“Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? isogahii desu ka? Sukutte moratte Ii desu ka?”
That’s a long title, right? Yes
Should you give it a chance and read it? Yes!
This is a previous review I wrote for this series, and I’ll try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. Let’s start.
SukaSuka (WorldEnd) Review:
The story presents us with a seemingly young man called “Willem” who wakes up from from an icy slumber 500 years later after losing everyone he once held dear to his heart and losing the place he once called home. The people of the earth now live on islands in the sky after the earth has succumbed
...
to the control of mysterious beasts that appeared also 500 years ago and rendered humanity extinct. As such, the only remaining species are anthropomorphic animals with fur and scales.
The story deals with this young man’s encounter with fairies. A group of mysterious girls who are said to be used as special weapons to fend off the beast invasions on the islands.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The initial premise may seem cliche, pseudo-harem, or “I’ve seen that before” for some people. However, the story evolves into much more than that. SukaSuka is more of a drama, mystery, sci-fi, romance novel that takes itself seriously. It knows how to play around with your feelings. I think the most compelling aspect of this story is the world-building. It just has you hooked and wanting to know about its world more. You find yourself asking “just who are the beasts? How did they appear? How are the fairies created and used in battle? What happened in Willem’s past? What is waiting these characters? Are there any human survivors? What happened 500 years ago?” It sets up to achieve what many fantasy stories fail at, and that is creating an actually interesting fantasy world where you can feel fully immersed in and give you that feeling as if you’re exploring it alongside the characters.
The story works hand in hand with the world building as we endeavor with the protagonist to uncover the secrets of this world while also observing how he tries to accept his present life, deal with his past, and find a new home and family with fairies he encounters. These fairies that are nothing more than special weapons bound to death. Together, Willem tries to find respite (but the question that always seems to pose itself is whether he will he be successful in finding it at the end?) and seeks a new family with the fairies while teaching the latter the importance of life and that there’s a reason for them to live on and exist more than just mere weapons. Unable to fight due to his past wounds, Willem becomes the father these girls (fairies) never had and tries to nurture them. That being said, the story still takes a tortuous path with several twists and turns. The plot twists that come along are also reasonable with enough foreshadowing provided from the very beginning. You may find the story jumping between timelines which may confuse some people, but that makes it more interesting as you are discovering a world in 2 different eras and uncovering more secrets that tie into the lore. I’d like to echo what the other review said. The world of sukasuka is basically a well construced fantasy world with an added touch of lovecraftian influence, and boy I am a fan of lovecraft’s novels and writing.
As for the characters, Willem is one of the best protagonists I’ve seen with an unrivaled iron will and qualities that make him stand out among many protagonists I’ve seen. His actions are always well thought out and in line with his established character. He has some shounen protagonist qualities, but the way in which he displays them makes him different and especially with how he embodies the true definition of a war hero (not a hero in a costume with some granted power and flies around beating bad guys). His existence is essential to the story, but he is not the only who drives the plot, and his character inspection is great and hold ties to the secret of the world which makes it more compelling.
As for the fairies, they’re all distinct from each others. While a few of them do fall into some tropes because the story is only 25 chapters and can’t flesh them out or fully develop them all, they do manage to still be decent characters. The main female lead among the fairies Chtholly (or you can just call her Kutori or Cthulhu) gets a good amount of focus and her interactions with willem as well as their chemistry is adorable and really forms a great relationship between them as one strives to find a new home and one strives to find a reason to live, to come back home, and be beside her loved ones. Chtholly’s story goes in parallel with Willem’s as she realizes her own self-worth thanks to him and fights to maintain these precious memories she tries to build as much as she can of in this ephemeral life she’s living. Chtholly along with Ithea and Ren get the most exposure out of all fairies (nopht and Rhan too but to a lesser extent), and they’re all influenced by Willem’s actions. As the story advances his relationship with them as a father figure, it also builds on their character through the dynamics of that relationship and their relevance to the overall plot and World building
If i were to offer some more bits of criticism, It would be that I would have liked some characters to be a just a bit more developed. Also there are some questions left unanswered. However, there is a sequel novel too! So that makes me happy to explore more stuff about the world and story. However, it hasn’t been translated yet unfortunately or still in its early process of being translated. Also the characters naming can look pretty complex at first. But you get used to it.
Now, this is a story of a brave or hero who left the battlefield and a story of girls who are bound to sacrifice themselves on the battlefield. It’s your turn to jump in on the long journey and drown in feels while playing scarborough fair or always in my heart endlessly.
Nov 17, 2018
“Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? isogahii desu ka? Sukutte moratte Ii desu ka?”
That’s a long title, right? Yes Should you give it a chance and read it? Yes! This is a previous review I wrote for this series, and I’ll try to avoid spoilers as much as possible. Let’s start. SukaSuka (WorldEnd) Review: The story presents us with a seemingly young man called “Willem” who wakes up from from an icy slumber 500 years later after losing everyone he once held dear to his heart and losing the place he once called home. The people of the earth now live on islands in the sky after the earth has succumbed ... |