Christmas Movie This "movie" is actually a 2000 holiday special. With Christmas and entrance exams approaching, the Hinata Apartments are in a typical uproar. The gang decides the popular superstition "if you declare your love for someone on Christmas Eve, your wish will come true" should apply to Naru and Keitaro, who are trying to study. They decide to assist the pair--and succeed in making pests of themselves. Of course, everything ends happily, despite Keitaro's sprained ankle and a long series of comic mishaps and misunderstandings. The disc also includes a new episode of
Love Hina in which champion swordswoman Motoko must redeem herself in the eyes of her older sister to remain the heir to the Shinmei School. Christmas cheer notwithstanding, nothing's changed at the Hinata Apartments. An excellent gift for fans of this popular romantic comedy.
Spring Movie This second television special picks up where the so-called "Christmas Movie" left off, with Keitaro, Naru, and Mutsumi taking the Tokyo University entrance exam for the umpteenth time. Convinced he's blown the test by falling asleep, Keitaro accepts Mr. Sato's offer of a job on the South Pacific Island of Pararkelse. When she finds out, Naru sets off to bring him back. Shinobu, who's upset because a boy likes her and she adores only Keitaro, follows--as does the rest of the regular cast. On Pararkelse, Keitaro and Naru help a girl named Nyamo look for her grandfather, who disappeared searching for the ruins of an "ancient turtle civilization." As Keitaro, Naru, and Mutsumi all pass the entrance exam and Naru finally admits she loves Keitaro, this adventure seems to mark the end of the
Love Hina continuity.
Love Hina Again Movie The popular romantic comedy
Love Hina seemed to end with the
Spring Special Movie, when Keitaro and Naru finally got into Tokyo University--and admitted they were in love. In this new three-part adventure, Keitaro breaks his leg at the class welcoming ceremony and has to skip a semester. Keitaro got into the university to keep a childhood promise; now he needs a goal of his own. He decides to assist Mr. Seta and study archeology. While they're away on an expedition, Keitaro's stepsister Kanako arrives and makes life miserable for the whole cast. Keitaro returns and has to deal with Kanako's misplaced affection, Naru's fear of commitment, an abandoned, magical resort, the Hinato residents' well-intentioned meddling, and his own clumsiness. It all adds up to kind of affectionate nuttiness
Hina fans expect and enjoy. (Rated 16 and older: comic violence, risqué humor, brief nudity, tobacco and alcohol use)
--Charles Solomon
