Anime Review: Love Hina
Publisher: Bandai
Developer: Production I.G.
Type: Television series
Volume: One (out of six)
Format: DVD
Length: 100 minutes
Content rating: Low to mild
Review rating: Excellent
Written by: Sean "Nz17" Robinson
Someone looking for a fun time and a little romance should watch the anime Love Hina. The show is easily accessible as a mysterious, light-hearted, action-filled romance with points of drama intersperced.
Keitaro Urashima, the protagonist of the show, is a college applicant who is trying desparately to get into Tokyo University to fulfill his promise with a girl he made years ago. Fate sees him as the manager of an all-girls dormatory where he long ago made this promise. Keitaro believes he may well find this girl here even before he meets her at Tokyo U.
However, his quest for romance is daunted by the zany dormers, who oppose him at every turn. The inventive Koala-Su fires missles at him, the swordswoman Motoko constantly attacks our hero, the alcoholic lush Mitsune always schemes to get him in awkward situations, innocent Shinobu puts him in difficult circumstances, and college-hopeful Naru always seems to end up with Keitaro in odd, suggestive predicaments.
The girls eventually soften towards Urashima, and even begin to have feelings towards him. This makes poor Keitaro's life even more complicated than before. This also adds extra duress on the viewer, as it makes it even more unclear who Keitaro's fated love might be, and if the viewer wants him to end up with her over the viewer's personal preference.
The early episodes provide little story advancement and much comedy, but do evolve the characters from their initial archetypes. Soon we find ourselves as viewers deeply embroiled with Keitaro and the girls' lives, as more of the shroud around the mystery is slowly unveiled but is compensated by the growing feelings of all involved parties. The final episodes find the drama so thick one could cut it with a knife, but we are still provided with relief by the occasional comedic moment.
Love Hina certainly interests viewers with its promising concept, humor, and soft-handed approach, but keeps them involved with a romantic mystery point and suprising depth. In the end, the audience is just as suprised as Keitaro at the result of the promise, and everyone ends up feeling we lived right alongside the residents of the dorm for each and every turn.