Let's start with the most important aspect of a romance anime: The romance! Keitaro and Naru's relationship simply does NOT feel believable, not in the least. Naru spends 95% of the series being angry and even outright violent toward Keitaro, who in turn is kind of a wet blanket who never stands up for himself or does anything that interesting. There is basically zero chemistry between these two, even on the rare occasions where they're getting along. I can barely buy them as friends, much less lovers.
But I've given romance anime a pass even when I wasn't sold on the romance, like Chobits, for at least having an interesting setting and supporting cast. This is not the case with Love Hina. The side characters are all incredibly one-note, and none of them really stand out all that much. Most of them get one or two focus episodes (except Kitsune, who doesn't even get that much) and are relegated to extras most of the time. Of these side characters, Kaolla Su is probably the *most* interesting - having a mysterious past from an unknown country, and being a genius inventor who fills the series with all sorts of wacky contraptions. But even she's not a super well-realized character.
Mind you, I haven't read the manga as of writing this review. I'm willing to give the Hinata Inn crew one more chance and see if their original story is better than the anime. For this adaptation, though, I recommend passing on Love Hina.
