Love Hina Manga

Genre: Comedy / Romance
Parental Guidance Recommended
Credits: 1998 Ken Akamatsu

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lensman's Description:
When Keitaro Urashima was a little child, he gave a childhood promise to a little girl,that he would attend Tokyo University, Japan's most prestigious institution, in order to be with her when he grows up. Now, 21 years later, after having failed his entrance exams 2 times already, and being thrown out of his parent's house, things are looking pretty bleak for him. Hoping to get some support from his grandmother, he stops by his grandmother’s Hinata Apartments, not knowing that the inn he used to stay in as a little boy has been turned into a girls’ dormitory. After an embarrassing and eventful start, and lots of mishaps, he winds up becoming the inn’s landlord, much to the dismay of the girls. Will he be able to withstand the trials and problems that the girls impose upon him? Will he able to earn their trust? And will he finally be able to get into Tokyo U and meet his promise girl?


Throw the anime away! >>> by lensman
The Love Hina franchise and I have a weird history together. Weird in that I actually got to know it backwards. Most people read the manga first, then watch the anime and then play the game. I got to play the Dating RPG first (over at Newgrounds), liked it, wound up watching the anime because I didn't get many of its in-jokes and then read the manga because I loved it and wanted to find out what happens after the anime ends.

Why this particular flashback? Because at first, I was hesitant to pick it up. Despite watching anime for 5 years at the time, I was still thinking, "I've seen the anime, why should I check out the manga?” (A sentiment which, by the way, makes mangakas everywhere cry tears of sorrow). Love Hina was the first manga that I DID have a reason to check out, so I picked it up at volume 9, which is, chronologically, after the Spring Special...

I liked it so much I've bought and read the other 13 volumes...

...And I've never been able to watch the Love Hina anime ever since...

To say that the manga is better than the anime would be the understatement of the century. Where should I start? First of all the characters have more depth in them and are way better developed. Naru is actually a likeable character, while in the anime she was just a pig-headed girl who barely deserved any sympathy. Motoko is a way more conflicted and complicated person and she changes greatly throughout the 14-volume run of the series. Shinobu is much more than just a shy and timid wallflower. Mutsumi is still the girl of my dreams in here but she is actually cuter, if that's even possible. And Keitaro...

Keitaro's very different in the manga. While the anime portrayed him just as a clumsy idiot, Keitaro in the manga is a guy that has plenty of potential, both in the romance and the academic department. He is not stupid, and can have some pretty keen insights. The reason he fails in the exams is because he lacks focus and a good reason to do so. And the reason why he is a failure with girls is because he lacks self-confidence and thinks he is a failure, not because he’s unattractive. He is not a pervert. In fact, there are points in the manga where he could take advantage of the girls but goes to ridiculous lengths in order to not do so.

One very interesting aspect of the manga is that the girls don't immediately fawn over Keitaro. Quite the opposite. In fact, in the very first volume, they gang up on him and try to get him to quit as a landlord. Keitaro eventually manages to earn their trust, but they are still wary of him.

As the story progresses, Keitaro manages to gain more confidence in himself and his abilities, finds his true calling in life, and winds up being more than worthy for the girls. As such, Love Hina, is not really a story of love, but Keitaro's coming of age — of how he turns himself from a loser to a winner. The final three volumes of Love Hina show Keitaro at his best, getting even with the girls (especially Motoko) for all the problems that they caused him and showing incredible maturity and strength, which brings the story to a great emotional and action-filled climax. A totally satisfying finale...

...None of which showed up in any form in the anime, by the way...

Seriously, they cut the best parts out. The inner conflicts, the reflections, the aspirations, the considerations, and the character developments got scrapped. All that was left in the anime was a bunch of gags with an open-ended romantic ending.

Are you still wondering why I can't bring myself to re-watch the animated series?

Ken Akamatsu's art improves greatly over the course of the series. At the beginning, it's very simple and very similar to "A.I. Love You." However, as the story progresses, volume by volume, it becomes more detailed, more complex and more fluid. The girls become prettier, and Keitaro actually gains a fashion sense. The climactic finale, with its action scenes and the plot twists, still stands out today.

Akamatsu is well known for the large amount of fan service that he instills in his work, and Love Hina is the reason. Every chapter has more than its fair amount of implied nudity and panty shots, which I feel kind of detracts from the overall story. The erotica in Love Hina seems a bit forced at times and it's like it's just there for the sake of it. Now, don't get me wrong, I like fan service as much as the next guy (in fact, I like it more than the next guy), but there is a certain amount of T&A that you can take before it starts to feel weird.

Tokyopop, in overall, did a good job in bringing Love Hina to the US, however I do have some major issues with the translation.

To point, the honorifics were discarded and the characters call themselves by their first names. Now, this is very important, because in the original, Keitaro called Naru by her last name, which helped convey that Keitaro actually respected and appreciated her. The various honorifics that he used with girls also conveyed respect and appreciation. With the elimination of the honorifics and the name-change, this sense of respect is lost, thereby making the story lose a lot of its impact. This becomes especially evident in the finale.

Also, there are no translation notes. If you don't count a few footnotes here and there, that can help you understand some of the context and implied meaning of the story. The sound effects are also not translated, while there are some jokes that have been very poorly "imported" without any explanation, leaving the reader sometimes clueless.

Finally, I did notice some "dumbing down" of the script in some cases. While I can understand that this is done in order to get a joke across, there are cases where, for instance, some of Keitaro's crucial dialogue is scrapped and replaced by him commenting on the girl's figures and underwear. It undermines his character and makes him sound like a pervert while he is clearly not, at least not in the original.

Hopefully, Tokyopop will follow Del Rey's example and will revise her translation by adding honorifics, translating the sound effects, adding notes, and paying more respect to the source material. Seriously, If they do that, I will re-buy the entire Love Hina series...

I can dream, can't I?

Despite its flawed translation, Love Hina is still a good read, a masterpiece of its genre that still does well after all these years. It keeps the reader coming back for more even after he finishes going through it. It is a must for every manga fan.

Just don't watch the anime AFTER you read it. You will be severely disappointed.

Individual Rating: Art 9; Story 8; Characters 9

Mahou Sensei Negima (Negima! Magister Negi Magi)

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Parental Guidance Recommended
2005 Ken Akamatsu, Nobuyoshi Habara, Nagisa Miyazaki, Kanto Magic Society, Xebec

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Lensman's Description:
Negi Springfield has just graduated from the magic academy. His first task as a magician is to become a teacher in the Japanese Mahora Academy. He is assigned to class 2-A which has 31 girl pupils. Most of the girls in the class are thrilled that their sensei is a cute ten-year-old kid, but Asuna Kagurazaka is not, because Negi replaced her homeroom teacher that she had a crush on. Pretty soon, she finds out that he is a wizard, a fact that he is supposed to keep under wraps. How will Negi deal with her? And, even if he does manage to get her by his side, will he be strong enough to face the troubles ahead?

(26 Episodes)

A good show, but with lots of wasted potential. >>> by lensman
This actually wasn't half bad. After watching the entire series and its climactic finale, I was pleased with the overall result, and I was looking forward to more.

The protagonist, a ten-year-old genius wizard, is definitely a great change from the norm. The focus of the series is mainly on him and the changes he goes through as he tries to teach, not always successfully, 31 girls that are all older than him.

The girls that accompany him are also a pleasant change of pace, with nice, peppy and refreshing personalities. All of them have their own unique talents and weaknesses and, which makes them very endearing to the viewer. Granted, at a 26-episode series, some of them are more developed and share more spotlight than the others, but they are far from being the usual stereotypes.

For the most part, Negima is a nice, fun and happy series, with plenty of good gags and action. Ironically, what will stand out in the series is not the funny stuff, but the serious drama that plays on in the final few episodes. Seriously, I wasn't expecting to see that kind of maturity and drama in the series. The voice actresses gave some really exceptional performances, and really impressed me.

The final episode was excellently done, with plenty of action and suspense, as well as a touching ending. It was, in overall, a great way to end the series.

If there is a serious problem with the series, it's the quality of animation, which is terribly inconsistent to say the least.

To point, for the first 10 episodes, the animation and the character designs are laughingly bad. The girls look like aliens with weird hair colors, and their movements are spastic at best. The whole show looks like an extended four-frame gag, and it's a shame, because the story and the voice actor performances are really good. Episode 10 in particular stands out as the worst animation I've seen the past five years.

Thankfully, the animation team changes after that. From episodes 11 and onwards they start improving the quality of animation. After episode 19, the animation in Negima is nearly flawless.

The sound quality is much better. The opening tune is good and catchy, and it is remixed several times. As I have already said, the voice actors did well, giving some great stand-out performances. The series' score is nothing to shout about, but there are some episodes where the music goes into highly dramatic overtones.

Overall, I would say that Mahou Sensei Negima is a nice series and a wonderful introduction to the world of Negi Springfield.

SIDE NOTE: Reviewing "Mahou Sensei Negima" got me a bit conflicted. On one hand, I thought that it wasn't that bad as a stand-alone series. On the other hand, as a long-time fan of the manga and the franchise, I was severely dissapointed at how it turned out. They didn't pay the proper respect to the original work and mangled the story so badly that I seriously thought about saving up 1200 bucks, getting on a plane to Japan and showing up at Studio Xebec's door with a shotgun. To be fair, some parts are better handled in the anime than in the manga, but in overall, Negima the anime is no substitute for the real Negima Experience.

The Negima Manga hasn't completed its run, so I can't review it yet, but you may buy it at good Comic Book stores everywhere thanks to the nice folks at Del Ray.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 7; Story 8; Characters 8; Sounds 8

School Rumble

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Parental Guidance Recommended
2005 Jin Kobayashi, Shinji Takamatsu, Marvelous Entertainment, Media Factory, Sotsu Agency, Starchild Records, Studio Comet

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Amazon.com Product Description:
SUBTLETY IS FOR WIMPS!

She . . . is a second-year high school student with a single all-consuming question: Will the boy she likes ever really notice her?

He . . . is the school’s most notorious juvenile delinquent and he’s suddenly come to a shocking realization: He’s got a huge crush, and now he must tell her how he feels.

Life-changing obsessions, colossal foul-ups, grand schemes, deep-seated anxieties, and raging hormones–School Rumble portrays high school as it really is: over-the-top comedy!

(26 Episodes)

A typical High-School Romance Comedy... NOT! >>> by lensman
At first glance, School Rumble seems like a fairly typical School-Romance show. You have the high-school setting: you have the girls, the boys, the crushes... All the elements that define the genre are here. And yet... yet, something is very, very different. School Rumble takes all the recycled ideas and concepts and twists them in a way that they are fun again!

If nothing, School Rumble is a parody of the old High-School comedy genre. Several clichés and concepts that we have watched and got tired of over the years of watching anime are turned on their head. And not just Romance Comedies. Nothing is safe! Movies, other anime series, Japanese pop culture elements are ridiculed beyond belief. Indeed, part of the fun of School Rumble is going "now where have I seen THAT before" and laughing when it hits you.

However I should point out that School Rumble is not JUST a parody show. It is not Excel Saga, where the jokes are being hurled your way at an ultra fast rate and you get sick of watching the show after the tenth episode. One of the major accomplishments of School Rumble is that despite the send offs and the hilarity, there is a sense of cognity and cohesion as well as some great character development that makes the viewer care about what happens to them and keeps you coming back for more.

Take the protagonist, Harima Kenji, for example. At first glance, Harima is the stereotypical "punch-first-talk-later" delinquent and that's how he acts in the start of the show. Then he falls in love and decides to change his ways. It is a story that we have seen loads of times in anime over the years, but School Rumble adds a few surprising twists. The first twist is that the girl he loves, Tenma, is not an ultra-babe. She is cute, sure, but nothing special especially when you compare her to the other girls of the show. She is good-hearted but so dumb that even Harima realizes at some point that she is stupid. Just the fact that a guy like Harima falls in love with a girl like Tenma is, in itself, comical.

During the run of the show Harima does what he can to win her over and confess his love to her, but every time he gets close to doing so, something happens and everything falls apart, setting him back at square one. The funny thing is that, as he goes through his misadventures, several other more attractive and smart girls are becoming more interested in him, but he doesn't care because he loves Tenma whole-heartedly. You can see how the protagonist is a refreshing change from the usual.

Not just the protagonist, but every character is School Rumble is a gem. As the show progresses, more and more people enter the fray and the focus shifts from the Harima-Tenma Relationship (or lack thereof) even though it remains as the show's core. As the cast of characters slowly increases, the relationships between them become more complicated. And yet, the show never becomes confusing and every new character that arrives, like a good spice, adds a little bit of extra flavor and depth to the show.

To tell any more of School Rumble's plot would spoil the fun for you. I will however say this... It is one of the best written comedy shows that I've seen in years, with some of the best developed characters I've encountered in Japanimation.

Now lets move on to the more technical aspects... The graphics and the animation...

What would a good School Romance Comedy be without plenty of fan-service? With a plot focused on love relationships, School Rumble must be full of panty shots and weird camera angles, right?

WRONG!!!!

In what is fairly untypical of the genre, School Rumble doesn't feature any kind of fan-service. That's right. Nothing, nada, zip, unless you count a couple of episodes with girls dressed up in swimsuits, but even Azumanga Daioh had those, so it doesn't count. You DO get to see Harima's posterior at some point in the show, but I don't know if it really counts as fan-service. One of the biggest in-jokes inside School Rumble is that you repeatedly go, "They are gonna do it! They are gonna do it!" you think a shot will feature fan-service, and you end up getting nothing.

Despite, or because of, the complete lack of fan-service, School Rumble is highly erotic series. The girls, yes even Tenma, are absolutely beautiful and captivating, and despite the fact that they never really show anything, they exude a sexiness and sassiness that you don't see very often.

The animation of the show, throughout all of the 26 episodes, is absolutely amazing and consistent in quality. The animators aren't even afraid to experiment with puppets and 3D CGI in order to give the audience a good gag. And when an old show is being parodied, the animation quality even changes in order to be more close to the feel of the original show. Never once in the show does the animation become awkward and bad.

The show's music is another factor that adds more to its overall quality. Both opening and closing themes are extremely catchy and you will find yourself humming or whistling them unconsciously if you are not careful. The series' score is also very good, containing not only some very good instrumental music, but also some great parodies of well known anime tunes.

The voice cast is doing, in overall, a great job. Takahashi Hiroki is absolutely hilarious as Harima Kenji. His serious and at times overly melodramatic tone makes his character a delight to listen to. Horie Yui is also very good as Sawachika Eri, the spoiled blonde school princess, and at times you get the feeling she was born to play the part.

To heck with it... All the voice actors were great and had me in stitches. Tenma's voice actress Yoshimizu Ami DID irritate me at times, but that was mostly because Tenma is supposed to be annoying.

So to reiterate... School Rumble is refreshing change of pace, a wonderful parody of the high school love comedy genre, that brilliantly sends off other anime series, movies and Japanese pop-culture. If you are looking for something different and funny, then this is the show for you. Watch it and find out exactly how fun High-School life can be.

NOTE: The manga has been licensed by Del Ray and the first volume should arrive pretty soon. Knowing the depth of research and dedication that Del Ray puts into its releases, the translation quality will be top-notch with plenty of good translation notes (even though I doubt they will top the Kappa translation note that the Yanime Scanlation had). I highly recommend you pick it up! The anime is being distributed by Media Factory which plans to bring it overseas, probably to coincide with the release of the manga. As of this writing, a scheduled second season of School Rumble will premiere in April. I can hardly wait!

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 9; Story 10; Characters 10; Sounds 9

Samurai 7 (Akira Kurosawa's)

Genre: Action / Mecha / Adventure / Shounen
Parental Guidance Recommended
2004 Akira Kurosawa, Toshifumi Takizawa, G.D.H., Gonzo, MICO, Sony Pictures Entertainment.

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Shunichi Sakurai's Description:
The Great War has come and passed, and with it comes the rise of the merchant class. These merchants have used the relics of the war, the mechanical warriors known as Nobuseri, to oppress the rice farmers and maintain their hold on a neo-feudal society. Tired of the abuse of the Nobuseri, Kilara, Komachi and Rikichi set out from their rice-paddy village of Kanna and head into the city to look for the fabled samurai to defend their village...

(26 Episodes)

A reborn Seven Samurai...and extended at that. . >>> by Shunichi Sakurai
While I was in college, I was lucky enough to watch Akira Kurosawa's four-hour film epic, "Seven Samurai"---the closest thing Japan has to a proper Western. Knowing that Samurai 7 is a modern remake of this beloved film, I had high hopes for the series and it did not disappoint at all. In fact, it went over and above my expectations, as Samurai 7 actually extends the original film's great story and gives it a finality of conclusion!

Where "Seven Samurai" had farmers and samurai fighting against a huge army of bandits, Samurai 7 updates the formula for the small screen by introducing the mechanical Nobuseri. I guess this was a way of making the violence a bit more palatable, but it still works. The mecha designs here are amazing, and some of them could have been cast-offs from Hajime Katoki's photo-novel Gundam Sentinel.

The band of seven rounin--Kanbei, Gorobei, Heihachi, Kyuuzo, Shichiroji, the greenhorn Katsushiro and the mechanical Kikuchiyo--are depicted with all their characteristics and quirks, with even more strength than in the movie (where they had admittedly less time to be fleshed out). For example, Heihachi in the movie was not much good at fighting, and in the anime he is depicted as a gadget genius who uses his sword to chopping wood. Toshiro Mifune's hilarious Kikuchiyo is a drunkard turned unexpected samurai in the movie, while his mechanical successor is just as unrefined, clumsy and endearing. Akira Kurosawa's magic hand makes sure this anime lives up to its epic movie counterpart, and then some. The supporting cast of Kanna villagers also helps move things along and gives depth to the anime.

The basic plot of the movie ends at ep13 with the successful defense of Kanna, but from there on, the anime follows the Nobuseri back to the city they came from and the oppressive merchant class ultimately responsible for the suffering of all. Brilliant stuff. The computer-generated Nobuseri interact well with the cel-animated characters, and the art has welcome contrasts from the gaudy and vibrant city slickers to the somber and macabre war machines. Constructing the score are the trumpets of war and the drums of the battlefield. While the action ranges from awe-inspiring to a bit silly (one samurai winning against one 35-foot-tall Nobuseri?!), it doesn't detract from the story-telling.

On the whole Samurai 7 is a genuine rarity. How often do you come across an adaptation that builds and improves on the original so well?

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 9; Story 9; Characters 10; Sounds 8

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory

Genre: Action / Mecha
Parental Guidance Recommended
1991 Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Sotsu Agency, Sunrise Inc., Bandai Entertainment. Screenshots by GPlus.

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Shunichi Sakurai's Description:
It is Universal Century 0083, four years after the One Year War. The Earth Federation battleship Albion lands in Torrington Base, Australia, carrying with it two Gundams, the GP01 and the GP02A under the watch of engineer Nina Purpleton. All seems well until Zeon ace Anavel Gato of the Delaz Fleet sneaks into the base and steals the nuke-equipped GP02A, the beginning of Operation Stardust. EFSF test pilot Kou Uraki follows in hot pursuit aboard the GP01, and conflict sparks anew...

*Also released as "Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Last Blitz of Zeon" (1992 movie)

(13 Episodes)

UC Gundam in an easy-to-swallow, marathon-friendly but continuity-busting package. >>> by Shunichi Sakurai
The third of 3 OAV series bridges two of the main Gundam anime, Mobile Suit Gundam and Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, by narrating a conflict that happens within the eight-year gap. Even so, it's not absolutely necessary to watch the first Gundam TV series before this one. What back-story the Delaz Fleet has in the One Year War is detailed nicely in short flashbacks. Meaning, this is one Gundam anime ideal for those new to the Universal Century (UC) timeline.

As with many of the UC Gundam series, the story revolves around the ensemble crew of the new Federation warship Albion and its sudden assignment to retrieve the stolen Gundam GP02A. Unlike them, however, 0083 focuses on the normal frontline soldiers -- those without the Newtype psychic powers that Amuro Ray or Kamille Bidan have.

After their humiliating withdrawal and defeat at the decisive Battle of A Bao A Qu, Zeon Captain Aiguille Delaz and Commander Anavel Gato are hell-bent on showing the Federation the remnant might of Zeon and the falsity of the peace people have enjoyed. For Capt. Einar Synapse and the Albion crew, it seems like a straightforward mission to retrieve the GP02A and avert the possibility of a nuclear strike on the Federation's Jaburo military base. However, the horrifying scope of Operation Stardust is revealed only piece by piece, and invisible hands in high places conspiring on both sides mean everything is not as it seems.

The quality of animation is simply superb for something done in 1990, with zero computer manipulation. It's almost cinematic. The mecha, remade Zeon units and updated Gundams and GMs designed by Shoji Kawamori of Macross and hotshot illustrator Hajime Katoki, all look crisp yet they bear the workmanlike elegance of frontline war machines. I love the music: MIO's driving opening theme "Men of Destiny" contrasts well with Jacob Wheeler's love theme "Magic," and the score is trademark Gundam. Character development is great (I personally liked Kou's superior Lt. South Burning a lot), although I didn't like the way some characters were used in the plot, especially Nina Purpleton's link to the Kou-Gato rivalry in the closing episodes.

My main gripe with 0083 is how the plot ends. It starts off very well, but becomes confused at the end, as if it forgot to take note of how many episodes it's supposed to have and felt the need to finish up immediately. This being the closest precursor to Zeta Gundam, the stink of the oppressive Titans is evident in the final 3 episodes. That said, it would have been better to flesh out the main conspiracy plot better, and I can't help feeling that adding 2 or 3 more episodes would have done wonders. Kou's enraged groans seem to agree with me. And what's with the continuity-busting technology? 0083 is full of it, most especially the huge Dendrobium mobile weapon. We should be seeing a chunk of that in Zeta Gundam, at least, as it's set in UC 0087.

Still, with its crisp and smooth visuals, stellar battles and engaging but short plot, Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory is the perfect introduction to the UC for those weaned on Gundam Wing or SEED. If only it ended cleaner...

Individual Rating: Art: 10; Story: 9; Characters: 10; Sounds: 7