School Rumble San Gakki

roxanne410 Jan 20, 2013

7

Well, it all started when school rumble had 26 beautifully drawn out episodes... and then the company ran out of money to produce it... As much as I loved school rumble, I was really upset to see this as the finale. Of course it was entertaining, and really cute, the entire manga plot was squished into two episodes. Not to spoil anything, but one HUGE emotional plot point was shown and resolved within five minutes. There was no closure for Harima, for Eri, for Mikoto, Hanai, Imidori, Karen, Akira, Tenma's sister... Only for Tenma and Karasuma.  Of course, it did make me tear up, but it was too much to handel for two episodes. It lost it's emotional weight. Then again, I salute them for wraping it up to spite. Luckily, the anime left the ends open and kind of lead me to read the manga, which you can read the full ending.  In total, the series itsself was good. The love triangle was very difficult to get around, seeing as so many hyped up couples end up with someone else. Other than that, it was funny and really cute at times. I would say when it comes to the whole series, some of the romances were really shallow, but some really got to me.  When it comes down to it, I would suggest watching this if you need a little anime closure, but you REALLY should read the Manga if you want to feel good about the ending. It comes down to if you really appreciate that they tried to give us a happy ending, or if you wish they left it at season two. I'm very grateful that they did this for their fans, but I think the main issue should have been introduced in the first episode, not the second.

DGFischer Mar 20, 2024

7.2

School Rumble San Gekki (2008, Studio Comet) was a two-episode wind-up of the confusion that resulted in Ni Gekki (2005).  The passage of three years should have brought the creative minds that delivered up this zany, madcap rom-com some ideas that could resolve the mess, but to all intents and purposes, Studio Comet struck out.  Just more confusion ... and a long awaited brawl between Harima and Karasuma which made little sense. School Rumble remains the tribute to unrequited love.  So many girls.  So many guys.  So many obvious matches.  And in the end .... ppffffffftttttt!!!!!  If you hoped that some girl would win the heart of that totally oblivious boy (and vice versa), San Gekki (Third Semester, the follow up to Ni Gekki, Second Semester) bombed out.  A disaster movie of epic proportions of so many missed shots from Cupid's quiver. What started me off poorly with these last two episodes was I was able to take in the first two seasons dubbed.  San Gekki was offered only as subbed.  Do you know the monumental difference in tone quality of Hiroki Takahashi and Brandon Potter who voiced Harima Kenji?  Potter could make Harima sound like a doofus, a sensitive romantic type hiding his life under a veneer of toughness.  Takahashi sold only the toughness.  Potter made the dubbed seasons that goofy tale of girls and boys and muffed attempts to fall in love and make it count.  Takahashi’s Harima was too noble, too valiant, too dense to cope with lost love. The two episodes centered on the Tenma-Karasuma-Harima love triangle, opting for the most tragic of possibilities.  Karasuma retires to America to treat his ‘condition.’  Harima, knowing Tenma's true feelings, rushes her to the airport in a desperate attempt to join Karasuma.  He knows loving Tenma is letting her go.  But Tenma finds that Karasuma is enduring dementia, and thoughts of him loving anyone go out the window.  Harima returns to the life of a delinquent and disappears. There is little a class reunion years later can do, no matter how many pies are flung.  You sense that during the final curtain call there are still sparks of love that stirred in the hearts of high schoolers ... but to what end?  We're done here. The animation uses the effects of the first season, using mostly still shots interlaced with action that shows that the characters have matured.  But the rugged features of Harima and others are toned down ... he's not as muscular though he shows emotions vividly.  The music goes back to the first season's stuff, as if nostalgia is what Studio Comet was banking on for this all-too-brief Sayonara to one of their better features ... if you liked the humor (which School Rumble was noted for).  Check the closing theme, loaded with highlights of all those crazy moments. It's just all those wasted opportunities.  You'd wish someone let his/her feelings show.  Sigh!