Suzuka: Volume 4

Introduction

Suzuka has been something of a surprise, a romantic comedy that actually develops the romance, instead of just offering the promise of a relationship, then filling the runtime with filler and comic antics. It's a show that walks the fine line between farce and angst, and manages to deliver a charming story that entertains, with well-written characters that have more meat to their bones than the usual harem anime stereotypes. It's a show that stays on the lighter side of romance. It's a good thing, as sometimes you just want to be entertained without the threat of vicarious heartache. I'm finding this series to be the pleasant surprise of the season, and I have been looking forward to subsequent volumes with increasing impatience. But at last volume 4 is here, and we can get straight down to the important will they, won't they antics, as Suzuka and Yamato keep bumping into each other while heading in completely opposite directions.

Yamato Akitsuki is in the first year of High School, and to highlight the significant change in his life, he's decided to leave Hiroshima and head for the big city, Tokyo. The only way he can get away with this is if he lives with his aunt at her apartment complex. Aunt Ayano runs a girls' dormitory for high school and college students, renowned for its complex of baths, and Yamato will have to earn his room and board by acting as cleaner cum handyman. So far so Love Hina, but it's when he encounters athlete Suzuka Asahina that his life changes. He's entranced by the graceful high jumper; she thinks he's a dork. It's a match made in bedlam.



With the next four episodes arriving in volume 4, it looks as if Yamato has come to his senses and ceased pursuing the impossible, and it looks like he's settling down to a nice high school romance with Honoka. But life is never that simple…

15. Bellflower
Honoka and Yamato's relationship doesn't start well when Yamato and Suzuka are left stranded in Hiroshima when the rest of the Athletics team head back to Tokyo. Yamato's plan is to borrow some money from his dad, put Suzuka up in a hotel and spend the night at home with his family, before the two head back on the train in the morning. But his father isn't having that. It's the last thing that Honoka wanted, but the two wind up at Yamato's family home, and then they wind up staying an extra day…

16. Impulse
Yamato's confused about where he stands with Suzuka, who is continuing to run hot and cold, but it all seems to sort itself out when they get back to Tokyo, and Honoka is there waiting for him. She even offers to come over and cook for him, but he makes the mistake of getting relationship advice from best friend Yasanobu. After dinner, in the heat of the moment, with Yasanobu's advice in mind, and trying to keep Suzuka out of it, Yamato overdoes it. Soon he has some apologising to do.



17. Boyfriend
Yasanobu is in the process of giving Yamato some more advice, before Miki does the humane thing and smacks him one. It's back to training for everyone, but a rainy day means that it's inside with weights instead of on the track. Now it's Suzuka who is confused, and she's looking for an excuse to share an umbrella on the way home. Meanwhile, news of Yamato's faux pas is getting around, and Honoka's popstar best friend Nana Shirakami wants to meet her new boyfriend to give her appraisal. It gets even more confusing when Suzuka and Miki bump into Yamato, Honoka and Nana at a karaoke bar.

18. Present
Honoka's birthday is coming up, and Yamato has just a few days to get her a present. He's asking everyone for advice, including the last person he should ask. Yet Suzuka agrees to help him out, and they go shopping for gifts in Shinjuku. Meanwhile, with Yamato blabbing to everyone how he needs the perfect gift for Honoka, it was inevitable that someone would let the cat out of the bag, and Honoka decides to get a thank you gift for Yamato. You know just what is going to happen…

Picture

Suzuka gets an unproblematic 4:3 transfer. That's with the exception as usual of the credit sequences. The credit sequences are usually re-edited with English text, and that process degrades the image somewhat, resulting in significant aliasing. You can see the credits in unblemished form in the extras, but comparing the edited sequences to the main animation, the difference in quality is obvious.

The animation itself is dynamic but fair, the character designs are very pleasant, and the backgrounds are simple but effective. This is a show that really doesn't need the bells and whistles, and does perfectly well without them. The pastel palette, and the lighter feel, all contribute to a generally pleasant atmosphere and the show does very well in that respect.

Sound

You get a choice of DD 2.0 English and Japanese, accompanied with translated English subtitles and a signs track. This isn't an action led show, and the dialogue is clear throughout, so the stereo track is called on to do little more than establish some atmosphere and music. I tried a little English and the dub is up to Funimation's usual high standard, but my perennial bugbear of teenaged girls apparently voiced by mature women is apparent here with the English voice actress of Suzuka. Your mileage will differ depending on how you like your dubs. Incidentally, this is one of those dubs where the theme tunes are re-recorded with English lyrics. I haven't seen that in a while, but it's a pleasant addition.

Extras

The usual anime extra features show up here. You get the typical jacket picture, textless songs (including the new end theme) and trailers, in this case for Peach Girl and Tenchi Muyo - Ryo-Ohki. The Aoba High School Yearbook is a 1-minute slideshow of stills from the show.

Conclusion

I hate reviewing volume 4s. With the penultimate and final volumes of an anime, you get an intensification of plot, and quickening of pace as the storyline draws to a close and character arcs are resolved. With the first couple of volumes of a series, you get a lot of world building and character introductions, and it's exciting to see a story develop. Volume 3 is usually where you get to see the series proper, with the flow of the story established, and the characters now become familiar. But volume 4 is usually only deserving of a 'more of the same', a quick dismissive review that amounts to, 'if you're buying the series, buy this.' Fortunately Suzuka's 4th volume changes things around a bit, so I don't have to do a cut and paste.




It looks as if Yamato has thrown in the towel, and realised that pursuing Suzuka is just too much effort for too little gain. After all, with Honoka admitting that she likes him in the previous volume, and given his own fondness for her, everything should be coming up roses. Except the monkey wrench appears at the start of their relationship, when he gets stranded with Suzuka in Hiroshima. This certainly isn't good for Honoka, who is fully aware of the torch that Yamato had for Suzuka, before she confessed her feelings to him. She's insecure as it is, but Yamato doesn't help by circumstances making his words into falsehoods. He first tells Honoka that Suzuka will be staying in a hotel, and then his dad invites her to stay at the family home. He then tells Honoka that they'll be back the next morning, and then they stay an extra night. Although at this point it becomes obvious that Yamato's torch for Suzuka isn't extinguished at all, in fact it's burning brighter than ever. He's the one who invites her to stay an extra night so that they can see some fireflies (at the place where he first tried asking a girl out).



That's the whole problem with Yamato's relationship with Honoka; he keeps seeing it in terms of Suzuka. Honoka's insecurities are bad enough whenever Suzuka's around, she knows that she was the second choice, but Yamato is on eggshells all the time, trying to be the perfect boyfriend, and avoid hurting Honoka's feelings. That wariness in him is constantly apparent, and Honoka's friend Nana calls him out on his attitude. Even when he tries to be himself around Honoka, he overcompensates, not helped by Yasanobu's relationship advice.

Suzuka isn't exactly blameless in this. She had settled down into a comfort zone of constant pursuit fended off by her own haughtiness, and when at the end of the previous volume she had learned that Yamato and Honoka had paired up, she was stunned. All of a sudden she has to confront how she feels about Yamato, and now she's wondering if she missed her chance. She tries to keep her distance in Hiroshima, but lets her bitchy side show when Yamato asks her to stay an extra night. She says no, but when Yamato phones Honoka to tell her they'll be back earlier, she changes her mind. It's obvious contrariness, but it leads to an almost, but not quite moment that leaves Yamato more confused than ever. Back in Tokyo, it doesn't help that Yamato is next door, and Honoka's always around. Having your face rubbed in what could have been can't be nice, and all of a sudden Suzuka wants to share an umbrella with Yamato walking home from school. It's obviously time to step back, but when Yamato comes to her of all people for relationship advice… Well could you be saintly in such a situation?



What I like about Suzuka is that on the soap opera scale of relationship drama, it ranks about a Neighbours. Angst is kept to a minimum, melodrama is absent, and when things get too emotional, you get the feeling that someone will be round shortly with the Japanese equivalent of quiche. It's light, entertaining and fun, and even though you're watching Honoka and Yamato's relationship crash and burn, this love triangle never has you reaching for the Prozac in the same way that something like Rumbling Hearts did. No doubt we'll get to see the wreckage in volume 5, but will Suzuka be there to comfort Yamato, or tell him how much of an idiot he is? I can't wait to find out. Unfortunately I'll have to, as the one annoying thing about Suzuka is the release schedule. Soap operas thrive on regularity, but Suzuka's one volume every 4 months is ridiculous. You want to see the definition of self-discipline? Watch me avoid the temptation to import…