I didn't get to see the first episode but did get to see the second. As the episode started, I at first thought that it was going to be another "weepy girl" show, as one of the characters, Shinobu, was spending all of her time crying over having to move away. But the show started to pick up as Keitaro and some of the girls found out and planned a going away party for Shinobu. In the end, Shinobu's parents agreed to allow her to stay in the boarding house so that she could stay with her friends. The rest of the roomers really liked this because Shinobu was the only one of them who could cook.
The animation and music were alright and the slapstick comedy ( most of it surrounding Keitaro getting punched out by one or more of the girls for some misunderstanding ) differentiated "Love Hina" from more seriously presented shows like "To Heart" ( which "Love Hina" resembles in some ways ). I'll watch it for a couple more episodes before I decide if I will ask my friend to make it a regular show for me or not.
(Dave Baranyi)I think TV Love Hina was too deformed by the hand of the King Record's
producer, Otsuki Toshinobu (who did Evangelion) and Hayashibara Megumi.
It was just like designed to promote these people, and ruins the original
flavor. I don't like it. I can't agree with the way that people behind the scene
are too overly exposed. I hate the opening theme song sung by Hayashibara.
She wasn't a good singer, and the song itself was bad, too.
(CALCI)
I have seen Love Hina TV up to the 2nd episode. and
the translation [to anime] was pretty weird. I can't say it is the best
translation but still fun. I will rank it as a B+ show so far.
(CALCI)
Two weeks ago I watched the first three episodes of "Love Hina" on the first DVD from the series. I had missed the first episode during the original broadcast and wanted to review the other two episodes. Then last week I watched the final two episodes ( 23 & 24 ) on tape. Finally, last night I re-watched episodes 4 through 9 on the second and third DVD's. This has given me quite a different perspective on this series from what I had when I first started to watch it several months ago, and a positive one at that.
"Love Hina" is a shounen romance comedy about Keitaro, a 20 year old who is struggling to be accepted into Tokyo University, and the girls he meets while he is the temporary janitor at the all-girls boarding house owned by his grandmother. The story immediately brings to mind other shounen romance comedies such as "Maison Ikkoku" or the "Tenchi" series as Keitaro finds himself in a situation where he is surrounded by beautiful girls and even falls in love with one of them.. But the series soon evolves into something quite different and very entertaining as it turns into a comedy of errors, mishaps, mistaken identities, dreams and eventually the question of what it means to "follow a dream".
The initial driving force behind the plot is the "dream" that has driven Keitaro for many years.15 years before, a little girl playmate got Keitaro to make a promise to meet her one day as a student at "Todai" ( Tokyo University ). The girl sealed the promise with a kiss, then soon afterwards moved away. In the subsequent years Keitaro forgot the girl's name, but he never forgot the promise. However, as the story opens, Keitaro has already failed the entrance exam to Tokyo University twice - he isn't really academically inclined and prefers to do art. But the promise has become a dream and a goal for his life and he hasn't given up on it.
So when Keitaro's parents tell him that they won't support his ronin lifestyle anymore, he is saved by his grandmother's intervention. She wants to relax and take an extended holiday and offers Keitaro the opportunity to make a few yen and have a place to live while trying to pass his university entrance exams by taking the job of janitor at her old boarding house, Hinata Sou.
At Hinata Sou, Keitaro is initially rebuffed by the girls there, but he soon starts to wonder if one of the girls, called Naru, might not be his dream girl. The story then becomes both a tale of the budding romance between Keitaro and Naru, and also the story of Keitaro's struggle to accommodate his growing love for Naru with his personal commitment to the long forgotten girl of his past and her promise. To add to the situation, it turns out that Naru also has her own secret "reason" to get into Todai.
In the process of telling this story, the series gets to throw numerous red herrings into the path of the viewer, not the least of whom is the warm, sweet, beautiful and oh so available Mutsumi, who in many ways appears to be the "perfect match" for Keitaro. They are both clumsy and dense in similar ways, and Mutsumi has also failed the entrance exam twice ( but for failing to remember to write down her name, not because she didn't know the answers ). But there is a certain chemistry between Keitaro and Naru too, not withstanding Naru's penchant for beating up Keitaro for any slight, real or imagined.
Add to this a great sense of energy in every episode, marvelous humor, great background music, memorable supporting characters, intelligent dialog and excellent animation, and you get a truly remarkable story. In the end, the story comes down to, as once of the characters puts it, the difference between "following a dream" and "chasing a rainbow".
All-in-all, I highly recommend "Love Hina".
(Dave Baranyi)
I just watched episode 19 of "Love Hina" and I'm gaining more and more appreciation of this goofy and derivative but thoroughly enjoyable series. Sure, its another Tenchi-like, "guy with too many girls" show, but it is done with such panache, energy and silliness that the similarities to other series are positives instead of negatives.
And, finally, Mutsumi is back. She is the girl from Okinawa that Keitaro bumped into on his vacation when he and Naru both lost their glasses and didn't realize that they were spending time together. As far as I'm concerned, Mutsumi should be the girl from Keitaro's past - she likes him, they have lots in common and I think that she is cuter and sexier than Naru. But I suspect Mutsumi is still just a "foil" for Naru to get jealous over.
The series has been getting stranger all the time. A few weeks ago I had the experience of a very odd juxtaposition - immediately following an episode of "Saiyuuki" was an episode of "Love Hina" in which the gang was doing a summer play for kids - the "Journey to the West", which is, of course, the basis for "Saiyuuki".
In episode 19 the goofiness continued with a real twist - at the beginning we see Keitaro's figure coming down the road towards Hinata Sou, but the old "geezers" who sometimes are around to watch Keitaro's latest misery are surprised and bothered by Keitaro's manner and confidence. Just as the geezers are about to try to stop Keitaro, the form of a B-29 flies overhead and the geezers all panic and drop to the ground while covering their heads with their arms. The image of the plane passes and the geezers realize that Keitaro is far past them now.
Then when Keitaro arrives at the Hinata Sou, all of the girls are confused by Keitaro's manner and demeanor - he gracefully helps all the girls. Then we see a new side to Naru which indicates that she has understood the effect she has on Keitaro all along. Keitaro is calmly sitting in Haruka's room, having tea and ignoring the rest of the girls. Naru goes in, unzips her blouse a bit and comments "how hot it is". Keitaro doesn't react. Then Naru pulls up the one side of her skirt to show all of one of her legs. Again Keitaro doesn't react. Naru is stunned, then Mutsumi, who has come along in the last couple of minutes, says quite confidently that the person there isn't Keitaro. It turns out that the person is actually the "o-nii-san" from India that Suu is supposed to marry. Keitaro, in the meanwhile, is in trouble like usual and being carried off by a couple of his buddies. ( Oh yes, in an earlier episode we found out that Suu is not only Indian, but also a "magic girl" of sorts. )
Tons more goofiness occur - it's almost impossible to describe an episode because of all the details, visual jokes and puns, double takes and references to earlier episodes and all sorts of other anime.
So if you enjoy lots goofiness, pretty girls, hopeless heroes and odd situations, "Love Hina" is something you ought to look out for.
Today I received "Love Hina" DVD "Process 8" ( along with other goodies from CD Japan that are murdering my credit card with the current exchange rate ). This DVD finishes the original TV season with episodes 22, 23 & 24. So despite the other temptations, including DVD 2 of "Sci-Fi Harry", I decided that I needed a "feel good" evening and put on "Process 8".
I'm a sucker for sequels, and you would think that I'd be cured of that after various Pioneer "sequelitis" attacks such as what happened to "Tenchi" or "El Hazard", but I keep going back for more punishment.
So here I am this evening, just back from 6 days in Montreal with no computer or anime ( other than a dubbed episode of "Gundam Wing" on YTV ), and I've got in my "hot little hands" three tapes recorded a week and a half ago in Japan, including the "Love Hina" Christmas special that was broadcast at noon on Christmas day. So after running around like a madman, trying to get the household going again, and getting ready to return to work tomorrow, I finally sit down in front of the TV at 11:30 PM and put on the tape with the "Love Hina" Christmas special.
Now, to put things into perspective, I really enjoyed the "Love Hina" anime while it was being broadcast this past year - enough to order the DVD's and to also pick up the manga when I was in L.A. at the beginning of December. So while I didn't know quite what to expect from the "Christmas Special", I figured that it must be good - how could it not be?
Let me put it this way - if you've seen the "Christmas" episode of "Ah My Goddess", or most any episode of "To Heart", or were even unfortunate enough to sit through any episode of "Boys Be" - you've seen the "Love Hina Christmas Special". For "special", it's not. It is instead a cliched, dull, predictable, humorless, and excruciatingly slow retelling of any vapid "Christmas romance" story that you've ever seen.
And that's the most frustrating thing about the experience of watching the "Christmas Special" - I can't understand why they abandoned the approach that worked so well in the 24 episodes of the anime. First of all, it's not just that the story is deathly serious - all of the characters are "out of character". Nobody smiles, laughs or enjoys themselves at all. And the manic fantasy of the TV series is totally missing. Instead we get Keitaro limping around town with a twisted ankle for the last half and hour, looking for Naru who is looking for him. I don't know, maybe you liked the old poem "Evangeline" when you read it in school, but that plot was old when the poem was written 150 years ago and it isn't any fresher in the "Christmas Special" version.
There are other bothersome features in the "Christmas Special". Something is wrong with the character animation, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Somehow the characters are more static, and this is emphasized when they are contrasted against the rather uneven computer animation ( snowflakes and so on ). And all of the songs from the series are played at one point or another, but not in the circumstances where one would expect, making for a jarring experience.
Add to this the fact that there is none of the risquéness of the original series ( probably because this was a noon broadcast instead of a late night broadcast ). The funniest part of the entire broadcast were the ads for the "Sega Net Game", in which a Sega console, speaking in a man's voice, wants to plug it's phone cord into the jack in the back of a pink telephone, who agrees in a woman's voice!
I'm now left to hope that the "special" episodes promised for DVD number 9 won't be this Christmas travesty.
(Dave Baranyi)
I've now watched the last three episodes of "Love Hina" three times, ( including the original broadcast and once again a couple of months ago on the tapes that I received from Japan ) and each time I watch them I become more impressed with what was accomplished with "Love Hina" the TV series. Once more I'm looking forward to the April 1 "special", as well as whatever shows up on DVD 9 in May. ( I only hope that I'm not disappointed again like I was with the "Christmas Special". )
BTW - the booklet continued the trend towards putting more English in it - as with DVD 7 the story digests are in English. ( Albeit, they should have had a native English speaker proofread the copy before sending it to print. ) I wonder why this was done - is it just another case of English being considered "cool", or are they noticing how many volumes are flying across the Pacific?
BTW II - Haruka is on the cover of this DVD and the Shinobu, Motoko, Mitsune, Kaolla and Naru are in swim suits on the inside of the cover.
BTW III - For those of you who wondered throughout the series about Naru's ability to punch Keitaro through various walls and into the sky, there is a 2-page section at the end of the booklet titled "physics?" which goes through the various Newtonian equations of motion governing Naru's punishment of Keitaro, including some calculations of the velocities reached by Naru's punches and Keitaro in flight. (L)
(Dave Baranyi)
I just finished watching "Love Hina" Episode 25, which came on the "Process 9" DVD. ( Star Child KIBA 492, 38 minutes, Y3000 ). Along with this OAV episode was a "special" section consisting collections of various TV spot ads for the CD's, DVD's and various episodes.
I didn't see the "Love Hina Spring Special", but from what I've read about it, Episode 25 isn't it. Instead, Episode 25 is a stand alone story about Motoko's big sister Tsuruko coming to bring Motoko home. Motoko doesn't want to go home, so she makes up a spur-of-the-moment lie that she can't go home because she is engaged to Keitaro. Of course, this fabrication can't last long, so Tsuruko disowns Motoko for lying, unless Motoko agrees to actually marry Keitaro.
Keitaro tries to cheer Motoko up by telling her that she is a beautiful girl and doesn't just have to be a sword-fighting mika. Motoko tries this role for a while in a fairly funny satire of all the "skilled girls in the kitchen" cliches, but it doesn't last long either. So Motoko and Keitaro go off to settle the matter with Tsuruko.
The episode has a little more skin and a lot more panty shots than the TV series, and the humor and timing are a lot more like the TV series than the ( IMO abominable ) "Christmas Special". The animation is pretty good, but not quite to the level of detail of the TV series. ( This shows up when you check out and compare the preview spots in the "special" section to the episode. ) The music is done like the "Christmas Special", with a "best of" selection of background themes used almost at random. But overall the episode is fun, if not one of the better ones of the series. ( Mutsumi doesn't appear in this episode, so "by definition" it can't be as much fun for me as any of the episodes with her in it. )
The booklet included with the DVD contains the usual info about the episode, along with a page showing the dolls that came with the "special editions" of the DVD's. ( I'm glad that I didn't spend the extra Yen. ) There are also photos and details on the seiyu.
So, will there be an episode 26? The original box is full now. Also, will the "Spring Special" ever come out on disc? Only time, and the Marketing Department at Star Child, will tell.
Hmmm - I never thought that I would turn into a "manga curmudgeon", but the "specials" that have come out subsequent to the original "Love Hina" TV series have started me thinking that way. Today I watched the "Love Hina Spring Special" called "I Wish Your Dream". ( BTW - that's not me folks - that's right off of the front cover of the booklet in the DVD box.) The details of the release are : Starchild KIBA 9620, 51 minutes, 5,500 Yen, release date of 2001-8-1, with a bonus "Sound of Love Hina" booklet included in the package.
The "Sound of Love Hina" booklet is different from what I've seen included in other region 2 DVD packages - it has cover art and track listings for the various "Love Hina" CD releases, along with sheet music and words for a number of songs from the series, including "Sakurasaku".
I didn't get a chance to see the "Spring Special" when it was originally broadcast this past Spring because TV Osaka didn't carry it, so I was looking forward to the video release. I had been severely disappointed in the rather maudlin and painfully slow "Christmas Special", but the "Motoko Special" in "Volume 9" of the TV anime DVD release was well done and funny, so I had hope for the "Spring Special". Also, I had heard that the "Spring Special" was based upon the "Pararakelse Adventure" which took up volume 8 of the manga release and is my favorite of the later manga arcs.
The plot of the "special" is essentially the same as the plot in the manga - Keitaro is once again taking his Todai entrance exam, and this time he feels that he knows everything and will ace it. Keitaro then takes a moment to contemplate his upcoming success and while daydreaming, falls asleep and only wakes up with five minutes left to finish the test. Faced with disaster again, Keitaro leaves Japan to take a part time job on a distant tropical island. When the girls find out that Keitaro has fled, Naru decides to go after him, and eventually all the rest of the girls do too. Everyone ends up in a remote tropical paradise where the ruins of a lost civilization await to be discovered.
Now, although that summary is essentially the same for both the anime and the manga, the details are really changed and compressed a lot in the "special", resulting in something that really didn't make a lot of sense. I couldn't see how anyone would be able to figure out what was going on if they hadn't already read the manga. On top of that, as with the "Christmas Special", the "Spring Special" focussed on "emotions" rather than plot or character. Now, the "Spring Special" isn't anywhere near as maudlin as the "Christmas Special", but there were so few moments of wit or originality that it once again seemed as if an entirely different creative team had produced the specials as compared with the TV series. And if you at all liked Nyamo in the manga, you are going to likely be like me and gasp in disbelief in what they do with her in the "Special".
As far as the animation and general "look" of the "Spring Special" go - the background animation was quite good, but the character animation was "lacking" in detail in comparison with the TV series (similar to the "Christmas Special"). The BGM was just another compilation of the "best of" the TV series BGM, with the addition of two fairly mediocre and unmemorable vocals during the show. As has been pointed out by others before, most of the girls on the show, other than Megumi Hayashibara, do not have good singing voices and the two vocals do nothing to improve the situation.
All-in-all, I was disappointed with the way that this fun, interesting and reasonably significant part of the "Love Hina" manga was adapted to anime. Granted, the entire TV series was modified greatly from the manga, but at least there was a sense of unity in the TV series that the "Spring Special" just doesn't fit into. If I had seen the "Spring Special" during its original TV broadcast, I wouldn't have ordered this DVD.
(Dave Baranyi)
I have seen several episodes of this (3,4,5,6,7,8) and while recognising its somewhat derivative nature (hopeless ronin in boarding house, hopeless guy with too many girls, etc) I have been charmed by the deft characterisations and the beautiful girls. The main characters, apart from Keitaro, are Naru and Motoko. Naru is the pretty girl who clearly likes Keitaru, though she often beats him up, and also has the dream of getting into Todai, and Motoko is the beautiful but fierce girl who is interested in martial arts of the sharp-bladed sort. Motoko seems inexperienced with men, and while unsure of her feelings mostly has a down on Keitaro and thinks that he should be chucked out of the boarding house.
There are some flights of wild fantasy in the series (as in the computer game episode), ad it's often very funny without beig dumb. Recommended. (GC)
