8.025 minSeason 1 • Episode 13
LatestSaikano: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet. is a manga, anime, and OVA series by Shin Takahashi, creator of Iihito and Kimi no Kakera. Saikano was originally serialized in Shogakukan's Big Comic Spirits magazine. A live-action movie adaptation was released in Japan on January 28, 2006 with Aki Maeda starring as Chise. The Saikano manga and anime series has been licensed and is being distributed by Viz Media in English in North America. The anime series is distributed in the UK by Manga Entertainment. Although the city is not mentioned by name in the series, many of the locations used in Saikano can by all probability be found in Otaru-shi, west of Sapporo. The train station, "Hell Hill", the Asahi Observation Hill, the view over the harbor, and the school all have similar looking counterparts in the city of Otaru.
Writing
Quiet apocalypse where the world ends in whispers, not bangs.
Score
That ending song will live rent-free in your broken heart forever.
Direction
Soft visuals brutally contrast with body horror transformation sequences.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Saikano emerged from Japan's post-Aum Shinrikyo, post-Kobe earthquake anxiety — the 'end of ordinary life' as literal teenage experience.
The Otaru locations are so specific that fans still pilgrimage to 'Hell Hill' — the real observation point where Chise and Shuji have their most devastating conversations.
JP
