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ローゼンメイデン 
Yay! I finally manage to catch up with this series. Okay, there is still episode 14 to go but that just came out yesterday so I am not that far behind. This is the first time I've attempted to cross-summarised/reviewed two episodes of School Rumble and found the job to be rather difficult. Each story is usually packed with many little details so trying to summarise each episode into no more than 3 paragraphs turned out to be a challange. But I prefer to do this than spending another 4 hours writing summary for episodes that most people have already seen. Anyway, the episodes themselves are pretty funny although I am not sure anymore if they are actually fillers or taken from the manga. On a glance they feel like filler but there are bits of romantic development in the episodes that feel as if they came from the manga.
This is another decent episode for the series. The first story is quite funny and features some interesting interaction between the characters. It also has food as a theme so it brings back memory of Yakitate!! Japan, which I have to revisit one of these days. Unfortunately, the second and the third stories are not that good. I am starting to wonder now if supporting characters like Nishimoto is funny enough to be featured seperately from the main characters. They're just not funny enough in my opinion. Having said that, I'm starting to get used to Imadori, Tougou, and Lala now. Well, it's mostly just Imadori and his silliness but since the writers need someone to go against his obnoxious personality, Tougou and Lala are often featured alongside him.
This is a rather funny episodes which moves quickly from one storyline to the next. Overall, it's rather enjoyable although there is nothing particularly important about any of the stories. I'm also still not sure what to make of the additional characters from class 2-D. I think some of them are rather interesting while others are quite annoying. I think the interesting about these characters, especially the male ones, is that they are tend to be the alpha type characters. As a result, they are more likely to be in direct conflict with Harima and Hanai as opposed to someone like Asou, Nara or the rest of the males from class 2-C. However, because of the addition of these characters, several characters from class 2-C now rarely makes appearance. Even Karasuma seems to have been relegated to a supporting character now. I admit it surprises me a little bit since he was featured prominently during the first season.
I don't think this is as funny as last week's episode. However, since School Rumble usually contains more than one type of comedy, there's always something that will catch a viewer's attention. In my case, the Saint Seiya reference was good enough to make me complacent. The character design in this episode is quite horrid though. It's probably simplified so that they can put more budget on animating the characters' movement during the game. Having said that, some of the faces in this episode are shocker, especially Asou, who is inconsistently drawn from one frame to another. Also, it seems to me the character design for Harima and Tougou most of the time look a lot better in comparison to Asou's and Imadori's. I wonder if this has to do with the fact that Harima and Tougou's hair are a lot easier to draw and animated.
This is a fun prologue to the upcoming baseball game. Before this episode, I wasn't aware that Asou actually has many girls lining up for his affection. But as it of now, it seems Mikoto, Sarah, and Satsuki are all interested in him. There are also some nice physical jokes here. My favourite is probably the one involving Satsuki and a meal set. The running joke of Tenma getting lots of foods from Yakumo but not getting any exercise is also a comedy gold. Last but not least, Lala giving Imadori the beating of his life never fails to incite any kind of laughter.
For some reason this episode seems to be a lot better quality-wise. The background scenes have a nicer water-colour painting feel to it, something which I don't think I've noticed before on School Rumble. It's unfortunate the same thing can't be said for the characters. I kind of miss the way they look in the manga and wish the anime can replicate the style. Moving on to other parts of the episode, I found some of the background music used in the episode to be quite good. They remind me of lounge jazz music that are often played in those atmospheric jazz club and parlours. It's the kind of music that I'd listen to if I'm trying to relax. Overall, this was an entertaining episode but it's definitely not as good as last week's. The second half of the episode suffers a bit due to the amount of stories that the animators tried to condense.
This was a rather entertaining episode. Well, I don't think it's actually as funny as episode 4 and I'm slightly disappointed with the ending. Having said that, there are some nice highlights which made the episode worth the while. The animation seems to be okay and at times look a bit Ouran-ish due to the flowery background. Anyway, this is probably the episode that most shipper have been waiting for. There seems to be many shipping variations presented here. It makes me wonder if there is anyone who actually watch the series but is not invested whatsoever in any of the pairings. I understand that the comedy is probably what most people are after but I think the various pairings help to create the silly misunderstandings that become the source of this series' jokes.
It feels as if each week this series is getting new characters on a consistent basis. At first it was good because it allows for more diverse storyline. Lately, however, there are way too many of them, making it hard to remember each and every character. This is especially true for the male characters, who usually tend to look similar with one another. The thing is, most of them don't get featured more than once and usually never receives interesting storyline. As a result when the series feature them once in a while, I find it hard to figure out their identity. Anyway, this is a rather funny episode and quite sweet as well in some parts. Although if you're not a fan of the pairings suggested in this episode then I suppose you'll probably be kind of annoyed by it.
What an insane episode! This one is full of various references to other anime series from Card Captor Sakura to Glass Mask. Animation-wise, I also like this one better than last week's episode simply because it actually has more colour and animation style. This one may not have as much action as last week's episode but in general, this feels more entertaining somehow. In addition to this, this week's episode is a lot funnier. Anyway, I'm excited with the fact that we're now gearing up towards the culture festival arc. I personally think that the arc is one of the most interesting arc in the series, especially since there are some story development which I really like. I still can't believe how fast this we get into that arc though. I guess the writers have a lot of materials to cover this time around.
Tokito Ami - Sentimental Generation (42.3MB, for PSP/Quicktime)
Well, this looks like something that has been created for the meganekko fans. The song is basically the opening theme for School Rumble 2nd Term sung by Tokito Ami. In the PV, Tokito Ami wakes up in a class and finds herself in the middle of a school rumble between her classmates. This is because they all want to get that elusive Yakisoba pan (bread) from the school's cafetaria. A tough guy seems to be taking name as he beats up everyone who stands in his way. Unfortunately for him, he eventually loses his energy and gets defeated by a group of geeks. Tokito Ami then uses the opportunity to get the Yakisoba pan for herself before singing and dancing in front of other students in the class. The PV is not exactly artistic and the song wouldn't be mistaken as a 'classic' by any stretch of imagination. Having said that, I think the PV is in line with the kind of story that is often shown in School Rumble.
This is a pleasant conclusion to the battle between class 2-C. There are some funny moments but I think my favourite scene has to be Nakamura's flashback story towards the end of the story. Admittedly, the joke is reaching juvenile level but I can't help but laughing upon seeing the 'punchline', so to speak. If you're a shipper for a particular pairing, I think this episode provides a lot of ammunition for some pairings. Much to my surprise, however, the biggest ammunition is actually given to Tenma and Karasuma's pairing. I certainly never expected this given the fact that Karasuma used to be a one note joke in the first season. In this season, however, attempts seem to have been made to give both him and Tenma a little bit more personality than usual. As a result, despite not being a fan of the pairing, I can see why Tenma is interested in Karasuma.
That was quite good although it's hard to be impressed with the animation after watching Suzumiya Haruhi beforehand. The comedy is still funny and I really dig the Battle Royale reference where a third party killed Madoka after the later killed Shigeo. It looks similar to the scene in Battle Royale where Mitsuko (Shibasaki Kou) wasted Kotohiki (Takayo Mimura) after the other girl killed Hiroki (Sousuke Takaoka) in a misunderstanding. Having said that, I have never been a fan of dark animation sequence and this one has a lot of it. I always think it's a cheap way of cutting the budget. I am also a bit annoyed that some of the action shots in this episode are reused from one character to another. I guess it can't be helped since this is supposed to be a gun battle but I can't help but wondering if it could have been done better.
Opening Theme: 「せんちめんたる じぇねれ〜しょん」 - Sentimental Generation by Tokito Ami (17.5MB for PSP/Quicktime)
Well, the series has officially start again and it doesn't disappoint. First of all, the opening and ending are not too bad even though I'm not too keen on both song. Neither song are as energetic as Scramble or Onna no Ko rabu Otoko no Ko. I also think that the producer should have hired Horie Yui and Ogura Yuuko to sing the opening and ending theme again. I find it weird that the same singer gets to sing both songs. It's not that Tokito Ami is a bad singer but having her doing both songs makes it seem as if the producer is trying to save their budget. And that's not a good impression to give to the viewers. Having said that, thankfully this episode itself is quite good. There are some good moments between Harima and Yakumo in this episode that I hope will continue in future episodes.
