[Gojirob]

I've read the manga, which is inevitably deeper than the anime, and even in my least favorite arc, it always seemed to be about five to seven girls of strong personality and some lack of confidence dealing with the presence of a nervous, earnest determined guy and with each of them taking their turn being a problem for the others. Yes, the girls got gawked and groped, but I always got the implication they would wail on anyone else who touched him, and that he, while taking a beatdown on a regular basis, never felt closer to anyone in his life. In each case, we also get to see their worth. I have to admit I never really saw any hidden depths to Kitsune, but maybe that was the point, and I also note, she never really got her own story arc.(IIRC) I'm not even sure if she got her own chapter.

What I've heard about the anime is, that, while its well animated, more is lost in translation than is usual. If the manga was about nervous guy and wary women interacting, the anime is so slapstick-driven that it becomes psycho bitches slam on worthless wimp, even to Haruka. Add to that the presence of anime-only characters, and I'm wondering if I want to mix my positive memories of the manga with an adaptation that emphasizes their worst qualities.

How far off am I?

[7godeohs]

The anime is terrible IMO. After reading Love Hina a couple times over the course of a couple years I wondered about the anime the same way you are now and curiosity got the better of me. Against the recommendation of many I went ahead and watched it. It was just bad (for me).

I didn't think it would affect how I viewed the manga, but it took awhile for me to get that garbage out of my head when I thought about the manga. The subtle nuances that made Love Hina great are exchanged for in-your-face actions and rapid pacing to show who the characters are. There are some cute scenes, but not many and the ending is atrocious.

But what do I know, some people love the anime. I don't count myself among them.

[Gojirob]

Thank you. I was afraid of that. I was especially leery after having conflicted feelings about the Molmol arc, which I accept are not universally felt. I've come to understand it better, and even appreciate it, but in re-reads it still comes across to me like the others turned on NN/KU for their amusement and/or out of petty jealousy. I'm not going to re-debate it, just saying that it took time for me to 'get', and even then I really only feel sympathy towards Shinobu. My point being, if a whole arc that is less subtle than the others can throw me off, I felt like the anime would do so even more, given what I've heard and clips I've seen, like Naru's Looney-Tunes stretch punch up to the deck above her. Keitaro can be annoying enough, and the girls can be mercurial enough with time to explain their personas. Anime doesn't have that time, and emphasizing the slapstick makes me think of a Benny Hill thing. I'd also heard Haruka was on a 'Don't call me Auntie' jag I never saw in the manga, where it almost seems her quiet love for Keitaro emanates from her 'promotion' to Aunt in his eyes. She was never a hugger, but it was there, and if she's just a grown-up Kitsune, who needs her?

So, sadly, I will avoid, and hope against hope for a thorough reboot someday.

[mangamaniac124]

the anime is actualy pretty good. the thought that the anime is all about girls kicking the shit out of one guy is totla bullshit. the thing that attracks people in anime is harem or echii or any of the sexual catagories. the underlying point is that a girl that has no interactions or little interactions with guys has to live with one in a girls dorm. the added " Smear the quer" is a thing to make people laugh and want to see more. there is also the fact that the whole series is all about misunderstandings and misconseptions. thats the funny part, and last they add a little echii and harem and corredt me if i'm wrong, lolicon. now i understand that the fact of naru hitting him in the face and makeing him go on a cross country trip was a little morbid, but the series is based on a hook, line, and sinker form of animation. so, its supposed to keep people wanting to watch more. but it does go to fast on the first 10 or so ep's but thats anime, they have a budgett. and the thing is that anime is never like the manga. it's the sad fact of japan.

[SunFox]

I would also agree that the manga is by far the better of the two. I watched the anime long before I read the manga (which I now own all 14 volumes of ) which is not the usual pattern for me. I found some of the anime a little childish compared to the manga. (the whole video game episode was just stupid, IYAM.) Also the original series used very different character designs, so I prefer the look of the manga as well. (Love Hina Again was much better in this respect - the characters were instantly recognisable) Most of all, Keitaro becomes a lot cooler a lot sooner in the manga. I don't feel that his character grows much in the anime at all. (And the japanese voice for Keitaro was just off-putting... all high and squeaky )

Some other anime-version bugbears:
Ramba Ru looking EXACTLY like Keitaro - believability FAIL
Amaro Su and her white crocodile - character FAIL
Kentaro as a rival for Naru's affection - character FAIL
Already mentioned Video Game Episode - Add Fortune Teller episode, Odd Job at Todai episode, Giant Mecha-tamago episode - good plot FAIL
Nyamo singing - just FAIL

But I needn't go on. All in all, Love Hina Manga >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Love Hina Anime. The anime will be a let down for manga-only fans, I guarantee.

[Gojirob]

Thanks, SunFox. But as to King Ramba Ru, that actually fits in with a pattern established in the manga, what with Shinobu/Nyamo, Naru/Sarah, as well as the physical and character parallels between Seta and Keitaro. Hell, if some one-off special showed Sarah's Mom looking like an American Mutsumi, I wouldn't be a bit surprised.