That’s right , As of the latest issue of Shonen Magazine , 3 years later , Suzuka , which ran from the 3rd March 2004 to the 21th September 2007 finally reached an end.

For those who have only seen the anime , it may have ended a long time ago , but for those who followed the manga it was quite a run .

Suzuka , tells the story of a young boy named Yamato Akitsuki and a girl named Asahina Suzuka ( pretty original right?) , Akitsuki Yamato decided to go to Tokyo to pursues his studies , there it is arranged that he will lodge at his aunt Apartment complex. However before going there , he drops by his new school and that’s where he will meet Suzuka . The young Yamato is then struck by what they call love at first sight. And what greater odds for him , she happens to live in the apartments next door .

Unfortunately for the poor Yamato , Suzuka is as beautiful as she hard to get . She’s may be cute , but she is stubborn , can be selfish , is often grumpy , and clearly despises Yamato. Deciding that he would not give up and to get closer to her , he decides to join a Track team . After that will happen a series of event involving a rival for Suzuka , or rather , one who sees Suzuka as a rival , and I of course talk about Honoka . Because Yamato is being a pathetic dumbass , and that for some reasons , Honoka really wants him , she ends up getting what she want after many unsuccessful ( maybe not many , haven’t read in a while eh) at getting Suzuka such as discovering for example how her first love was the best runner in their school track team and yet died , hence why it makes her afraid of relationship , Yamato ends up going out Honoka .

All for the best …? Not really , Suzuka starts to discover she is getting jealous . And when comes the time to buy a present to his girlfriend , sir.Dumbass has the brilliant idea to go ask the one girl he’s been pursuing all along , to come and help him , of course , Honoka learns this and one thing leading to another , Yamato ends up breaking up with the poor girl . That’s when he decided to re-examine his love for his former un-required love , and so Yamato finds the way to declare his love to Suzuka once again , this time she accepts and the two of them start going out ….

All for the best ? not really , the couple quarrel which leads to having Suzuka going to a winter training camp…which leads her to accept an athletic scholarship in order to study during a year in the USA. While , Yamato himself found a job in a cafe where works of course a really cute waitress who only sees Yamato in her eyes ( good lord >_> ) . Suzuka ends up leaving and of course this is the end for the couple . That’s exactly when Yui , the cute waitress decides to make her move , but Dumbass rejects her . And so he also stops working at the cafe .

Anyway , the year passes , Yamato became almost good in track , bla bla bla , Honoka ( who’s back ) spends the year trying to send signal to dumbass so they could get back together , but dumbass doesn’t see any of those . Suddenly one day he wakes up and decide to ask Honoka out , and that’s the same day she announces to him that she found herself a boyfriend. Coincidently , Suzuka is coming back from the States , bla bla bla , they discuss , and then they are back together.

Time passes , as the couple is in elision , Yamato’s friend suggest him to pass the next step , after struggling to make Suzuka accept , Yamato and Suzuka pass the next step , and they can’t be happier. That’s when they decide to make a trip , just to two of them , knowing their parent would not approve , so they find a way to lie …but are caught anyway , Suzuka’s father is very not happy , and it takes time for him to recognize/accept/forgive Yamato . Once it’s done , all should go perfectly well ……but it seems destiny doesn’t want it to be so , and Suzuka learns that she’s pregnant . They both talk and in the end it’s been decided that they would keep the kid . And so they all make preparations for such , Suzuka and Yamato get married , Suzuka has a daughter , and finally , all is well……?

Anyway it’s over now .

Basically , reading Suzuka was a pain by time , it was like eating apples even though you’re allergic and your face starts to swell and even thought you suffer , you keep eating it, and you don’t even know why since it doesn’t taste particularly good . Yamato was the kind of character that you’d want to beat the crap out of almost every chapter for being so dense , stupid and …a dumbass ! And Suzuka was no better , honestly , you’d knew they’d make the perfect couple so much they’d piss you off . But weirdly enough , you could not stop yourself from reading .

In the end , I enjoyed this manga , it was quite a run , tough but enjoyable nonetheless. , and I am kind of sad that it ended , but everything that stars must ends .

Would I recommend it to anyone ?

yes …and Not really , I mean if you are looking for this kind of stories , then you’d better go read love hina , or Maison Ikkoku . Not that Suzuka isn’t good at all , but there really are better manga of this style out there , but then again , there my whole personal bias against Yamato .