Customer Reviews

Saikano - Girlfriend (Vol. 1)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I first saw this series as a fansub a while back and was surprised when I heard it was coming to the states. Saikano (or "My Girlfriend the Ultimate Weapon/She the Ultimate Weapon," depending on how you translate the Kanji), may be dismissed by some as just a war story. While that is a part of it, it certainly isn't the whole story. The bread and butter of the story is the relationship between Shuji and Chise as the War goes on and Chise continues to evolve as a weapon.
The highlight I enjoyed the most out of this was the emotion behind the characters and the story. Saikano will make you laugh, wince in pain or surprise, and cry, yes, cry.
The English release is fairly noteworthy, there is an extra disc with commentary and documetaries about Saikano, which are fairly interesting. The Japanese language track is very well done and emotional, the English track, while actually fairly decent compared to most animes, just doesn't seem to match the Japanese track emotionally. Chise's voice actor fits the character pretty well, but Shuji's English actor is a little dry on some lines.
Overall, Saikano is a must for any anime fan. The story is good, and the emotion and feelings you feel from watching this anime will last for a long time. It is one anime you will not be dissapointed with in buying.

They say that all is fair in love and war, but when the two meet head on, that is the unfairest of them all. Like Grave of the Fireflies, Saikano is a war story presented with two dimensions. On one hand you have the harsh, grim reality of war, on the other the wistful idealism of love and romance. Shuuji and Chise are high school seniors, although Chise is quite short of stature and appears to be younger, like 12 or 13, but this lends itself well to her character's cuteness. Shuuji, is quite tall and very adult looking, so he seems much older than Chise and together they seem like an unlikely couple. Sort of setup by a mutual friend, they soon discover that they like each other and fall in love.

However, Chise keeps hidden from everyone an awful secret about herself - that she also belongs to the military and can transform herself into a powerful weapon of mass destruction. In that form she is oddly similar to the Peacemakers in Scrapped Princess, but with far more versatility. At the end of the first episode Shuuji discovers this alternate reality of his kawaii little girlfriend, and then the struggle begins. It is a struggle for the two of them to love each other and for Shuuji and Chise to love themselves as individuals. It is a very powerful dramatic story, both Chise and Shuuji are very well developed characters, and I am particularly impressed with Shuuji. From my own experience, it's very rare to see the role of a male lover portrayed so beautifully in an anime series.

When I finished watching Saikano it was one of those things that just made me step back and say - wow! It's not very often that I'll describe something as breathtaking, but that's the only word that I can find that's fit to describe this anime. In the end, the message is so simple, so perfect, and it so perfectly ties together all of the seemingly loose ends - the war, the unseen enemy, the nature of Chise herself, and Shuuji's love for her, all of it comes together in a perfect conclusion. While I was watching this series, my intuition told me that Saikano would have a painfully sorrowful ending. However, I didn't see it that way. In fact the message that I got from it was quite the opposite. I won't spoil it for anyone by revealing what that message is.

Saikano is quite heavily emotional, and is definitely not light entertainment. But any person that understands their own feelings and has experienced real love in their own life will thoroughly enjoy this beautiful story. ^_^

This anime is extremely sad! (in fact, the version i watched had a disclaimer after a certain episode that read "If you want a happy ending, stop watching right now) and that wasn't an episode late in the series. But the emotions this anime brings out is what makes it amazing.

First of all, you MUST suspend your ideas about "space" that is, things FITTING inside something. Chisa, the main character, has been turned into a weapon by the army...at times even huge missiles fall from her back. But you have to let scenes like this go and not sit there thinking about the laws of physics. This is a story about love and war...and how the two affect each other...and about who wins, and, more importantly, who loses.

check it out

I am not going to say so much about the story, rather that its the most tragic and beautiful love story I have ever seen unfold. The bottom line with this anime is that its sad, realy sad. This series litteraly left me numb after watching it. It also contains the realities of war and a touch Sci-Fi with Chise being the Ultimate Weapon, a girl who only wishes to be a normal girl in love with her boyfriend.

This might not be the anime for you if you dont like love stories or tragedies, but if you like both than this story will definately leave a long lasting impression on you.

What would you do if your new girlfriend (who you don't know if you really love anyway) turned out to be the "Ultimate Weapon" and was the only thing standing between you and a foreign power destroying your city and killing millions of people? I know, that's a lot to take in, but that's exactly what happens when Shuji, a Japanese student, finds Chise, his girlfriend, after an air raid with metal wings sticking out of her back, and a nasty looking chain cannon for an arm. Of course, she can mold her form back to where she looks her normal clumsy self, but in times of danger she can become a killing machine. She's doing a good job, but as time progresses it seems she's becoming more weapon than human. Will their love be able to survive and will Chise even know what love is if she loses her humanity?

Saikano is really a unique series in that it takes a far-flung sci-fi concept and mixes it with realism and romance. If your girlfriend really was an "Ultimate Weapon", in real life Saikano is probably how your realtionship would progress, that is, if you didn't run away in a panic at the first get-go. There was a little too much crying and sentimentality in this first volume for me, but after all, it is a sad story, so I can forgive it. There is some humor in it, especially in the scenes at school, where Chise tries to keep up appearances. And I really liked the two main characters. They seemed genuine. I like the fact that we don't really know the cause of the war or who we are fighting. It just underlines the insanity of combat. Great show.

The second DVD contains a lot of extras which include interviews with the Japanese VAs that play Shuji and Chise, a Making of feature, and a series of short promotional videos hosted by a way too perky young lady who has to make very exaggerated hand motions as she gives you more info about Saikano. Also some TV commercials and character art.

This anime is very, very slow in the beginning, repeating the same theme over and over...however, if you can just relax and get past the first few episodes, you will be drawn into a story that will blow you away. Although Saikano is a war story, you don't even really see much action, it is mostly about the consequences and reactions of all different kinds of people. One thing you must know before venturing on this title, it is not for the weak of heart, or perhaps, it is just right for the weak of heart. If you enjoy letting out a good cry every once in a while, or if you can sit back and watch without getting emotional, watch it. If you are emotional, however, and don't like to watch sad anime, steer clear at all costs. In my own humble opinion, I enjoyed watching Saikano. It does make you think long after you've finished watching it.

Shy Chise and nervous Shuji are high school seniors who have just started dating. One day while visiting Sapporo, Shuji is caught in an air raid by an unknown foreign power. As he runs through the city streets avoiding falling bombs, a mysterious weapon appears and single-handedly wipes out the swarm of bombers.

The weapon? His girlfriend, Chise.

What do you do when your girlfriend becomes the ultimate weapon?

Discover how Chise and Shuji divert their focus of war, destruction and killing into love and strength.

The Saikano anime series by Gonzo Digimation, aired on Family Gekijo July 2, 2002, on CBC and continues to be broadcast throughout Japan. The manga was first published in Japan in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits from 1999-2001, selling over two million copies in Japan!

This is a super sad love story. I can't find my eyes dry while watching it. I still feel very sad about it after a week. (...)

Saishu Heiki Kanojo definitely qualifies as shojodo. But there are many layers to this 13-part series. As usual, I was most attracted to the character development in Saikano.

Watching Chise and Shuji try to maintain a relationship during wartime was enthralling. There is a sense of dread in each episode with an understanding everyone will die during the war, but the characters accept this and attempt to make the best of their time. Things like meat are cherished, and some of the usual rules a society get thrown out.(...)

This is the most sad anime series I have ever seen. I love the storyline and characters of this anime series. Not just the ending, the whole series is very SAD! Even though I am a guy, but I can't stop crying while watching this anime. I bought Asia Imported DVD for hecka cheap. That is because I can't wait the release of whole set in 2005. But I surely will buy the whole box set when it is released! This is worth to collect!!!

I highly recommend this anime to everyone, any gender and age.

These episodes are the saddest thing ive ever seen...it deals more with the characters than the fact that Chise is an ultimate weapon...so if ur looking for blood and gore ur outta luck...but it doesnt matter cuz Saikano is one of the best anime out there and you will think about it all the time and how depressing it is to what Shuji and Chise fall in the love and the story that follows...i strongly recommend that if u want a good story and something that will stick with you...u better get these episodes