Product Details

• Directors: Akinori Yabe
• Format: Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Tokyopop Pictures
• DVD Release Date: October 26, 2004
• Run Time: 475 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002F6B74
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #48,652 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Miki and Yuu are in the center of a romantic whirlwind--not only are Ginta and Arimi trying to get in the middle of their relationship, new friends and relatives are becoming involved in this muddled mess! With part-time jobs, holiday trips, sports and school activities, are Yuu and Miki too busy to recognize their true feelings for each other? Or will misunderstandings and secrets drive them apart? The drama has never been so delicious!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this series!!, April 25, 2005

By 

M. McGrattan "Kyo fan club member" (Brantford) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marmalade Boy: Ultimate Scrapbook, Vol. 2 (DVD)

I just finished the third scrapbook volume and I can't wait for the fourth and final one. As for this one I gave it five stars mostly because of the episode commentary in the extras section on disc two. I have never laughed so hard in my life. The voice actor for Yuu is hilarious and so is the voice actor for Miki. The volume itself is excelent. I was surprised with the new character Kei I can't help but like him even though he's a little devious. Poor misguided piano player, Miki will set you straight. Any way this was a great volume and again you have to see the episode commentaries they are hilarious.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A simpler review, September 27, 2004

By 

Susan M. Strayer "Reader and Writer" (Roanoke, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marmalade Boy: Ultimate Scrapbook, Vol. 2 (DVD)

In this anime, Miki Koishikawa is a happy high school student, then her parents decide to get a divorce. But that's not the worst of it; not only are they getting a divorce, they are marrying another couple who has also decided to divorce (all of them having met while on vacation) and are going to live in the same house. To top it all off, Miki now has a new step-brother (Yuu) who is very cute. The rest of the series involves Miki struggling to accept this new family, sorting out her feelings for Yuu, and dealing with all of the guys who like her and being jealous of the girls who like Yuu. It all ends well, the last scene being Yuu and Miki's marriage, but in between you can get a bit tired of the love triangles (just when you think they have sorted out one problem, they add a new character!). Overall, however, it is a very good shoujo (girly anime). (Also, the name for this anime comes from a conversation between Miki and Yuu at breakfast in which Yuu calls her mustard girl and she counters by calling him Marmalade Boy- because he is bitter on the outside, but sweet inside.)
I do not know what the English version is like, having watched the whole thing in Japanese, but I doubt that it has changed much.

5.0 out of 5 stars AMAZING AND DEEP, January 9, 2012

By 

Animelover24 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Marmalade Boy: Ultimate Scrapbook, Vol. 2 (DVD)

Shoujo stories honestly are very hit or miss with me, and not just because I'm a guy! But they tend to be much too sweet, too fluffy and indulgent for it's own good. Catering to the daydream love fantasies of both young girls and middle aged women alike, I heard the name Marmalade Boy for a few years, and even considered picking it up at one point when I read an article about the series on another site. But a critical opinion of the show, given to me by a friend made me lose any interest in pursuing this one.

About 2 years later, I took the plunge and decided to give an actual try...and I think it's safe to say that I'm glad I did. Marmalade Boy is a classic shoujo series from the 90's, and it's influence is probably seen in just about every other shoujo manga ever since. There are love triangles galore, angst, hormones, crying, everything you'd expect from a show like this! But what makes MB stand out is the fact that it plays out like a Soap-Opera-- In that it's twist come at such fierce speed that you can't help but go"Wait...what?", and boy is like crack. MB turned out to be one of the most addicting animes that I've seen in quite some time, you can never really comprehend how or why the melodramatic 'drama' entices you so to keep on going.

Miki Koishikawa is your average highschool girl, aside from being rather at first embarrassed by her parents' eccentric and illogical behavior by switching spouses from another couple, then all together moving into one big house, bringing daughter Miki and son(from the second couple of course) Yuu with them. Miki and Yuu soon fall in love together though, and their relationship is challenged and manipulated many times by jealous ex's. There will not be a single moment where you don't think"Why are some of these kids so damn selfish?", but then you realize that that's the point of MB in the first place. It's about young men and women falling in love for the first time, and acting on their emotions, not logic. What makes MB work is that it's so addicting in it's own indulgent little way, but at the same time it shows an innocent and honest side to the human heart.

The animation and art can be an acquired taste-- this is an anime from 1994, and it shows by rearing it's low budget head pretty often, but it's quite manageable once you get used to it. The ost also fares well, my only complaint regarding it is that they use/reuse/remix the main theme way too many times, making the song too tedious to listen to outside of watching. Regardless, I have to say that the final ending theme("Yoake no Etude") really complimented on the events of the final half.

While I may have have enjoyed it quite a bit, like all shoujo-- It's probably not for everyone, especially people who nitpick and complain about as many illogical fallacies they can find in a show. Because frankly, there will be too many to really even count. The best example would have to be the New York City arc that pops up during the 3rd quater of the anime. These kids will infuriate you, baffle you and annoy you at how stupid they can act by being so self-absorbed. But like I said earlier, MB continued to hold a charm that kept me from losing my composure. It may sound like it's not even worth a shot, but in an odd way, it's still worth plowing through.

MB really was a wild ride in the end, so much that after the final episode was complete, and the final credits rolled, I couldn't help myself but feel saddened that I had to say goodbye to this cast of folk that I soon found myself attached to. And I'm confident to tell you guys that I thought the ending tightened up all the loose ends we wanted tightened by the end, so no annoying cliffhangers.

I believe that it's a fantastic anime that provides a lovable cast, and shows us a very sweet and sincere look at growing, learning and falling in love with someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. With an open mind, and despite some of it's issues with the wonky mindsets, MB is a very enjoyable watch for both women and men.