LOVE HINA AGAIN
Exactly how many Naru punches *can* this guy take?
Review by: M.H. “Bath House Blues” Torringjan
Length: 3 episode OVA
Genre: Romance, comedy
Watched: 3 episodes, subbed
After the specials of the Love Hina series finished and they got that whole Naru/Keitaro thing worked out, one would tend to think that the series would be over. One would be wrong. They decided that the public hadn’t had enough of Naru and the rest (and in the case of Naru and the girls, they’re always right), so they went out for an OVA to wrap up the already-wrapped up plot points, throwing in some nice fanservice along the way.
Plot: After the gang gets back from the Spring Break trip they took, Keitaro decides to go off with Sena again to do some more research and get an even better tan. Meanwhile, at Hinato-Sou, a girl arrives, claiming to be Keitaro’s sister, and takes over the Sou in his absence, ruling with an iron fist. Keitaro returns and sorts that mess out while trying to get up the nerve to finally and definitively confess to Naru (as if he hadn’t already about three times), while Naru tries to find the right time to do the same thing. This proves to be somewhat difficult, though, as Keitaro’s sister isn’t all that willing to give him up, and neither is the mysterious annex of Hinata Sou.
Artwork: The artwork’s about the same as in the series and specials, very colorful, very smooth, and pretty well-done overall. The mood is very well-set through the artwork, and the new character designs are pretty decent. Perhaps the most important part of the OVA, though, is the abundant fanservice that they lump on even thicker than in the series (which is really difficult to do, but they managed somehow). There's not much to say other than... wow. The only problem I notice is that the already established character designs have changed slightly (perhaps due to passing time, perhaps due to different animators), and now they aren’t quite as attractive as they were in the original. I don’t know if the curves aren’t in the right places, or if the curves aren’t as noticeable, but something just isn’t right with it.
Music: The music for this OVA kind of fell short of the music for the series, with the in-episode music being about the same and the opening and ending themes not being nearly as entertaining. Really, sit this opening and "Sakura Saku" side by side and see which one you can remember the name of after you listen to it. "Sakura" wins, easy.
Characters: Well, everyone's back from the original series and specials, pretty much the same as they were in the series. Naru's still in the closet about being a Keitaro fan, Motoko's still a Naru fan and a master kendoist, Kitsune still drinks a lot, Mutsume still has her melons, Suu's still the hyperactive ADD ferret kid, Keitaro's still an oblivious, Naru-lusting dork that we all want to kill, and Shinobu's still a fluffy bunny. This time around, they add Kanako, Keitaro's sister. She takes up residence at the Sou in hopes of staying with Keitaro forever (I know, it sounds really weird coming from a sister, but just work with them on this one). She feuds with Naru constantly over Keitaro, and frequently uses her abilities of disguise to manipulate the others or get information out of them. She also seems to have some sort of magical abilities, as evidenced by the flying cat, Kuro, who follows her around and acts as her eyes and ears. An interesting and complex character, and a nice addition to the cast.
Plot: About the same as the specials, really. "Naru and Keitaro almost end up together and then X happens." The originality isn't in the idea, or in the execution, or even in the fanservice. The originality really comes from the additional character, and that type of originality gets exhausted really fast. Luckily, this is only a 3-episode OVA, so it's about the right length for their purposes.
CHICKS!! Oh, my god, they read my mind! Just when I go around whining about how they don't show enough cleavage, they out and deliver! The girls are all back and just as curvaceous as ever, Mustume, Kistune, Motoko, and the rest! Naru (what, you thought that I was including her in "the rest"?) returns with all her sweetness and hotness and shyness (and violence, for those of you who're into that sort of thing), once again torn by her desire to remain friends with Keitaro and her desire to be with Keitaro. If you could pull this girl away from him for about two minutes, I'm sure you could present her with a much more viable alternative. Finally, we have Kanako, the new girl. Her loyalty to her brother shows exactly how far she'd be willing to go for the right man, which is a major plus. Also, her disguise ability would be of great use to anyone who's into cosplay. I mean, really, if she's got the hots for her brother, imagine how she'd feel about someone who's not related by blood!
Overall: This OVA set out to do what other episodes before it had done finally and unequivocally. Well, it did it. Luckily, it had a little spice thrown in in the form of extra fanservice (which is this show's cash crop) and a nice new character that gave it the umph to get those last three episodes out. Although the technical qualities of the show weren't improved all that much, the other important areas were enough to get them through that last little bit. Overall, I'd say watch this title just for the sense of closure that they gave the already closed series and, as always, for the fanservice.
In a nutshell:
+ Nice new characters
+ Mountains of fanservice
+ Naru, again
- Downgraded old character designs
Overall score: 7/10
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