Presentation
The animation in this series is cutesy and adorable and often does a great deal to lend to the romantic and more often than not comedic value of the show. This series is very much a big eyes, small mouth type of anime in regards to how they are drawn. The expressions are often heavily exaggerated, with each expression easily conveying whatever it is that particular character is feeling at the moment. The music is superb, being of the Japanese pop variety. The beginning and ending credits basically explain the entire theme of the entire series in one go. The beginning theme is a very happy chipper song with cheerful beats. The ending song is more of the same. The flow of the show is pretty smooth, despite the seemingly random episodes containing parodies of other well known anime towards the end of the season. It leaves you wanting to know more and more and continuously keeps you hoping that maybe at some point someone will make a move. The menu is also simplistic and easy, issuing the standard play all which allows you to view the entire series in one sitting, or you can simply pick up any episode and watch it at random. The Japanese and American casts both do a fantastic job voicing the characters, but there is a bit lost in the translation when you watch the dub. The dub characters tend to use considerably more slang then their Japanese counterparts. Even so, they still good job getting across what was trying to be said in each scene. There is a small amount of fan service for those whom enjoy such things, and the violence is pretty low key. For a show titled School Rumble there is surprisingly few fights and almost no bloodshed whatsoever. Instead the show focuses on the emotional and mental battles each must face with each other and within themselves.
Extras
The extras in this series are pretty decent It has clean versions of its opening and closing songs as well a ton of really interesting and amusing trailers. It also has what appears to be a relatively informal interview with the creator of School Rumble Shimizu Kaori. While it’s a bit confusing and silly at times, it is still rather informative and incredibly fun to watch. There is also an interview between Shimizu Kaori and Tenma’s voice actress Koshimizu Ami which is also rather entertaining and informative and for the most absolutely hilarious.
Overall the series is an amusing and cute look into the lives of the high school students of Yagami High. It’s definitely worth watching, and can lend to hours of entertainment. The characters are often charming and sincere and can easily make you laugh or cry at a moment’s notice.