Review of She, The Ultimate Weapon

If you're the sort of person who will call an anime a masterpiece because it makes you cry, "Saikano" might work for you. This show will make you feel absolutely miserable. The story is an emotional rollercoaster that only goes down, with increasing drama and darkness as it continues. The setting only makes one major divergence from reality (the "Ultimate Weapon" of the title) which allows for a believably bleak narrative about how apocalyptic warfare can be even without nuclear weaponry. That last part is what sticks with me. It's a good old fashioned "homefront war narrative" but turned up to 11and with the stakes escalated through both the realities of modern warfare and the grotesque sci-fi.

The problem is that the show is also miserable to watch in a bunch of unintentional ways that don't exactly help it. The character designs are ugly, the animation and direction are unimpressive, and the central relationship drags on in a way which *could* easily be believable for a pair of young people in this bizarre and horrifying scenario but is not properly reflected in their dialogue or their actions.

Now and Then, Here and There managed to make something nearly as dramatic and miserable while also making a product that didn't frustrate or offend your eyes and ears. This show might be worth a shot if you're into "cry porn" and the premise sounds interesting but I wouldn't prioritize it.