Review of She, The Ultimate Weapon Vol.1

Introduction

Manga Entertainment`s resurgence continues apace with the release of this acclaimed 13 part series on UK Region 2 DVD. In the process it takes on a change of title. Its full name is "Saishû heiki kanojo", which is generally shortened to Saikano. It`s known as this in the US, which makes the change of name seem a little odd. Here it is being released as She, The Ultimate Weapon, which doesn`t quite have the same zing to it. The reviewer`s tendency to shorten long titles for easy typing would lead me to use the somewhat confusing `She`, so instead I`ll refer to it as Saikano instead.

Saikano is a prime example at what anime excels at, taking a premise that seems absurd at first glance, and treating it with compelling emotional honesty. Having seen Gunslinger Girls explore the idea of teenaged girls being trained as assassins, you would have thought that I wouldn`t have been surprised by what anime could be capable of. Then Saikano comes along with a premise that is even more implausible, and still manages to fashion a drama that is gripping and heartfelt. Saikano is a simple high school love story. Two teenagers fall in love, and have to overcome many obstacles to win through. To make life difficult, their romance takes place against a background of a devastating war. To make life nigh on impossible, she has been engineered by the military into the Ultimate Weapon, and when called upon undergoes a complete transformation into an avenging angel. It`s the age-old story of boy meets girl, girl turns into weapon, girl has existential crisis about being a killing machine, boy can`t deal. You see it all the time.

Saikano`s story is told over 13 episodes, the first four of which are presented here on a two disc set, replete with Manga`s usual plethora of soundtrack options.

Ep 1. We Fall In Love
The story begins with high school romance set against the background of political turmoil. Military movements are taking place, jets fly overhead, surfing the Internet and using mobile phones is prohibited, and all that is on TV are old movies and reruns. You`d think that the average teenager would be bored senseless, but for Shuji and Chise, there is a greater distraction. The two are taking the first steps to falling in love, hindered by the good-natured intentions of their classmates. Then one day, enemy bombers appear over Sapporo, and bombs start falling on the city. All seems lost when there is a sudden burst of light that streaks upward and destroys the planes one by one. Shuji, dazed and confused by the attack is stunned to find out who is responsible for the city`s salvation.

Ep 2. I`m Growing
Chise explains that she has been transformed into the ultimate weapon, although she herself seems unclear on what it all means. Shuji is the only one who knows her secret though, and learns that she is at the beck and call of the military. As her abilities grow, Chise becomes frightened of what she is turning into, so Shuji suggests that they run away.

Ep 3. Together, Alone
Chise and Shuji`s plan to escape is halted by a sector scramble, and Shuji is left waiting alone at the railway station. Although he is sympathetic, a distance develops between them. Then Shuji runs into Fuyumi, his first love. Fuyumi is married now, but being a soldier`s wife means spending a lot of time alone during a war, and meeting Shuji again is a golden opportunity.

Ep 4. Fuyumi
A nice pleasant date with Chise is interrupted once more by the demands of the military. Meanwhile Shuji has bigger problems. He left his wallet at Fuyumi`s place and now needs to discretely get it back. While Shuji is finding more reasons to feel guilty, Chise is in the middle of a siege, protecting the army. Among them is Lt Tetsu, Fuyumi`s husband.

Video

We get something that I had thought I had seen the last of on new DVDs, a 1.85:1 letterbox transfer. This is how Saikano was presented in the US, and since Manga licensed the show from Geneon, it wouldn`t be surprising for the UK release to be a derivation of the US disc. But since Manga had the wherewithal to add to the stereo soundtracks of the US version, I wonder how much more difficult it would have been to give the image an anamorphic overhaul.

Once you get used to the lower resolution of a zoomed image, the transfer comes across as clear and sharp, with strong colours. The perennial problem of digital banding is apparent, but the animation exhibits the usual Gonzo splendour, with distinctive characters, and effective action sequences.

Audio

Whereas the US release had only DD 2.0 Stereo tracks, Manga go their usual route of adding DD 5.1 and DTS upmixes, in both English and Japanese. Once again this necessitates the show being repeated on two discs, with the DTS mixes confined with a DD 2.0 Stereo English track to disc 2, and it also means that some of the Region 1 extras don`t make it to this release.

I began with the DD 5.1 Japanese track, and found that it made punchy use of the surrounds, with the soundstage being put to efficient use for the effects and action sequences. However, by the second episode, it became apparent that the sound effects and music effectively drowned out the dialogue during the more vibrant action sequences, on both the English and Japanese DD 5.1 tracks, and from then on I stuck with the original stereo tracks. I hope that it`s just my set up, but this isn`t the first such upmix from Manga that has presented this problem. I sampled the English dub, and found it to be acceptable but not quite up to the standards set by the original actors. Saikano has another good music soundtrack though, and I wasn`t once tempted to skip through the credit sequences. Subtitles are zoom friendly of course.

Features

This first volume of She, The Ultimate Weapon comes with an excellent selection of extras for an anime, spread across both discs, although it must be noted that a featurette, one gallery and the textless credit sequences haven`t made the transition to Region 2.

Disc 1 contains the usual gallery of Manga Entertainment trailers.

Disc 2 starts off with Conversation With Voice Actors (Shuji and Chise). This lasts 13 minutes, as Fumiko Orikasa and Shiro Ishimoda talk about the show and their roles.

All About Saikano lasts 24 minutes, and features behind the scenes looks at the animation, and has interviews with the cast and the director, as well as the creator of the original manga.

Short TV Programme "Saikano Times" was a preview series for the show, which had interviews and looks at the forthcoming anime. You get to see a perky presenter and plenty of primary colours, in 5 mini featurettes that total 20 minutes on this disc.

There are three minutes of TV commercials that advertised Saikano in Japan.

Finally the Colour Character Sheets have 20 images presented in a gallery to navigate through.

There are subtitles where required.

Conclusion

I have read only good things about Saikano. Every review has been glowing, and there`s never a negative comment. The name change in the UK threw me briefly, but as soon as I realised what this show was, I was unreservedly looking forward to watching it. What is it they say about raising expectations? Saikano didn`t really click with me, or vice versa, and while I appreciate the story it tells over the first four episodes, I`m left with a couple of niggling doubts.

The biggest of which is the episodic format. I`m sure that it is possible to tell a love story 20 minutes at a time, but judging the efficacy of a romance with just the first third to look at is a harder prospect. These first four episodes introduce the characters, set up the romance, add plenty of angst, insurmountable obstacles and turmoil to cause plot developments, then leaves it all to simmer for a couple of months before the next volume is released. Character development is in its early stages too, with Chise introduced as a shy, clumsy little girl, easily tired, who happens to moonlight as a Doomsday Weapon. Shuji on the other hand is your typical brash but undemonstrative teenaged male. This is carried through much of the early episodes, but by the end of the disc, we begin to see the inner turmoil Shuji goes through because of Chise, and we also see that Chise despite what she has told Shuji, is unable to come to terms with her role as a weapon. It`s all very promising for later episodes, but set-up by itself isn`t really enough to satisfy.

In one way at least, Saikano differs from other anime. Teenage romance in other series usually takes a good while to develop, with plenty of misunderstandings, farce and silliness lasting a good few episodes before the lovers even begin to get close. Saikano dispenses with all this, and has Chise and Shuji together right from the beginning, and their courtship rapidly progresses through the first episode. Against the absurdity of the Ultimate Weapon, the emotions of the protagonists are treated with a contrasting honesty. While I found it difficult to engage with a fair bit of the story, and I don`t yet quite find Chise and Shuji to be sympathetic, I did find myself engaging with many of the quieter moments that they shared together. Chise`s reaction to what is happening to her feels real, she is torn between being seen as a saviour of her people, her disgust at being literally made into a killing machine, and her fear of losing her humanity in the process. She wants to believe that her love for Shuji can keep her human, but by the end of the disc it seems apparent that that isn`t enough. Shuji on the other hand is faced with a situation beyond his imagining. He`s just getting used to the idea of being in love with Chise when he learns of what she has been turned into. He wants to protect her, is horrified at what the military have done to her, yet there is part of him that wants to run away from the situation, and when he can`t run away with Chise, he finds another escape that will eventually cause them both more pain. Despite the fantastic premise of the show, it`s the realistic way that the feelings are handled that makes the show work.

I enjoyed this first volume of Saikano, but its four episodes taken out of context of the series seem a little thin, and there`s too much set up and not enough momentum to the story. I`m sure that if I knew how the series would turn out, I`d be able to give a better read on these episodes, but I can only grade them in isolation, despite my tentative certainty that the series will only get better with each subsequent release. Fans of Saikano, I mean She, The Ultimate Weapon won`t hesitate in buying this release, but for everyone else I`d suggest waiting to see how the series progresses before investing. There are a couple of issues with the transfer, but a nice selection of extras round off a pretty decent package. Definitely worth a rent.