WL's Gay Manga and Anime Review - 8. Sukisho Created by Tsutae Yuzu (Gay Romance Video Game/Novel/Anime/Miscellaneous gay subgenres)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukisho

As I have noted, not all anime or manga were created the same way; in this case, the catalyst for this story started with a video game. This story is one of the weirdest things that I have ever read or seen. It’s unique as the origins of the story came from a BL video game, which had a lot of romantic options for Japanese audiences. Japanese readers and gamers have far more gay options than their western counterparts even by today’s standards. The first video game was created in 1999, while the anime that was inspired by it was created in 2005. I am more familiar with the anime version, which uses the premise for several video games and novels. It crossed several different genres even within these mediums, from fluffy romance to superhero roleplay to psychological thriller to supernatural fantasy, while trying to tell a love story between two traumatized boys. I watched the anime years ago, but I had forgotten how weird this show was until now.

Length: There are 5 Japanese video games, a 14-volume Japanese light novel series, and 12 episodes, plus 1 OVA, anime series that has English subtitles. It’s a light lift for most manga and anime viewers, but I am trying to track down a play-through of the games with English subtitles, but couldn't find one. I will be reviewing the anime primarily as it is easier to follow with a clear and defined story, even if it meanders at times.

Plot: Sora Hashiba is an orphan high school boy, who has lost all his memories after falling from a building. He lives in the dorm room of a boy’s only private school. Unbeknownst to him, he has a new roommate, Sunao Fujimori, who is a childhood friend. However, due to his amnesia, he doesn’t remember Sunao. At night, Sunao’s alternate personality Ran awakens and asks to see “Yoru”, who is Sora’s alternate personality. The two alternate personas are sexual lovers and soulmates, but Sora finds himself awakened in the middle of several compromising situations with Sunao with no recollection of his alternate persona’s action, including several implied sexual encounters. Through the plot, we learn that the reason why these two boys have alternate personalities is due to a psychologist name Aizawa, who was experimenting with the idea of mind control and embedded personalities. There is a twist near the end of the story, with an unexpected betrayal and a revelation. I can say the anime ended the story with a happy ending.

Review: Simply put, the anime and story themes are confusing. I think the biggest problem with taking a video game that crosses genres to appeal to different audiences is very clearly displayed here. At the start of the anime, a viewer may be thinking these two boys are possessed by spirits of dead lovers, which gets reinforced with the appearance of an actual ghost in the show. Then, it does a genre shift and everyone is wearing costumes, pretending to be bandits or superheroes. Finally, by episode 8, we get the real story and the show finishes off as a psychological thriller. I understand the anime was trying to attract various video game fans, but what ended up happening was a confusing mess of themes and genres.

As for the characters, Sora and Sunao have a decent romantic story. I thought their psychological trauma background and the reason for their alternate personas made sense in the story. Sora’s story arc may be the better of the two in my opinion as he had to learn to love and grow past pain, especially towards the end of the anime. If the final half of the show could have been maintained throughout Sora’s character, it would have made him a superb character. The symbolic “never letting go” of Sunao is a major psychological trigger for him, which helps him overcome the abusive classical conditioning he underwent. On the flip side, Sunao’s story was a decent one of second chance love and a mistaken revenge plot. However, the way he learns the truth about what happened in the past by the villain Aizewa revealing everything in a monologue felt too anti-climactic. He’s used as a damsel in distress far too often, which isn’t bad but it does limit his range of character development.

Supporting characters are very two-dimensional with a few exceptions. Shin’ichiro Minato and Kai Nanami are the only adult characters, other than Aizawa, who appear. They are a gay couple, who raises Sora as his guardian parents. I enjoy the playful banter between the family unit, especially considering the concept of gay marriage and gay adoption was in its infancy in 2005. Nanami is both a nurse and medical researcher who was indirectly involved in what happened to Sora and Sunao, which plagues this effeminate gay character with a lot of interesting emotional issues. As for the friends of the boys, Matsuri is the most prominent being both their best friends before moving off, implying that he was adopted from the orphanage they were in. Matsuri is a good friend and tries to help the couple along, but overall there’s very little character development from him, beyond friendship. On the other hand, Gaku Ichikawa is charming and infectious with his glee in every scene he’s in. There was a reason why he got a spinoff game in the video game series. Gaku is also involved in a gay relationship with Nagase, Aizawa’s son, so there’s a level of tension between his loyalty to his friends and his lover. I enjoyed this gay character, as well. Each character in the show also has a chibi (little me or child equivalent) version of themselves, which being 2005 made sense as chibi portrayal was vogue back then. However, these kid characters don’t add much to the plot.

Overall, the anime was a bit dated. I think back to the day when I watched this anime back in 2011, it was still refreshing and cute. Nowadays with stories like Sasaki and Miyano, which deals with high school gay romance better, or Given, which deals with psychological issues better, there’s just not as much to like about this old show. It was groundbreaking for its time and I do appreciate some of the characters, but I think it’s shown its age.

Rating: 2.75 out of 5, it’s not abysmal and unwatchable, but it’s too incoherent at times before you even reach its actual story. The characters and anime style are dated compared to modern takes on similar subjects.