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ラブ ひな [Love Hina] #14
Love Hina, Vol. 14
At the age of 5, Keitaro and his childhood sweetheart promised to meet again as students at Japan's most prestigious university. Now 20, he can't pass his entrance exams...or even remember the girl's name Stumbing into a fluke job at an all-girls dormitory may be his last chance. In the series that inspired the new hit anime, Love Hina proves that love conquers all. Even stupidity.
200 pages, Paperback
First published January 17, 2002
6 people are currently reading
281 people want to read
About the author
Ken Akamatsu
639 books232 followersKen 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).
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).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 18, 2020
I’ve had these manga since I was in 5th grade and it is still my fav manga series off all time!!! I love these characters and crazy story arcs with all my gay little heart and soul!! This time around actually got very emotional and nostalgic reading the last few pages as an adult <3
June 17, 2012
Im glad I took the time to read these books again, they were the first manga I read and I loved them. Now they may seem a little silly and childish but are still just as fun, thank you for the memories!
February 24, 2024
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.
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August 31, 2017
This is the score for the overall series. It had some good moments, it had some dull moments, it had some stupid moments... But I liked the character of Narusegawa Naru and Shinobu and Motoko were interesting too. The other ones were too shallow, too one dimensional, stereotypes. I hated it that literally EVERYONE wanted to be with Keitarou. Maybe that is what happens when there is only one man available in a series like this.
I'm mixed regarding this series, finally I finished it.
I'm mixed regarding this series, finally I finished it.
October 13, 2025
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!
November 6, 2020
The three stars are generous. This series is seriously messed up. First the plusses, the art is fairly good. Great character design. It's genuinely funny and sweet in places. There is a good story about love, promises, and growing up and working to find your passion (not just romantically but life wise) buried under the garbage.
But oy, the garbage... a few instances of accidental peeping or awkward moments of being a boy running a girl's dorm are forgivable, but it really pushes it past the point of funny to seriously messed up. Lowest point was a female character raping/violating another female character and the whole incident getting played off as a joke. It's not explicit, but I think I had abandoned this series on my first attempt to read it and thought my past self wiser at that point. They make a joke out of physical abuse too...and yeah, I get a lot of comedy is kind of violent, but as this was supposed to be about a developing relationship, having the main characters declare that "seeing her naked" and "punching him" to be the most wonderful parts of their relationship, really undermine and soured a bunch of other, much healthier moments. Would have been less cringy to see her develop past the knee jerk reactions to more understanding and less hitting (and maybe some more thought and consideration on his side...though we get a little of that).
It also suffered from characters getting upset over issues that had already been resolved just to drag the story out longer, which is meh. Probably would have been a better series at half the length... I think I may have been remembering the anime when I decided to read/reread this.
But oy, the garbage... a few instances of accidental peeping or awkward moments of being a boy running a girl's dorm are forgivable, but it really pushes it past the point of funny to seriously messed up. Lowest point was a female character raping/violating another female character and the whole incident getting played off as a joke. It's not explicit, but I think I had abandoned this series on my first attempt to read it and thought my past self wiser at that point. They make a joke out of physical abuse too...and yeah, I get a lot of comedy is kind of violent, but as this was supposed to be about a developing relationship, having the main characters declare that "seeing her naked" and "punching him" to be the most wonderful parts of their relationship, really undermine and soured a bunch of other, much healthier moments. Would have been less cringy to see her develop past the knee jerk reactions to more understanding and less hitting (and maybe some more thought and consideration on his side...though we get a little of that).
It also suffered from characters getting upset over issues that had already been resolved just to drag the story out longer, which is meh. Probably would have been a better series at half the length... I think I may have been remembering the anime when I decided to read/reread this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2018
The cover art has a wedding picture with Naru and Keitaro. It is difficult to give away the ending, eh?
As the story goes, it seems as if this relationship will not work out. Naru fears that Keitaro's feelings for her will change because she believes she is not Keitaro's "promise girl". Obviously they work that problem out. Otherwise... no wedding. All is revealed. (Like we don't already know.)
Any problems with the story? It continues with the same ridiculous excuses for Keitaro and Naru avoiding having premarital sex. It is only interesting in the various ways in which the author can find for the determined couple not to... couple.
Included in this volume is an afterword from the author and some apologies to the characters themselves by the author. Also a new character is introduced, Ema Maeda. She has heard of the magic of Hinata House and has finally found the place, She walks into the middle of wedding plans for the lucky couple. Her character acts as a foil for the author to reintroduce the characters of Love Hina 4 years later. That actually works.
If you have read this far, you already find the modesty issues tolerable. At this point they are predictable and the author does not disappoint.
Over all, I enjoyed reading the series. I might look for volumes 1-3 just to see how it all got started. I bought this series because it looked interesting and it was on closeout for $1 a volume. It was missing books 1, 2 and 3. It has been sitting on my shelves for years waiting to be read. Now was the time.
As the story goes, it seems as if this relationship will not work out. Naru fears that Keitaro's feelings for her will change because she believes she is not Keitaro's "promise girl". Obviously they work that problem out. Otherwise... no wedding. All is revealed. (Like we don't already know.)
Any problems with the story? It continues with the same ridiculous excuses for Keitaro and Naru avoiding having premarital sex. It is only interesting in the various ways in which the author can find for the determined couple not to... couple.
Included in this volume is an afterword from the author and some apologies to the characters themselves by the author. Also a new character is introduced, Ema Maeda. She has heard of the magic of Hinata House and has finally found the place, She walks into the middle of wedding plans for the lucky couple. Her character acts as a foil for the author to reintroduce the characters of Love Hina 4 years later. That actually works.
If you have read this far, you already find the modesty issues tolerable. At this point they are predictable and the author does not disappoint.
Over all, I enjoyed reading the series. I might look for volumes 1-3 just to see how it all got started. I bought this series because it looked interesting and it was on closeout for $1 a volume. It was missing books 1, 2 and 3. It has been sitting on my shelves for years waiting to be read. Now was the time.
December 15, 2024
This series feels like a time capsule, coloured by fond nostalgia more than anything else. I'll be honest, Love Hina hasn't aged well and would undoubtedly not sit too well with the average reader in the 2020s for very good reasons, but I wanted to finally read it in its entirety after only finding random volumes here and there in my teens. I like Akamatsu's art style and characters, and there is a certain wacky charm to the series that I find weirdly enjoyable, despite the fan service being a little too on the nose and the story repetetive. It was nice to see that the characters eventually grow and learn as the story progresses, not something I was expecting to see at all in a harem manga.
December 29, 2020
I can honestly say that this manga is one of my favourite reads I’ve ever had! Nearly bringing me to happy tears as I read the last pages.
The story and characters were so funny and enthralling, constantly wanting to read on.
I’ve never been Into romantic stuff but this broke that barrier with ease. I’m sad that I’m finished reading it but I hope to revisit it again sometime to relive the joy the series has given me.
Ken akamatsu really created something so innocent, funny, charming, timeless and beautiful in Love Hina.
The story and characters were so funny and enthralling, constantly wanting to read on.
I’ve never been Into romantic stuff but this broke that barrier with ease. I’m sad that I’m finished reading it but I hope to revisit it again sometime to relive the joy the series has given me.
Ken akamatsu really created something so innocent, funny, charming, timeless and beautiful in Love Hina.
June 29, 2021
Maciek, I did it for you!
Jeez, che sofferenza! Non sono riuscita a entrare in sintonia con questa serie. Non me ne fregava niente dei personaggi, le situazioni erano assurde (ma dal lato negativo dell'assurdità) e la storia continuava a girare intorno su se stessa senza andare avanti. E a volte sembrava che l'autore volesse giusto allungare il brodo...
Va beh, va, l'avevo comprata di seconda mano e l'ho finita perché mi seccava tenerla lì senza averla letta.
Jeez, che sofferenza! Non sono riuscita a entrare in sintonia con questa serie. Non me ne fregava niente dei personaggi, le situazioni erano assurde (ma dal lato negativo dell'assurdità) e la storia continuava a girare intorno su se stessa senza andare avanti. E a volte sembrava che l'autore volesse giusto allungare il brodo...
Va beh, va, l'avevo comprata di seconda mano e l'ho finita perché mi seccava tenerla lì senza averla letta.
February 10, 2022
Bref, "Love Hina" fût une lecture catastrophique pour moi. J'essaye toujours de trouver du positif dans mes lectures mais là, franchement, j'ai beau me creuser la tête, il n'y a vraiment rien qui me vienne à l'esprit. Le jeu du chat et de la souris entre nos deux héros m'a plus agacé que charmé et les boulettes de Keitaro m'ont épuisé. Il n'y a aucune nouveauté, aucune évolution dans l'histoire, et le passé des personnages est à peine effleuré. C'est redondant, plat, fade et agaçant à la longue. Ce mangas n'était clairement pas fait pour moi.
June 30, 2019
Une série régressive mais qui reste vraiment agréable à lire ! Les graphismes sont très beaux, et les références à la culture traditionnelle japonaise sont très appréciables ! Un excellent moment de relecture !
August 15, 2018
Sadly this series has come to an end. I’m so happy that I discovered these books in my siblings room when I was younger. Although most of it is cliche and repetitive, I enjoyed it immensely.
June 30, 2019
Ages 16 +
September 27, 2020
Pretty great Romance manga, really good story and love the art style 😁👌❤️
March 16, 2021
What a beautiful ending to a beautiful manga.
February 15, 2022
Cała seria będzie moim comfort readem. Uwielbiam
September 18, 2022
The story is over. I felt there was a rather sweet chaotic energy to it.
September 2, 2024
It's a good ending for the series but the book itself was not great.
August 25, 2025
Top mejores mangas que me he leído
September 14, 2015
Well, approximately 12 years later I'm done with Love Hina. I think this book was the perfect ending to this story. Akamatsu played with us right until the end. I think both the true ending and the epilogue could have been predicted by anyone, but I confess I had my doubts for two reasons: 1) from what I know (I haven't gone through all of the anime or manga yet), Ranma 1/2 leaves Akane and Ranma in a stalemate. 2) Akamatsu made Love Hina a self-aware comic. They played with nearly every manga (and specifically harem manga) trope and lampshaded, deconstructed, or reconstructed them (sometimes all three). Like many Manga-ka from this period (and like my current favorite American comic artist Brandon Graham) , he got his start in hentai so the fan service did get a bit much at times, especially as I got older. This book was relatively free of insane fan service - most of it was relatively tame (although one scene in the Epilogue...).
Anyway, the review is starting to ramble on because, unlike American trades, there haven't always been well-delineated storylines per book and less so on this one because Akamatsu was just putting the finishing touches on a long series. Let's just say that recent books made me worry about what this one would be and my fears were unfounded.
Anyway, the review is starting to ramble on because, unlike American trades, there haven't always been well-delineated storylines per book and less so on this one because Akamatsu was just putting the finishing touches on a long series. Let's just say that recent books made me worry about what this one would be and my fears were unfounded.
December 6, 2008
Ken Akamatsu, Love Hina vol. 14 (Tokyopop, 2003)
And so we come to the end of Love Hina, and man, am I sorry to see it go. It ended up becoming one of my favorite manga series over the months I read it, and the final volume was no exception. There were, as there always seem to be in final volumes, a few too many loose ends tied up far more abruptly than they should be, but the book still has a great sense of humor and a strong story arc (especially since it's an abbreviated volume, with teo epilogues featuring a new guest at Hinata House taking up the remainder of the space). This volume's question, of course, is whether Keitaro and Naru are finally going to get hitched, but as always, there's something in the way—Keitaro's discoveries over the past volumes combined with Seta's retirement, have led to the Joint Tokyo University-Pararakelse Archaeology Committee extending Keitaro a job offer. Can Naru give up her dreams of being with him in order to cheer on Keitaro's dreams? (It did make me wonder why she couldn't just go with him.) A wonderful series comes to a strong end. Definitely worthwhile. ****
And so we come to the end of Love Hina, and man, am I sorry to see it go. It ended up becoming one of my favorite manga series over the months I read it, and the final volume was no exception. There were, as there always seem to be in final volumes, a few too many loose ends tied up far more abruptly than they should be, but the book still has a great sense of humor and a strong story arc (especially since it's an abbreviated volume, with teo epilogues featuring a new guest at Hinata House taking up the remainder of the space). This volume's question, of course, is whether Keitaro and Naru are finally going to get hitched, but as always, there's something in the way—Keitaro's discoveries over the past volumes combined with Seta's retirement, have led to the Joint Tokyo University-Pararakelse Archaeology Committee extending Keitaro a job offer. Can Naru give up her dreams of being with him in order to cheer on Keitaro's dreams? (It did make me wonder why she couldn't just go with him.) A wonderful series comes to a strong end. Definitely worthwhile. ****
May 12, 2014
I first saw this manga when I was much younger at my local library. I was very skeptical and thought it was a stupid concept. I recently received most of the series from a friend, and actually found myself enjoying it. While there was a bit too much fan service for my own personal tastes, I couldn't help but root for Keitaro the entire time. I have a soft spot for the dorky, klutzy, awkward male underdogs in manga. (Well, I should say those types of characters in general, but you get the idea) Some of the scenes get very repetitive, Ken Akamatsu somehow manages to keep the reoccurring events fresh, and entertaining. Overall, I'm fairly happy with this series. I don't think it's as awesome as some people make it out to be, but it certainly was a fun read, and I'm very content with the conclusion.
September 16, 2013
I'm only rating this one. I first read Love Hina in 2004 and hadn't read it again in nine years. Over the last weekend I've rediscovered a series I loved when i was a teenager and had no 'knowledge of the world' compared to now, and rereading the series is a totally different perspective, and I am going to miss the characters I fell in love with again for sure, and I wish it wasn't over. Everything was resolved, in a satisfying way, where protagonists truly had to earn their ending, but I'll miss them anyway.
That said, the series isnt perfect and it's way more dirty than I remember. I'm almost embarassed to be seen with these, but ultimately I enjoyed them so I dont give a shit.
That said, the series isnt perfect and it's way more dirty than I remember. I'm almost embarassed to be seen with these, but ultimately I enjoyed them so I dont give a shit.
July 27, 2012
Mmmh, what can I say. When I started this series, I really found it mediocre. The story starts off weird and it made me so anxious, but I have to admit many things were unpredictable and surprised me (but not all the times). I think in the end it wasn't that bad, but still, it's not the genre I was looking for. I'm not completely satisfied by it but I've enjoyed the last volumes. I wished the story would wrap up diffrently and not so expectedly as it did. Maybe I won't read another series similar to this one in the future.
January 14, 2009
Love Hina ends with this final volume, and a new member to the house! Near the end, a new resident who is like a female Keitaro moves in named Ema.
ANYWAY, yes, of course Keitaro and Naru live happily ever after. What else were you thinking?
I think the series could have gone on longer. It would have been better that way, but then Negima might not have been made. Oh well.
It is sad to have it end, but it was an overall good series with a solid 5 stars.
ANYWAY, yes, of course Keitaro and Naru live happily ever after. What else were you thinking?
I think the series could have gone on longer. It would have been better that way, but then Negima might not have been made. Oh well.
It is sad to have it end, but it was an overall good series with a solid 5 stars.
April 26, 2011
i loved this book! i got it from my library and the first ever book i read here in england!! i hate my library for not having the whole series and now im watching the movies of this to know the story better!
i dont know the story well but i think this book in the series was really good, although it's the ending! :)
i would recommend it to you guys who likes reading mangas and books about romance/love.
i dont know the story well but i think this book in the series was really good, although it's the ending! :)
i would recommend it to you guys who likes reading mangas and books about romance/love.
November 30, 2025
This particular volume from this award-winning series is probably the best in the entire series. Not only does the artwork continue to shine with Ken Akamatsu's superior story-telling style, the story itself brings a satisfying conclusion to the series, completing the story arcs of a large number of the series' best characters. And I not only recommend this book, but the whole series that precedes it.
September 24, 2009
It seems like this summer I've finished all of my long drawn-out favorite manga, and Love Hina is one of them. The last two volumes of this seemed very rushed somehow and of course, overly-the-top wacky, but I loved it. Along with the rest of the Hinata House girls, I fell in love with Keitaro along the way.
February 18, 2018
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.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews