Suka Suka Complete:

The last book in the world left for me to read, Suka Suka volume 4, has now been read.  I even went ahead and read the partially translated volume 5 as well.  Now I'm stuck waiting for the occasional update like everyone else.

The books are spending a lot of time and effort trying to explain the context of a lot of previously vague things.  They are not central to the central drama and epic theme of the story, so they're kind of a let down.  The important story really did end in volume 3, or at least it sure looks that way with what's been translated so far.  Which means the anime covered everything that needed to be covered.  If asked whether I wished for the anime to continue I would say yes, but the need isn't nearly as pressing as I originally imagined.

Ctholly is dead, and nothing is going to change that, and nothing can replace her.  There's just a giant gaping void in the story without her, and everything is less interesting without her struggle against fate animating the plot like it had been all this time.

Meanwhile, the anime had an excellent ending episode.  The last few minutes are confusing, so I advise people to read the light novels for that section to understand what's going on.  But everything else in the episode was magnificent.  Anime rarely reaches that level of perfection for even a few seconds, much less the dozen or so minutes Suka Suka kept up.

The fact that the light novels set after the events of the anime really don't add much to the story makes the anime all the better.  It means even if you just watch the anime, you aren't missing anything vital to the story.  It's like a halfway complete series, like Vividred Operation, even as things stand.

What I most like seeing in this world is people who try hard and sacrifice themselves for something.  For some reason both parts are vital.  If they just pull a suicide vest cord and blow up, or if they just randomly jump on a grenade that rolled into the trench, it isn't moving at all.  But if they try hard and give it their all in what feels like a losing fight, but eventually wrest at least a partial victory away at the cost of their own lives, that's wrenching.  It's meaningful.  It goes right to the heart of what it takes to be a hero.  All the leprechauns in Suka Suka are that sort of hero, the very best kind.  Ctholly even outmatched the Pretty Cure, who often engage in similar tough fights, because she actually fought all the way to the death for the sake of others, which no Pretty Cure will ever do.

If anyone came out of this series not loving Ctholly by the end they need to get their heads checked.  Unfortunately, with her passing, 80% of the story's quality passes with her, so only the most dedicated fans (like me) need to bother reading any further.  As for anyone who hasn't watched the anime yet, there's no excuse left.  You need to watch this series.