Love Hina Xmas Special

Publisher
MVM
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
44 minutes
Year
2000

Love Hina Xmas Special

By otaku_kei
16th Dec 05

Now unless someone announces the UK distribution rights to Love Hina Again this will be the last that we will see of the Hinata Apartment residents. Now for some out there I am sure that will be a source of great joy, but personally this show has been a lot of fun for me even if it has become formulaic in its delivery! Once again we return to the Hinata Apartment Inn where one guy, and a growing number of girls all live together. Now proving that old saying that guys and girls cannot be just friends there is of course all the sexual and romantic tension. Factor in a promise made years before when the central characters were just children, a promise that no one can remember exactly who it was from or who to and you basically have the whole premise of Love Hina summed up. But surely all of this was resolved in the main series? Well, yes, but that clearly has not stopped the creative team going back to retread old ground with this OAV.

So its Xmas time and of course that means gifts, parties and all the holiday headaches that come along with it. Keitaro has all his responsibilities as apartment manager, as well added stress with Tokyo U entrance re-sits coming up as well. And just why is Naru acting so cold towards him nowadays? When Keitaro decides to throw caution to the wind and follow up the superstition that confessing your love on Xmas Eve will allow for your wishes to come true, everything starts to get really mad! Because of course it’s not just Keitaro that knows about this superstition and with Naru, Seita, Kitsune, Shinobu and all the other regular cast getting caught up in the story there is the requisite amount of confusion and accidental misunderstanding that makes this show what it is. Seriously if any of these people acted like adults and did not always jump to the worst possible conclusion then this would have been a much shorter and boring series!

But of course for those of you who have enjoyed the series then this still delivers on its happy yet unresolved ending from the series! This is also a much more enjoyable OAV than the Spring Special. Somehow the Xmas Special was a much more enjoyable experience. Also as an added benefit on this disc (which also goes to make it a worthier purchase) we get Episode 25 of the TV series! This episode made some time after the series ended follows the gang at the Hinata Apartment Inn when Motoko’s sister comes to assess Motoko’s readiness to become the family guardian! Now this being Love Hina nothing ever goes smoothly, as Motoko pretends to be engaged to Keitaro adding yet another layer of confusion onto the meandering relationship that is Keitaro & Naru! This proves to be a nice addition to the disc and a fun episode all around.

So it is once more time to say goodbye to the Hinata Apartments. I’m sure for many of you the formulaic nature of this show quickly grated on your nerves and you couldn’t be shot of it quicker. But if like me you found the series fun, and the characters amusing then this Xmas Special will be a nice little heart-warmer for these cold winter nights!

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English Language 2.0; Japanese Language 2.0; English Language Subtitles; Textless Closing; Art Gallery; Episode 25 - Motoko's Choice Between Love And Swords

Release information: OUT NOW

Notes: Once again another quality release from Madman & MVM, as well as a great swansong for this highly enjoyable series. Personally I really liked the addition of Episode 25 in with the extras. Once again the quality of the visuals and audio cannot be faulted, just a shame that this will be the last of the Hinata Apartments that we are due to see for a while.

-- otaku_kei 16th Dec 05