Review of School Rumble: 2nd Semester

*This a review of both seasons of School Rumble School Rumble was a series that I was interested in, but had putting off for a while. However, after I had finished watching Kokoro Connect, I was in mood to watch something similar, so I finally decided to watch School Rumble. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series. Partially because it’s a romantic comedy that some people listed under the shounen genre, and that the name of the series is School Rumble. I was also hesitant to watch this series in part because the series was originally released in 2004, and I was very skepticalabout the quality of the animation. But series definitely surprised me, and it ending up being the one of the most entertaining anime I’ve watched in a while.

Story:

School Rumble’s story revolves around the popular TV theme of unrequited love, but it approaches it from a mostly comedic prospective. A lot of the comedy in this series comes from unfortunate misunderstandings between the characters. The two main characters, Kenji Harima, who is in love with Tenma, and Tenma Tsukamoto, who is in love with their classmate Karasuma, both can’t ever find a way express their feelings to one another. Their efforts often result in horrible misunderstandings or bitter failures. Their efforts, along with other characters love interest and interactions, make for some hilarious moments throughout the series. The show doesn’t take itself too seriously, and usually substitutes drama and angst for comedy. While there are moments in this anime where the tone is more serious, and even sad at times, it doesn’t take long for it to bounce back its generally upbeat atmosphere. The story isn’t deep or thought provoking, but it serves it’s purpose by giving the characters a motive for the actions they take in every episode. My only issue with the story is its lack of an ending. As I pointed out in a previous article, the “conclusion” OVA was incredibly rushed, and didn’t cover everything that it was supposed to cover so I didn’t, and don’t plan to, watch it. So I’m judging the story based on the ending of the second season, and there wasn’t one. There were so many things left wide open, and it was very disappointing to see the series end without a proper conclusion.

Animation:

The animation is definitely School Rumble’s weakest point. While it’s not bad, it’s definitely not very good animation. It gets the job done, with decently well-defined characters and backgrounds, but it’s not anything noteworthy.

Sound:

The sound in this series is very well done. The music definitely fits the atmosphere and tone of the scenes that they are used in, and all of the tracks sound really good. But the stars of the soundtrack are the openings and endings. School Rumble’s first opening and ending are probably the catchiest opening and ending themes I’ve ever heard. They are both really enjoyable to listen too. I’ve probably watched and listened to the first ending more than any other ending I’ve seen. The other openings and endings are all well done, entertaining, and fit the style of the series.

Characters:

The characters in this series are all very likeable and fun to watch. From the main characters, Tenma and Harima, to the wide cast of supporting and side characters. While there some characters get more development and backstory than others, we are given some background information and development on all of the major supporting characters. The wide cast of characters is pretty diverse with several different personalities. This could lead to you loving, and or hating several characters in this series, but that is definitely not a bad thing. The main theme in the story is struggling in love, and that’s where a lot of the changes in the characters come from. Their successes and failures have a big impact on them, and we get to see how they all progress through the two seasons.

Enjoyment:

School Rumble was absolutely hilarious. It found myself constantly laughing, and I couldn’t wait to get to the next episode. The humor can feel somewhat repetitive, but that feeling never last for very long.

Verdict & Breakdown:

Story: 3.4/5

Animation: 3.2/5

Sound: 4.2/5

Characters: 4.3/5

Enjoyment: 4.4/5

Verdict: 3.9/5

You will love School Rumble if you’re into romantic comedies, or slapstick comedies in general.