Episodes: 26

Year: 2005

Status: Complete, Licensed by FUNimation

Suzuka Official Site (Japanese)

Suzuka Official Site (U.S)

Rating: Bearable

Review: Akitsuki Yamato has just moved to Tokyo from his rural home of Hiroshima to attend high school. He is living in his aunt’s bathhouse/dorm which actually happens to be all girls. On his way to his new home, Akitsuki noticed a girl practicing high jumps. He was instantly swept off his feet and falls for her. By a twist of fate, it turns that out that the girl, Asahina Suzuka, is Yamato’s next door neighbour. Unfortunately, the feeling between them is not mutual. Yamato is not discouraged and decides to join track and field to get closer to her. But high school life is never simple and unknown to Yamato, he has a secret admirer - Honoka-chan. The story progresses with a complex mix of love, romance and sadness for all the characters.

I have very mixed feelings about this anime. I am not going to dwell on the animation faults because frankly thats not what bothered me most about the story. What bothered me was that the main characters Yamato and Suzuka are not very likable in their characters (at least in my opinion…). Do I hate it? No - not really. But do I love it? Nope. It got emotional but not enough to set it apart. It had some depth but not enough to make it insightful. In other words, it can’t really be compared to animes like Honey and Clover. It’s still got something to it that sets it apart from anime and makes you keep wanna watching. If you’re bored, procrastinating on work - watch it. If you are looking for a solid storyline with emotional depth, save this for another day.

A high school sports based romance anime much better than this one: Overdrive

Emotional high school romances: Honey and Clover, Bokura Ga Ita, Lovely Complex, Peach Girl