▪	RELEASED BY:		FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		125 MIN
		▪	RATING:		13UP
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		07/24/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		07/26/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		ROMMEL SALANDANAN

As the tempestuous relationship continues, things change from good to bad for Yamato as his relationship with Suzuka is suddenly on a downward spiral.

While having to follow Suzuka everywhere in an amusement park and deal with her moody behavior, Yamato over analyzes the situation when Suzuka innocently grabs and holds his hand while watching a late night parade. Unable to keep his emotions in check, Yamato conjures the strength to tell Suzuka how he really feels about her, an admittance that put Suzuka in an uncomfortable position.

And from that point on, Yamato gets the cold shoulder treatment.  However, Yamato is relentless as he wants to prove to Suzuka that he is worthy of her attention and aspiration, and he even goes as far as joining the school's track and field team just to get close to her. While blinded with his goal to win Suzuka over, he has become oblivious to the girls surrounding him. He fails to see that Honaka and Suzuka's best friend, Miki, also have an interest in him.

Having to prove that he in fact can make it on the team, Yamato is about to represent the school in a track meet, but he suddenly starts to fade away from the things he has worked hard for. This forces Suzuka to confront him about what's going, but the confrontation becomes personal. Yamato is compelled to tell her that he is tired of being compared to Kazuki, Suzuka's former love.

Now the track competition day has arrived, and Yamato is nowhere to be found.
Teen-agers who are into relationship or are getting into a relationship could learn a thing or two from watching this series, as it resembles real life budding or troubled relationships. The story is simple and straight to the point, yet it is backed by events that could easily happen to normal teen-age kids.

The volume also covers what happened to Suzuka in the past and why she is the way she is now, and a past love that happens to be the one thing that makes Yamato lose his desire for what he has worked hard for. Also, to keep Yamato aligned with his current predicament, his best friend Yasunobu Hattori, who provides the male point of view of the show and is an easy go lucky kind of guy, happens to be a sensitive person inside and sees what his friend is going through. Yasunobu gives Yamato advice on what he should do, although some of his advice is way out in left field.  To counter Yasunobu's suggestions is Miki, who shows the girls' point of view whenever Yamato seeks guidance.

For viewers who have not read the manga (like me), the story will take you by surprise as it takes off on a different direction. They could have played the innocent path with hidden feelings throughout the series, but instead, the series decides to put the viewer in a curve by having Yamato play the role of the wounded soldier at such an early stage of the story. But its a part of the story that is necessary and plays well with its viewers.

EXTRAS:
This time around, there is an Actor Commentary, which gives you plenty of tidbits about the show and the songs. The commentary was done by voice actors Leah Clark (Suzuka) and Todd Haberkorn (Yamato). 
More screen shot images from Aoba High School Yearbook, and the usual Textless Songs and FUNimation trailers.

IN SUMMARY:
Charming and mesmerizing. Suzuka is one show that can pull off such delicate matters to become something enjoyable and entertaining.