LOVE HINA SPECIALS
As if I didn't hate him enough as is...
Review by: M.H. "Stranded at first" Torringjan
Length: 2 specials, 45 minutes
Genre: Romance, masochism
Watched: All
You thought it was over, didn't you? You thought they'd stop torturing you with the neverending stream of awkward situations, misunderstandings, and sweet, sweet fanservice. Well, you were wrong. I had thought that they'd already worked out that whole Naru-Keitaro thing in the series, but apparently, they felt as though it was incomplete. Not enough Naru punches had been dispensed. Not enough breasts had been fondled. Not enough of Naru had been shown on screen. I couldn't agree with them more.
Artwork: The artwork in the specials is exactly the same as the artwork in the series, which means it's still great. The colors, character designs, backgrounds, and realism are still tops, and the icing on the cake, the fanservice, is still the best around (rivalled only by that of Ai Yori Aoshi). These guys know that they're playing on a formula, and they stick to it pretty well.
Music: There's more J-pop in the specials than there was in the series, and it seems to work pretty well, overall. The titles are pretty upbeat, and fit well to the mood of the series. The title track from the series, Sakura Saku, makes a couple of rounds, and it still hasn't gotten old. The normal background music works well, but as is the case with much background music, it doesn't work very well as a stand-alone.
Characters: If you've seen the series, you know the characters. Naru, Shinobu, Kitsune, Mutsumi, Seta, Suu, and that bastard Keitaro are all back, and in exactly the same roles as the series. Keitaro's still an awkward 
ronin, although he's at least worked out his feelings towards Naru and Mutsumi (and god, I love that picture of him in pain...). Shinobu's still a shy little fluffy bunny, although she's started to get some confidence in herself due to Keitaro's influence. Motoko is still an honor-bound warrior character, although she sees the value of emotions in the workings of life. Naru still has some issues concerning her feelings towards Keitaro, but at least she finally gets up the nerve to admit it. Kitsune is still a manipulative little drunkard, and Suu's still a little too much like Washuu for my liking.
Plot: Again, they're following a formula, so they do well to stick to it. Basically, Keitaro screws up, gets hit for it a lot, and he and Naru make up. The emotional aspect is still there, because otherwise, what would there be to make the viewer hate Keitaro? Or maybe that's just me, I forget at this point. But the drama quotient is somewhat varied between specials, with the first being more serious and the second being more comedic in nature. The division worked to their favor, though, as they weren't forced to do too much at once.
CHICKS!! Yeah, you all know them by now. The chicks of this series have managed to cement their place in the top of the romance series culture through their combination of hotness and personality that many other series lack, even to this day. Mutsumi is this series' equivalent of Hyatt, the hot but not-too-healthy girl with a somewhat loopy personality. Her subdued qualities almost make it worth the constant passing out to be with her. Kitsune is still the beer-swilling puppet-master that she was in the series, Motoko has the figure that we all wish she'd show off more often, tied to the determined, caring personality. And, as we all know, the main attraction is Naru, who seems to have toned down her attitude a bit from the series. Although she is still a firecracker in the Spring special, and more than willing to dispense a Naru Punch or two, she seems more confused as she tries to work out her feelings toward Keitaro and Seta once and for all in the Winter Special. Overall, if you thought that she was too violent the first time around, this is the perfect time to catch her. And yes, Shinobu and Suu are still too young to mention in this section.
Love Hina Winter Special
Plot Summary: Last minute practicing for the Toudai practice exams are taking place around the holidays, and a legend that's been circulating recently says that anyone who confesses on Christmas Eve will have their wish come true. Keitaro hears that Naru has a letter for someone with a confession on it, but is the letter for him?
Overall: The plot for this special takes on a much more serious tone, although the formula of "Keitaro screws up, they make up" is seen here still. The serious tone works fairly well, considering that there's a scattering of comedy in the style of the rest of the series. As well, the character development is very high for a 45 minute special for everyone involved. It seems like not too much is crammed in, and loose points are tied up.
In a nutshell:
+ Decent soundtrack
+ Nice character development
+ Nice emotion
- Formulaic plot
Final grade: 8/10
Spring Special
Plot Summary: Keitaro, Naru, and Mistune are studying for the Toudai entrance exam, and during taking it, Keitaro drifts off. Afterwards, fearing that he didn't do well, he joins an expedition crew (led, conveniently enough, by Seta) to the Island of Pararakerus to get away from the Sou. The residents of the Sou follow to bring him back to face the music.
Overall: The plot of this special, again, sticks to the formula, but adds in a little bit of variety with the discussion of the nature of people's dreams. The mood of the special veers back to the comedic side of the spectrum, with less introspection and more zaniness abounding. As such, the emotional aspect of the show isn't as high in this special as it was in the Winter special. And the random breaking out into song of all the characters (who miraculously all know what song to sing at exactly the right time) just seemed kind of unbelievable. However, on an up note, this special is the home of the leaf bikini, which I personally give props as being the most alluring outfit I've seen any anime chick wear, ever.
In a nutshell:
+ Still great artwork
+ Naru's leaf bikini
+/- Decent comedy, but it's getting old
- Formulaic plot
- Characters randomly singing
Final Grade: 6.5/10
NOTE: Images were taken and used without permission from the webpage Hinastar.com. Visit them, as they're a pretty nice Love Hina page and worked hard for these screencaps.
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