Suzuka = (Touch + Maison Ikkoku + Love Hina
+ 1 million other series) / 1,000,003

An indecisive male lead moves into a female apartment complex so that he can work for his aunt, the landlady. Advised by his friends, a player and a drunk slut, he hopes to charm his neighbor, the girl who can't get over her past. To complicate matters, the shy girl with the childhood crush starts to make her move. Then the show copies an average of 38461 other animes per episode.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: "Original" is not synonymous with "good", and "unoriginal" is not synonymous with "bad". At first glance, Suzuka might seem like a low-budget conglomeration of every other series in the history of anime, but as you watch it, you'll realize that it put every unoriginal concept to good use:

How can you not love a recurring minor character who always appears in a different role?


This cat is psuedo-random, but most of the time that's good enough.


The high jump has recently become a popular metaphor in anime. It can mean anything from "jumping over the obstacles within yourself" to "failing to jump over the obstacles within yourself".

The best part about this series is that the characters aren't entirely boxed into stereotypes. Once in a while, the indecisive guy will make a decision, the shy girl will do something courageous, and the player will fail to pick up a chick. It's a very simple concept, but few shows go that extra mile to make their characters believable. That alone makes it worth watching.


Suzuka = (Touch + Maison Ikkoku + Love Hina + 2698 other series) / 2701