Saikano
This is the logo for Saikano
最終 兵器 彼女 (She, the Ultimate Weapon)
Genre	Drama, Romance, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Manga
Author	Shin Takahashi
Publisher	Shogakukan
Demographic	Seinen
Serialized in	Big Comic Spirits
Original run	May 30, 2000 – December 25, 2001
Volumes	7
TV anime
Director	Mitsuko Kase
Studio	GONZO
Network	Family Gekijou
Original run	July 2, 2002 – September 24, 2002
Episodes	13
OVA: SaiKano: Another Love Song
Director	Mitsuko Kase
Studio	Studio Fantasia
Episodes	2
Released	August 5, 2005 (ep 1) September 21, 2005 (ep 2)
Live Action Film
Saishū Heiki Kanojo: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet. A drama film is a Film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly is a Japanese manga artist best known for writing Saikano ( She the Ultimate Weapon) and Iihito. is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, Literature, Manga, Non-fiction, DVDs and other media in Japan. is a weekly Japanese Seinen Manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at males 20-25 years old and originally launched on October 14 Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series though the Manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic (anime in Japanese, Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be is a Japanese animation studio It was founded by Tomohisa Iizuka, who was then an employee of Tsuchida Production, on October 12, 1983 Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Saikano, known in Japan as Saishū Heiki Kanojo (最終 兵器 彼女, Saishū Heiki Kanojo^?, lit. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. "She, the Ultimate Weapon" or "My Girlfriend, the Ultimate Weapon") is a manga, anime, and OVA series by Shin Takahashi, creator of Iihito and Kimi no Kakera. ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly (anime in Japanese, abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be is a Japanese manga artist best known for writing Saikano ( She the Ultimate Weapon) and Iihito. is a Japanese Manga by Shin Takahashi published by Shogakukan in the magazine Big Comic Spirits. is a Manga by Shin Takahashi that is focused on a thirteen-year-old girl by the name of Icoro Saikano was originally serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits magazine. is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, Literature, Manga, Non-fiction, DVDs and other media in Japan. is a weekly Japanese Seinen Manga magazine published by Shogakukan, aimed at males 20-25 years old and originally launched on October 14 Magazines, periodicals or serials are Publications generally published on a regular schedule containing a variety of articles, generally

A live-action movie adaptation was released in Japan on 28 January 2006 with Aki Maeda starring as Chise. Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Aki Maeda (前田亜季 Maeda Aki, born 11 July 1985 in Kanagawa Japan) is a Japanese actress and Singer. ^[1]

The Saikano manga and anime series have been licensed and is being distributed by VIZ Media in English in North America and the anime series is distributed in the UK by Manga Entertainment (as "She, the Ultimate Weapon"). Viz Media LLC, headquartered in San Francisco California, is an Anime, Manga and Japanese Entertainment company founded in 1986 English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This article is about Manga Entertainment the anime distributor

Many of the locations used in Saikano can be found in Otaru-shi, west of Sapporo. is a city and port located in Shiribeshi, Hokkaidō, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an The train station, "Hell's Hill", the Asahi Observation Hill, and the school all exist within the city.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 2.1 Main characters 2.2 Minor characters 2.3 Others 3 Anime 3.1 Episode guide 3.2 Theme songs 4 Manga 4.1 Side Story 5 Live action movie 5.1 Differences between the live action movie and the anime 6 Production 6.1 Staff 7 References 8 External links

Plot

The story begins with Shuji (シュウジ, Shūji^?), a high school student in Hokkaidō, walking up to an observatory and reminiscing about his girlfriend, Chise (ちせ, Chise^?). High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation Verb "studēre" WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan 's He finds her exchange diaries that she purposefully left behind. For other uses of the term 'diary' see Diary (disambiguation. The whole story is narrated by him through flashbacks while reading Chise's diary. In history film television and other media a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current Chise, a fellow student in his class, declares her love for Shuji at the beginning of the series. However, Chise is very shy and Shuji is insensitive. Neither know how to express their feelings very well, but they do indeed have feelings for each other.

One day, while Shuji is shopping in Sapporo, unknown bombers attack the city in broad daylight. Shopping is the examining of Goods or services from Retailers with intent to purchase at that time is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them He and his friends run for cover, but notice a fast and small flying object shoot down enemy bombers. Separated from his friends, Shuji wanders through the wreckage only to stumble upon Chise. She has metal wings and weapons apparently grafted onto her body. She tells him she has become the ultimate weapon, without her knowledge or consent. However, she is seen by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) as the last hope for defending Japan from imminent invasion by unknown foreign forces. The, or JSDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post- World War II American occupation of Japan In the anime, it is not apparent why Chise was chosen to be the ultimate weapon or why the country is under attack. It is not until the OVA episodes were released that an explanation of Chise being chosen is offered: her body had the highest degree of compatibility with the weapon system. In fact, later in the OVA it is mentioned that Chise had been "over-developed" and was so much of a weapon that she would kill anyone regardless of what side they were on. (This fact is punctuated by Chise vaporizing the Special Forces building where she first became the ultimate weapon. )

This story, as suggested by the subtitle "The Last Love Song On This Little Planet", is primarily a love story. In books and other works a subtitle is an explanatory or alternate title The story focuses primarily on Chise's reactions to her increasingly powerful destructive abilities, Shuji's reaction to the same, and the relationship between the two of them.

A number of minor characters who do not necessarily know of Chise's role in the war, have sub-plots that mostly concern everyday people in the context of war: a woman whose husband is constantly away from home, a school boy who joins the army to protect his girlfriend, a girl whose civilian boyfriend was killed in a bombing, and others.

Characters

Main characters

Chise (ちせ, Chise^?) Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Melissa Hutchinson (English)

She is the main female character of the story. is a Seiyū and Singer. She is represented by the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. Chise is a shy, clumsy girl with very little self-esteem and has poor grades in everything except for World History. World History is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. She was constantly hospitalized in Tokyo during her elementary years, and thus, has very few friends (except for Akemi). officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. She starts dating Shuji, with Akemi’s help, and tries to make her relationship work with him despite his apparently aloof personality. However, Chise is very inexperienced and does not know much about relationships to the point she reads shōjo manga for advice. is a Japanese word originally derived from a Chinese expression written with the same characters ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly She was turned into the ultimate weapon against her will and the series revolves around her and her fading humanity. Chise tries to come to terms with her new weapon body by convincing herself that she’s protecting the one she loves, but comes to admit to herself that the only thing she can do is to destroy. She feels horribly guilty of all the pain and death she has caused and shies away from Shuji, believing she doesn’t deserve any happiness. As Chise’s weapon side starts to take over, her hearts stops beating, her body lacks warmth and her sense of taste and touch are dulled but other senses (especially sight) are accentuated and she’s basically immortal. However, a second darker persona starts to emerge halfway through the series, a cold, ruthless machine that delights in her growing, destructive powers and killing people without mercy. In the end, her love for Shuji is the last of her humanity she can cling onto.

Shuji (シュウジ, Shūji^?)Voiced by: Shiro Ishimoda (Japanese), Mark Atherlay (English)

He is the main male character of the story and narrator of the series. A narrator (or the extremely rarely used female equivalent narratress) is within any story (literary work movie play verbal account etc He is a somewhat antisocial 17-year old high school student who gets higher than average grades and used to be on his school’s track team. Antisocial personality disorder ( APD) is a Mental disorder.It is defined by the American Psychiatric Association 's Diagnostic and Statistical Shuji is very unsure of his initial feelings for Chise and feels that their relationship is more trouble than its worth, though his feelings deepen as the story progresses. At first, he wanted to break things off with Chise but he then changes his mind and wants to give the relationship another try. However, things get complicated when his old love, Fuyumi, reappears in town. He’s the only person who knows Chise is the ultimate weapon and promises that he’ll never divulge her secret. Shuji is torn by this side of Chise, he loves her deeply, but he is terrified of her weapon capabilities. This causes a very noticeable strain on their relationship and he finally succumbs to Fuyumi’s advances because of this. Shuji is feeling constantly guilty and useless, because of his irresponsible actions that tend to hurt Chise and because all his loved ones keep dying around him. Later on in the series, he comes to accept his love for Chise and vows to protect her at all costs. He’s the only human being left alive in the end thanks to Chise’s sacrifice. In the original ending he is left alone in a spaceship flying away from a devastated Earth, with Chise in his heart. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 It is unclear whether or not the spaceship was an actual spaceship or if Shuji just went insane and imagined the whole thing. The anime changed this into them having another go at life in the memories of his past. Without food or water, Shuji's fate is unclear.

Akemi (アケミ, Akemi^?) Voiced by: Yū Sugimoto (Japanese), Amy Provenzano (English)

She is a childhood friend and classmate of both Chise and Shuji. is a Japanese voice actress, born on 29 January 1975 in Suita, Osaka, Japan. Akemi is also Chise's best friend, and usually gives her advice on love. A typical tomboy, she always comes to Chise’s defense whenever Shuji inadvertently hurts Chise verbally. Tomboy is a Girl who behaves according to the Gender role of a Boy. She harbors a secret love for Shuji since she was young, which he is oblivious of, but still encourages Chise to confess to him. She later starts dating Atsushi, knowing that her love for Shuji is unrequited. Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired Akemi gets fatally injured (due to massive internal bleeding) during an earthquake that hits their little town, and with her dying breath, she tells Shuji her real feelings. Internal bleeding is Bleeding occurring inside the Body. It can be a serious Medical emergency depending on where it occurs (e An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer

Atsushi (アツシ, Atsushi^?) Voiced by: Tetsu Shiratori (Japanese), Joe Wyka (English)

Shuji’s best friend. is a Seiyū. Notable voice roles Anime Blue Dragon ( Deathroy) Boogiepop Phantom (Yasushi Sanada Atsushi is a mature, open, down-to-earth guy who holds a fascination for the military. Atsushi always looks out for others, as can be seen during the Sapporo raid where he's desperately trying to keep his friends out of harm's way. is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an He decides to join the JSDF to protect the girl he loves, Akemi, despite being aware that she will never love him back. The, or JSDF, are the military forces in Japan that were established after the end of the post- World War II American occupation of Japan When he’s finally in the army, he’s appalled at the bad state the country is in, and never knows what exactly the weapon “Chise” is since the other soldiers never gave him a clear answer. An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces He dies when Chise destroys the city he’s in, holding Akemi’s photo in his hand.

Tetsu (テツ, Tetsu^?) Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese), Abie Hadjitarkhani (English)

Regiment leader, Fuyumi’s husband, and the sole survivor of Chise’s first platoon. is a popular Seiyū who was born on March 18, 1968 in the city of Tokyo. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. A husband is a Male spouse (participant in a Marriage, Civil union or Civil partnership. A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or Squads and containing about 30 to 50 soldiers He’s very much like Shuji in terms of looks and personality and that’s why Chise is initially attracted by him. He treats Chise like an ordinary girl, not a monstrosity, and even goes shopping with her; this makes Chise like him even more and finds understanding and compassion in Tetsu. Later on, he gets injured during a fight and staggers to his quarters to hide, but four enemy soldiers were waiting for him and open fire. He dies shortly from his wounds (due to a major hemorrhage), but manages to tell Chise that he loves her, mistaking her for Fuyumi. Bleeding, technically known as hemorrhaging / haemorrhaging (see American and British spelling differences) is the loss of Blood from He's one of the characters to be featured in the OVA, where Mizuki, his former commander, was shown to have a crush on him.

Fuyumi (ふゆみ, Fuyumi^?) Voiced by: Miki Ito (Japanese), Elaine Clark (English)

Shuji’s first lover and Tetsu’s wife. Miki Itō (伊藤 美紀 Itō Miki) née Miki Hirano (平野 美紀 Hirano Miki, born October 21, 1962) is a well-known Fordingbridge is a former Market town with a population of six thousand on the River Avon and the A338 road in the west of Hampshire, A wife is a Female spouse or participant in a Marriage, or Civil union or Civil partnership. She used to train the track team when she was younger and her students called her “Fuyumi-senpai” because of the close age difference. and are an essential element of Japanese age-based status relationships similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age with even twins being divided She had an intimate relationship with Shuuji when they were younger, and keeps bringing this up when she seduces him. She hates feeling lonely since her husband, Tetsu, is never home since he’s always away in the army so she decides to take comfort in Shuji, who has a remarkable similarity with Tetsu. Shuji finally stops her advances after Tetsu dies, saying that the only person he wants to protect isn’t Fuyumi. She slaps him and rides her bike to her parents’ house, never to be seen again. In the manga version, she is seen in her parents' house, helping her sick father and reminiscing about Tetsu.

Mizuki (ミズキ, Mizuki^?) Voiced by: Ai Orikasa (Japanese), Brooke Campanelli (English)

Seen only in the OVA, Mizuki was the prototype for the weapon system which would later be used on Chise. born is a popular Japanese veteran Seiyū and singer from Tokyo. She was an officer who was badly wounded in an attack, but returned to the battlefield because of the prototype weapon system. Initially disdainful of Chise's behaviour, and bitter because of her body's inability to use Chise's advanced system, Mizuki began to have second thoughts after seeing what the new system was doing to Chise. She then became an elder sister/motherly figure to the young girl. She also had a crush on Tetsu, her former deputy. Realising that she was about to die due to extensive damage to her body, Mizuki decided to do one last mission to prevent Chise from berserking. After her body gave out in the battle, she activated her self-destruction system. But, she managed to return Tetsu's lighter to him.

Minor characters

Take Voiced by: Kishô Taniyama (Japanese), Abie Hadjitarkhani (English)

The most extroverted guy in Shuji’s circle of friends and Yukari's boyfriend. is a Seiyū who is affiliated with Ken Production. He is also the vocal and lyricist of the Japanese rock unit / band GRANRODEO under the name KISHOW The trait of Extraversion-Introversion is a central dimension of human personality. NOTICE*************** Take is the first one to get a girlfriend in Shuji's group (a fact Nori is very envious about). His girlfriend is named Yukari and they have been going out for two months by the start of the series. They constantly fight with each other (a fact only Chise seems to notice). He decides to buy a rose quartz at the Sapporo mall to try to get on her good side again. is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an He dies during the bombing, holding Yukari’s pendant in his hand. His classmates put flowers and a framed picture on his old desk as a tribute to him after his death. A tribute (from Latin tribulum, contribution is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or as was often case in historical contexts of submission In the manga version, he survives the attack.

Nori Voiced by: Hiroki Shimowada

The most immature guy in Shuji’s circle of friends. is a Japanese voice actor, born in Mie. He is best known as the voice of Toboe in Wolf's Rain. Nori is a shy and naive highschooler, who believed that the war would never reach their hometown and they should stop worrying about it. He desperately wants to have a girlfriend, and is slightly jealous of Take for having one. He later gets a crush on a second-year girl named Miho but it is unknown if his feelings are reciprocated. Limerence, as posited by psychologist Dorothy Tennov, is an involuntary Cognitive and emotional state in which a person feels an intense romantic

Yukari Voiced by: Sachiko Kojima

Take’s girlfriend and part of Chise's group of friends. ( January 18, 1979 -) is a female Seiyu from Chiba Prefecture. Girlfriend is a term that can refer to either a Female partner in a non- marital romantic relationship or a female non-intimate Friend They fought constantly while he was alive, but she still had strong feelings for him. After her boyfriend’s death, she leaves the school. Soon after that, she gets a new boyfriend and decides never to love anyone seriously ever again. Later on in the series, she joins the neighborhood patrol to find the enemy soldier that crashed in the mountains. She finds the soldier accidentally while looking for the pendant she momentarily lost and kills him crying out Take’s name. She loses her life in the return fire, and clutches the pendant just like Take did. A pendant (from Old French) is a hanging object generally attached to a Necklace or an Earring.

Nakamura Voiced by: Kishô Taniyama

Young soldier on Chise’s former company. is a Seiyū who is affiliated with Ken Production. He is also the vocal and lyricist of the Japanese rock unit / band GRANRODEO under the name KISHOW A company is a Military unit, typically consisting of 75-200 Soldiers Most companies are formed of three to five Platoons although the exact number may vary He admires Chise very much, telling her that her combat skills saved his life. He is later mortally wounded by enemy fire when Chise fails to appear on a mission, instead opting to go on a date with Shuji. Tetsu takes pity on him and kills him to end his suffering. He also appears in the OVA, alongside Tetsu.

Kawahara Voiced by: Atsushi Ii

Head scientist in charge of Chise. He is a nervous man that perpetually wipes his forehead repeatedly with a dark-blue handkerchief he always carries. A handkerchief (also called handkercher or hanky) is a form of a Kerchief, typically a square of fabric that can be carried in the Pocket His wife and daughter were killed during the Sapporo bombing. is the fifth-largest city in Japan by population It is the capital of Hokkaidō Prefecture, located in Ishikari Subprefecture, and an He gives Shuji some pills saying that Chise needs them so her weapon side won’t take over and later gives her some much-needed maintenance. Feeling his job is finally done, he shoots himself in the head. He also makes an appearance in the OVA.

Others

Sergeant Itou Voiced by: Manabu Muraji

Chise’s chaperon. A chaperone (or occasionally chaperon) is an adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young unmarried men or women during social occasions usually with the specific He is in charge of keeping Chise up to date with headquarter decisions and keeping her schedule in order. Headquarters (HQ denotes the location where most if not all of the important functions of an organization are concentrated He later goes insane after witnessing the full extent of her powers. Traditionally insanity or madness is the behaviour whereby a person flouts societal norms and may become a danger to himself and others He also appears in the OVA.

Shingo Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino

Atsushi’s army mate. is a Seiyū born on February 6, 1974 in Chiba Prefecture. He is part of Sigma Seven He’s a playful, teasing person and gets along well with Atsushi. He dies when his military base is attacked. Etymology The word bases is first recorded in English language from c

Rie Voiced by: Hiromi Konno

Girl who is part of Chise's circle of friends. is a female Japanese Seiyū from Hokkaidō, Japan. Anime cast in Air as Potato She was spying behind a locker (along with Akemi, Seiko, and Yukari) when Chise confessed her feelings to Shuji.

Seiko Voiced by: Kiyomi Asai

Girl who is part of Chise's circle of friends. born April 12, 1974 in Tokyo, is a female Seiyū. She is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. She was spying behind a locker (along with Akemi, Rie, and Yukari) when Chise confessed her feelings to Shuji.

Hana

The only female recruit that is seen in the series. Recruitment refers to the process of sourcing screening and selecting people for a job at an Organization or firm or for a vacancy in a volunteer-based organization She joins the military to avenge her boyfriend’s death. Hana loses her life while fighting since everyone mistook the gunshots as someone beating a drum. The drum is a member of the percussion group technically classified as a Membranophone.

Satomi Voiced by: Yumi Kakazu

Akemi’s younger sister. (born under the kanji 嘉数 由美) ( June 18, 1973 -) is a female Seiyū from Kamifukuoka Saitama (now Fujimino Saitama) She’s a very optimistic and cheerful girl who sometimes acts as a messenger between Akemi and Shuji. She's also part of the track team.

Shuji's mother

She is a kind and gentle woman, who always worries over her family.

Anime

Episode guide

Main article: List of Saikano anime episodes

The television series ran for 13 episodes and faithfully adapted all of the chapters in the manga. This is a list of all the episodes of the Japanese Anime series Saikano that aired on Family Gekijou channel from July 2 – September 24 2002 Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly However, the last TV episode strayed from the manga's continuity and gave an original conclusion to the anime.

Saikano first aired on the Family Gekijou channel from July 2, 2002 to September 24, 2002. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 622 - Prophet Muhammad completes his hegira from Mecca to Medina. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Two 30 minute OVA episodes were also released. abbreviated (and sometimes as OAV) is a term originating from Japanese animation ( Anime) for animated films and series which are made specially to be

Theme songs

Opening Theme

"Koisuru Kimochi" by Yuria Yato

Ending Theme

"Sayonara" by Yuria Yato

Manga

Originally serialized in Shogakukan magazine, the complete manga series runs for 7 volumes. The Saikano manga has been licensed by VIZ Media and translated into English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States It has also been translated into Spanish by Grupo Editorial Vid, into Italian by Panini Comics, into German by "Carlsen Verlag" and into French by Éditions Delcourt. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people

The anime follows the manga very closely until the end, where it takes a dramatic turn. In the manga, Chise is portrayed as the one who, after having been almost completely replaced by machine, decides to "liberate" what is left of mankind from its suffering of having to exist on a devastated Earth. In the anime, Chise tries to save the last of the Japanese population from an impending natural disaster coupled with an arriving foreign attack force, but fails. In both, Shuji becomes the last surviving member of humanity. The anime ending is rather disjointed from the rest of the story, where Chise is actively attacking and eliminating population centers around the world.

Side Story

There is also a one shot side story called "Love Story, Killed". The story is of a 17 year old Japanese sniper, who hides in the remains of a block of flats and kills enemy soldiers so that he can collect their guns. At the start of the story, he kills a group of enemy soldiers who are about to rape a Japanese girl. While collecting their guns, the sniper is confronted by the girl who picked up one of the guns, but the sniper eventually befriends the girl and takes her back to his room because he wants to have sex with her. It is revealed that he only has 5 rounds left, with his final round being his good luck charm that he keeps in the pocket, and that he wants to die because it will reliev him from the war. However, after getting to know the girl better and having sex with her, he becomes afraid of death, and when firing on an enemy squadron that came looking for him, he misses and reveals his position. Eventually, he finds himself unable to fire his good luck charm round due to his fear of death. Suddenly the girl appears in the doorway, bringing the guns and ammo of the soldiers he has just killed, saying that he now has the ammo to kill more soldiers and keep fighting in the war. Right as the sniper smiles however, 3 enemy soldiers appear behind the girl, kills the sniper and then rapes and kills the girl. The enemy soldiers themself all die 2 days later.

Live action movie

The live action movie was approximately 2 hours long. Due to the length of the movie, many characters had to be cut and their roles significantly reduced. The general premise remained the same, the love between Shuuji and Chise in spite of her turning into a weapon, however the movie has a significantly different ending.

Differences between the live action movie and the anime

• Shuuji is still on the track team and never quit.
• Take, Yukari, Nori and Akemi's sister Satomi were completely cut from the movie.
• Fuyumi wasn't Shuuji's middle school teacher, but is the owner of a video rental store and wife to Tetsu who was Shuji's upper classman and also the track team's star. Fuyumi's relationship with Shuji in the movie doesn't go beyond that of constantly asking him for help and flirting with him playfully.
• Tetsu is initially hostile to Chise, seeing her as a monster, but changes his mind after she says that she has someone to live for, in contrast to the anime where Tetsu took care of her from the start. Tetsu's death in the movie was also a very brief affair compared to the anime.
• Atsushi does sign up with the army to protect Akemi, but his last appearance was telling Shuji of his plan to enlist. In the anime Atsushi dies grabbing for Akemi's photo while attempting to retreat as Chise destroys the city.
• Akemi does not die in Shuji's arms after confessing her love for him as a result of injuries suffered in an earthquake, rather she dies some time after she is hospitalised due to injuries suffered during an air raid. However, she still confessed her love for Shuji.
• When Chise and Shuji attempt to run away, they hide in an isolated farmhouse instead of running away to another harbour city.
• Chise is actually not shown as becoming inhuman as time progresses, just that she is turning more into a weapon. The anime however showed her losing her sense of taste, her ability to understand music, and her weapon side actively threatening to kill Shuji.
• The movie clearly stated that Japan was being invaded for creating Chise, and not as a last ditch attempt to defend Japan. The invading countries also threatened to launch nuclear weapons at Japan unless Chise was destroyed before a certain deadline as part of the truce negotiations.
• Overall, people did not seem to suffer much even though Japan was being invaded, while the anime stressed a food and medicine shortage, as well as showing Japan's forces fighting against hopeless odds.
• The world is not destroyed in the movie ending.

Production

Staff

Director	Mitsuko Kase
Music	Takeo Miratsu
Original Manga	Shin Takahashi
Producers	Shigeru Kitayama  Tatsuya Hamamoto
Chief Animation Director	Masayuki Sato
Music producer	Takeshi Ando
Original music	Yuki Kajiura
Theme songs composition	Yuria Yato
Art director	Junichi Higashi  Toshihiro Kohama
Sound director	Keiichiro Miyoshi
Character design	Minako Shiba  Satoko Miyachi  Satoshi Ohsawa
Editing	Aya Hida  Kengo Shigemura
Music Editor	Yutaka Gouda
Color coordination	Eri Suzuki
Sound Effects	Takuya Hasegawa
3D Director	Hiroaki Matsuura

References

External links

• (Japanese) Official Japanese Saikano website
• Official US Saikano website
• SaiKano (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• (Japanese) Official Japanese Saikano movie website
• (Japanese) Game Info

Anime News Network (ANN is an Anime industry News Website that reports on the status of Anime, Manga, Japanese popular

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