Alternative title:
ラブ ひな (Rabu Hina), 純情房東俏房客
Related anime: Love Hina Final (special), Love Hina X'mas Special - Silent Eve, Love Hina Spring Special - I wish Your Dream, Love Hina Again (OAV), Love Hina [anime comic] (manga)
Genre: Comedy, Harem, Romance
Themes: Bishoujo, fanservice, harem
Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)
Manga
Written by: Ken Akamatsu
Published by: Kodansha
English publisher: Madman Entertainment, Tokyopop, Chuang Yi
Demographic: Shōnen
Magazine: Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Original run: October 21, 1998 – October 31, 2001
Volumes: 14
TV anime
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Studio: Xebec
Licensed by: King Records, Madman Entertainment, Bandai Entertainment, Funimation Entertainment, MVM Films, Network TV Tokyo
Original run: April 19, 2000 – September 27, 2000
Episodes: 25
Original video animation: Love Hina – Christmas Special
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Produced by: TV Tokyo
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Music by: Star Child Records
Studio: Xebec
Released: December 25, 2000, December 3, 2002, December 3, 2003, November 7, 2005
Runtime: 44 minutes
Original video animation: Love Hina – Spring Special
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Produced by: TV Tokyo
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Music by: Star Child Records
Studio: Xebec
Released: April 1, 2001, March 18, 2003, February 11, 2004, May 16, 2005
Runtime: 45 minutes
Original video animation: Love Hina Again
Directed by: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Written by: Shō Aikawa
Studio: Xebec
Released: January 26, 2002, September 2, 2003, August 31, 2005, January 8, 2008
Episodes: 3
Love Hina (ラブ ひな Rabu Hina?) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine by Kodansha from October 21, 1998 to October 31, 2001 and was published in 14 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha. The series tells the story of Keitaro Urashima and his attempts to find the girl with whom he made a childhood promise to enter the Tokyo University. The manga was licensed for an English language release in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop, in Australia by Madman Entertainment, in Poland by Waneko and in Singapore by Chuang Yi. Two novelizations of Love Hina, written by two anime series screenwriters, were also released in Japan by Kodansha. Both novels were later released in North America and the United Kingdom by Tokyopop.
A twenty-four episode anime adaptation of the manga series, produced by Xebec, aired in Japan from April 19, 2000 to September 27, 2000. It was followed by a bonus DVD episode, Christmas and Spring television specials, and a three episode original video animation (OVA) entitled Love Hina Again. The anime series, special, and OVA were licensed for release in North America by Bandai Entertainment. In July 2007, the license was acquired by Funimation Entertainment, who released a boxset of the television series in February 2009. The series is also licensed in Australia by Madman Entertainment and in the United Kingdom by MVM Films.
The series has proved extremely popular around the world, both commercially and critically. In Japan, the manga sold over 6 million copies; over 1 million anime DVDs were also sold. The English release of the manga has been reprinted many times. Both anime and manga have received numerous industry awards in Japan and North America, as well as praise from critics.
Plot Summary of Love Hina (TV)
Keitaro Urashima is determined to be accepted into Tokyo University, the hardest Japanese University of all to get into, because of a promise he made to a girl when he was young... a girl whose name he can't even remember. After failing to get into Tokyo U twice, he is kicked out by his parents and goes to live with his Grandmother at her hotel, but it seems it has been turned into an all girls boarding house. What's more, much to his surprise and to the tenants disgust, Keitaro is made manager of the boarding house.
In 2006, Shinkūkan produced a four-episode original video adaptation (OVA) directed by Makoto Sokuza. The OVAs contain a special audio track in which the female characters' voices are replaced by members of the idol unit Sweet Kiss and were released in two versions: original and special edit. Xebec produced a thirteen episode anime adaptation directed by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, unrelated to the OVAs. It first began airing on TV Tokyo between October 5, 2008 and December 28, 2008. Kodansha has announced that Xebec will be adapting an OVA version of the anime in 2009, directed by Tsuyoshi Nagasawa, featuring the same cast as the anime.
