Love Hina Recommended

Publisher
Tokyopop
Country of origin
Japan
Length
9
Year
2002

Love Hina Volumes 7 + 8

By Joseph (Joe) Wood
8th Aug 05

This review DOES contain spoilers for the previous volumes of Love Hina…

The half waypoint through one of the most popular English translations of a romantic comedy manga, Love Hina pulls no punches. As our previously hopeless Keitaro seems finally to be turning his exam grades round, believing Naru to be the girl he made a promise to fifteen years ago to get into Tokyo U together. Naru herself started to believe she could be the promise girl, but the return of Mutsumi made her thing otherwise and Naru told both Keitaro and Mutsumi that they made there promises to each other at the end of volume six.

Love Hina Volume 7

With this breaking news, Keitaro is confused, over the past year living at the Hinata apartments as the landlord he fell in love with Naru, but according to Naru Mutsumi is his promise girl, his reason for trying for Tokyo U for three years. Things get even more complicated when Mutsumi ends up moving into the Hinata apartments with the rest of the gang. With all this going on Keitaro’s studies begin to suffer again and he starts to believe he won’t make it into Tokyo U again. With all this will Keitaro be able to pick up the courage to tell Naru how he feels for her, but how he’s going to do that while on a date with Mutsumi is anyone’s guess.

Love Hina Volume 8

Believing himself to have failed the final set of exams to get into Tokyo U, Keitaro decides it’s best to runaway rather than face the disappointment of the Hinata girls, especially Naru. Boarding a boat to anywhere Keitaro ends up over board and on a deserted desert island…that is until Seta’s van comes crashing out of the undergrowth. Seta is on an archeolgical dig on the island (called Pararakelse). Keitaro decides to help Seta, but first sends word home back to Hinata. When Naru finds out where Keitaro is she sets off to bring him back so that he can find out if he did pass. The remaining girls check out the results when they are posted, and decide to follow Naru and Keitaro in order to inform them both of their fate. Keitaro, Naru and Nyamo (a native girl) are lost in the desert…will the Hinata girls manage to find their friends before it’s too late?

Anyone who’s seen the love Hina Spring Special may find that volume eight is very similar, as it is this volume that the special was based on. While it is similar in many respects, there are enough differences to keep people who have already seen the anime interested.

Both of these volumes are good fun but it does seem as if were treading over very familiar lines in volume eight as this would be the second time Keitaro has run away. While it is a different place, it just doesn’t feel as fresh as the first time. The humour is exactly the same as previous volumes as well, which is a good or bad thing depending wither your wanting more of the same or something new. Love Hina is certainly worth collecting as later volumes improve.

-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 8th Aug 05