最終兵器彼女 [Saishū Heiki Kanojo / She, the Ultimate Weapon]

In the early 2000s, Shogakukan published this stark, seven-issue series by Shin Takahashi, a manga that reimagines the teen romance as a wartime tragedy. Set in a provincial Japanese town, it follows a shy high school couple whose relationship is shattered when the girl is secretly transformed into a living, devastating weapon for a looming war. Saishū Heiki Kanojo is celebrated for its raw emotional weight, contrasting tender youthful love with the brutal, dehumanizing cost of conflict, and remains a haunting landmark in the genre.