Around this time last year, I took a look at the Love Hina Christmas Special. I enjoyed that feature, as it’s a nice continuation of the universe that Ken Akamatsu created, and is a great holiday special in it’s own right. However, there are other specials within the Love Hina world that further along the story, but are the rest of them any good? Well, today marks part 2 of my yearly tradition of looking at these movies, so sit back & enjoy my look at the warm & sunny Spring special. Let the review begin!
Story/Setup
Taken from the back of the DVD box:
“Naru, Keitaro, and Mutsumi have taken the entrance exam for Tokyu U yet again. However, before the results are announced, Keitaro disappears. Where did he go?
Secretely concerned, Naru acts like she doesn’t care, but the pressure’s too much. After getting a call from Seita saying that Keitaro’s on the same tropical island he’s on. Naru sets off to ‘rescue’ him
Keitaro, meanwhile, has met a girl named Nyamo who is following her own dream. Keitaro decides that he can help her and forget about Tokyo U and Naru at the same time.
It’s paradise. That is, until Naru arrives-followed by everyone else!
Strategically placed leaves! A secret civilization! Macha Tama Mark 3!
This Love Hina adventure is the biggest yet!”
On the surface this appears to be a standard Love Hina story, and that’s basically what it is: a typical story in the Lova Hina universe. However, this one’s a little different. The Spring Special takes itself in a strangely more serious direction. There’s plenty of the show’s typical humor to be sure, but things seem to be taken a bit more seriously. The situation that Keitaro puts himself in just throws everything in a bizarrely mature direction. I’m actually not fond of this, as the original show & Christmas special always knew how to balance between silly & serious. This one doesn’t necessarily balance things, and creates a lop-sided movie.
Animation
As is the norm in the Love Hina franchise, the animation is typical Ken Akamatsu. Good, bad, or indifferent, you’ll know immediately that it’s something from him. That being said, it seemed that something was off. The animation is fine, but I swear that the color seems a little faded in some scenes. It’s still fine to look at, but I’m wondering if enough color was added in some spots, as there’s a slight muted quality to some scenes.
Voice Acting
As with the main series & Christmas special, the voice actors put on a good job. I really can’t talk about it any further here, as I would simply be repeating myself. Check out my 2014 review for the main series, and my review from December last year (Link provided below) for details as to what I thought about the voice acting. Speaking of repeating.....
Characters
This takes us to the characters. For the most part, the cast of the Spring Special is pretty much the same as that from the Christmas Special & main series. What makes them different in this feature are actually rather small but noticeable character changes. Shinobu is normally a shy but kind girl, but she takes on a strangely whiney quality in parts of the film, making her rather annoying. The new character, Nyamo, really doesn’t add much. She’s essentially mute for the entire time she’s on screen, and comes across more as window dressing than an actual character. She’s like Shinobu in terms of age & innocence, but that’s really it.
Availability & Pricing
Like the Christmas special I reviewed last year, the spring special hasn’t received a Funimation re-release. I got my used copy off of Amazon years ago, and I can’t remember how much it was, although I do recall it being somewhat inexpensive. You might be able to find a copy on Amazon, but chances will be incredibly low. Your only guarantee, and even then it’s risky, would be to see if someone has it at a con swap meet.
Overall Impression & Rating
Love Hina Spring Special for the most part, is a meh kind of OVA. It takes itself far more serious than anything prior, and the characters just don’t quite seem like themselves. The natural humor & joviality that was present in the main show and Christmas special seems to be rather lacking, and the end result is a special that definitely trails behind the show that came before it. If you’re a die hard Lova Hina fan, then you should look for this. If not, Just leave it on the shelf. It’s not really essential.
Love Hina Spring Special gets a 6 out of 10.
Well this concludes the first of my final posts this year. Come back later this week, when we’ll conjure up a little bad magic. See you then!
***
If you’d like to take a look at my review for the Christmas special from last year, here’s a link:
Anime Review - Love Hina Christmas Special
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