Before I go any further, I want to point out, this show is utterly moronic, in almost every category. But there is no voting category for imbecilic anime creation. So I'm forced to put that on the table, up front and center.
Does this mean I intend to rip this show a new hole in its' posterior? Not necessarily. It just means that this show is intended to be liked by folks that have appreciation for things that equate to unreal expectations.
And there are times when that is appropriate behavior. For example, if you notice a multi-mile long asteroid approaching the planet you live on, and understand the consequences of this approaching doom-stone, you may just wish for a nice breezy day on the beach .... of another planet. That is clearly a good reason to put your mind in the 'make-a-wish' zone.
To LOVE-Ru, is not mainly concerned with that kind of apocalyptic event, and so the wishful thinking now runs into the kind of thinking of; "... these folks are doing ... what, ... why? ..."
So let's now move into the characters, almost all of which need some discussion (I'm going to deal only with some of the primaries, the secondary characters will take too much time):
Rito Yuuki-
I realize this kind of fellow turns a lot of teenage boys cold, but let's look at this kid with a little more sincerity. Rito is loyal, decent, polite, not excessively aggressive, and he's bashful around girls. He is in fact, exactly like the young fellows who often review this show and rip it a new one because of Rito; because they have all the same characteristics. They have them, but don't really want them.
In other words, they want the girls to be attracted to boys that are abusive, obscene, non-intuitive, crass, rude, overly aggressive, pushy, loud and generally mean-spirited.
I'm sorry to make this absolutely plain, but in real life, Rito will get the girl every time; in comparison to an abusive bastard every time. It's just too bad for you young folks that want things to be otherwise. Deal with real life, and try to extend that knowledge into your appreciation for anime.
In other words, To LOVE-Ru got this part of its' story right. Rito is exactly like every other boy his age, in the real world, and just as shockingly non-adult. So he gets flustered around real girls, especially when a pretty girl is in very close proximity.
Haruna Sairenji-
Haruna is everything most of the critics of this show don't really like. Because she is the female version of Rito. She is: loyal, decent, polite, not excessively aggressive, and she's bashful around boys. Wow, there's a strange thing. And oh, I forgot; she's also cute as a bug in springtime.
Strangely enough, girls have also been bashful and self-embarrassed around boys; for a very long time. Again, I realize boys don't like this kind of girl. They want to think that the more mature view is of a girl who will drag them behind a tree and do sexual favors on demand. This is because the boy is almost always to bashful to ask for that. Boys of this age group believe they are much more manly if they wait for the girl to suggest it for them, ... because the boy is already too much of a coward. As well he should be, at Rito's age.
But in the end, we are all stuck with real life. Most girls don't behave that way. And strangely enough, when one finds a girl of that persuasion, the girl doesn't get the boy either. At least not for long.
Again, To LOVE-Ru got this part right as well. The good girl, in real life; normally wins her hearts' desire, and ends up with a nice boyfriend, and even a fine husband. I know, I'm speaking sacrilege, but the truth is; the purpose of dating, meeting friends of the opposite sex, and socializing with them; is to to get married and start a family that will raise children that are worth having in society.
The over-sexed girl gets that abusive fellow already described; and never, ever, produces anything worth having. Both die non-contributive to society, and almost never makes anything worthwhile in their own lives. These are the facts of real life.
Lala Satalin Deviluke-
Lala is a character designed in lala-land. She is pretty, slender and shapely, and she has a tail, and her bat wings stick out from the sides of her hat. She is in fact a 2-dimensional character with an equally simple personality. And for some very good reasons.
Lala is a princess of a planetary empire, her father being an abusive bastard that can destroy pretty much whatever he wants, and uses that fact to his personal advantage. A clear case of absolute power corrupting absolutely.
Her father is such a bastard, that the whole last set of episodes of To LOVE-Ru are all about a challenge designed to destroy the suitor to his daughter, Rito. Does he play fair? No, breaks even his own rules in order to win. In other words, Mister Deviluke lies, cheats and steals, even when he can win without doing so. What a piece of pond scum! One wonders why, in his infinite display of disreputable conduct, he doesn't just lay it on the line, and create a new family by sexually assaulting his daughter (collaborative pun intended). It is not outside his own personality.
Lala however, is a fairly nice little girl (I can't figure out why she should be) that is quite intelligent, in an intellectual set of disciplines that leads to the creation of inventions that are never developed sufficiently to work the way they were designed.
In other words, she's a dilettante, who never, ever; finishes anything she ever starts. Which leads us all to a really important question. And that is;
"When she's finally gotten to the point where she would normally drop an invention, as it regards Rito; will she operate as she has in the past, or will she stick to something important, for once?"
After all, she got involved with Rito because she didn't want daddy to pick her husband. She said as much in the show.
Does this make her a bad person? No, far from it. It means she chafes on the abusive and domineering behavior of her father. She would like to strike out into real life on her own, and make choices for her future, by herself. She is, however, a product of her own life. She is a very rich, spoiled brat, who expects everything to work out nicely; and when it doesn't, either she builds her way out of it, or appoints someone responsible. Leaving the whole mess in something or someone else's lap. Like Zastin, as a true to life character in which this sort of thing actually happens, in To LOVE-Ru.
The only reason Lala gets away with stuff on Earth, is because she is dealing with a whole school full of boys who are too bashful to say NO, and also full of girls who raise their own game because of Lala being a threat to the social structure that they had expected, and is now in jeopardy. Most of the student body are NOT the offspring of the idle rich, and Lala IS. It creates an artificially difficult struggle for everybody concerned.
If she were to understand honorable conduct, and all that implies; Lala would go home to Deviluke, and fight it out with her father, take the throne away from him and rule the place as the reasonable and at least polite individual she is capable of.
Instead, she runs away from home, hopes her father is too busy blowing up planets to bother about her absence (which of course, makes Lala an accessory to mass-genocide), gets involved with a boy that is almost reaching the point where he can confess his appreciation for a girl in his class; as happens in real life. Totally screws that up, invades another persons' household, creates extra duties and work for Rito's sister, blows up several relationships in school, that at the bottom of all is none of her business, involves her 'true love' in events containing aliens of no-ones' choosing, endangers Earth with the arrival of some of these ne'er-do-wells, and even endangers the alien doctor, that Mister Deviluke should marry. She's his kind of girl.
In all of these events and scenarios, Lala Satalin Deviluke walks through her life with charm and great cheer, while leaving destruction in her wake. Everybody else has to clean up the messes Lala creates. But Lala is fine, although totally oblivious to almost everything else around her. The only good word that describes Lala is IRRESPONSIBLE, beyond any kind of redemption.
The Audio/Music-
While the music is cute, it is also mindless J-POP of the worst type. Having no meaning, in the sense that it might have meaning to the anime. I'm one of those people that think the music should say something about the anime. It doesn't. The inter-stigial music is adequate, but continues on the theme of "What theme might that be?"
The dialog is read well, and the mindless commentaries by Lala are appropriate for the situations. This goes for most of the other characters.
The Artwork-
Actually not bad at all. It describes the actions well, and helps tell the story. Do we get some really fresh background parallax art? No, but it is otherwise adequate.
The Story-
The basic story plot is excellent, and it had a lot in the way of comedy potential. Potential is what it had. Only a fraction of the comedy potential was ever realized. Would have been much better if Lala's father was not quite as much pond scum. Lala should have had a little more intellect (oh I dunno, maybe like real human girls?). But I keep forgetting, this show is to please teenage boys with very little appreciation for 'the thinking stuff', while providing a female heroin that girls can feel 'speaks to them'.
Yea, right. Really? Is that all Mankind has to look forward to? If so, Mister Deviluke will have little trouble destroying Earth. We'll be too busy looking up his daughters' cute little ass, to notice our cities being blown up for his personal amusement.
I'm done with this review. I'm done with To LOVE-Ru. I actually sat through all the episodes. God what a trial! The show is entertaining in a certain mindless way, but I'm sorry if I'm one of those people that can't shut my brain off.
I gave this colorful and entertaining piece of mindless pond scum a generous 4.
