Love Hina Perfect Collection - Review
Studio Summary
One of the funniest anime of all time! Attempting to fulfill a promise to his childhood sweetheart. Keitaro Urashima is determined to enter Tokyo University! After being rejected twice, he decides to leave home and stay at his grandmothers apartment complex to study.
But when he arrives, his grandmother is gone and he finds himself under attack by the all-female residents! Will the girls accept him as their new apartment manager? Will his bones ever knit? More importantly, can he concentrate on his studies when he discovers that one of his tenants might be his long lost sweetheart?
Spoken Languages: English, Japanese, English subtitles.
Grades
Video: A
Audio: A
Dub/script: B+
Story: A-
Overall: A
Rated: 13+
Reviewed By Johaan
Buy Love Hina in our online Store!
Review
Poor Keitaro, the way things are going it looks like he is going to be a three-time entrance exam flunky at his attempt to get into Tokyo University. If this keeps up, he'll need to give up his dream of going to one of the most prestigious universities in all of Japan. Worse yet, he will have to give up his promise to his early-childhood sweetheart of meeting at Tokyo University and falling in love.
He's a loser like that.
Things are not all bad though. Through his Granny's scheming and through a series of misunderstandings, he becomes the manager of an all-girls dorm complete with a hot spring bath. Beautiful girls in towels everywhere, exams on the way, work around the dorm to do, and trying to find his childhood promise girl ... he'd maybe manage to be happy if the whole experience does not kill him first!
And it just might.
Kaolla Su, the incredibly strong foreign exchange student seems to make a sport of drop-kicking poor Keitaro just for the fun of it, Kitsune's drinking and scheming seem to always get him into trouble ... and then there is the Hot-tempered Naru, who clobbers him for peeking offences every chance she gets. But you know the biggest problem with Naru? Keitaro really does want to peek at her. In fact, his feeling for Naru have him so confused over the whole Tokyo U promise, Keitaro has no idea what to do with himself ... especially when it appears she COULD be the promise girl. Oh boy.
Now, add in an anemic girl who has a thing for melons, a samurai girl, a chain smoking aunt, a flying hot-springs turtle, a little princess, and a crazy professor and his daughter - and you add a ton of personality to this fun little series.
Love Hina is one of the most mad-cap anime romantic comedies I've ever seen. Sight gags and superdeformed expressions are everywhere ... and Naru really does send Keitaro bang-zoom to the moon in almost every episode. No human could really withstand the punishment he gets - but then again, hot-springs turtles don't fly and guys usually don't manage girls dorms. Yet these things seem to be the norm at the Hinata Inn.
The story follows the challenges Naru and Keitaro face in their attempt to get accepted into Tokyo U. Keitaro, of course has a much larger gap to bridge than Naru, and his horrible grades and ties to his past promise girl makes things difficult. The biggest problem for Ketaro, besides his intellectual challenges, is he does not even remember the name of the girl he was supposed to meet at Tokyo U. Could Naru be the little girl? Is it Mitsune? Is it someone else entirely? He is so wrapped up in the past, that he has much difficulty figuring out his future. Every bump and bruise he gets along the way makes for good comedy.
Naru for her part is not sure of her feelings. She comes across really cold to Keitaro, but the little idiot seems to be worming his way into her heart. She really does not need this distraction when trying to get into Tokyo U!
The dub is quite good, one of the better ones out there, but they toned down the script a bit from the original Japanese. The subtitle is quite a bit racier, and at times funnier. For instance, there is one scene in the first episode that Keitaro accidentally gets a peek at Naru's panties for the first time. After getting clobbered for his offense, in the English version he says, "So that is what it is like to have the touch of a woman." In the Japanese he says one word, "Pink." Subtle, and very funny in context.
The Perfect Collection includes the 24-episode TV series as well as the 3 OVAs, Love Hina Christmas Special, Love Hina Spring Special, and Love Hina Again. Of them, Love Hina Christmas Special actually ranks among my top Christmas special of all time. It has a lot of heart and is very sweet ... and it is always interesting to see the Japanese take on Christmas. Unfortunately, the other two OVAs are not quite as good as the original series, and Love Hina Again leaves a bit to be desired despite the fact that it is a bit racier. The biggest problem with the OVAs is that they are a direct copy of the Manga, and they cut the story just shy of the last book .... we never truly get to see the end, though we know what is going to happen when the curtain closes.
Nitpicking aside, this is one great little show. It holds a high rank on our current Top 5 list for comedy. The animation is beautiful, modern, and crisp ... an almost perfect transfer. The sound is great, and the translation and dub are good. I have used this series on more than one occasion as a "gateway anime" for people new to the genere and art form. It has not failed to surprise and entertain anyone I have introduce it to. I highly recommend this title, even if you have to buy them all separately, like I did.
Please note: The Perfect Collection may be out of print as not all venues carry it.
One of the funniest anime of all time! Attempting to fulfill a promise to his childhood sweetheart. Keitaro Urashima is determined to enter Tokyo University! After being rejected twice, he decides to leave home and stay at his grandmothers apartment complex to study. But when he arrives, his grandmother is gone and he finds himself under attack by the all-female residents! Will the girls accept him as their new apartment manager? Will his bones ever knit? More importantly, can he concentrate on his studies when he discovers that one of his tenants might be his long lost sweetheart?
Spoken Languages: English, Japanese, English subtitles.
Grades
Video: A
Audio: A
Dub/script: B+
Story: A-
Overall: A
Rated: 13+
Reviewed By Johaan
Buy Love Hina in our online Store!
Review
Poor Keitaro, the way things are going it looks like he is going to be a three-time entrance exam flunky at his attempt to get into Tokyo University. If this keeps up, he'll need to give up his dream of going to one of the most prestigious universities in all of Japan. Worse yet, he will have to give up his promise to his early-childhood sweetheart of meeting at Tokyo University and falling in love.
He's a loser like that.
Things are not all bad though. Through his Granny's scheming and through a series of misunderstandings, he becomes the manager of an all-girls dorm complete with a hot spring bath. Beautiful girls in towels everywhere, exams on the way, work around the dorm to do, and trying to find his childhood promise girl ... he'd maybe manage to be happy if the whole experience does not kill him first!
And it just might.
Kaolla Su, the incredibly strong foreign exchange student seems to make a sport of drop-kicking poor Keitaro just for the fun of it, Kitsune's drinking and scheming seem to always get him into trouble ... and then there is the Hot-tempered Naru, who clobbers him for peeking offences every chance she gets. But you know the biggest problem with Naru? Keitaro really does want to peek at her. In fact, his feeling for Naru have him so confused over the whole Tokyo U promise, Keitaro has no idea what to do with himself ... especially when it appears she COULD be the promise girl. Oh boy.
Now, add in an anemic girl who has a thing for melons, a samurai girl, a chain smoking aunt, a flying hot-springs turtle, a little princess, and a crazy professor and his daughter - and you add a ton of personality to this fun little series.
Love Hina is one of the most mad-cap anime romantic comedies I've ever seen. Sight gags and superdeformed expressions are everywhere ... and Naru really does send Keitaro bang-zoom to the moon in almost every episode. No human could really withstand the punishment he gets - but then again, hot-springs turtles don't fly and guys usually don't manage girls dorms. Yet these things seem to be the norm at the Hinata Inn.
The story follows the challenges Naru and Keitaro face in their attempt to get accepted into Tokyo U. Keitaro, of course has a much larger gap to bridge than Naru, and his horrible grades and ties to his past promise girl makes things difficult. The biggest problem for Ketaro, besides his intellectual challenges, is he does not even remember the name of the girl he was supposed to meet at Tokyo U. Could Naru be the little girl? Is it Mitsune? Is it someone else entirely? He is so wrapped up in the past, that he has much difficulty figuring out his future. Every bump and bruise he gets along the way makes for good comedy.
Naru for her part is not sure of her feelings. She comes across really cold to Keitaro, but the little idiot seems to be worming his way into her heart. She really does not need this distraction when trying to get into Tokyo U!
The dub is quite good, one of the better ones out there, but they toned down the script a bit from the original Japanese. The subtitle is quite a bit racier, and at times funnier. For instance, there is one scene in the first episode that Keitaro accidentally gets a peek at Naru's panties for the first time. After getting clobbered for his offense, in the English version he says, "So that is what it is like to have the touch of a woman." In the Japanese he says one word, "Pink." Subtle, and very funny in context.
The Perfect Collection includes the 24-episode TV series as well as the 3 OVAs, Love Hina Christmas Special, Love Hina Spring Special, and Love Hina Again. Of them, Love Hina Christmas Special actually ranks among my top Christmas special of all time. It has a lot of heart and is very sweet ... and it is always interesting to see the Japanese take on Christmas. Unfortunately, the other two OVAs are not quite as good as the original series, and Love Hina Again leaves a bit to be desired despite the fact that it is a bit racier. The biggest problem with the OVAs is that they are a direct copy of the Manga, and they cut the story just shy of the last book .... we never truly get to see the end, though we know what is going to happen when the curtain closes.
Nitpicking aside, this is one great little show. It holds a high rank on our current Top 5 list for comedy. The animation is beautiful, modern, and crisp ... an almost perfect transfer. The sound is great, and the translation and dub are good. I have used this series on more than one occasion as a "gateway anime" for people new to the genere and art form. It has not failed to surprise and entertain anyone I have introduce it to. I highly recommend this title, even if you have to buy them all separately, like I did.
Please note: The Perfect Collection may be out of print as not all venues carry it.
