Search - Saikano - Girlfriend (Vol. 1) on DVD

A powerful Emotional Anime....

BlackSpiral2000 | Somewhere in Utah | 05/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

This Beautiful Story

Nurse Washu | South Burlington, VT United States | 05/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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. ^_^"

Crying

Carrie Bonfante | buffalo, NY | 02/05/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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"

The Love Story

Kim Bache-Mathiesen | Oslo, Norway | 12/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."