Suzuka: Complete Anime Series Box Set - Romantic Drama & Sports Anime Collection - Perfect for Anime Fans & Collectors

Okay, so I gave this series five stars on the Amazon Rating Scale. I did this for 2 reasons. First, The box set itself is fairly nice, has good box art, and even some commentaries (which is awesome). My second reason is that I would recommend this anime to people who haven't seen it (especially since it's so cheap). The anime itself however, requires a more in depth review than just a five star rating.Story: The story in this anime is more or less based upon a love triangle scenario. Yamato Akitsuki is just starting high school in Tokyo, when he falls in love with Suzuka. Suzuka is a track star, as well as Yamato's next door neighbor. Meanwhile, a young girl named Honoka Sakurai has been in love with Yamato since she was very young, and now she wants to make her move. The story is well paced, and is purely character driven. The complex emotions of the characters were well portrayed, as was the subtle character development that occurred as the series progressed. Suzuka herself pissed me off sometimes, but other than that everything was expertly done.Dub: The dub for this anime was fantastic. Funimation is my favorite dubbing company for a reason. Todd Habercorn and Leah Clark were great as Yamato and Suzuka respectively, and Brina Palencia (who is one of my favorite voice actresses) was perfect as Honoka. The side characters were also great. No complaints at all with the dub (except maybe the dubbing of the opening and ending songs, but that doesn't really matter).Animation: The animation is one area where Suzuka was fairly weak. To be fair, this anime was from 2005, so you can't expect something too eye catching. Also, since this is primarily a romance, the animation doesn't need to be amazing. That being said, I felt it could have been done better at multiple points. I will say that some of the backgrounds look great, but other than that, the animation was completely average. Either way, this doesn't make or break the show.Music: The music was pretty good. I will say that the op and ed songs were bad, and I didn't like the music played during the comedy scenes. However, this is balanced out by the fantastic music during the drama scenes. It tends to be very soft music, and it is perfect for the show. In particular, I have to mention the piano tack Tooi Hi no Kizuato for being not only the best track in Suzuka's OST, but for being one of the highlights of the anime.Overall: I really enjoyed Suzuka, and I think it's certainly worth picking up for any hardcore anime fan. I would give Suzuka an 8.5 out of 10.