Love Hina, Tome 4

ラブ ひな [Love Hina] #4

by Ken Akamatsu

Tous les membres de la pension reviennent d’Okinawa et chacun reprend ses activités. Une grande question se pose : que vont faire Naru et Keitarô à propos de leurs études ? Deux nouveaux personnages entrent en scène, un certain monsieur Seta, pour qui Keitarô se met à travailler et une petite peste du nom de Sarah, qui considère manifestement Seta comme son père. Elle n’a pas fini d’en faire voir à notre pauvre Keitarô.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics, Comedy, Comics Manga

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 16, 1999

About the author

Ken Akamatsu (赤松 健, Akamatsu Ken, July 5, 1968 -) is a Japanese mangaka from Tokyo.

In his teenage years, Akamatsu failed the entrance exam to Tokyo University, and applied for Film Study instead (it is speculated that this is where he got the idea for Love Hina). Eventually, he became famous as an illustrator featured in Comiket (short for Comic Market, a comic convention bi-annually held in Japan). He used the pen name Awa Mizuno (水野 亜和, MIZUNO Awa). Akamatsu, still in college, then proceeded to win the Weekly Shonen Magazine award twice. His "A Kid's Game for One Summer" was awarded the coveted 50th Shonen Magazine Newcomer's Award soon after he graduated.

After a big hit with A.I. Love You, he finally made a grand success with his new manga, Love Hina. The series appeared in Weekly Shonen Magazine and has been collected in eleven volumes (with fourteen volumes in total), which have sold over 6 million copies in Japan, and received the Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen in 2001.
Akamatsu had added elements of his own life experiences to the story, and this was said to have induced a unique feeling to the manga especially for Western readers, whose lack of familiarity with Japanese culture for the most part added to the effect. The series, published in America in 2002, was especially well received in many overseas countries - Akamatsu was surprised that even foreign readers found Love Hina to be "cute" and to their liking.

He is now married to his wife 'Kanon' Akamatsu, who was previously a singer/idol. He is currently working on his latest manga series, Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, which is his longest running manga so far. Like Love Hina, has also been made into an anime series. A second independent retelling of Negima was made called Negima!?. Both series were produced by XEBEC (Negima!? was produced by SHAFT).

Reviews

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ken Akamatsu, Love Hina vol. 4 (Tokyopop, 1999)

Oh, Akamatsu-sensei, why'd you have to do it? Here I am all happy that I've found my favorite manga since I discovered Bleach, and you had to go and toss in a super-animal. Worse yet, you had to do so in a volume where the plot seems strained as it is; this is a lot more contrived than earlier volumes (and given how contrived some of the situations get, that's really saying something). I'm not going to stop reading the series, because I still love the characters, but man, I hope this flying turtle fades into the background mighty quick. ***

[Setsanata · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hinata house is about to get some new tenants. Keitaro tries to find a part-time job. Naru's old tutor and secret crush, Seita Noriyasu, stops by with his adopted daughter Sarah, a spunky 7-year-old American. With Naru's affections drifting to the charismatic older Seita, Keitaro is in danger of losing his one true love. As if things aren't crazy enough, there's a new pet in the Hinata House as well -- a flying sea turtle named Tama-chan, who loves to chase the girls around. What to expect from Mustumi...

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for the complete series



Keitaro just doesn't seem to be successful at anything - he failed his university entrance exam twice, was thrown out by his parents and just generally seems plagued by bad luck. Wanting to give the entrance exam another go, he decides to find accommodation in his grandmother's hotel. Upon arrival, though, it turns out that the hotel has now become a girl's dormitory where he is anything but welcome. But luck might be coming Keitaro's way after all when he learns that his grandmother has transferred the dormitory's ownership to him!

Love Hina seems to be a case of people either loving it and considering it a classic, while others think of it as a sexist work full of fanservice. I find myself in neither of these groups, though I have read other works by the author that really deserve being called out for sexism. In any case, let me start by saying that I love Akamatsu's art - especially in Love Hina. His earlier works weren't as nice to look at while I find that post-Love Hina works lost character and just look very generic.

So apart from loving the art, this was also one of the first manga I read and bought and therefore also has some nostalgia effect on me. As I was still new to reading manga and didn't know much about the different genres, because I had seen a lot of pictures of it and just generally liked the look of it, I decided to give this one a try. I didn't realise until much later that I wasn't even the target audience for this series, and even back then, it was never a huge favourite of mine, though I certainly did always enjoy reading.

I first and foremostly enjoy Love Hina as a comedy, it is one of the most hilarious manga I have read and often has me laughing out loud. A large chunk of the comedy can certainly be called 'dirty jokes', yet it's a far call from what people give it - I don't think that these jokes are sexist, indecent or demeaning towards women in any way. The girls in this manga all have very different personalities, but with the except of shy Shinobu, they're all pretty tough and know how to deal with the male characters of this series (although Keitaro is more often blamed when actually innocent than not).

The characters are another strong point in this series. I find Keitaro a very likeable main character - he draws bad luck like no other but is very kind and caring. He learns and recognises his weaknesses and definitely grows as the story progresses. Still, bad luck seems to stick with him all the way to the last chapter. In any case, I love the original cast of the girl's dormitory, they are such a varied but well-balanced group. They are great friends, a bit crazy together and there's at least one for every kind of reader to enjoy. My personal favourites are Naru, Mutsumi, Shinobu and Motoko - which actually surprises me as Shinobu and Motoko were among my least favourite when I read this series initially.

Another thing I love about this series and that speaks against the harem sexist accusations is the fact that not all the girls are in love him Keitaro. I am very sure that several of them are just interested in a platonic kind of relationship, e.g. I don't believe that Su sees in him anything but a big brother. Only some of them are genuinely interested in him and I think all of them have feelings that are well-developed and according to their personalities. I also think the female bodies are nicely drawn and natural-looking - there are no extremely overshaped breasts or curves as one can find in most other 'fan service' series.

Nonetheless, there are a few things that I also don't enjoy about Love Hina. At around the tenth volume, the story starts to drag. Ten volumes seems a good amount to wrap up this kind of story, instead, we get some additional characters that are utterly annoying and just unnecessary. Sara has to be among the most annoying little girl characters I've ever come across! But at least she still adds to the story while the whole Kanako arc felt like a major filler to just drag everything out. The fact that it was never mentioned that Keitaro has an adopted sister made it feel all the more as though it was an afterthought to keep the show running. I find Kanako a very unpleasant character and wish her part would have been left out. Since her appearance, the series felt more and more estranged from its original genre as there was a lot of over-the-top action going on.

But hey, annoying characters and arcs aside, Love Hina has one of the best endings, or rather epilogues, out there. It brings the whole series to a nice round conclusion and gives you a nice idea of what's become of everyone - it was really the best way this series could have ended!

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read prior to joining Goodreads.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

la suite ! la suite !

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading with Volume 4 because it was available. I liked it a lot with some caveats.

The story: A nerdy guy, Keitaro, gets a job as a landlord for an all-girls residence (Hinata House) while he studies for entrance exams for Tokyo University. As a child Keitaro promised a girl that they would go to Tokyo University together, but he hasn't seen her since. A girl at Hinata House, Naru, is also studying for the entrance exams, so Keitaro and Naru study together. Obviously there is some attraction there, but both deny it. She also has a secret crush on a past tutor. Meanwhile, there is plenty of opportunity for panty-flashes, partial nudity at the Hinata hot spring, and violence as Naru beats the living snot out of Keitaro whenever he accidentally walks in on Naru while she is getting dressed or bathing.

Any modesty problems? Yes. Although the modesty issues are better in "Love Hina" than they are in "Ranma 1/2", they still exist. Keep in mind that public nudity is more acceptable in Japan than in the USA such as in public baths and spas. This results in more bathroom/locker room humor than one would experience in the USA. Thus what would seem silly and a little sexually provocative in Japan will seem like unforgivable lewdness in the USA. Brace yourself.

Example: While Keitaro is babysitting a little girl at the hot spring, he trips and accidentally yanks off her bathing suit, revealing a panda birthmark on her butt. She finds this terribly embarrassing, but no one thinks to tell her father. From the reader's point of view, we are looking at a cartoon drawing of a grade schooler's naked butt. Is this terrible? It depends on your perception. I saw the movie "Grease" where the opening credits show a cartoon naked butt mooning people. It is at about that level.

Any other problems? The type in the dialog is a little difficult to read at times. Granted, my vision is in need of help, but I read "Ranma 1/2" without any serious aid. With "Love Hina" I needed a magnifying glass at times. Most of it was inconsequential side comments that could be skipped, but I think the side comments add to the humor.

This is a popular classic manga romance series. I think it is worth reading.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This copy I bought of volume 4 has been sitting on my shelf for what feels like months now, and in order to eliminate some of my lingering guilt, I decided to pick it up. Volume 4 feels like something of a return to the over-saturation of fanservice and comedy that dogged the first volume, and left me largely feeling like the majority of this was filler for padding. Perhaps I shouldn't complain, but honestly I don't remember being this annoyed with the series when I read it in my sophomore year of high school. Ah, how things change.

I will say however, that this doesn't make the volume any less important.
Keitaro tries and fails repeatedly to find a part-time job that pays, he and Naru have another large spat (because what else is new?), and during these low moments, he ends up taking on a part-time job offered by an archaeology professor who lectures at Tokyo University, and it turns out he's the crush Naru's harbored this entire time that she was trying to get into uni for. He also has a young daughter, Sarah, whose connection to him won't be really explained in detail until later volumes, if my memory serves correctly.
We also get an unclothing moment with Sarah as well, which DID bother me even when I was in high school; I remember finding it somewhat disturbing while the rest of my peers found it hilarious. I feel like that often gets handwaved, and I personally can't entirely do that, myself. So be warned, all ye who dare enter here, that this is A Thing That Happens during a hot springs scene.
The volume wraps up on another comedic note, giving us the insight that Naru's crush, Professor Seta, is Oblivious To Love, and Naru and Kitsune aren't exactly over their crushes on him.

I'd make a case regardless that this is probably one of the weaker volumes of the series, but that will have to wait for me to revisit the rest as I go.

[Soobie is expired · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non ci riesco... Non mi piace!!!

Me l'ha consigliata Maciek, questa. È una delle sue serie preferite di sempre e la sta rileggendo adesso insieme a me. Lui continua ad adorarla... Io? Non proprio.

C'è una cosa che mi urta a non finire: qualunque cosa faccia Keitaro, viene picchiato a priori, anche se magari non è nemmeno colpa sua. Inoltre tutte le ragazze sono vagamente isteriche. A cui adesso si aggiunge una bimbetta psicopatica...

E mancano ancora dieci volumi alla fine... SIGH!

[Arnis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Četru gadu vecumā Keitaro Urashima un kāda atmiņu dzīlēs pēc vārda aizmirsta meitene reiz smilšu kastē viens otram devuši solījumu, ka abi reiz iekļūs Todai universitātē vien aiz tā iemesle, ka jau tādā vecumā padzirdējuši, ka diviem mīlētājiem kopā esot Todai mīlestība garantēta uz mūžu.

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...

[ElsaMakotoRenge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as funny as volume 3 and honestly there is just too much fanservice for me. I don’t like how Sarah is treated either...she’s a brat but she is a KID. Also kicking Keitaro around got old.:P I might pick up volume 5 if I see it at the thrift store for dirt cheap but otherwise...nah.

[MxMorganic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly a really great volume! Akamatsu does a great job showing instead of telling, and just letting the things that *aren’t* said mean as much as the things that are. I also really loved the art in this volume for whatever reason - lots of great facial expressions especially.

[Amara · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of the same, though I like this Seta character. But Sara is a bit over the top...

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty great Romance manga, really good story and love the art style 😁👌❤️

[Shannon Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has to be my favourite volume so far. A lot happened not just the light-hearted moments but also within character and storyline development.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really funny.

[Saya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nada más que añadir a lo dicho en tomos anteriores XD

[Nayade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un tomo divertido que deja entrever algunos temas más profundos y complejos, sin llegar a excederse. Además, la introducción de un nuevo personaje permite mantener la frescura en la narración y nos ayuda a acceder a una parte de la historia de Naru que desconocíamos.

Reseña completa: http://elmundodenaya.blogspot.com/202...

[Ape · Rating 2 out of 5]

2007 bookcrossing:

I read this during the afternoon as I was in the mood for something light. Manga's a funny one. The way they over dramatise people's reactions; such as seeing these girls kick the living daylights out of guys because they insulted them. All very silly. And slightly kinky - like it's helping teenagers deal with their hormones through the comics or something!!!

Thing is, as silly as it all is with pyschotic teenage girls and flying turtles, I do feel like I want to know what happened next! I haven't read so much manga - just a couple of English translations I picked up when I was in Tokyo, and now this one.

I mean, not a lot happens. It's set in a dorm for girls in their late teens, and also about the young caretaker Keitaro. He keeps trying to get into Tokyo uni and not making it. And one of the girls, Hina, has tried and failed, and they're kind of attracted to each other without admitting it and manage to get into lots of awkward embarassing situations!

Anyway, it's silly escapism if nothing else!

[Redfox5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only own the first 4 volumes of Love Hina so this will be my last one for awhile. The rest are already on my wishlist :)

Keitaro and Naru get close, only for Naru's mysterious crush to turn up. He also happens to be Keitaro's boss and a lecturer at Tokyo U. Both of them are still not sure what they want to do regarding university but they seem to have made their mind up by the end.

They also spend lots of the book chasing that turtle....Still funny though and the series is well worth picking up.

[Amy Packwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The members of the Hinata House find themselves preparing for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Keitaro is unsure about going back to his ronin status and so gets a part-time job as a Tokyo U lecturer's assistant. But things get complicated when he discovers that Naru's reason for wanting to get into Tokyo U is all because of his new boss! Things get more interesting with the introduction of Seta and Sarah and the gags involve more genuine humour.

[Onírica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Si queréis leer una obra realmente magistral de Ken Akamatsu, leed la serie "Negima!: Magister Negi Magi" Una historia bien pensada que te atrapa, con personajes que evolucionan psicológicamente, un dibujo preciosista cargado de detalles y profundidad de planos en cada página, momentos trepidantes y realmente emocionantes, y una aventura interesante que leer. Probadla, de verdad.

[Annchan Maulana · Rating 3 out of 5]

i watch the anime version :
it is about a boy name Urashima Keitaro who became girls's dorm caretaker, since he fails his ent-exams into Tokyo University for the 2nd time and officially an unemployed plus his parents kicked him out of the house ^_^"
And the story begin ..

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one where Keitaro gets another part-time job and Naru re-encounters Seta.

Same drama, same fun, more Keitaro-Naru sweetness. Great book to settle down with a mug of steaming cherry blossom tea. 🍒

[Amy]

Love Hina, Vol. 4 by Ken Akamatsu (2002)

[Courtney (Pirogoeth) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like how this story is going. It’s funny how much...

[Shane23 dotson]

very funny

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don't remember what happens in which volume, but the basic gist is all pretty much the same, and pretty funny.

[Samantha Brattle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love hina and Ken Akamatsu so I give this volume of the manga 5 stars. it is funny, sweet and full of really likeable characters. A must read for manga fans.

[Onispen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une jolie lecture drôle et pleine de douceur (aheum, tout est relatif).