As a child, Urashima Keitarou promised his friend that they would meet again while studying at Tokyo University. Unfortunately, the boy fails the qualifying exam. However, he doesn’t give up and decides to devote the next year of his life to preparing decently for the next enrollment. He remembers that his grandmother runs an inn and decides to move into it. To his surprise, this inn has been transformed into a female dormitory, of which, by a strange coincidence, he soon becomes the landlord….

Love Hina – Audiovisual Design

Love Hina is a series from 2000, it is worth keeping in mind. I personally liked the visual design (especially the backgrounds) and the animation itself. The Xebec studio team used a very expressive method of reflecting emotions, typical for those years. The character design itself – as usual with series from those years – was to my liking. This decade is definitely my favorite anime period.

Musically, the series is not distinguished by anything special. Well, maybe except for the strongly distinctive opening, which from the first listening sharply etches itself into the memory. In terms of the voices of the characters, I have nothing to complain about, as usual, and Horie Yui (in the role of the main character – Naru) came off simply perfectly.

Love Hina – Plot and Characters

Love Hina is primarily a comedy with slight romantic aspects. A comedy that soars to all sorts of heights of absurdity. Although I’m not usually fond of overly absurd humor, I’ll admit offhandedly that everything fit together perfectly here.

I’m not sure why this series lay in my “on hold” list for many years. When I recently gave it a second chance, I took a completely different approach and tried unsuccessfully to figure out why I ignited the viewing on the first try.

Being a comedy with romance aspects from the early 2000s, the main character is launched into space with a bang by the hard hitting main character (Narusegawa Naru), who is disgusted with his behavior, at least several times per episode. The series title, on the other hand, comes from the name of the dormitory (inside which most of the series’ action takes place). This, in turn, owes its name to the grandmother of the main character, Urashima Keitarou, named Hinata.

Of course, the female cast is a whole range of different character types. Starting with the aforementioned Naru (tsundere), Maehara Shinobu (shy and timid), Suu Kaolla (overactive), Otohime Mutsumi (protective older sister), Sarah McDougal (spoiled western girl), Aoyama Motoko (tomboyish) or Konno Mitsune (completely carefree elder maiden). In addition, there are plenty of supporting characters who actively join in the course of the events depicted.

Although the whole thing is rather episodic as a whole, from time to time the plot is pushed along with, for example, the upcoming recruitment exams for Tokyo University (Toudai). There are also plenty of references to classic series. Although in this field I don’t have much to shine on, since the early 1990s and earlier is not my era and I quite rarely reach for productions from those years. The most obvious were references to blockbusters such as Dragon Ball, Maison Ikkoku, Evangelion, Gundam, and Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. I also noticed references to games such as Final Fantasy and Chrono Cross.

Evaluation and Summary

To give a rating to this series is not easy for me. However, I do know one thing – it is worth dividing the viewing into batches. Love Hina is not suitable to binge watching. It is necessary to revisit the world of the series and the characters on a regular basis in order to get properly acquainted with them and appreciate what the creators wanted to show us. Therefore, I recommend watching a maximum of one episode per day.

Preventing suggestions and questions – yes, I have heard that the manga is different from the adaptation (or better – here opinions were already divided). It is possible that I will return to this story in manga form in the future, but rather not at the present time.

Love Hina is a decidedly upbeat trip back in time to the previous decade, and if you only have fond memories of that period, you will certainly appreciate this series as well. Still, not all series of this type evoke equally positive emotions in me.

Special episodes are also worth mentioning. They are a follow-up.

Finalny werdykt

Final evaluation

Which translation do I recommend to watch Love Hina

• KickAssAnime – I can recommend wholeheartedly.

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