized in the manga magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1980 through 1987. Maison Ikkoku is a bitter-sweet comedic romance involving a group of madcap people who live in a boarding house in 1980s Tokyo...
, and Kimagure Orange Road
Kimagure Orange Road
, usually abbreviated as KOR, is a popular shōnen romantic comedy manga and anime series from the 1980s.Written by Izumi Matsumoto and serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump, it was later adapted into an anime series broadcast on Nippon Television, animated by Studio Pierrot and directed by...
since, early on, it used similar plot structure and plot device
Plot device
A plot device is an object or character in a story whose sole purpose is to advance the plot of the story, or alternatively to overcome some difficulty in the plot....
s. These comparisons became less frequent as the story developed. According to Kouji Seo, Suzuka was to be a romance story from the beginning, and he had no intention of creating a harem manga. Since the North American version is uncensored, this caused the manga to be rated "Mature" and sold in shrink wrap
Shrink wrap
Shrink wrap, also shrinkwrap or shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a hand held heat gun or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor.-Composition:The...
. Despite the amount of fan service
Fan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
, the manga does not focus on that element. Kouji Seo pays attention to detail which can be seen in the clothing that gives off the sensation they are made out of different material along with the reflections in the windows during the nighttime. This detail can also be seen in his characters as they all have complex personalities that make them interesting and have substance. Overall the reception of the manga has been positive.
The anime has been described as having "all the trappings of a standard high school romantic comedy", but lacks the spirit and craftsmanship of the manga. Since the anime is a close adaptation from the manga, the criticisms of the plot are the same of it being described as generic. The anime sells "...themselves solely on the merits of character development". One effect of this character development is that some viewers will find the title character
Title role
The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in Aida, Giselle, Michael Collins or Othello. The actor, singer or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the title role....
and the male lead unlikable, with complaints of lack of sympathy
Sympathy
Sympathy is a social affinity in which one person stands with another person, closely understanding his or her feelings. Also known as empathic concern, it is the feeling of compassion or concern for another, the wish to see them better off or happier. Although empathy and sympathy are often used...
for both characters. The animation is considered to be ordinary with some scenes that have timing problems, look awkward, or have objects that seem oversized. The voice actors performances are considered to be mundane and sound rather flat, in both Japanese and English languages. Viewers with sensitive hearing might also pick up on the switches between mono
Monaural
Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or channels are fed from a common signal path...
and stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
audio in the different episodes. The sports scenes are poorly animated, and the best animated scenes include night-time scenes. Overall the reception of the anime so far has been mixed.
The response to the soundtrack for the anime is somewhat mixed. Most find the music respectable, but some may detest it when it tries to be funny. The opening and ending songs that were re-written and performed in English made the songs fairly close approximations of the originals and worked out better than one might imagine, but others still prefer the Japanese versions.