As one of the most popular anime/manga in the “Harem” genre -- both commercially and critically -- Love Hina is a shonen comedy with a dramatic twist in the core of its story. The main character, Keitaro Urashima, is a young man who is devoted to a promise he has given when he was a child. While the readers and viewers are fed with an excessive amount of cartoonish slapstick comedy, they also get to chance to witness an old but gold love story.
Although it’s been more than 20 years since its inception, Love Hina has imprinted a lasting impression on fans by offering comedy together with a little bit of drama and not-so-little ecchi. Here’s more on what Love Hina is about, and how and where to enjoy Keitaro Urashima’s journey in different mediums.
The Plot of Love Hina
Love Hina revolves around the plain-looking yet honest and kind Keitaro Urashima, who, as a child, made a promise to a girl that they would meet again one day at Tokyo University. Although Keitaro has taken the entrance exam twice already, he unfortunately failed in both attempts. With feelings of disappointment, he decides to stay at his grandmother’s hotel so he can prepare for a third attempt. He is surprised, however, when he finds out his grandmother has gone on a vacation and the hotel he knows is turned into Hinata House -- an all-girls dormitory.
Following a series of misunderstandings, Keitaro’s first visit to the Hinata House ends with a group of girls mistrusting him. However, Keitaro’s aunt Haruka vouches for him and tells the girls that he is already a student at Tokyo University. Thanks to this (mis)information, the tenants allow him to stay there even though their trust is not completely rebuilt. Things become even more complicated when Keitaro becomes the dorm's manager, leaving him in the middle of five extraordinary -- in any sense – girls.
Where to Read the Love Hina Manga
Written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu, Love Hina was first serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine from October 1998 to October 2001, and later published in 14 volumes by Kodansha. The English version of the series has been localized by Tokyopop.
After the series' massive success, two light novels written by the anime's screenwriters were published and released by Kondasha, also translated and released in English by Tokyopop. Love Hina then returned in 2011 with a new omnibus edition released by Kodansha. Each omnibus contains three volumes of the original publication, though it is worth noting that this edition features a different translation from the original volumes.
For those who'd like to read physical copies of the manga, they are available for purchase at many book retailers, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Walmart, Books-a-Million and Right Stuf Anime. For fans who prefer to go digital, many of the same retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble sell an e-book version as well.
Where to Watch the Love Hina Anime
The 24-episode anime adaptation of Love Hina, produced by Xebec, originally aired from April to September 2000. Following the great reception, a bonus DVD episode, Christmas and Spring television specials, and even a three-episode OVA titled Love Hina Again were released. Although they were initially licensed by Bandai Entertainment, Funimation acquired the license in 2007 and released a box-set edition.
Unfortunately, the original Love Hina anime is not available to stream as of this writing. Luckily, the OVA Love Hina Again is currently available to watch on The Roku Channel, Crunchyroll, Pluto TV, Retrocrush and VRV. For those who would like to own physical copies of Love Hina, the Blu-ray version can be found at Amazon, Walmart or Right Stuf Anime.