Love Hina

Title:Love Hina
ラブひな
Overall:Buy
Keywords: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: AKITA Madoka
ASAKAWA Yuu
Animation - Xebec
EBARA Masashi
HAYASHIBARA Megumi
HISAKAWA Aya
HORIE Yui
KOBAYASHI Yumiko
KOOROGI Satomi
KURATA Masayo
MATSUMOTO Yasunori
NODA Junko
OKIAYU Ryoutaro
Original Concept - AKAMATSU Ken
Original Concept - Kodansha Manga Award Winner
R1 License - FUNimation
SHIRATORI Yuri
TAKAGI Reiko
TSURU Hiromi
UEDA Yuuji
YOSHINO Hiroyuki
YUKINO Satsuki
20 year old ronin, Keitaro Urashima, never had much luck with girls in all his life except when he was young. He still recalls that time in his life yet very faintly. He played with a girl in a sandbox who told him that if two people made it into Tokyo University together, they would be together forever. So, Keitaro and this girl promised that they would both get into Tokyo U. However, the girl moved away and that was the last he saw of her. Now in the present, Keitaro has failed the Tokyo U. entrance exams twice! He decides to stay at his grandmother's inn, Hinata Sou, for awhile so that he can get away from home. However, he did not know that the inn changed to a female dormitory and that's when all the fun starts!

[TV series, 2000, 24 episodes, 23 min, loosely based off of the manga of the same title. Title was originally licensed in R1 by Bandai but has recently been picked up by FUNimation.]
1:46min Series Trailer - ANN Video
[edit] The ↗Love Hina franchise:
Episode Details 
Muts, Naru, Kaol, Moto, Mei, Sara, Shin, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 97, 98, 99
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Buy 8 9 6 7 7 7 Emerald Beauty [series:238#3068]
Wowwwww, what an anime! This anime was quite a twist of romance, humor, drama, and mystery. Haha, made me feel like the little detective I always wanted to be =]

I loved this anime dearly...it just seemed a little bit similar to other anime's. The whole punching, kicking, smacking, and karate moves were too much. Gee, I swear Naru laid a can of woop a$$ on Ketaru every 5 seconds. An only female apartment but 1 male manager seemed outrageous at first but they all worked together and glady at the end, everything worked out the way life was suppose to swing. I believe Love Hina showed moral lessons and can be an example in real life. I'm going to stop right here because I'm afraid if I say any more, I'll ruin it for you. But trust me, this anime will make your day!

Hey Naru, I think you need a little anger management for goodness sake lol.

-Emerald Beauty



Last updated Tuesday, March 31 2009. Created Tuesday, March 31 2009.

Buy Xenoknight [series:238#2967]
I just bought the dubbed version. I'm fairly exhausted of having to write out the episode summaries of every title I watch, so I'm just going to wing this one. For some reason, I know my review won't be as elaborate unless I have notes to back it up (that's just how I feel), but I know most people don't use notes so it must be possible somehow. A title of this caliber deserves a well-written review with all the bells and whistles, so let me watch it completely and see how I feel about the final review. Wish me luck... (I'm gonna need it)

Check out my award list to see some of the best anime titles in the world!

Never forget Xenosaga.

Last updated Friday, March 27 2009. Created Friday, December 05 2008.
Buy 8 8 8 7 8 9 Dreamer [series:238#2279]
I watched this a while back and thought I should add my two cents about it now. In a nutshell, I love this series! One of the best one's I've seen to date. This was my introduction to romance/drama and it was a perfect choice. Plenty of humor... many times I busted a gut laughing, and almost each episode was just fun to watch. The 1st episode is what really caught my attention. It was somewhat crazy but fun! I thought, 'wow, what else does this show have to offer'?

The little bit of echi there was, was tastefully done. The humor wasn't all slapstick and there wasn't pointless dialogue. I absolutely love Naru... knocking out Keitaro quite often. She has a bit of a mean-streak, but comes back later on with apologies. This is one of the few anime where the lead female character was my fav. In most anime I've seen, usually it's one of the supporting characters I like more than the leads. One of the refreshing things is that this anime depicts a college scene vs your typical high school or middle school backdrop. This lends a sense of "connection" or "better understanding" of the characters since you're seeing the story from an adult perspective... abit not the real world... hehehe!

Each character, in time is pretty much explored and seems they become part if not equal to the lead roles. Honestly, I fell in love with each character.

Overall, this is an awesome anime! You MUST watch every episode, including sequals & OVAs. They're all fun and worth every minute.

Last updated Sunday, June 08 2008. Created Sunday, June 08 2008.
Rent 8 8 9 9 8 7 Ggultra2764 [series:238#1552]
The Pros: Love Hina is an anime that managed to revive the harem genre by putting a twist on its standard plot formula: many of the girls at the start of the series don’t like Keitaro at all. From the start, Keitaro winds up as Hinata Inn’s personal punching bag as he is a regular victim of attacks from the girls as they perceive him to be a pervert. Besides Keitaro’s beatings, the series also explores the personalities of each character introduced, which include the weapon-making foreign girl Kaolla and the money grubbing Kitsune. The series also has notoriety for poking fun of other anime genres such as magical girls, monster movies, and sword-fighting flicks. It also occasionally breaks the fourth dimension by making brief mentions of the show’s manga creator, Ken Akamatsu. In terms of animation, Love Hina features some attractive female character designs and vivid scenery that go well with the manic pace of the series. Sound wise, the show has a talented seiyuu cast which makes full use of Yui Horie’s talents in both acting and singing as Naru.

The Cons: Love Hina’s character archetypes are nothing new to see in anime as they have been seen in one form or another in past titles. Other problems with the show include the number of filler episodes in the series and some of the repetitious comedy gags. There is a lack of focus put on uncovering who Keitaro’s “promised girl” is thanks to the filler episodes and the way the anime handles this plot element can be of a mixed bag for some. Also, the show often puts too much focus on creating gags to turn Keitaro into Hinata Inn’s resident punching bag, which can get tiresome.

Facts on the Series:

-Based on Ken Akamatsu’s manga series, which is licensed in America by Tokyopop.

Last updated Wednesday, January 09 2008. Created Monday, January 07 2008.
Buy 9 9 10 8 10 10 Big Fire [series:238#2441]
(3 Episodes Watched)
OK, I started watching this series because of the RPG SIM Game. I actually enjoyed the game, and read the review about a EVA spoof in episode 12, so I am anxiously trying to make some headway into this series. I do not normally like the whole Harem thing, but I sort of dig this story. I think Keitaro is way too weak, and should not ultimately get any of these people...let alone the 'chosen one' from the sandbox...but hey we are supposed to get a happy ending aren't we? I do get a kick out of his interaction with the girls, and the whole 'manager' of the inn turned chick dorm really works for me...so far... (8 Episodes Watched)
Still enjoying the show very much. Especially the episode when the 'eloped' and went all over Japan...I still think Naru is waaaayyy above Keitaro's league...but other than that, i am enjoying the series... (finished)
I really enjoyed love hina, i sort of was rooting for Mutsumi, but then they turned out to be somewhat related. The art and animation were really good for TV, and the story kept moving right along. Being a mecha fan, I really enjoyed Kaolla, she was able to bring alittle 'tech' in a show that wasn't very tech...All in all, i would watch this again, and recommend it highly...

Last updated Sunday, April 08 2007. Created Thursday, March 22 2007.
Buy 9 9 9 7 10 10 Courtney [series:238#1779]
First and foremost, Love Hina is a series that is not meant to be taken seriously. The are endless amounts of zany antics that define this series (episodes 8 and 9, for example).
I read the manga prior to watching the anime. I detested the manga because of the lack of focus on Keitaro's and Naru's blossoming relationship, the hyperbolation of Keitaro's abuse, and the endless amounts of fan service. The animation, on the other hand, was something I adored. The anime did not over-do Keitaro's abuse nor the panty shots - it was actually humorous whereas it was overused in the manga. The characters, while being stereotypical, were all very enjoyable. They all had their underlying issues that their quirky personalities had to mask in order for them to focus on their lives. The relationships between characters (such as Naru, Kitsune, and Seta) also benefitted this series. I would recommend Love Hina to anyone with an open personality, because it utilizes a lot of anime jokes that some viewers may not appreciate. I also prefered the manga's art style to that of the anime and the music was a little to peppy for my taste. However one does not (I hope) watch anime for the music and art. Love Hina is a very enjoyable series.

Last updated Wednesday, February 02 2005. Created Wednesday, February 02 2005.
Buy 8 9 9 7 8 8 Jon [series:238#1787]
I don't know why, but I like this series, one of the few that I actually own. Little patchy in parts, but gets better towards the end, especially Naru's awfully slow development of feelings for Keitaro that finally comes out in the last Love Hina Again episode.

Last updated Tuesday, January 11 2005. Created Tuesday, January 11 2005.
Buy 8 9 9 9 10 9 Isac [series:238#1486]
Here's what I call a Clasic. Love Hina is a lovely anime and an even lovlier manga. Let's mix the old Anime trait 'I hate you now, I'll love you later' with some 'Tench Muyo'. BAM! You've got Love Hina.
Lemme start with the prologue before I get into the series itself. As a young boy, Keitaro Urashima makes a promise with a small girl to meet at Tokyo U one day and live happily ever after. Now 15 years later, as a 2 year ronin, he still hopes to make that promise.
Keitaro has never had a girlfriend in his life, and has the worst luck of all the Anime charecters you can think of. Now Keitaro's parents are sick of him, and he needs a place to stay. He's called to his Grandma's place asking to stay, but it 'asked' in a way to become the new manager. He accepts, but without even saying anything, already has everyone beleiving a lie.
Throughout the series all the charecters will grow up a bit more (Espically Motoko!). The Story starts to expand more and more, and once your done with the First season, you'll already be demanding the specials and OAV's. If you want a true ending, go out a buy the manga.
Love Hina is one of the Animes that'll keep your eyes open at 3 o'clock in the morning, and laugh in public reading. It's decently long, and has it's moments for all the charecters, so everyone can get some Camera time. All in all, this anime is a must see. Get your fansubs, on ebay, do whatever you have to do to get just a taste of this anime. Your not a true anime fan if you dont have memories of whenever you heard the words 'Love Hina'.

Last updated Wednesday, July 14 2004. Created Wednesday, July 14 2004.
Buy 9 10 10 9 9 9 the hardcore/emo kid [series:238#1442]
This was my second romantic-comedy, Inuyasha was my first but i feel as though this is my first, i agree with AstroNerdBoy about the "it will always hold a special place with me." I have watched the series many times and i love it the same if not more everytime.
When i first bought this i watched the whole series, on a school night, till like 5 30 in the morning, so worth it.. i couldnt stop watching it was like nicotine and the next day, after i got some sleep, i started saving for the OVA and specials. The characters are all silly and it's fun to watch them develop over throughout the series. Another thing i like is how as silly of a anime as this is it still has good serious moments for the romance parts.
This series along with Inuyasha got me into romantic comedys. I love Inuyasha for getting me into animes other than DBZ, although i think Love Hina completed my transformation to being a sucker for romantic-comedys.

Last updated Tuesday, June 22 2004. Created Tuesday, June 22 2004.
Buy 8 8 10 9 9 7 Maria [series:238#1319]
Since this is one of the first series of manga and anime, i just have to say I LOVE IT. and i do. I cant say that it's the best one but it's very nice... I especially love the different characteurs because they are so extrem. take for ex. Mitsune, she's hilarious with her drinking problem or Kaolla Su with her manic turtels... so funny. anyway it is a serie of romance so ofcoure there is a lot of "half" nudity but its pretty cute to watch Keitaro's fatasies... hehe

Last updated Tuesday, April 06 2004. Created Tuesday, April 06 2004.
Watch 8 8 9 7 7 Tom [series:238#1086]
Do yourself a favor and read the manga. The anime isn't good plotwise (but the art work is very nice), and deviates from the manga too much. I like parts of the anime, but it's just too goofy (with Keitaro screaming every five seconds, and that stupid dream episode).
Anyway, so Keitaro is a goober, no skills, no brains, no luck with the ladies, and he ends up being the manager of a girls dorm. When he was a child he made a promise to the only girl who ever liked him that they would go to Tokyo U together, and even though he forgot who she was, he's still trying to get in (but Keitaro's not very smart in the anime). Lotsa goofy stuff happens, and we get treated to a mindless glob of over the top slapstick. Seriously, read the manga and don't worry about the anime, well, I could see watching the 1st OAV when Kanako gets cozey with Kitsune and Motoko.

Last updated Monday, December 01 2003. Created Monday, December 01 2003.
Buy 9 9 9 9 9 Anonymous #1084 [series:238#1084]
This is the series that got me hooked on romantic comedies. The anime is good - but I strongly recommend reading the manga. There's more detail in the manga story, and the anime to date (the series, the three movies, and the OVA) only covers about three-quarters of the entire story - Ken Akamatsu, where's the REST OF IT?!?!? We're waiting! B-)
What else can I add that hasn't already been said by the other reviewers? You have to like slapstick, and you have to like slightly preposterous situations. Oh, and romantic comedies, too. Once all that's out of the way, this series is a must-see, must-buy. The dub has a quirky charm, even with some of the goofier accents used, but try watching it both dub and sub for a true appreciation of the story.

Last updated Sunday, November 30 2003. Created Sunday, November 30 2003.
Rent 8 9 6 8 5 5 Rogue_Noir [series:238#850]
This series starts out slow plotwise but tries to make up for it with fanservice and the same repetitive humor which gets old after a couple of episodes. Also, the character development is a bit uneven, with the focus on Keitaro and Naru. I wish I could have gotten to know Shinobu, Haruka, and Mitsume better..
If you manage to stick it out, the plot starts showing some promise around Ep. 18 or 19. These last episodes basically boosted my overall rating from "Watch" to "Rent". I'll recommend Love Hina if you are into Romatic Comedies and don't mind a slow and (mostly) nonsensical plot in the first half of the show.
This show is based off of a manga and doesn't tell the entire story. So I suggest you Rent this and *Buy* the Love Hina Manga.

Last updated Tuesday, November 25 2003. Created Wednesday, November 12 2003.
Watch 9 9 7 8 5 Matt [series:238#1038]
What can i say. If you like this genre, (which i do) you will get everything you want. Unfortunately, you get little more. They really dont need some of the stories they had in the series. It could have been easily done in about 10 episodes and still had the same impact as the typical ending for this kind of genre you'd expect. Another problem is, everything is too obvious too early. I, as well as anyone else who sees this can already figure out whats going to happen from the first couple of episodes. The only reason why i kept watching after i realized the middle episodes were all fillers was to see how the two actually would confess their love. And in that, that one final episode, all the crap i sat through finally had a purpose. If only the rest of the series could have had a fraction of this last episodes appeal. If you want a meaningful series, this isnt it. If you just want to have fun, and see flying turtles. (Im still trying to figure out what that was about.) Just borrow it from a friend. That poor sucker.

Last updated Wednesday, October 22 2003. Created Wednesday, October 22 2003.
Rent 9 8 9 8 7 6 Buzze [series:238#1034]
There is something strange about this serie. Actually, it's not that great, and sometimes even farfetched but ... you just keep watching it. Because of it's humor and characters I guess.
Update: having read the first 4 manga's
It seems the anime only uses the manga as a lead. Shinobu and Motoko are at the dorm before Keitaro arrives for example, the meeting with Seta is totally different, ...
It seems the manga is far better than the anime, lucky me!
There's a lot of blahblah about keeping promises, and if you try real hard and do your best there's nothing you can't achieve (this is something Japanese I think) and an amazing amount of turtles. Some episodes are just filling time (a detective story, a ghost story, ...)
But there's also Kaolla Su (in my opinion the best character), Keitaro who keeps blundering at everything he does and Mitsune is fun too.
All in all a rent, and if you like it you can always buy it later.
I've been told the manga is better, my first order is on it's way!
Best character: Kaolla Su
Best moment: where Kaolla is explaining the rest how she sees her future (which includes taking over Japan's leading role in electronics!)
Update, having read the first 10 manga comics:
What I found quite disturbing in the anime was the fact that noone could make up his or her mind, especially Keitaro and Naru. It's different in the manga. Plus: you find out who actually did the promise, you find out more about Seta and Haruka, etc...

Last updated Sunday, January 25 2004. Created Saturday, October 18 2003.
Rent Stretch [series:238#628]
Because it still sold at a premium price, I watched Love Hina via rent-by-mail DVDs. As I watched the first episode in dubbed form, what struck me was that there seemed to be an awful lot of both accidental fondling and Keitaro flying high in the air when he gets punched. I also noticed the incongruous Southern-USA accent of one of the charachters--do they really use expresions like "y'all" in Japan? Early in episode two, when someone said a purchase needed to be made in dollars, I said to myself "the hell with this, I'm starting over in subtitled mode!". I sometimes found myself confused as the episodes wobble back and forth between reality and imaginary scenes (was this intended?). I later watched an episode in which Keitaro and Naru happen to run into each other but somehow can't recognize each other because their eyeglasses have been damaged. The funny thing is that as ridiculous, even patronizing, as this premise was, I wound up enjoying the episode.

My impression of Love Hina is that it's not extremely funny, but just enough quality humor is included, and the plot is just interesting enough to satisfy me. I sort of wish there was a category between "watch" and "rent"--something like "rent,-but-only-watch-each-episode-once-and-return-them-quick-for-something-better"--which is what I ended up doing. I read a review which described this series as being "critic proof", because although it contained nothing truly original, it employed only tried-and-true techniques of comedy anime. Several other critics attributed Love Hina's success to the fact that viewers who are just getting into anime today know nothing of boarding house classics like Maison Ikkoku (which I agree is far better all around). I have finally seen all 24 basic episodes (so the show was clearly good enough that I didn't give up halfway through), but I wonder if the special episodes will be worth my time and money. The Keitaro-the-human-punching-bag motif got really annoying towards the end, and what's more, I really didn't notice any major development in his relationship with Naru. I can't help wondering if he made the right choice at the end. Still, I admit the final episode was kind of sweet.

Bit of trivia: When I first saw Kaolla, I was sure it was Aisha from Outlaw Star!
9/03 #64

Last updated Wednesday, February 27 2008. Created Saturday, September 13 2003.
Buy 9 10 10 10 9 ceas [series:238#890]
First of all i don't care what anyone else thinks but i love this series. It made me laugh so much and i did cry... not much...but i did in some parts and u know this is a good anime when at the end of it all it makes u feel all fuzzy inside...so thats why i say 2 watch this anime i think u will like it

Last updated Monday, August 04 2003. Created Monday, August 04 2003.
Buy 10 10 8 6 6 5 Yousei [series:238#755]
This anime has way too many coincidences in it and it's quite predictable. I'd say if you're just starting to get into anime, then give it a try. The only thing it really has going for it is the animation. Oh well, it was fun to watch for a while :)

Last updated Friday, July 04 2003. Created Friday, July 04 2003.
Buy bekku [series:238#816]
this series was introduced to me by a friend and i loved it! sure there were some parts that seemed a little..."over done" but the story was great and the characters were awesome (kaolla-su!). the music was very good, all happy and jumpy :)
a male running an all female hot spring = lots of comedy indeed. keitaro has to put up with a lot of crap to actually survive this ^___^; try it for yourself, you'll like it!

Last updated Monday, June 30 2003. Created Monday, June 30 2003.
Buy 8 9 9 8 8 10 Devil Doll [series:238#752]
[Score: 86% = Buy, my favourite Romantic Comedy anime; episode reviews. Other recommended Romantic Comedy animes: Ai Yori Aoshi, Aa! Megami-sama! TV, REC]
  • Drama: Med (the final four episodes show a lot of development)
  • Comedy: Med/High (hilarious at times, mostly at the expense of poor Keitarou)
  • Action: Med (hardly any fighting but lots of ruckus and chasing)
  • SciFi: Low (Hinata-sou provides some surreal effects, plus Kaolla is quite a nerd)
  • Ecchi: Low (actually more teasing and some embarrassing scenes)
This series (my first romantic comedy back then in early 2003) caught me totally by surprise. I watched episode 1, considered it awful, yet wanted to know how the plot went on ... 29 episodes later (including all the specials, you need these too) I have to say: Love Hina, dai suki desu!
Of course you need to be into the Japanese style in general - they don't have any problems with playing "Gone with the wind, the Donald Duck version", or how you might call this series as well. But once you have gotten used to the "Naru punch", once you are willing to endure all the turtle stuff and those "pervert" scenes poor Keitarou has to endure (lowest point of the series: the "money shots" in episode 25), and concentrate on the story line and the dialogs, you can have lots of fun, like I did.
Sure the series starts chaotic, and has its lengthy episodes when the author decided "hey, let's play Sherlock Holmes today!" or "how about one D&D episode, eh?". (And don't you miss that wonderful Shin Seiki Evangelion parody in episode 12!) But from the Kyoto journey on things start to get shape... and episode 21-24 (with Mei's appearance) are so fully packed with story development in every sentence that I could only view it by clicking on 'stop' about every 10 seconds, then thinking "which persons have heard what has just been said, what are their intentions, and who will be the one to fix the mess Keitarou has just been beaten into?". What's best about the story is that all those episodes are connected together by dozens of little links and clues - while appearing episodic at first this series is absolutely following a storyline focusing on the growth of the lead characters. This is what gives Love Hina an extremely high rewatchability - you can discover a lot of little gems. For me the series has become better every time I rewatched it so far.
The characters: Keitarou is hard to stand for quite some time but shows credible growth during the last third of the story. Naru frequently overacts and has issues until the very end. Then again it is absolutely fun watching the development of (my fave) Shinobu and Motoko during the story; be sure not to miss Love Hina Again if you want to understand how important these two actually become close to the end. And isn't Mutsumi cute, always playing fair with Naru but never failing to do & say the right thing at the right time (like on the boat, or in her scenes of episode 24 & 26)? I truely adore her.
The highlights IMHO are episodes 4-6, 21-24, 26 (the Christmas Special) and 29-30 (the Love Hina Again episodes 2 and 3). Don't try to rate the series before you have seen it all! This one's worth to go all the way.
As for the technical aspects, I hated the music for quite some time, most of all the OP song Sakura Saku. But listening more closely to the soundtracks and rewatching the highlight episodes showed be how significantly the music contributes to the mood of this show; tracks like Ketsui, Serious, Warmth, or Kimi Sae Ire Ba (Symphonic Version) have made it into my favourite anime music selection now.

I might need to justify two category selections that I added. Yes, I think this series is a drama. At least that's what episodes 21-24 are about, and they are the highlight of the whole series. And yes, I think you need "surreal" as category; there are enough elements of the story that leave the plane of reality, such as the Moe story in episode 21. (This element will even be stronger in Love Hina Again but it is significant here already - the whole Hina o-baa-san character is a surreal element of the show, as you can see in episode 24.)

You need to read some of the mangas if you want answers to certain questions (like what happened between Seta and Haruka in the past, or how the story really ends ...). Many ideas have slightly changed between manga and anime (but everything remains compatible), and it is fun to compare the different approaches. Interesting enough, most of the animes' highlights (episodes 21-24 and the Christmas Special) aren't complete stories in the manga but were created from lots of different chapters and ideas, which worked very well. The mangas will show you a Mutsumi who is even more important there, a lot more development about Motoko, a couple of flashbacks to the famous sandbox time, and finally a wonderful Shinobu at the age of 18 ... and what's more, you will actually learn who was Keitarou's promised girl after all!
And if you watched this series for the romance, then don't you miss the more mature, less slapstick variant, named Ai Yori Aoshi.

Last updated Friday, June 06 2008. Created Saturday, June 07 2003.
Watch 9 9 7 7 8 Ileenka [series:238#669]
Well, this is a fun series. Mostly silly, and its hero is a loser in the story. That's not too bad, considering the fact that since all macho manly guys win all the time, the weaklings just have to make their mark in dream stories. and Love Hina is one such story. It's very entertaining,light,and a bright anime. I kind of like it. But this is not the best out there. One thing to be noted though, Love Hina has a lot of elements that revolve around TURTLES. For example, Tama the flying turtle, Turtle Civilisation which Seta has been pre-occupied in finding, a swarm of turtle army, Turtle Demon that came out to create havoc, basically almost everything has a link to turtles. And this is what really makes it silly. I think the author is truly a turtle lover. Perhaps the series should be named Turtle Connection.... Nah, maybe not. I still prefer it to be called Love Hina. ^_^

Last updated Friday, May 02 2003. Created Friday, May 02 2003.
Buy 8 9 10 8 9 Conardo [series:238#663]
After being rejected living at his parents house. He now resides and becomes the new manager in a girl dormitory (lucky bastard). As clumsy, shy and stupid as he is, he gets himself in all kinds of embarassing moments. As he gets punched and hated by the girls at first, he gets more and more close to each other...espicially one girl.
A promise that he won't forget made him quite a patient fellow. After being rejected 3 times from Tokyo University, he still wants to enter Todai to make the promise come true.
A true funny and lovely story. A must-see for real!

Last updated Sunday, April 27 2003. Created Sunday, April 27 2003.
Buy 9 8 8 9 8 8 AstroNerdBoy [series:238#436]

Love Hina is one of the early titles I started watching when I got into anime in 2002. As such, it will always hold a special place with me. Loosely based off of the manga of the same title, Love Hina is a romantic-comedy series that also is a parody series. It primarily parodies the harem genre and the dating-sim games so popular in Japan as our lead (Keitaro) is a typical "loser" male surrounded by a bunch of bijin (beautiful women) running in age from 13-19. The series also takes time to parody things like mysteries (ala Sherlock Holmes), Godzilla, Son-Goku, samurai pictures, and lots more. So the series doesn't just rely on harem humor to get its kicks.

The overall story is the romance between Urashima Keitaro and the ultra-violent Narusegawa Naru. Naru goes WAY out of the way to show that women aren't just soft, cuddly things. For the slightest percieved infraction, she will used her patented Naru punch to blow Keitaro into the sky. But over time, she begins to find herself drawn to Keitaro and her violent actions are partly done to keep him at bay. For Keitaro, his initial attraction to Naru is because she's very pretty and smart. But he has a problem. As a young child, he promised a young girl that they would go to Toudai (Tokyo University) together. He still has this dream of getting with that girl. So it makes their attraction to each other interesting. The overlapping love-triangles also add an interesting element. When Naru's former tutor and first love, Seta-san, returns, it forms the Naru-Keitaro-Seta triangle. Otohime Mutsumi, the ronin from Okinawa who is very interested in Keitaro forms the second triangle of Naru-Keitaro-Mutsumi.

The supporting cast is mostly well used. Kaolla Su is the hyper foreign exchange student with a unique ability to invent wild technological devices on the fly. Aoyama Motoko is the "kendo girl" who's sword techniques are almost magical in nature. She doesn't much like men, but she too finds herself attracted to Keitaro (much like all the girls at Hinata Sou). Maehara Shinobu is the youngest person at Hinata Sou and she has a crush on Keitaro-sempai as well. The weakest memeber of the cast is Konno Mitsune (Kistune). She has the least character development of all the cast. She and Naru were best friends in high school (Kistune is older than Naru though), but that close bond was just not there. It was hard seeing how they were best friends in high school since they aren't a lot a like. Kitsune is closer to Haruka in the series. I believed Naru and Kitsune were friends, but no closer than Naru and Motoko. Three male characters were added to better round out the series, but they are just light supporting characters.

On the downside, some people won't care for all of the "filler" episodes in this series. Some people will be put off by Naru's constant physical abuse of Keitaro, especially when he hasn't done anything wrong. The romance between Naru and Keitaro moves along pretty slowly which might annoy some viewers. Fans of the manga may not like the changes in character design for the anime. Manga fans may also be disappointed by the fact that the anime only uses the manga as a guide rather than follow it strictly. As to the DVD, the dub is one of the worst in all of anime. The subtitles are filled with errors and domestication inserts which is totally uncalled for. And there is a fair amount of fanservice in this series, but pretty tame, especially when compared to the sequel Love Hina titles that came out.

Bottom line: There are a lot of laughs, a nice romance, interesting characters, and an overall good time to be had by this series. However, to get the full story (and a lot more fanservice), check out the manga.

Last updated Saturday, May 01 2004. Created Friday, January 10 2003.

Rent 9 9 9 8 8 Nami [series:238#455]
I love the story of this series. However, I only rated this "rent" because I think the manga is much better than the anime. It's funnier, and tells the story more concisely and (IMHO) with more depth of emotion. They changed how things happen in the anime, sometimes dramatically, which made it less interesting to me. Rent a volume of the anime and read a volume of the manga to compare, then make up your mind about it.

Last updated Saturday, December 14 2002. Created Saturday, December 14 2002.
Buy 9 9 9 9 9 9 Alexander [series:238#416]
After being rejected twice by Tokyo U., he decides to stay with his grandmother. But when he arrives., his grandmother is gone and he finds himself under attack by the all-female residents! Turns out he is placed as the new manger!
It's a romantic-comedy but, i'm sure anyone will like it. I took a chance to watch the series, and I kept going to watch the rest of the esp. Turst me, you won't be dissappionted. Has lots of laughs, and story goes on, onto all the characters so no one is left in the dark.

Last updated Thursday, October 31 2002. Created Monday, October 28 2002.
Buy 9 9 9 9 9 8 nodoubt [series:238#399]
This is a hit-or-miss series. You are either going to hate it or love it. There is no middle ground. I belong to the latter group. Liking it was the last thing I expected since romantic comedies are really not my genre. However I fell in love with the anime and it is in my Top 10.
The animation is nothing short of breath-taking and the music is superb also. This series is an adaptation of the manga of the same name. It is a funny series that had me laughing at the show's humor. Granted, there are quite a few filler episodes, but most episodes help build into the climax near the end of the series.
The story revolves around Keitaro, who made a promise with a little girl to go to Tokyo University together when they grow up... Fast forward 20 years and Keitaro is a loser who can't pass the entrance exam.. he somehow ends up living in Hinata Sou surrounded by beautiful girls... You have to watch to find out the rest of the story. If you like the anime, check the manga out, which fills in the rest of the details.
10-14-02

Last updated Monday, October 14 2002. Created Monday, October 14 2002.
Rent 9 8 5 8 4 CatWoman [series:238#65]
This is right up there with Hand maid May, it is good, but as a story, not an oregonal is an under statment! It is one up on the Maid story, it has less "fan service" and more Charicter, though it gets a bet wierd at times. I would rent it but as for buying not worth my money there are much better anime to spend on!

Last updated Sunday, July 07 2002. Created Sunday, July 07 2002.
Watch 7 8 4 9 6 The Coyote [series:238#64]
Holy cow Bandai has been secretly taken over by Pioneer..... just kidding but this just seemed weird to me that the classic Geek turns chick magnet story actually was produced by someone other than Pioneer That said I guess that not every one love Kataro. but It's still Geek surounded by girls story. If you like Tenchi or El hazard or Vandred or Hand Maid May or Ah My goddess.... (the sad thing is I could go on here.) you will probably like this one too. it has good moment I just find myself sitting there wishing Kataro would grow a spine. This guy is painfully wimpy.
Then there is always the issue of thing like mecha turttle turning into godzilla whith no reason what so ever. I haven't read the popular manga but this show is barly a watch so far but I will keep updateing you.

Last updated Saturday, June 29 2002. Created Saturday, June 29 2002.
Buy 9 10 10 8 9 boo [series:238#262]
If you have a heart, you'll love this series. From the theme song i was already on the floor weezing. This is a goofy show, but it is wonderful. It is very episodic in nature. They slowly move forward to a main story, but that really doesn't matter... you will truly love the "filler" episodes.
This isn't a Tenchi... this is what all those girl chasing anime's were supposed to be. Pick your favorite character and enjoy the ride.
3/06/02

Last updated Wednesday, March 06 2002. Created Wednesday, March 06 2002.
Buy 9 9 10 8 8 6 Mark Clifton [series:238#126]
This is a wonderful series and you can't help but fall in love with the characters. Though some of the episodes can be just silly, the overall storyline and series is really good. There isn't really nothing better than a love triangle. Recommended for people who strive to follow their dreams even when all hope maybe lost. ^_^

Last updated Monday, January 29 2001. Created Monday, January 29 2001.
Buy 9 10 10 10 10 Anonymous #130 [series:238#130]
I absolutely love love love love love LOVE THIS SERIES! Love Hina is an amazing series and manga by Ken Anamatsu. It's hilarious at times. The main character does see the girls naked a lot so if you're offended then I guess you'll miss out on this gem. They don't show nudity at all in the anime. The show gets so great throughout the course of the series. I just cannot recommend this series enough. Go out and find this anime for fansub.

Last updated Monday, December 03 2001. Created Saturday, January 27 2001.

Other Sites
NameURL
Original Website at TV Tokyo http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/lovehina/
Interactive Site (Shockwave), allows visiting the rooms at Hinata-Sou and meeting the inhabitants

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