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Love Hina Again Anime Review

Love Hina Again Box Art

Love Hina Again (OAVs)

3.5 stars / OVA / Comedy / 13-up

Bottom Line

Pretty Good, but far from great.

It’s Like...

...Love Hina with more conclusion, less quality.

Vital Stats

Original Title

ラブひなAgain

Romanized Title

Rabu Hina Again

US Release By

Bandai

Genre

Romantic Comedy

Series Type

OVA

Length

3 25-minute episodes

Production Date

2002-01-26 - 2002-03-27

What's In It

Categories

Look For

Objectionable Content

  • Violence: 1 (mild)
  • Nudity: 2 (moderate)
  • Sex: 2 (moderate)
  • Language: 1 (mild)

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See Also

Sequels/Spin-offs

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Plot Synopsis

[Warning: Spoilers for those who haven't finished the TV series.]

Keitaro passed his entrance exams, and decides to take a tour around the world with Seta. But wait, this means that there's no manager at the Hinata House. Well, a mysterious girl shows up. Claiming to be the promised girl, she will stop at nothing to get Keitaro for herself. Naru won't give Keitaro to anybody though. Too bad she's too stubborn to admit it...

Reader Review

"Love Hina" left us all begging for more after the last episode. Therefore, two specials were made to fill those needs. Still not enough, though, this OVA was made to end "Love Hina" once and for all. Unfortunately, though, the OVA just lost a lot of the charm that made "Love Hina" so great.

Presentation

Unlike the TV series, "Love Hina Again" is not presented very well. The presentation seems to be a bit sloppier than the TV series. For one thing, there is just way too much fan service. In the TV series, there was a healthy dose of fan service to please you hentais out there. "Love Hina Again" takes the fan service to a whole new level, though.

Whenever I watch this, I get the feeling that they are showing these girls half-naked for absolutely no reason. Just watch it, and be stunned as the new girl just rips her clothes off in every episode and just runs around half-naked for seemingly no reason. This is done only to deliver fan service and for no other reason. Now this isn't really a big deal, and doesn't subtract from the overall feel of the show, but diehard fans of the TV series may feel a bit angry over it.

Another thing that bothered me are the things that happen with no explanation. For most of the OVA, you will just be thinking to yourself, "What's going on?" or "Why is this happening?" Parts that are made to be funny will just leave you bewildered instead. It's almost as if this show thinks to highly of itself after the success of the TV series. In the end, this OVA could have been better executed.

Presentation - 6/10

Story

The plot is fairly good and straightforward: A love triangle between Naru, Keitaro, and Kanako (the new girl). This part of the show is executed quite nicely, and you can actually feel the tension going on between the three characters. Unfortunately, though, each episode is filled with meaningless interactions and situations between characters that are so hard to follow and understand that it just saps the humor away.

The romance is back a bit stronger than the TV series. Since the OVA is only three episodes long, a lot had to be pushed into each one. Therefore, there is slightly more romantic tension in the OVA than the TV series. The ending is neither too sappy nor too light-hearted. The ending should please fans of the TV series, but definitely won't please those romantics out there. Overall, the plot is fairly good, but many points are subtracted for an abundance of pointless scenes that just don't add to the feel of the show whatsoever.

Story - 7/10

Music

Like the series before it, this OVA pulls off the use of music flawlessly. Just read my first review of the TV series and you can get the idea of what's going on here. Unfortunately, however, the great songs from the TV series are all gone, replaced by new music. This music is good as well, but just can't beat the music of the TV series.

Music - 9/10

Visuals

Just like the Series: beautiful. That's the problem, though; it's just like the TV series. Seeing that this is an OVA, it would be expected that the visuals would be better than the series. The visuals, however, are on about the same level. This isn't at all a bad thing, seeing that the TV series was OVA quality on its own. Still, this is another department that could have been better executed.

Visuals - 8/10

Overall

Overall, the OVA is okay. Unfortunately, it is just not up to par with its predecessor. "Love Hina Again" is still worth a watch though, since it answers many of the questions from the TV series, and finally ends the series once and for all. Do not be expecting a series as good as the TV series, though. In the end, this series could have been better executed.

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Notes and Trivia

This is the sequel to the Love Hina TV series and the two specials.

Starchild's Love Hina Again page has some additional info and images.

US DVD Review

Bandai's DVD (sometimes oddly labeled as a "movie") features English and Japanese audio, English subtitles, and claims a reversible cover, outtakes, and clean opening and ending animations for special features. It's also sold as part of a "movie" box set with both of the specials.

Parental Guide

About 13-up.

Violence: 1 - Keitaro getting beat up ruthlessly, of course.

Nudity: 2 - More nudity than the TV series, but nothing fully shown.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Fondling, groping, adult humor/themes, the usual.

Language: 1 - Nothing of note.

Availability

Available in North America from Bandai on bilingual DVD as the Love Hina Again "Movie." Also available in a box set that includes both of the specials.

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