School Rumble

School Rumble primarily focuses on Harima Kenji, Sawachika Eri, Tsukamoto Yakumo, and Tsukamoto Tenma. The narrative mainly revolves around these four characters, frequently switching between their perspectives, resulting in a highly unpredictable manga.

Story: There isn't much of a plot; it's more like a day-to-day, slice-of-life story. If you're seeking a decent storyline, this manga might not be for you. However, if you're looking for something random and humorous, School Rumble could be a perfect fit. The story alternates viewpoints among the four characters: Harima Kenji, a high school delinquent madly in love with Tenma who also writes manga; Sawachika Eri, a wealthy, snobbish girl who often misunderstands Kenji; Tsukamoto Yakumo, a quiet and seemingly perfect freshman; and her older sister Tsukamoto Tenma, a naturally clumsy person who makes you question her intelligence at times. Amidst all this chaotic randomness and comedy, there are moments when things become more serious. In my opinion, School Rumble is like a 500-piece puzzle—each piece alone doesn't make sense, but together they form a satisfying story.

Art: The artwork is decent. The characters aren't overly complex and are simple yet funny. The scenes are varied but mostly take place at school. It's good, though not outstanding.

Character: At first glance, the series seems purely random, and character development appears nonexistent. But surprisingly, there is development. Occasionally, in this carefree and comedic manga, events take a serious turn, revealing character growth. These characters evoke a wide range of emotions from happiness to sadness, which is impressive for such a random manga. The supporting cast is enormous, making it difficult to keep track of everyone, but thankfully, they are just supporting characters :P

Enjoyment: This was an entertaining manga series that provided plenty of laughs and touching moments. Each chapter almost stands alone, so even after a long break, it's easy to pick up where you left off. Overall, it's a very random manga filled with laughter, but its touching moments add to its quality. I hope this review was helpful. Please comment on whether you found it useful or not, so I can improve :D Well, I hope you enjoy this manga!

To kick things off, this manga primarily focuses on comedy. Trust me when I say that if you read it, you'll find yourself laughing quite a bit. Sure, if you're looking for romance, this isn't a bad option either. Don't be misled though; while romantic developments might not start until around chapter 50, each chapter is only 5-7 pages long, which is less than half the length of a standard 18-20 page chapter.

Story: 7
There's no fixed plot to speak of. It revolves around a girl who likes a guy who shows no interest in her feelings, while another guy has feelings for the same pure and honest girl. The chapters mainly focus on their attempts to confess and win the other person's heart. To be honest, drama isn't a strong point here since there are rarely any connected settings between chapters (except perhaps during confessions). Problems often get addressed several chapters later instead of immediately. Since it's a gag manga, the story doesn't always involve the main characters. There are chapters about their classmates too, but you won't be disappointed.

Art: 8
Originality best describes the art style. Each character and setting is drawn uniquely, making every scene feel distinct and well-connected. You have to admire the artist's skill in depicting funny expressions and some characters' lack of expression.

Character: 7
The main characters are exactly what you'd expect them to be. All the personality types are represented—shy, timid, outgoing, smart, delinquent, beautiful, perverted, and misunderstood. However, I love how the other classmates are involved in the story. Unlike other series where it's just a love triangle with a best friend, this one includes a broader cast.

Enjoyment: 10
If I said I didn't enjoy this series, shoot me. Sure, there are repetitive scenes where the guy is misunderstood, but the situations make up for it. It will make you laugh out loud with "BaHAHA!" rather than groan with "CHEEEESY!".

Overall: 8
I would prefer to rank it as a 9 simply because I think the 1-10 scale doesn't fully capture how much I enjoy this series. But sometimes it gets confusing when a serious scene is followed by a completely random and unrelated chapter. BUT I HAVE NO REGRETS AFTER READING SCHOOL RUMBLE.

In all honesty, I have experienced a myriad of emotions that I never thought I would feel, all thanks to this manga.
Thus, I am giving it a flawless score of 10/10. This rating is in no way biased; I genuinely believe that this manga was crafted with masterful skill and brilliance in every possible aspect.

Story: 10/10
For a romantic comedy, School Rumble offers an impressive approach to love triangles, not just one but several. Yet, it manages to stay focused on the main trio's lives without losing its essence.

Art: 10/10 and Characters: 10/10
The character art is incredibly original. The character designs are comprehensive, featuring a wide variety of individuals, each unique in their own way. The author even includes side notes to help readers keep track of the characters. Despite the large cast, which might seem overwhelming at first, I found myself loving them all so much that I could almost name each one and recognize their distinct traits.

Enjoyment: 10/10
It was hilarious—I found myself laughing out loud frequently. There were times when I lost track of how much time had passed while reading this manga.

Overall: 10/10
RESPECT FOR THIS MANGA

One of the funniest school anime genres I've come across. The story is fantastic, and the romance is enjoyable, even if our main character is hopelessly clueless about his love interest. He has a great romantic subplot with other characters, but he's just too dense to notice. The comedy is top-notch, filled with misunderstandings that make it one of my favorites. This series leans more towards comedy than romance, making it stand out from typical rom-com manga.

The characters in this manga are incredibly well-developed; many of them are fascinating. Harima, Hanai, and Imadori are walking comedy routines within the story. However, something feels missing—perhaps the plot or the ending, which doesn't feel quite complete. But for me, it's a solid 10 because I miss it so much.

No spoilers for the first part. There will be marked spoilers after the first part, for a bit of a longer read.

This is a romcom that does not have a satisfying conclusion. For me, this is an absolute deal breaker. There is nothing I hate more than to read/watch an entire series, only to find out there is no resolution to anything that was set up throughout the series. There is no real payoff to any of the romance building. In a romcom.

So if you are anything like me, then don't bother with School Rumble. It isn't worth your time.

It's quite clear the author was just making it up as he went, and had no long term plans. He likes to write climactic scenes (to hook the reader), but doesn't like to follow through (that would require an actual plan), so everything is just misunderstanding on top of misunderstanding that never goes anywhere.

But it extends even further than that. The author can't seem to decide what genre he wants to write. It will change from being a standard romcom, to just a surreal gag based comedy series, over and over. Even the protagonist seems to be undecided. While the protagonist is supposed to be Tenma, her actual role in the story isn't that large, and at times it ends up feeling like Harima is the protagonist instead.

You'll have your climactic scene (imagine a love triangle, where one girl sees her love interest kiss another girl) only to be followed by several chapters of unrelated characters doing other stuff. Then, when it finally comes back to the continuation we were all waiting for of that scene, it is just played off as some misunderstanding and there is no real pay off. This is basically the entire series.

The comedy and characters are genuinely good at times, so it's really unfortunate that the series ended up like this.

[spoilers ahead]

The first problem, is Tenma and Karasuma. Tenma's affection is originally supposed to be some kind of gag. It isn't really that "serious", if that makes sense. Harima likes Tenma, but Tenma likes Karasuma. Karasuma though, is a completely plain, generic look character who doesn't talk or do much. He only exists to create the unrequited love of Harima for Tenma. Consider when early on in the story, when it is raining, and Tenma wants to walk home with Karasuma sharing an umbrella. Karasuma says he has a kappa (rain coat) and so turns her down. But then he is dressed like an actual kappa (the youkai), with a shell and everything. Or consider when Tenma asks Karasuma which he likes more, her or curry, and he says curry. Or consider when Tenma tries to ride to school on a bike, because she wants to go to school with Karasuma, but he is ridiculously fast so she is basically just chasing after him. Harima has the same idea, and is chasing after Tenma with his own bike. So you have Karasuma, completely oblivious, Tenma who wants to ride with Karasuma, and Harima who wants to ride with Tenma. This is Karasuma's character and his relationship with Tenma.

Now, compare that with the other relationships in the series. Sawachika and Yakumo towards Harima, for example. These are taken more seriously, because they aren't gags. There is actual build up, and it is somewhat understandable why they might love Harima. Compared to the other relationships presented, Tenma's just feels like she is a kid who has a crush, and that's it.

The second problem is the overall lack of attention towards romance, even though this is a romcom. While there is some drama and relationship building in the series, it generally just comes off as clickbait (for lack of a better term), and never really goes any where. There are too many side characters introduced, just to act as filler, when really a lot of that time should've been spent on Sawachika, Tenma, Yakumo, and Harima. There is too much attention focused on misunderstandings instead of actual romance. Consider when Harima accidentally confesses his love to Sawachika, thinking it is Tenma. Or how Sawachika sees Harima and her name written on the piece of paper. These misunderstandings are never actually addressed or resolved, so throughout most of the series, she thinks Harima is in love with her. In reality they should've been resolved very quickly, to create romantic drama between Tenma and Sawachika (there is a tiny bit of this, but only near the end). Even better, they should've never happened in the first place, and Sawachika could just fall in love with Harima through his actions. Throughout these encounters, Harima himself could open up more to Sawachika, and realise she is actually a good girl and fun to be with (he doesn't necessarily need to fall in love with her here).

The final problem, is the ending, which is a culmination of these problems. First, Karasuma. You can't just suddenly decide to make Karasuma and Karasuma x Tenma a serious thing. He was a gag character and plot device throughout most of the series. He even disappears for large parts of the series because he is ultimately a boring character and there isn't much to do with him. The sudden revelation that he is actually in love with Tenma but has a serious illness so he can't respond to her feelings and has to leave the country, is absolutely terrible writing. You can't suddenly make me care about this relationship, when you haven't worked for it the entire series.

It doesn't even make any sense. If Karasuma has some incurable illness where he will lose all his memories, then why does he have to go to a hospital in the US? If there is no cure it doesn't matter whether he is in hospital in Japan or anywhere else. There is literally no reason for him to go to America. What's worse is Tenma follows him and stays with him in America to look after him. Why? How? She is a minor. Did she drop out of school or what? What visa could she even possibly be on? She says she is going to become a doctor to cure his illness. How? She is an idiot. It is established throughout the series. She is just going to leave Yakumo and everybody else behind, drop out of school, and stay in a foreign country she can't speak the language of or anything? Yeah, I'm sure that is exactly what Karasuma would've wanted. It should've ended as unrequited love for Tenma, and that's it. None of this nonsense. She could realise that she was just a kid and maybe her feelings for Karasuma weren't what she thought they were. Even better, this could've been built up throughout the series. Maybe she could've slowly gotten closer to Harima, but because of her obsession with Karasuma, not have been able to see that.

Second, Harima and Sawachika. As I said earlier, Harima could've slowly grown closer to Sawachika throughout the series, but this never happens. Almost everything in the series is Harima to Sawachika, be it misunderstandings or otherwise. Lots is done to make Sawachika fall for Harima, but nothing the other way around. Because of this, in the ending, Harima still does not understand Sawachika at all and is very cold to her. This is resolved in an emotional exchange between the two. But... why now? Why not earlier in the series so we could've had a more interesting romcom? Then it immediately jumps to some nonsense about Harima being her fake fiancé so she can stay in Japan. Please note, this doesn't actually go anywhere. This is literally amongst the last few chapters of the manga. Also, there is still no confession from her.

Third, the ending itself. After Harima decides to be Sawachika's fake fiancé, he realises he has no place to stay. So he ends up moving in with Yakumo. But what is the purpose of all this? Literally nothing happens. There is no confession or anything from Yakumo. There is no romcom with Harima, Sawachika, and Yakumo. There is nothing. I kid you not, in the next chapter, there is a time skip of some undefined amount of time into the future (probably a year or two). The characters are no longer in school, and Harima is no longer around. What happened to Harima's engagement with Sawachika and their relationship? What happened with Harima living with Yakumo? If you aren't going to do anything with it, then why did you set it up in the first place? The entire ending arc of the series, feels like the author just went, "Screw it, I don't want to write this any more" and just defecated out the crappiest, laziest, non-committal ending he could think of.

This manga is incredibly lengthy but hardly progresses, which is disappointing for a romantic comedy drama!

Story (8.4): It drags on about Harima being in love with Tenma, who in turn loves someone else. The ending isn't great and continues into School Rumble Z, which I'm glad happened because it would've been the worst ending ever; even then, it barely made for a good conclusion. There are only two kisses (three if you count the cheek kiss that feels like a letdown), and they're from the same girl you'll end up hating later. I know I'm pointing out many negatives for an 8.8 score, but it's usually the comedy and drama that save it. Without the constant misunderstandings (some of which I liked), bad pairings (there was one good couple that broke up over a video game score...yeah), and dragging the story to boredom, it could've been a 10. But as it stands, it's far from that.

Art (8.3): The art is really good for its age and still holds up today. Occasionally there are poor drawings, but nothing worse than that, and the facial expressions can be fantastic. If this were between 2003-2008, it would've scored higher.

Character (8.0): Some characters here are among the best in any manga, but others are just plain dumb or terrible. Many hate Eri, but I'd rather see her than some others. A few characters are embarrassing to look at, some are unique, and some deserve more screen time. The main cast is excellent, but better shipping towards the end would've raised the score.

Enjoyment (7.8): I didn't know whether to be mad, happy, laughing, or crying. I experienced all these while reading, mostly getting mad due to the prolonged story. Sometimes I was extremely happy something was finally happening, only to have my hopes crushed in the next chapter. That's bad for a 315-chapter manga (though MAL lists it as 345). Even with five pages each, I expected more.

Overall (8.1): Skip this if you're looking for romance, as you won't get much out of it. However, read it if you want something funny to pass the time. Other than that, hope you have a nice day and thanks for reading my review. ~Shaney (69thStreet)

I initially started watching the School Rumble anime (with English subtitles, as I unfortunately don't understand Japanese) and expected it to be just a funny comedy series. I was partially correct, but also very wrong. On the surface, School Rumble doesn’t appear serious, yet many underlying themes are deeply serious, insightful, and even profoundly moving. Soon after starting, I became hooked and immediately related to Harima Kenji, cheering him on to achieve his goal.

Throughout the beginning and middle of the series, we see Harima repeatedly failing to confess his feelings to Tenma. At first, the misunderstandings are laughable and seem easily avoidable. However, as the series progresses, you start to feel the toll it takes on Harima and the pain it causes him, making it increasingly unbearable to watch. Despite this, the other great characters and stories keep you thoroughly engaged, compelling you to see the series through to the end to find out if Harima wins Tenma’s heart. You also want to know what happens with Hanai, Eri, Yakumo, Ichijou, Mikoto, and all the other well-written and interesting characters.

The first season's ending makes you think Harima finally confesses his love to Tenma, but it turns out to be imaginary. By this point, I felt physically drained from the emotional roller coaster and disappointments of the first season. Yet, I couldn't wait to watch the second season. The second season was great, though Harima and Tenma's storyline became more painful to watch. More misunderstandings, missed opportunities, outside interference, and assumptions about who Harima liked or didn’t like from his classmates. Meanwhile, Tenma remained oblivious, chasing after the completely clueless Karasuma. The second season ends without resolution, so, disappointed and almost depressed, I watched the third season, which is actually just two OVAs.

The result: complete and utter heart-wrenching emptiness. Harima has been emotionally tortured and left to die. Tenma leaves for America to be with Karasuma and become a nurse to take care of him since he’s in the hospital there with a condition that wiped out his memory. He doesn’t even recognize her, but she still wants to be with him. Harima does not get the girl. In fact, no one gets anyone. Almost every storyline remains unfinished.

I was fully depressed and left with an empty feeling inside. That’s the best way I can describe it. I needed answers. I found the manga and began reading immediately. After reading through the entire manga and its follow-up “School Rumble Z,” I faced harsh reality—there was no conclusion. No happy couples, no loose ends tied up, no happily ever after or riding off into the sunset. Just more emptiness and depression. It felt as if the characters had been killed in the prime of their lives, their futures cut short. There’s no way to understand the feeling unless you’ve been on this journey that is School Rumble. It’s incomparable.

I couldn’t believe it. I searched the internet for any information about School Rumble and its creator Jin Kobayashi. I reached out to fans and heard their stories, which mirrored mine. The wave of emotions they felt at the end matched my story: shock and disbelief, confusion, emptiness, depression, and bitterness.

There is much more to this story. But that’s basically how I got started on this mission to reach Mr. Kobayashi. There have been moments of slight progress and a few disappointments. Ups and downs, feeling alone, then feeling the love and support of School Rumble fans from around the world. One thing is certain—I have no plans of ever giving up.

In closing, here’s the motto: Justice for Harima, closure for the fans, may the hero get his girl, may his spring finally come.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC05xAG4hMwmeu4XdFei9Ywg

Story is 8 because:
At first, there wasn't much about School Rumble except for the stereotypical tough guy falling in love with a regular girl. I've read manga with similar concepts, but what made this one stand out was its execution. As I progressed through each chapter, it gradually built up excitement. While some might not appreciate the misunderstandings during every confession, those really helped shape the overall story.

Art is 9
The art is good for its time, of course.

Character is 10
This is the best aspect of School Rumble. They don't force you to like the characters; they're relatable depending on one's situation, bringing a nostalgic vibe of high school. The characters are so likable that I can't decide between Eri and Yakumo—it's giving me a headache!

Enjoyment is 10
It's all fun and games until you get hit unexpectedly with deep emotions from nowhere. I mean, it was really unexpected. I was enjoying the ride, feeling the breeze on my face, then *BAMMM*—the next thing you know, your face is inside a dumpster full of feels.

Overall, I'll give it a 9 for making me cry.
I'd give it a 10 if they had made the story more linear instead of spontaneous.