Love Hina, Vol. 3: Secret Lives
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Original Story by Ken Akamatsu
Directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki
Character Design by Makoto Uno
Songs by Ritsuko Okazaki
Japanese Voices by Junko Noda, Yuji Ueda, Yui Horie, Masayo Kurata, Yu Asakawa, Reiko Takagi, and Megumi Harashihara
English Voices by Barbara Goodson, David Umansky, Dorothy Melendrez, Ellen Arden, Mona Marshall, Wendee Lee, and Jane Alan

Features:

• full cast listing
  
• interview with director Yoshiaki Iwasaki
  
• character photo gallery
  
• English and Japanese audio
  
• English subtitles
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• flying turtles
• gratuitous dresses
• pop music

Rating: 13+

Anamorphic: N/A

My Advice: Buy it.

Love Hina: Secret Lives brings us four more episodes of comical anime goodness. In “The Case of the Missing Hinata Apartment Money,” a bored (and therefore dangerous) Kitsune takes the case; in the best closed-room mystery tradition, Keitaro, Naru, and the rest follow Sherlock Kitsune as she and Watson-Kaolla come up with whodunit. “Who Is the Beautiful Woman Wandering in the Moonlight?” shows us more about Kaolla and the family she left behind. We don’t learn where she’s actually from yet, but we do get to meet her sister. In “The Idol Shooting for Tokyo U is a Prep School Student,” Naru wins an idol contest and becomes a Japanese media darling for a while. Finally, “Changing After the Wedding? Swordmaster Motoko’s Sunday Best,” presents what happens when Motoko is forced to wear a dress for a while and loses her chi.

The plots of Secret Lives are, for the most part, self-contained. They are also as amusing and entertaining as those on the former discs, though for some reason, they aren’t quite as tightly plotted. In the episode where Naru becomes an idol singer, for example, the whole issue is sprung on viewers rather suddenly: since when did Naru want to be a singer? What was this contest? Why is Kentaro her manager when she supposedly dislikes him? The episode with Kaolla and her sister is also a bit problematic; everything is explained using magic, which is a sudden addition to this formerly realistic series, and that falls a bit flat. It could work if it were more humorous perhaps, but as it is, it seems a bit like a refugee from Sailor Moon--fun, maybe, but not quite the Love Hina we know and love. The best episode of the disc is the one about Motoko, who is forced to confront some things about herself, even though even then, we’re given only enough information to slightly confuse us, but not answer any real questions about what’s going on with the characters.

The extras on this disc are rather nice. There’s a lengthy, well-produced interview with the director, and it’s always good--and all too rare--to hear from the creators. There’s also a character photo gallery as in the previous discs; these are great additions--a good chance to meet the characters, see some nice pictures of them, and learn a bit of trivia, like their supposed birthday and the ubiquitous blood type. These features just go to show that you don’t have to go to outrageous expense to have quality, interesting, appreciated extras on your anime discs. I hope other production companies are paying attention.

Both the audio and video quality are fine here, with crisp, vibrant colors and clear audio. Both the English and Japanese audio tracks are well done, and both casts know what they’re doing and manage emotion and personality. I still don’t know why Kitsune has a Southern accent (and a gooey, Hollywood version of one at that), but it’s grating on my nerves less than it did.

In short, if you’ve grown fond of Keitaro and Crew, then you’ll most likely enjoy Secret Lives. If you’re new to the series, this disc isn’t a bad place to start, as the episodes require little previous knowledge and do a nice job of showcasing characters in turn. Some of the episodes seemed as if they were once much longer and cut down to fit into episode length, and I hope that trend doesn’t continue. However, the show continues to be interesting, amusing, and light-hearted, and I support that.