Rabu Hina

I've seen a lot of anime at various university clubs and rented a lot from local video stores and I rank Love Hina among the best shows. The artwork is good and the stories are varied and clever. It can be argued that the situation of a geeky guy who somehow ends up living with a household of girls has been used before but what matters is whether you care about the characters. With a show like Vandread that is supposed to be good I didn't feel much for people in it. With a show like Cowboy Bebop it wasn't long before I grew to enjoy the oddball characters living in that world. That is also true for Love Hina. We are introduced to the supporting characters and learn their backgrounds gradually. The way they interact with the lead actor Keitaro reveals his personality. It didn't take too many episodes before I realized how good the show was. For example the episode about the forgotten automaton Mo-e was a big surprise. It told a touching story on the importance of keeping promises which is one of the main themes of the series.

I've just seen the TV series and Christmas special released in English and the actors do a very good job on the voices. Matoko sounds serious, Shinobu sounds shy and Kaolla sounds playful just like the Japanese version. This show is well worth watching because the plot advances unlike shows like Ranma where it will take forever for the two leads to confess their love. Warning: Keitaro always blunders into fan-service situations where girls are undressed but Naru is always there to punish him for his transgressions.