(return to disc)
Content rating: 9
Posted 2002-10-26 by StupendousMan
Endorsed by kurt on 2002-11-20 04:06:00
I watched all four episodes (a good value for the money)
on this disc last night, and it raised my opinion of "Love
Hina" even higher. The writers continue to juggle standard
anime comedy with more serious, heartfelt material --
and they haven't dropped a ball yet.
The first episode was probably my favorite. It focuses
on Shinobu and what appears to be her anxiety over one's
"First Kiss." She listens raptly to other members of the
cast discuss their first kisses and daydreams about her
own. But what's really bothering her is
the fear that she might be losing her only
friend at school.
The final scene was just perfect.
I'm not a twelve year-old girl, nor have I ever been one,
but I'll bet that there are a lot of girls (and boys,
for that matter) who suffer from similar anxieties.
This is one of the shows I'm going to keep in mind
for the future, in case I ever have kids of my own:
if my daughter comes home looking sad and doesn't want
to talk about it, I'll try to watch this episode with
her.
Does that set some kind of sad, sick, nerdy record for
"Most Pathetic Attempt to Justify Purchase of Anime",
or what?
The remaining three episodes follow the usual fast-paced
comedic conventions:
Naru and Keitaro continue to circle each other romantically
without really connecting, Kitsune pokes her nose in
everyone's business, and turtles appear in the
unlikeliest places.
Let me summarize each briefly:
- The gang needs to come up with 67,000 yen, fast,
to pay for the bills. So they all go off to
find part-time jobs. Keitaro runs into
Seta-sensei, Naru's old high-school tutor,
and Kitsune tries frantically to keep Naru
and Seta from meeting. There are moments
of laugh-out-loud slapstick here, especially
Kitsune's, uh, energetic techniques to distract
Naru, but I was a bit put off by the obnoxious
little girl who lives with Seta-sensei.
She grows less annoying in later episodes,
thank goodness.
Oh, keep an eye out for Naru's cheerleading
outfit -- but don't forget to pick it up off the
floor and put it back into the socket afterwards ...
- While Seta-sensei conducts one of his archaelogical
excavations under the Hinata mansion, he leaves
Sara (annoying girl) in Keitaro's care. Foolish
Seta-sensei. After much running about, everyone
ends up in the tunnels under the mansion, where
Seta-sensei has discovered evidence of an ancient
turtle civilization.
This is one of those plot twists that is so bizarre
it almost make sense :-)
Keitaro's reaction to Naru and Seta's reunion
is interesting. As usual, his heart is in the
right place, but his brain and mouth don't quite
follow through.
- Finally, the gang puts on a performance of
"Journey to the West", a classic Japanese
story from long ago. We learn that Seta-sensei
is a man of many skills, and that Naru gives
Carrie Fisher a run for her money in the
slave-girl department. It's loony, it's fun,
it even has rock'em, sock'em puppet action.
Overall, I'm very pleased. Sure, it's not perfect --
I would prefer a bit more of the serious character
development and a lot less of Keitaro in orbit --
but it makes me happy.
I will be sure to recommend this show to my brother
(Chris, see you at Thanksgiving!), and I would
recommend it to anyone else.
P.S. There's hint that the animators may finally
be realizing that real people don't wear towels
while sitting in hot springs. It's about time!
Equipment used when writing this review:
Sony DVD player, brand-new JVC 27-inch television set
(beats the 12-year-old 21-inch set every which way).
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