19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Buyers Beware, March 14, 2007
This review is from: Love Hina Anime Legends Complete Collection (DVD)
I recently ordered this "Complete Collection" to only be disappointed, not with Love Hina the series, but with this product itself. Anime Legends' Love Hina Complete Collection is far from being complete. This title only has 24 of the episodes. What about the 25th episode and the movies? You wont find them here. Love Hina is a great series, and a lot of reviews written on this product will tell you that. I am writing this because I want people to know about the product itself because most people only write about the series. Had I known this, I would have ordered the Love Hina Perfect Collection. 24 episodes, thats it. No more, no less.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolute anime classic., April 26, 2007
This review is from: Love Hina Anime Legends Complete Collection (DVD)
I have to admit that I was skeptical about an animated romantic comedy series, seeing as how I seldom enjoy live-action romantic comedies. Still, after having this series recommended to me over and over again I decided to check it out. I was very pleasantly suprised. This is simply animated entertainment at it's finest; great characters, engrossing storyline, hilarious slapstick comedy, over-the-top satire, and some of the most beautiful character designs I've ever seen make this series a no-brainer for all anime fans, and a great introduction to the art form for anime newcomers. Think of this series as Japan's insane answer to shows like "Friends". The story revolves around a young man, Keitaro, who becomes the manager of an all-girl apartment complex, Hinata, while working to be accepted to Tokyo University. You see, as a small child he made a promise to a girl he loved and was forced to move away from that when they were older, they would meet as students at Tokyo U and live happily ever after. Sure, he doesn't even remember who the girl is, but Keitaro obviously believes fate will guide him. Also living in Hinata is a wacky cast of female characters; Naru, the object of Keitaro's affection who sports a mean temper and is also working to get into Tokyo U (hmmm...), Su is the lunatic genius of the bunch who is very reminiscent of Ed from Cowboy Bebop, Kitsume is the drunken meddler who views the many conflicts and dramas of the series as her own entertainment, Shinobu is the painfully shy junior high student who comes to stay at the Hianta apartments when her parents get a divorce, and Motoka is a turtle-phobic feminist samurai girl who doesn't take kindly to a male managing an all-girl apartment complex. Plenty more memorable and (dare I say it?) loveable characters make their mark as the series progresses and the interpersonal dynamics between them never fail to produce hilarious and often touching results. Keitaro's endeering geekiness as he pursues Naru, Naru sending Keitaro flying with punch after punch, Motoko chasing him with a sword after she catches him apparently peeping, Shinobu's awkwardness with the whole situation, Su bouncing off the walls and building engines of destruction, Kitsune laying back with a drink in her hand and a big smile on her face as she watches it all go down, great, great stuff. Love Hina has really turned the whole romance-as-comedy genre on it's ear like Ranma 1/2 did back in the day and just went one step further by making the show more believable and emotional, but at the same time amping up the comedy to the ridiculous levels usually associated with shows like Excel Saga. How they managed to pull this off is beyond me. They even threw in some genius homages/spoofs to such classic films as Lady Snowblood, Mothra, Godzilla, Ultraman, fantasy RPG's in general, and much more. There's even an episode featuring Naru spoofing the whole Japanese pop-star/singer/voice-actress phenomenon which I can't help but see as a jab at the ubiquitous Megumi Hayashibara who has a bit part in the series as Keitaro's aunt Haruka (she also sings the series' theme song) and her anime actress/pop-singer ilk. True anime fans will love this stuff. All in all, you get the original 24 episodes of the television series, but this collection skips the bonus 25th episode (my favorite), the Christmas and Spring movies, and the series finale 3-episode OVA which brings the series to a very satifying close. This is stuff you WILL miss once you've seen the series so I suggest you buy the "Perfect Collection" which includes the entire set. But as far as the show itself goes: you just can't beat this series, in one form or another buy it now.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
IT REALLY SURPRISE ME, July 4, 2006
This review is from: Love Hina Anime Legends Complete Collection (DVD)
Before I write my review, I have to said this. I like action anime (mostly mecha), my collection goes from Evangelion, Samurai X and Blue Gender among others. So me buying a comedy is something. I have read reviews, and a lot of info about this series over the Internet, and a friend of mine told me how good this is. So, I buy it without seeing it, a risk, but I took it.
I LAUGH MY YOU KNOW WHAT OFF!!!!! From the beginning, all the way to the end, I was laughing. Some jokes I didn't get (I guess you have to know a lot of japanese culture to get all the jokes, and see a lot of japanese cinema), but you will get most of it. Keitaro getting hit/hurt everytime in every episode gets tiresome by the 4th dvd, but since in all harem anime the girls love the guy, this was completly new and original to all who has seen harem anime (I haven't, this is the first time). And there lies the most artistic value of this DVD set. It is original, and most original of all is the ending. For me, is a mix of "hey! nice! something different" with "aw men! don't leave me like that!".
The art is nice, the songs are amazing, the girls are supercool to watch, and our hero, well, he is a misunderstood guy. And the way the relations grow is funny to watch. Anyway, if you have read other of my reviews you most know I don't get into details of the series. If you want something to make you laugh, even if your tastes aren't this, if you want something original, and above all, something which you won't regret spending money, this is it.
Warning! You need to get the OAVS! Sadly the Perfect Collection version is out of print, and even more sad, this set does not include the ovas. If you read more reviews you are going to find out that the series real end is the last ova (well, here they are call movies). A bad trick for Bandai, this should be call THE ALMOST COMPLETE COLLECTION.
The girls, I like the most Kaolla, (she is nuts, she likes Keitaro in a painful sisterly kind of way) and Shinobu (she is cute, and inocent, she brings balance among all those strange not so traditional girls). Motoko, well, I still don't understand her. Where do she got her hatred for men? Other thing that get tiresome is that she always miread Keitaro actions (she calls him pervert before hitting him), most of the time when he is simply hugging one of the othe girls. You thing that by the 5th DVD she will get over it and understand that poor Keitaro is simply clumsy, not trying to get into a girls undies, and that is normal for a male friend to hug a female friend (or is she in love with him??). Kitsune...she doesn't get too much time in the series, but she is fun to watch. Naru...like Motoko she is always misinterpreting anything Keitaro does. For this, he gets the reputation of peeping tom among other things. But, she helps him to study.
Keitaro, well, he is the "hero". He is geeky, nerdy, a nice guy, but since he is clumsy, he gets the fury of Naru fits and Motoko sword. Part of the comedy is when you see him doing something, and one of these two girls see him and thinks other thing was going on and well, does team rocket mean anything to you?.
Mutsumi, she is not part of the main cast, but she is important, since she is the only one who understand Keitaro.
To end this, Love Hina is a great addition to your collection. It has an amazing replay value, is fun, is simply amazing. You wont regret buying this. And is an anime girls will like too. The human element is important. Who doesn't have a dream to fulfill? Who hasn't fallen in love and think is not possible when it is? Who hasn't been in a situation that no matter what you do everyone misunderstands you? Who didn't want the attention of someone special? Is the human element among the comedy and wierd situations that takes this story to 5 stars. Enjoy it.
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