Many shows recently have been developed under the mantra of zany school comedy, such as Haruhi and Lucky Star. Then there are shows like Hayate the Combat Butler, which revels in otaku in-jokes, with a plethora of references for the long time otaku. School Rumble is pleasantly a mixture of both types of shows with emphasis on the former as the name clearly emphasizes the school aspect, but trust me, there’s all sorts of jokes that will have you rolling on the floor as well, some otaku related and others that just are.
The story centers around a number of students and more as the show develops, but primarily the initial focus is from the point of view of one student named Harima. Harima’s the bad-boy delinquent, everyone knows this and so he is generally left alone at school, if he even comes to school at all. One day, Harima has an incident where a girl at his school named Tenma, in extraordinary circumstances, is sleeping and, arms wrapped around Harima, she mutters “I love you”, starting off feelings in Harima he’d never known and, upon waking up, leading Tenma to fear that a “hentai man” was apparently attacking her. This type of mix-up is so typical in the show, that “The Taming of the Shrew” should probably just bow out.
Anyways, Harima now in love with Tenma, decides to change his look (to cover up from the “hentai man” incident, and come to school much more often where, the aloof, crazy, but often adorable Tenma will be. Tenma however has herself fallen for one of the most boring students in classes and is attempting to win his heart while Tenma and her friends all have love trysts of their own, rounding out this anime into its true romantic comedy form. So throughout the season we get the pleasure, and sheer enjoyment, of watching as love rises and then bellyflops, only to rise up again after misunderstanding, misunderstanding, and sheer craziness.
You’ll find yourself caring for the characters, not just on their paths to potential romance, but just in their daily lives as they deal with the struggles of being a teen in a high school anime. If you like strange, funny, and endearing moments, only to return back to hilarious moments time and time again, then you will love following along with School Rumble.
