Review of Rumbling Hearts

Allow me to preface this post by stating that I never expected to even tolerate, let alone thoroughly enjoy, Rumbling Hearts when I first began my 14 episode adventure. Rumbling Hearts is a drama/romance series from 2003 that was directed by Tetsuya Watanabe and Studio Fantasia. So what originally drew me to this series you might ask? And to that, I don’t have much of an answer. It all honestly, I started this series because I was in the mood for a romance series and found this one by chance and began it on a total whim. The studio is one I have never heardof, the director has done nothing of merit (in my opinion at least), it’s dated, and it has a completely mediocre score on MAL. I actually find that starting completely random series can be a fun adventure all on its own simply because you have no expectations heading into the series, but that is a tangent for another day.

So the real question is, why did I enjoy it? Now that is a question I can answer! To put it simply, this is a series that, for me, had everything I desire in a solid, nail-biting drama: originality, unpredictability, and a well-developed (albeit incredibly flawed) cast of characters.

Caution: I do want to mention that I will have to reveal minor spoilers about the series (nothing major of course) to be able to discuss the series, so I wanted to throw a quick warning out there!

The story itself revolves around four friends, originally set in a high school setting that later changes to an adult setting after a three year time skip. This premise by itself sets itself apart from other anime of its kind. It was a breath of fresh air to see a romance that, while it began in high school, is primarily set in adulthood. In terms of originality, Rumbling Hearts doesn’t stop there. Throughout the course of the series (again minor spoilers ahead), Takayuki becomes involved in a committed relationship with both of the lead heroines. This is able to occur because the first heroine he dates winds up in a tragic accident while back in high school and remains comatose for three years. This ends up developing many of the central themes of the series: friendship, betrayal, guilt, jealousy, and love. The premise is an incredibly difficult one to navigate properly without delving into the overly dramatic; however, Rumbling Hearts does so in a magnificent fashion. Even when the story seems to brim on the absurd, every character is justified in their actions (at least in their own minds) and acts according to the character motivations that have been developed throughout the series. This series is unafraid to dive into new territory and it truly sets it apart from other anime of its kind.

In terms of unpredictability, the series manages to keep the outcome a complete toss-up. By showing Takayuki with both of the lead heroines, we are able to imagine him in a scenario where he could end up with either one. By keeping the outcome a mystery, it truly keeps the entire series fresh and interesting because I was eager to see which way Takayuki would lean. This also causes Takayuki as a character to struggle because he realizes that, no matter the outcome, someone will end up damaged and hurt by the result. The series takes many twists and turns throughout that added an overall element of unpredictability to the plot.

The characters in Rumbling Hearts are incredibly flawed people. I would even argue that a majority of them (all for except maybe one) are selfish and mostly self-serving, despite what they admit to themselves. Although, I do not hold this as a negative toward the series, I actually regard it as a positive. These characters felt fresh and original. They may not have had fun personalities, but they felt different because they felt far more real than the usual one-dimensional goody two shoes we usually see in romance series. Each character is, at times, self-serving and makes choices that hurt others. These are flawed people and it allows them to grow as characters, recognize their mistakes, and learn from them in the end. Again, this is another way that Rumbling Hearts manages to really drive home the themes of jealously, betrayal, and guilt. Each character goes through a transformation of sorts and ends up a wholly different person from the beginning of the series to its end. For example, Takayuki goes from someone who is indecisive because he wants to be kind to everyone and never wants to let anyone down, but realizes how his indecision is hurting the people around him. Takayuki eventually becomes a character that is able to make decisions and follow through upon them because he realizes that sometimes the best thing you can do for someone is let them go. Each character goes through this type of metamorphose and eventually ends up a different character come the conclusion because they learn from their experiences. Characters will make mistakes throughout this series because people make mistakes in real life. I was thoroughly impressed by the evolution of each of the characters, something I never expected going into the series.

Perhaps a large reason of why I was so impressed by Rumbling Hearts is because I never expected to actually be impressed by it. Does this series border on the ridiculous at times? Absolutely. It is anime after all. The parts revolving around the accident and comatose state are exaggerated; however, this was something I was easily able to look past because they explained it well enough and followed through on their reasoning. People also seem to take issue with the conclusion at times, mostly because it doesn’t end in a fashion that a lot of people expected it to. I for one give this series props for remaining unpredictable all the way through to the dramatic conclusion.

This series is by no means perfect, but I enjoyed myself tremendously on this roller coaster ride of drama. Rumbling Hearts was original and unpredictable. It was unpredictable from a story perspective as well as unpredictable in the sense that I never would have predicted how much I would enjoy this series when I first started. In my opinion, this series incredibly underrated and if you are looking for something different than the norm, I highly recommend you give this hidden gem a shot.