Suzuka - Season 1 (2005)

It is the day of the fitness tests, and while Yamato was a legend in his hometown schools, he is failing miserably in his new school. Later, he realizes that this school specializes in sports. Initially, Yamato was unwilling to run the track test, due to his "abysmal" running in middle school. Eventually, he is persuaded to run, and reveals himself to be faster than the boy who got into the school through sprinting scholarship. According to Yasunobu, this supposedly earned him "points" with Suzuka.

When Yamato finds Suzuka talking to Miyamoto, a person on the track team, he gets curious, but when he hears them talking about doing something together, he gets jealous. Eventually, when Yamato is caught listening in on their conversation, he realizes that Miyamoto was only asking Suzuka for help in asking Yamato onto the track team, due to his spectacular performance the day before. In addition to this good surprise, Yamato also discovers Suzuka's feminine side during a lightning storm.

When a weird newspaper girl appears in front of Yamato's room, offering two tickets to the amusement park with a subscription to the newspaper, Yamato thinks that the free day they have coming up is the best time to ask Suzuka out. Unfortunately, Megumi and Yuuka go into his room to goof off, and his tickets end up getting shredded by his cat. When all hope is lost, Suzuka "humbly" asks him out, using tickets that she got from the same newspaper girl. Using such a perfect chance, will Yamato confess his feelings?

Depressed that things will never be the same between him and Suzuka again, Yamato's gone all doom and gloom. So Yuuka takes it upon herself to lift his spirits in her usual inebriated way. But when her drunken advice actually scores a hit, the young man decides to step up his efforts? And what better place to pursue a high jumper than at track practice? Suzuka and Yasunobu both protest his plan, one for not trying hard enough and the other for trying way too hard. Even quiet little Honoka's against it! Backwards as always and against all advice, Yamato decides he's ...

At Yamato's first track practice, he is completely overwhelmed by the immense workout, and gets completely worn out. Miki, a sprinter on track, introduces herself to Yamato, and reveals that she is Suzuka's friend. When Yamato wears out completely, Miki encourages him, and explains to him why Suzuka was so angry about him joining track, and shows him Suzuka's personal training program. This encourages him to work harder, and to lessen the distance between Suzuka and himself.

After two weeks of training, Yamato becomes accustomed to the practices, and officially beats Kenji, the scholarship student, in a time trial, running 100 meters in 10.98 seconds. Instead of being congratulated by Suzuka, she tells him that she despises him. In addition, he now has to carry on Miyamoto and Kinugasu (the track team captain)'s expectations. Later on, he finds out that Suzuka is going home to visit a Kazuki Tsuda, which troubles him for a while. When he finds a photo of Suzuka and another guy in Suzuka's room, he runs after her without second thought.

When Suzuka goes home to visit a certain Kazuki, Yamato chases after her, and eventually finds her house, which turns out to be very big. At the doorstep, he meets Suzuka's sister, who takes him to see Suzuka and Kazuki. When he realizes Kazuki is dead and Suzuka was visiting his grave, he goes home without even letting Suzuka know he was there. In addition, he learns that Kazuki was also a rocket starter, and that he greatly resembles him.

It's the day of the big tournament and Yamato is nowhere to be found? He's been busy feeling bummed about recent events. Yasunobu tracks his forlorn friend down, using his own unique talents to trick Yamato into showing up at the last hour. Finding Suzuka in tears upon his arrival, Yamato - true to form and making things worse as he tries to make them better - confronts the one responsible for this most recent distress. He has just challenged his biggest competitor for the coming event! When his best efforts once more fall short of the mark, unexpected sympathy might ...

When Yamato hears a knock on his door, he opens it to find the newspaper girl again, only this time, she's working for a TV company and offers him her "last" two tickets to the pool. Yamato, realizing she's using the same trick as last time, tells her that she most likely has more. She ends up giving him the two tickets for free, and tells him to ask out his girl. The next day at school, Honoka asks Yamato to the pool; evidently, she also got tickets from the TV girl. However, she fails horribly at asking in secret, and Miki hears and asks almost everyone else, ...

The Inter High competition arrives, and is being hosted at Hiroshima, Yamato's hometown. Suzuka is there to compete, while Yamato is only a cheerleader. Yamato is depressed by his failures with Suzuka and the track team. Yasunobu encourages Honoka to confess to Yamato, or else Suzuka will steal Yamato. Honoka comforts Yamato after practice. However, Miki has told Suzuka to do the same thing, so while Honoka is with Yamato, Suzuka shows up. Honoka panics and kisses Yamato, then walks away embarrassed. The next day, Suzuka gets third place in the tournament and lots of ...

Yamato asks Honoka to become a couple. The next day, Suzuka asks Yamato to go shopping, but he declines. When Suzuka tries to pick a t-shirt for Yamato, Miki tells her he is dating Honoka. Suzuka is visibly disturbed by this, but says nothing. After dinner, Honoka and Yamato sit together. Honoka confesses her longtime love for him. Miki talks to Yasunobu about Yamato. She thinks his behavior is irresponsible towards Suzuka, but Yasunobu thinks it is good for Honoka. Suzuka talks to Yamato after practice. He confirms that he is dating Honoka. She congratulates him and ...

While they sit stranded in Hiroshima, Suzuka asks Yamato about his relationship with Honoka. Yamato responds happily until Suzuka gets angry and stops him. When Yamato's father comes to pick them up, he refuses to let Suzuka stay by herself at a hotel, bringing her home with them. Suzuka meets Yamato's family. Wanting to impress Suzuka, Yamato asks her to stay another night and see the fireflies. She declines, and when Yamato gets upset at her coldness, she says he is incomprehensible, and being nice to the wrong person. After hearing Yamato on the phone with Honoka, ...

When they get back, Suzuka takes her leave after Honoka approaches them. Honoka, apparently, was very "worried" about Yamato, but when he tells her he likes her for the first time, she is completely confident. Later on, Yasunobu reveals that he knows about Yamato and Honoka, and states that he should bring the relationship to the next level, causing Yamato to stutter and decline. When Honoka goes over to Yamato's home to cook for him, he suddenly starts thinking about Suzuka. To convince himself that he likes Honoka, he lets his impulse drive him, causing Honoka to ...

After practice, Suzuka wants to share an umbrella with Yamato, but since Miki is there, she ends up lending one to him instead. The next day, Honoka introduces him to Shirakawa Nana, a pop idol who was her mentor. At karaoke, when Honoka goes to the bathroom to hide her embarrassment, Suzuka finds Yamato singing with a blond woman, and accuses Yamato of two timing Honoka. This is later cleared when Honoka and Miki arrive. Yamato doesn't want to sing, until Suzuka challenges him. They start to sing a duet, but Honoka looks nervous so he stops, to show loyalty to Honoka...

For Honoka's birthday, Yamato wants to surprise her and buy a very meaningful gift. To achieve this, he asks the residents of the inn to help him choose, but they all give really bad advice, and he ends up resorting to a magazine. Eventually, he asks Suzuka to help him choose, and she agrees. After wandering for so long, Yamato buys a necklace from a street vendor, using Suzuka as a modeling dummy. On the way back, Honoka spots Yamato with Suzuka. When Yamato presents the gift to Honoka later on, Yamato tells her that he actually went with Suzuka, and not Yasunobu, ...

Yamato tries to figure out what to do now that Honoka has refused his birthday present for her. His friends suggest apologizing to her but Yamato is hesitant. Eventually he tries to call her and then heads over to Honoka's house, which results in one of those talks regarding the relationship. At home, Yamato receives a visit by the college girls who probe a bit on what just happened, while Suzuka overhears and tries to understand as well, but Yamato tells Suzuka his side of the story, and it wasn't what she expected.

Yasunobu talks with Yamato over the relationship, when Miki interrupts and gets in a heated argument with Yasunobu over her headstrong personality. The entire track-and-field team has been grumbling over Honoka's no-show, and for good reason after they learn what happened from Yamato. Miki had heard from Suzuka on what happened, and confronts Yamato about it. Yamato gives the same lie he gave Suzuka, but Miki isn't fooled and fishes out the truth. She then has Yamato treat her to dinner at an okonomiyaki place where she gets to understand Yamato a little better. ...

Although Yamato resolves to stay on track, he just can't seem to be able to catch the baton, repeatedly dropping it. To help Yamato, Miki decides to take matters into her own hands and train Yamato. After many hours of practice, Yamato still fails to receive the baton properly, due to Suzuka occupying his thoughts the moment of receiving the baton. Eventually, Yamato reveals that his poor performance is due to his regret of lying to Suzuka. Miki offers to talk to Suzuka about it, but Yamato declines the offer, stating that he should stop making excuses and talk to her...

Before the race, Yamato receives counseling from Yasunobu, revealing that he still likes Suzuka. The appearance of Miyamoto and his recount of Kazuki then reveals to Yasunobu what Yamato keeps worrying about. Somehow, though, Yasunobu's words sparks something in Yamato, and he then resolves to becoming first. After his first spectacular performance, he is met by disappointment by his teammates, because the first race was unimportant, he was just wasting energy. When he finishes second in the entire meet, Suzuka approaches to congratulate him, but he reveals to her ...

Yamato works hard at track. Miyamoto and Yamato develop a plan to beat Arima. When Miki wonders what has gotten into Yamato lately, he replies that he has a goal now. Miki guesses it is because of Suzuka. Sakurai later calls Nana for advice about Yamato and what to do. Sakurai tells her that she thinks that Yamato and Suzuka like each other and that there is no place for her anymore. Nana comforts her, telling her to find someone else. Suzuka is increasingly bothered by Yamato's seriousness at track, and acts cold to him. Yamato confronts Suzuka about this, and she ...

It's the day of the big track meet. Captain Miyamoto is concerned that even though Yamato's sprinting style has adjusted, Yamato's times haven't really improved enough. But Yamato is all psyched to face Arima in the preliminaries, which come to a shocking conclusion 11 seconds or so later. Suzuka visits Yamato to boil some extra eggs (about the only thing she can cook), and Yamato picks up that she might be caring for him, and uses that opportunity to try one last confession.

While Suzuka is sitting in front of the shrine, it is revealed to us exactly how Kazuki dies. Eventually, Honoka finds her in front of her shrine, and sits down to talk to her. Honoka ends up yelling at Suzuka, because Suzuka refuses to accept Yamato, afraid to get in a relationship. Suzuka tells her that she doesn't know how it feels to lose a loved one, which Honoka counters by telling her that she doesn't know how it feels to have your loved one stolen from you. Eventually, Suzuka runs away, and Yamato comes to the shrine. Honoka, feeling defeated, tells Yamato ...

After Suzuka gets home, she ponders her conflicted feelings and stares at her photo of Kazuki. The next day, Miki, seeing how hard Yamato is trying, tries to convince Suzuka to face Yamato, telling her of his feelings. The next day, Honoka persuades Suzuka to walk home with her. She convinces Suzuka to talk to Yamato, telling her to not keep him waiting. When Yamato learns from Miho that Suzuka is going back home to visit a grave, he rushes upstairs to tell Suzuka to stop visiting Kazuki's grave. To his surprise, she asks him to come along. There, Suzuka confesses her...