Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Fuuka - The Complete Series (2017)

“Fuuka” is a short anime series that can easily be enjoyed by fans who dig rock band, music-driven anime series. And fans of the original “Suzuka” and “Fuuka” manga series, to watch an alternate storyline of what if Akitsuki Fuuka had lived? Recommended!

TITLE: Fuuka – The Complete Series

ANIME AIR DATE: 2017

DURATION: 1-12

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), English DolbyTrue HD 5.1, Japanese DolbyTrue HD 2.0, English subtitles

COMPANY: FUNimation

Release Date: July 16, 2019

Originally created by Seo Kouji

Directed by Kusakawa Keizou

Series Composition by Akashiro Aoi

Music by Iga Takuro, WEST GROUND

Character Design by Honda Yoshino

Art Director: Matsushita Yoshika

Anime Production: diomedea

Featuring the following voice talent:

Kobayashi Yusuke/Aaron Dismuke as Yu Haruna

Hayami Saori/Jeannie Tirado as Koyuki Hinashi

Lynn/Jill Harris as Fuka Akitsuki

Onishi Saori/Alex Moore as Hibiki Haruna

Numakura Manami/Caitlin Glass as Tama

Komatsu Mikako/Elizabeth Maxwell as Sara Iwami

Takahashi Mikako/Felecia Angelle as Maya Haruna

Hondo Kaede/Kristen McGuire as Chitose Haruna

Mitsuhashi Kanako/Leah Clark as Suzuka Akitsuki

Saito Soma/Ricco Fajardo as Makoto Mikasa

Okitsu Kazuyuki/Shawn Gann as Kazuya Nachi

Hikasa Yoko/Tia Ballard as Tomomi

Nakamura Daisuke/Todd Haberkorn as Yamato Akitsuki

When introverted Yuu Haruna transfers to a school in Tokyo, his dull life takes a sharp turn. More into Twitter than the world around him, he crashes into the mysteriously charming Fuuka Akitsuki and the tune of misunderstanding rings sharply between them. But as they grow closer, will it be love that crescendos between them or will the sound fall flat?

Please note that I am reviewing the Digital Version and not the Blu-ray:

Back in 2004, mangaka Seo Kouji created a manga titled “Suzuka” which focused on a teenager named Akitsuki Yamato and his love interest Asahina Suzuka.

A decade later, this would lead to a sequel titled “Fuuka”, which is the name of the daughter of Akitsuki Yamato and Asahina Suzuka.

But in the manga series, Akitsuki Fuuka died tragically early in the manga, but the manga would eventually introduced a different Fuuka, Aoi Fuuka.

But what if Akitsuki Fuuka never died? In 2017, an anime series produced by diomedea would explore an alternate storyline in which Akitsuki Fuuka lived.

And the anime series is now available on Blu-ray courtesy of Funimation.

“Fuuka” begins with Haruna Yuu, a young teen who is addicted to social media and transferred to a school in Tokyo and lives with his sisters.

One day, a girl in a hurry is running and runs into Yuu who was about to upload a photo on Twitter. She drops a few CD’s but when she sees Yuu holding a phone, she thinks he is taking a photo of her exposed underwear and slaps him and destroys his phone.

On the first day of school, Yuu finds out that the girl that destroyed his phone, Fuuka is in his class. Yuu has a loaned phone, while he awaits for his phone, he takes photos and again, Fuuka is there and she thinks he is taking photos of her and she tries to reach out to his phone and the phone ends up falling high up from the top floor of the school.

Eventually, she finds the phone and because of their interest in music, they become friends. And as they meet others, what happens when they decided to form a band named The Fallen Moon.

“Fuuka” features the following characters:

Haruna Yuu – The main protagonist. When he was a kid, he and his childhood friend Hinashi Koyuki made a promise to be in music. While Koyuki became a popular singer, Yuu never got into playing bass and just became a guy who loves being on Twitter. But life changes for Yuu one a day when a girl named Fuuka crashes into him.
Akitsuki Fuuka – The other Main protagonist. A big music fan, not into have a smart phone or social media. She prefers to listen to music and sing. She is a big fan of Hinashi Koyuki and when she finds out that Yuu is a fan of music, especially the music of Koyuki (not aware Yuu and Koyuki are close friends), she wants to start a band with Yuu.
Hinashi Koyuki – Yuu’s childhood friend that made a promise with him that they would be on stage. Koyuki would become a popular singer who is in love with Yuu.
Mikasa Makoto – Fuuka’s childhood friend. He is popular with the girls but is not interested in girls. He won many piano competitions but its not something his father approves of.
Nachi Kazuya – A track and field athlete that desperately tries to get Fuuka to join the club. But he also happens to play the drums.
Iwami Sara – The sister of Hisashi from the popular rock band, Hedgehogs. She is a bassist and can have a cold demeanor but she happens to be a big fan of social media and going on Twitter.

When it comes to music-based anime series, I have to say that I enjoyed “Fuuka” for its characters, the emotional drama but also how music plays a big part in the overall series.

From music-based series such as “Nana”, “K-On!”, “Nodame Cantabile”, “Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad”, “Sakamichi no Apollon”, “Kono Oto Tomare!”, to name a few, I just love the feeling of bands trying to stay together, fight for their dreams and make a dream to a reality.

While “Fuuka” is considered the alternative story to “Suzuka”, there is no need to watch or read the original series, nor is one expected to have any knowledge of the original series but there is no doubt a charm of knowing how the original storyline was and how the manga series version of “Fuuka” differs from the anime series.

There are a few Japanese manga in which the primary characters earlier on in the series (typically featuring a boy and a girl) and one dies. Rarely do anime adaptations of a manga series give readers a chance of “what if?”.

But in the case of “Fuuka” the anime series, the storyline is what if Akitsuki Fuuka had lived? What kind of life would she have lived alongside Yuu and friends? And what about Yuu? How would he change as a person with Fuuka by his side?

For the most part, the anime is fun, dramatic and delightful. I absolutely love the cool music vibe of the series, the love triangle storyline between Fuuka, Yuu and Koyuki but also seeing the band improve and wanting to play music and follow their dream but to get there, the band will have to go through some major challenges.

Overall, “Fuuka” is a short anime series that can easily be enjoyed by fans who dig rock band, music-driven anime series. And fans of the original “Suzuka” and “Fuuka” manga series, to watch an alternate storyline of what if Akitsuki Fuuka had lived?

Recommended!

Anime Reviews (2010-2019): Fuuka – The Complete Series (2017)

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