The plot itself is much like that of many other harem anime series. A boy by himself, a lot of girls that think he's totally cool, even though they pretend that they think he's a perverted loser and give him a hard time. Ya know, typical, cliche harem anime. Urashima Keitaro is a college aged male who cannot for the life of him get into Japans most prestigious university, Tokyo U. He has a promise to keep for a girl from his childhood. Mutually, the two as children promised that they'd go to Tokyo U together. Although, in the midst of changing circumstances, Keitaro now finds himself completely at a loss as to who this person is, and his academic struggles plague any chance of him getting into Tokyo U. In the midst of this crisis, Keitaro is named the manager of the Hinata apartments, an all girls residence initially run by his grandmother. Keitaro gets to know all of these girls and finds himself starting to fall in love with one in particular. However, he finds himself trying to hold back on any pursuits for the sake of the "promise girl" from his childhood. As a result... this brings about a lot of character development and self discovery as to what holds more importance; childhood promises, or true love in the present moment. How the plot unravels creates for not only a harem with considerable depth as far as harems go, but also a HILARIOUS series of events in each and every episode.
One of my biggest praises for this series in terms of the story is the likability of the characters. Keitaro isn't merely a pervert who seeks to win the affections of every girl he lives with. He falls in love with one, tries to remain true to a promise from his past and acts in selfless and friendly ways to those he lives with. He's an extremely lovable character, as are all of the girls around him. Each with their own unique qualities, there is someone for everyone in terms of relate-ability.
Now that the plot has been exhaustively described, I'll go into further detail pertaining other qualities of this series...
Art- The art is good for its time. Yet it hasn't aged too well with respect to various other shows within its genre and outside of it as well. The female characters are all beautiful however and in terms of the artwork, retain various unique qualities about them, keeping them visually interesting, even now.
Sound/Music- I kinda hated the theme song of this anime at first, but ultimately, as it ran in my head more and more, it kinda started to grow on me a bit. Music doesn't play a huge factor into this show and thus isn't composed or written with the intention to evoke a strong emotional response. This is completely fine considering the nature of this show and the compensation provided through other areas of the medium.
Enjoyment- One of the most enjoyable anime series I've ever seen to this day. I absolutely loved it. I laughed, I cried, I cheered and I grinned goofy grins... it was a blast!
Overall this show is fantastic, and I thoroughly recommend it for not only fans of harem anime, but also GREAT romantic comedy. I will concede with the fact that it isn't for everyone... however, I loved it, and think it is worth the shot for those of you who enjoy a great love story, or a great comedy!
Final score- 10.
