Love Hina
Fanservice conveniently packaged in one house!
Review by: M.H. "God, I wish I was him" Torringjan
Length: 25 episodes
Genre: Romantic comedy
Viewed: Every goddamn episode...
Warning: Look at that scroll bar on the side of the screen. This is a really long review. Not for the short of attention spans. Just a friendly warning. ;-)
I should start by saying this: the genre of this series should really be "cuteness." I suppose, though, that I'll stick to conventions for a moment, give it the benefit of a doubt. When watching this series, you'll be assaulted by an endless barrage of bordering on unbearable cuteness. Every one of these girls borders on cavity-inducing cuteness, and Keitaro should die because I want them all for myself. But enough off-topic. The series itself is *yet another* of those romantic comedies that I enjoy watching so much. Despite the reuse of the over-crowded genre, this series manages to make a name for itself with the interesting characters and the internal tension between the characters that goes completely tangentially to other romance series, such as Ayashi no Ceres. In other words, you will *not* see Keitaro giving anybody a hickie.
Plot summary: Keitaro is a high school student, trying to get into Toudai (Tokyo U). Unfortunately, he's one of the worst students in existence, and his grades show it. His parents get fed up with his hovering at homework and throw him out until he gets into Toudai. He drops in on his Grandmother's boarding house, looking for a place to live. He hasn't been told, though, that the boarding house is all-girls! And all EXTREMELY cute and hot ones, at that! He's soon appointed the landlord of the boarding house, since his grandmother's out of town. The boarders, however, don't trust him, because even at the first meeting, he slips up and sees the majority of them naked or gropes them in his wild escape attempt. So, he gets hit a lot by the Naru Punch (tm) and Naru Kick (tm).
Why does he put up with this, you may ask? Well, when he was a kid, he had a cute little girlfriend, and he made a promise to her that they would both get into Toudai together. He's still hoping that he'll meet this girl and that she isn't already sleeping with some other guy. Through living with the girls at Hinato-sou, he comes to the decision that Naru may possibly be that girl, and so he fawns over her while getting the crap beat out of him.
Artwork: This series has some very nice visuals, vividly colored while remaining easy on the eyes. Wait, maybe that's just the girls that're easy on the eyes. Anyway, the character design is admittedly generic, (with the exception of Suu) but their personalities more than make up for it. The backgrounds are well-done, mostly focusing on the realistic while occasionally blending the fantastic in with relative ease. The style, though, is slightly cartoonish at times, which may put off some people. I personally find that it helps the levity of the show.
Music: The soundtrack for the show is pretty bouncy, but still manages to succeed in being forgettable, with the exception of the theme song, "Sakura Saku," which is one of the more enjoyable theme-songs of the romantic animes that I've seen. It shows up a couple of times during the show, which is a nice touch, as well.
Characters: These characters are greatly varied, and probably almost anyone will find someone to like. First, you've got Keitaro Urashima, the diligent student who more often than not fails tests. He's the typical anime nice guy, the one who's unbearably enthusiastic and never purposefully at fault. Sometimes you just want to reach through the screen and strangle him. On the other hand, he's such a nice guy that you almost can't fault him, and you feel sorry for the poor bastard taking such brutal beatings in every flippin' episode. But enough about the dork. Get on to the chicks! Narusegawa Naru is looked up to by the other girls as the moral protector of the house, due to her unnatural strength. She distrusts Keitaro inherently, because of her belief that he's a total pervert. It never helps that he repeatedly walks in on the girls in the tub or ends up groping them by accident. Under her cold exterior, though, is a caring, non-violent girl who just wants to be loved and to love someone back. She learns to care for Keitaro over time, although she has to keep up the tough external appearance at times. Motoko is a kendo master who aids Naru in protecting the house and its occupants, who also distrusts Keitaro for similar reasons. She looks up to Naru as more experienced in life, while the other girls in the house similarly look up to her. She values discipline and strength over more lady-like values, which she sees as being the downfall of her sister, who gave in to traditional feminine traits when she got married. Keitaro also seems to her to be encroaching on this by awakening feelings that she associates with those traits, giving her even more reason to hate him.
Kitsune is Naru's perpetually squinting childhood friend who tries to do what's best for Naru, including fixing her up with Keitaro. She also has a bit of a sadistic streak, manipulating others at times for her own amusement.
Mutsume is a mysterious girl who shows up halfway during the series with a personality and grades to match Keitaro. She has a floaty personality that could put a charging rhino at ease, and she faints only slightly less than Hyatt. As a matter of fact, that's the reason that she has such bad grades. It becomes apparent, though, that she is possibly the girl of Keitaro's promise, which leads to jealousy on the part of Naru. Kaolla Suu is a young foreign girl and technological genius who lives at the Sou and looks up to Keitaro, who looks like her brother. She's blatantly oblivious on the subject of Keitaro's "infractions," viewing everything seemingly as a game. Shinobu is a young girl who moved to the Sou because of Kaolla and because of the divorce of her parents. She's shy and has little confidence, and feels uncomfortable around Keitaro, on whom she has a crush. Since she's so young, the others feel more protective of her, especially when Keitaro slips up around her. There are a couple more characters, but they play a lesser role in the series, and I've spent enough time as is on this section.
Plot: Well, I'll say this. The Harem plot's been done before. The series is episodic. Sometimes the plot borders on unbelievable. Plot isn't its strongest suit. Mostly, it focuses on character development and comedic situations. Now, I'll be the first to say that an episodic series isn't such a bad thing, but the lack of originality within the episodes doesn't say much for the anime, which isn't any match for the manga.
Chicks!!!!! Oh, my god, there are no words to describe the quality of the chicks in this series. Start off with Motoko, who has a great figure, although often hidden underneath her baggy training clothes. The passionate personality adds to her appeal, and it helps that she's *really* cute when she blushes. Mutsume is probably best known for her talent, which is often interposed with melons, her favorite food. The airy attitude isn't completely unappealing, as well. Kitsune's personality isn't the most appealing in the world (well, unless you like Nabiki, which I happen to), and she's mostly there to appeal to 
the crowd who wishes that Brock was a chick with a nice set of breasts. Not my thing, but I doubt that she's completely unappealing to others. Another hidden gem in the personage of Suu, who instantly matures in a magical sequence a la Sailor Moon. Again, the personality's a bit of a put-off, but the looks are still likable. Finally, I'll speak of my favorite and one of the most appealing girls in any anime, Naru. The warm, caring side of this girl who just wishes to be loved is worth any sort of beating that her mean side could deal out. Add that to the figure that just doesn't stop, her occasional use of glasses, and the occasional bathing suit outfits, and she's absolutely fabulous! The series even does a great job of showcasing the best of all the characters' figures with the bath scene in *every episode!* Yet further proof in the favor of the existence of a supreme being, no matter which one! Now, the fact that Keitaro has ready access to all of them and that he had the one that I want the most leads me to decree his slow and painful death.
Overall: Despite the fact that the plot is a weak spot, the series manages to hold my interest through sheer cute force. The romance and the tension between the characters is done very well, and the visual gags blend very well into the show, as does the other humor. The cuteness overload just adds to the appeal of the show, and although it doesn't separate it from other harem series, it does help the anime as an anime. I'd say that this series is worth a look because it doesn't take itself too seriously, while still conveying the emotions.
In a nutshell:
+ Nice, vivid artwork
+ Great characterization
+ Cute, cute CUTE chicks
- Unoriginal plot
- Forgettable soundtrack
Rating- 8.5/10
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