MagicalWay

...Last night, I finished School Rumble, but found myself getting in trouble over and over today at work because I kept losing my composure and randomly laughing to myself over scenes of the show that kept playing over and over in my head.

To say that this show is hilarious may be a sore understatement. It's a good possibility this is the funniest show I've ever seen. The perfect amount of Drama sprinkled on top of this heavy Romantic/Comedy make the recipe for success.

Much to my surprise, there's even a bit of depth to this Romantic Comedy...

Tenma Tsukamoto is a total dunce...but one who is totally in love with her classmate Ooji Karasuma. He is preparing to transfer when she makes it her mission to write him a love letter as a last ditch effort to get him to stay. Kenji Harima is a juvenile deliquent who is in love with his classmate Tenma, and has become tame to the idea of going to class in order to get closer to her...this triangle of one sided, occasionally delusional love is just the beginning to the hilarious antics of the cast of School Rumble...

Story: (7/10)
Despite the fact the story is as straight forward as it can be, (A romantic comedy normally doesn't stray far from its standard formula) there is actually a well put together story with a noticable progression.

It starts off fairly slowly, but as the other characters become more key to the plot (after around 10 episodes or so) the simple triangle of Tenma/Kenji/Ooji becomes more complex, involving other characters into the ensuing craziness.

There's a few holes in the story that the second installment has plenty of time to fix.

Animation: (7/10)
It's energetic, upbeat, and knows the perfect time to blank out other characters on screen to make the timing of a joke hit so much harder. You'll often find yourself wondering what's about to happen as they do a closup of Harima as he slowly riles himself up before having some crazy outburst.

Few of the characters stand out as far as their looks and appearence, save Kenji Harima, who is a very unique and excellent idea for a male protagonist.

Yakumo's mind reading ability and the way that Kanji characters appear and chase over the heads of people in her vicinity is just awesome, a concept I don't think I've seen before.

Sound: (9/10)
The opening theme Scramble, sung by Horie Yui (Who also did the voice for Eri Sawachika) is very zany, and catchy. Whether I particularly liked this song or not, it's definately been stuck in my head since the first time I've heard it.

The ending theme Onna no Ko Otoko no Ko is also fairly catchy, and just plain silly. A chibi of Harima goes through a series of motions as the
credits roll.

SR screams silliness, and hilarity even in the most subtle ways. The sound effects are a very important part of the unique comedy of the show also: An example of this in Episode 2 when Harima mouths to Tenma and as the Kanji appears on screen, the sound of a typewriter goes in the background.

Character: (10/10)
If there is one factor that contributes above all to School Rumble's amazing humour factor, it has to be its colorful cast...

Every schoolkids cliché is present here: The airheaded but super friendly one, the perfect and beautiful girl who doesn't realize her appeal, the tomboyish girl who can kick any guys ass, the spoiled and snobby princess, the deliquent who rarely goes to class, the straightedge, and of course, the lackies. The gang is all here... but what School Rumble has that so many others don't, is charm, and buckets of it.

All of the important characters are very in-depth, and you get to know them all fairly well before it's all said and done. The other main characters (Eri, Mikoto, Yakumo, Imadori, and Hanai) are actually interesting enough, that seeing their stories develop was so appealing at times, that keeping up with them took precedence over the main two. Even Karasuma, who is as one-dimensional and bland as they get, was made to be so purposely...it's what makes Tenma's attraction to him, and the time they spend together during the show, so funny.

There's also some interesting romances that begin developing at such odd points in the show, and they actually GO somewhere with it later. In alot of other shows, they'd start on something, then drop the ball.

Overall Rating: (8.25/10)

Perhaps the most fun and comedic show I've seen to date. In the meantime, I'll eagerly anticipate the next installment.