Love Hina Christmas Special

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In Love 2: Tenchi Forever</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id317.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Urusei Yatsura the Movie 2: Beautiful Dr"><U>Urusei Yatsura the Movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id154.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vampire Hunter D"><U>Vampire Hunter D</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id242.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vampire Wars"><U>Vampire Wars</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id129.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Wind Named Amnesia"><U>A Wind Named Amnesia</U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Love Hina Christmas Special</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Episodes Reviewed: DVD</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>Overall Grade: B</B></div> <div> This movie is about as good as the last two episodes of the TV series.  That, my friends, is a bad thing.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Storyline: 6</B></div> <div> Christmas and the Tokyo U entrance exams are coming up for Keitaro, Naru, and Mutsumi... and so is Christmas.  There is a rumor... or something like that... that says if you declare your love on Christmas Eve you'll live happily ever after.  Of course, Keitaro wants to do that with Naru, but recently, Naru's been avoiding him.  Keitaro apparently gets too excited and winds up getting his leg broken after falling off the roof of Hinata House, and while bedridden, accidentally (and unnaturally, spontaneously) confessis his feelings to Naru, who immediately runs off.  After that, it's chase scene after chase scene until the end of the movie.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Type: Romance Comedy</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Ch. Development: 5</B></div> <div> Any development made shows a lot of progress, but at the end, it seems nothing has changed.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Sexuality: 4</B></div> <div> There's a slight amount of fanservice, and if you read the back of the DVD, they decide to make a big deal out of Keitaro and Mutsumi being in a love hotel (but if you know Mutsumi's character... which you wouldn't if you only watched the anime... you'll know she ain't that kind of girl, thus nothing happened).</div> <bR> <div> <B>Romance: 7</B></div> <div> The people that made this anime, apparently feeling they had too much comedy in the series (BTW, there wasn't enough), decided to kick up the "Love" in "Love Hina."  But if nothing really changes, can you say there's that much romance?</div> <bR> <div> <B>Drama: 5</B></div> <div> I'm seriously considering redifining or eliminating my drama ratings.  As you know, this not being an action anime, the most drama you can look for is whether or not the two can meet each other before the end of Christmas Eve!  While it does get that feeling of suspense through, it just isn't enough to dignify throwing away the best parts of Love Hina - the situational comedy, the gag comedy, the fanservice-comedy...</div> <bR> <div> <B>Action: 1</B></div> <div> We know how violent Motoko and Naru can get... but it's pretty lacking here.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Comedy: 5</B></div> <div> Boo!  Ya got rid of the essence!  Now the closest thing to comedy in this movie is irony, and that just isn't enough!</div> <bR> <div> <B>Dub</B></div> <div> <B>Dub Voices: 4</B></div> <div> A mixed bag, with more lopsided marbles than almost spherical ones.  I need to find myself better sayings.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Dub Music: N/A</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Dub Lines: 5</B></div> <div> Occasionally acceptable, occasionally annoying.  Usually predictable.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Well, you've seen all the data, so what else is there to say?  The best part of Love Hina is the comedy.  We don't have enough.  Also, like the TV series, the order of events is messed up in the movie, which for the most part didn't happen in the manga.  In fact, Keitaro's confession to Naru was a major part of the second half of the manga, and is an important plot element, but that event is NEVER mentioned ever again, even in Love Hina Again.  Another big mess-up in the anime is the promise Keitaro made to the girl from his past.  This was also better (and comprehensive) in the manga because Mutsumi conveniently remembers everything from the past and tells Keitaro and Naru what really happened 15 years ago...  If that doesn't make you want to read the manga, I don't know what will.  </div> <bR> <div> Getting to the task at hand... the review of the movie and not the comparisons, the Christmas special does have some interesting plot twists, chase sequences, funny scenes, and character development, but there isn't enough focus on a main plot... kinda like the TV series, huh?  And of course, what we do have for plot is messed up.  The worst part of the movie (if we can actually call it that) is the fact that there doesn't even seem to be a point in anything that happens, and Naru explains her actions in one gigantic wrap up near the end that is totally against her character.  </div> <bR> <div> A long review short: the movie is good for completing a collection, but I doubt you'll be seeing it too many times.  As a stand-alone, you're better off avoiding it.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>That's my Story and I'm Sticking to it!</B></I></div> </td> </tr></table></body>