So. School. All of us are either in school or went through it at some point, and if you went through school, chances are that you have both fond and bitter memories of your time there, ranging from your unrequited crush dating the local gangster leader to your dog actually eating your homework and no one believing it to you accidentally ending up on the bus travelling to the opposite end of the country and no one noticing because your existence is that meaningless to you freeing animals from the local zoo and terrorizing children in a playground...
Wait, what do you mean that none of that happened? You mean...all of that was a lie?
Blasphemy!
But you know all the absurdity and stupidity that you go through as a high-schooler? All the dumb moments and drama that is so bloody ridiculous in retrospect, yet you can't help and look back and laugh, even be a bit nostalgic?
That, ladies and gentlemen, is School Rumble. Imagine every absurd situation in high school blown out of proportion over a thousand times over, and you get the comedy in this show.
I'll be very blunt; if you're not fond of that kind of humor, you might as well stop reading this review and head elsewhere. School Rumble's appeal is oddly specific, and if you don't match that appeal, then this show is not for you. At all.
If what I said so far sounds like your cup of tea, read on.
School Rumble's basic premise is that your ditzy airhead Tenma likes Mr. What's-his-personality, and Harima, the local delinquent, likes Tenma.
This premise is, for the most part, only followed superficially; what instead happens is random comedic skits (and do take my word on it, they're random to hell and back) about Tenma and Harima trying to get their respective crushes to notice their feelings. It backfires. Spectacularly.
The show largely consists of two general scenes; either some kind of skit following (but not necessarily, especially in season 2) Tenma or Harima. The other kind of general scene tends to be interactions between the various characters, though those tend to be filled to the brim with comedy. These scenes are considerably more quiet and are more about how the characters feel about various things, usually graduating or their feelings about various characters. They're incredibly interesting and offer different perspectives about the characters, making this work unbelievably well as a character-driven show as well.
Speaking of the characters, I love all of them. All of them receive some degree of development and change over the course of the show (and the manga if you continue that after season 2), all of them are absolutely hilarious and all of them work off one another really well. It's not every day that I walk out of a show with absolutely no complaints about any of the characters and feeling like I don't hate any of them, but School Rumble pulls this off.
Artwork is simple enough but varied and changes depending on what comedic skit is taking place; it's effective, it works with the comedy and ultimately that's all what really matters. Animation quality looks dated but doesn't get in the way of the comedy or character drama, and that's perfectly fine.
The voice-acting sounds great in both versions, though I have a personal bias towards the English dub; the dialogue is funnier and the comedic timing feels better. The soundtrack is generally solid though can feel slightly repetitive; the opening and ending songs are exceptionally catchy and fit the mood of the show, with the openings being more upbeat and the ending songs being more bittersweet.
I love this show to hell and back and I enjoyed every last second of it, and if what I'm saying sounds rad then do give it a shot as well. It's not for everyone and the fact that you have to read the manga to get to the conclusion after the second season undeniably is a barrier to some, but if you can look past that you're in for one hell of a ride.
Thanks a bunch for reading, any and all feedback would be appreciated.
