First Impressions: School Rumble

 I was asking AvatarHippo for his to-do list, and got quite an interesting answer on one of the first things he was going to post about. He told me that School Rumble was his all time favorite anime; that it even outshined Ouran High. Seeing as how Oruan High is practically the most well known romantic comedy to anime freaks and novices alike, my curiosity was sparked. I’ve watched the first 3 episodes so far so I’m here to post my first impressions: AvatarHippo, you may not enjoy this.

• Summary: Clumsy 16-year old Tsukamoto Tenma is in love. The object of her desire, the strange and silent Karasuma Oji, has no idea that she exists. 17-year old delinquent Harima Kenji is also in love. The object of his desire, Tsukamoto Tenma, has no idea that he exists. Both resolve to confess their feelings to the person they admire, but everytime they try, they chicken out or something interrupts them. The series focuses on the antics of Tenma and Harima, as well as their friends, classmates, and family, all of whom seem caught up in comical love troubles of their own.

• First Impressions: 
  School Rumble looks like another stereotypical romantic comedy, where a somewhat ditzy girl falls in love (for no reason in particular) with a totally oblivious guy. Actually, he looks like a mix between Rock Lee and the student council president from Special A...NOT a good mix. 
  Tenma, the main female character, is like the eccentric, hopeless secondary character to likeable, strong protagonists in better romantic comedies. However, her crazy (frankly, stupid) antics make for wonderful comedy. I was practically laughing my head off in the second episode.

  

  Really....who does this? 

  The only thing that seems remotely enjoyable about this series would be Harima Kenji, who is apparently Nancy’s favorite character…for good reason. Harima is labeled as a delinquent- a real delinquent. The common stereotype of a delinquent in shoujo anime is a guy with long, greasy hair who only lashes out because he has daddy issues or an ailing sister whom he cares for day and night.
  But Harima is an actual (believe it or not) delinquent! As in rides a motorcycle, beats up punks, and takes down gangs by the dozen. He’s like the more comical, less mentally disturbed version of Kuon from Skip Beat. But what really makes me like him is his “I’ll change for her” attitude and his never relenting will to win over her love. From the first few episodes, it looked like Kurasuma was a quiet, intelligent character, while Harima was boisterous, foolish, and hilariously obnoxious. I'd definitely watch Harima over Karasuma any day.
  To Sum it Up: School Rumble did NOT give me a good first impression. It looks like a typical, bad romantic comedy that centers around a one note, ditzy character who loves a completely oblivious guy for no reason in particular. The only really interesting thing about this anime is Harmia Kenji.
  
  
  
  Sorry AvatarHippo, but this isn’t even worthy of having it’s name next to Oruan High. Unless it’s being used to enhance the hilarious story and strong, respectable main character Oruan brings by comparing it to the seemingly meaningless story and superficial main character of School Rumble.
  I will, however, continue to watch this series, and at the end of it all I’ll do a final review on it. I won’t judge a book by its cover, but I’m not saying I’m going in it with a totally unbiased mindset.
  
  
  -Alice