Saikano was one of the most emotional and touching series I have watched. Chise was a normal high school girl just wanting to be with Shuji, the one boy she loved. Her life was tragically altered when she was chosen to be Japan’s ultimate, living weapon. The series focused more on Chise and Shuji’s relationship while leaving the details of Chise’s military life left vague. In 2005, three years after the series ended, the Another Love Story OVA sought to fill in the details of her military life. While it is a fine story, it suffers from living in the shadow of the TV series.
The story opens up with an aerial assault on the Japanese coast; a familiar flash of light heralds the invading forces’ destruction. As the weapon turns back the enemy and lands at an army base, we see that the weapon is not Chise. We are instead introduced to Lt. Col. Mizuki, the first test subject in Japan’s effort to create an ultimate, living weapon. Having lost her battalion and her leg in combat, she willingly sacrificed the rest of her body to be implanted with the weapon cells that drive her power.
While recuperating from her wounds, Mizuki begins to hear a strange voice in her head calling out for “Shu-chan”. Mizuki soon learns that the voice belongs to Chise, the only candidate available that can adapt to the weapon cells. Mizuki also learns that her own abilities have reached their limit forcing the military to pin their hopes on the fragile, young Chise. The remainder of the story focuses on Mizuki attempting to be Chise’s mentor but ending up learning more from her student.
The counterpoint between the two weaponized women proves to be more intriguing than any of the details about the weapon project or Chise’s military life. While her powers grow exponentially, Chise’s will to fight lessens at an equal pace. She just wants to have a normal life and be with the one she loves. Mizuki attempts to establish in Chise the same sense of duty, honor, and sacrifice that are the cornerstones of Mizuki’s life. As Mizuki struggles to impart these ideals on Chise, Mizuki begins to be affected by Chise’s youthful innocence. Some sacrifices are too great to be made for lofty ideals, duty, or honor; some sacrifices can only be made, some fights taken on only for the people you truly love.
Mizuki’s final lesson to Chise is one deeply rooted in Chise’s own feelings; at the end of all things, you must be with the one you love. However, this lesson was already covered brilliantly in the original TV series. Having watched Another Love Story shortly after the series, I initially felt that this was a story best left to the viewer’s imagination. It did little to provide new insight into Chise or the overall story.
However, Another Love Story is not poorly written or flawed. As a stand-alone story, it works well and manages to capture the essence of the original series in a limited extent. It is best to think of this story as a reminder why Saikano was so good, a motivator to re-watch the original. Sentai Filmworks announced in 2014 December their rescue of the original TV series, and released it in April of this year, but no further information on a rescue of Another Love Song. If they do release the OVA, it is worth watching but allow yourself some time between the ending of the original and it. Three years feels about right…
