School Rumble

Love Octagons? Why not!
Aside from the two main characters introduced right from the get go, the many supporting characters in School Rumble are introduced in a timely manner and each with their own interesting past, personality and secret crush. Before long, our simple little love triangle has turned into something like a love octagon where everyone is simply being screwed over by everyone else in one way or another. If only people were a little more straightforward with each other. The wacky cast includes a variety of classmates, of varying ages, all of them cute and funny in their own way and every viewer seems to have a different favorite girl. An example of two polar opposites would be Eri, the somewhat arrogant �princess�, as cute as she is witty for the most part, is always trying to help Tenma out with her flirtatious ways; Yakumo, the gorgeous, younger in age, older in looks, sister to the main character, is a girl who can mysteriously read the mind of any boy who has a crush on her (which turns out to be almost every boy, and who wouldn�t like a girl who is intelligent, athletic, an excellent cook, yet quiet and humble all at the same time?!). Watching the characters interact with each other is almost as fun as rooting for your own home made favorite potential couple, and trust me, you�ll have one.

The animation in this series is quite good, with lots of attention to detail (Note: Tenma�s Hair never ceased to amuse me). It�s not spectacular in any way, but it definitely does a good job of translating the Manga into animated format. You�ve probably seen better in other series�, but you�ve also definitely seen worse. The characterization and entertaining plot take center-stage here.

The music in School Rumble is well done to say the least, with a bubbly light-hearted feeling to it that accurately conveys the emotions felt during any particular scene. You�ll sense the light hearted pseudo-drama as Harima prepares to duke it out with Hanaii. You�ll become energetic watching Tenma do her best to win her love. You�ll feel Yakumo�s good-natured ways pour off the screen through the careful choices of theme music. And if you watch the ending too many times, I guarantee you�ll be singing it for days. High-end bubble pop articulates each scene perfectly.

This all being said, there are still a few things in this anime that some may not care for, but on the other hand, one man�s trash is another man�s treasure. In an anime that is so character-driven, it�s unusual to see so little actual character development. That is to say, almost no characters break out of their flat moulds to go above and beyond what they would normally do. However, this can also be said to be a great accomplishment and a good portion of the reason why this series is so funny, not one character seems to �get it�, nor do they learn to �get it.” It�s almost endearing to see how little they learn. Another problem would be that because this is a series that is still being continually written by the Manga author (no 2nd season planned as of yet), there is a lack of viable �conclusion� to the story, which will both frustrate you and leave you demanding for more, but alas, that is the way of anime. Lastly, there are simply a lot of Japanese-themed jokes that many viewers may simply not get completely without consulting a guide that explains a bit about Japanese culture and etiquette. Those who do not appreciate that some things can be �garbled� in translation should probably stay away from this one.

Tags: Movie Reviews