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ラブ ひな [Love Hina] #3
ラブひな 3
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.
Paperback
First published June 17, 1999
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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 44 reviews
May 1, 2013
This is the first ever manga that I read. At that time I was completely unaware of graphic series so instead of volume 1, this is the volume which I read first. And then I accidentally read it from the back. (I didn't know it then that this was originally Japanese, and that the format was kept even though it was translated to Norwegian, well it did not make sense to me why a book would be flip) and because I wasn't that good in Norwegian at that time I did not mind the info about the backward reading system. I read the book from the back all the way to the center and stop. I don't know how but I later found out how to read it anyway.
I found the volume 1&2 at the library and later I bought the complete set. I really enjoyed the story and it made me laughed a lot at that time but now when I tried to re-read the book, maybe my taste for comedy has change but except for shinobu I find every single girl at the inn annoying. The story is still good but I can't swallow their unreasonable violence towards Keitaro anymore.
I found the volume 1&2 at the library and later I bought the complete set. I really enjoyed the story and it made me laughed a lot at that time but now when I tried to re-read the book, maybe my taste for comedy has change but except for shinobu I find every single girl at the inn annoying. The story is still good but I can't swallow their unreasonable violence towards Keitaro anymore.
October 24, 2016
This volume takes on a slightly more serious tone as Naru and Keitaro both fail their exam t get into Tokyo university. They have a nasty fight and both decide to independently visit Kyoto to get away from it all.
Of course they end up being on the same train, getting off at the same stop and booking the same hotel. Which ends up having a shortage of rooms so they have to share a single room. Slightly creepy moment in this when I think Keitaro is going to start touching up Naru when she's asleep, thankfully he doesn't.
Also I get the whole outside bathing spring baths are a thing in Japan but did we really need a little naked boy drawn? It seemed unnecessary.
They also meet this clumsy girl and Keitaro ends up getting his first kiss from her, much to the annoyance of Naru but then she kisses her to so it's all okay. She also gives them a turtle, who seems to be the star in the next book.....
Of course they end up being on the same train, getting off at the same stop and booking the same hotel. Which ends up having a shortage of rooms so they have to share a single room. Slightly creepy moment in this when I think Keitaro is going to start touching up Naru when she's asleep, thankfully he doesn't.
Also I get the whole outside bathing spring baths are a thing in Japan but did we really need a little naked boy drawn? It seemed unnecessary.
They also meet this clumsy girl and Keitaro ends up getting his first kiss from her, much to the annoyance of Naru but then she kisses her to so it's all okay. She also gives them a turtle, who seems to be the star in the next book.....
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!
February 10, 2019
As far as installments in this series go, I do feel like this volume is one of the better ones.
We follow Keitaro and Naru as the two of them both fail the entrance exam for Tokyo University and each individually resolve to "go on a journey of healing and self-reflection" to cope with the pain of failure. Naturally, some chaos ensues as the two run into each other and more misunderstandings occur (and Keitaro again fails to keep himself in check at times.) Along the way, we are introduced to a new character in the series that the two encounter while on a ferry: Mutsumi Otohime. Mutsumi immediately hits things off with Keitaro, a little less quickly with Naru, and due to her weak constitution, Naru and Keitaro resolve to accompany her for a while until they can see her home in order to avoid a guilty conscience at the thought of Mutsumi possibly dying without supervision. Of course along the way, the rest of the girls of Hinata House strike out in an attempt to find their missing landlord and missing friend, constantly getting sidetracked along the way. (Intentionally and unintentionally, as the case may be.) They all reunite and find Keitaro and Naru shortly after Mutsumi parts ways with the pair, and things resume their normal flow.
I tend to judge this series a tad more harshly than I would have years ago, due to seeing some of the harmful impacts it left on people who grew up with it, myself included. However, a lot of that has to do with ecchi side of the series and storytelling moreso than the story itself, and there was more focus on the story in this volume. So all in all, I enjoyed this volume more than the first two.
We follow Keitaro and Naru as the two of them both fail the entrance exam for Tokyo University and each individually resolve to "go on a journey of healing and self-reflection" to cope with the pain of failure. Naturally, some chaos ensues as the two run into each other and more misunderstandings occur (and Keitaro again fails to keep himself in check at times.) Along the way, we are introduced to a new character in the series that the two encounter while on a ferry: Mutsumi Otohime. Mutsumi immediately hits things off with Keitaro, a little less quickly with Naru, and due to her weak constitution, Naru and Keitaro resolve to accompany her for a while until they can see her home in order to avoid a guilty conscience at the thought of Mutsumi possibly dying without supervision. Of course along the way, the rest of the girls of Hinata House strike out in an attempt to find their missing landlord and missing friend, constantly getting sidetracked along the way. (Intentionally and unintentionally, as the case may be.) They all reunite and find Keitaro and Naru shortly after Mutsumi parts ways with the pair, and things resume their normal flow.
I tend to judge this series a tad more harshly than I would have years ago, due to seeing some of the harmful impacts it left on people who grew up with it, myself included. However, a lot of that has to do with ecchi side of the series and storytelling moreso than the story itself, and there was more focus on the story in this volume. So all in all, I enjoyed this volume more than the first two.
April 9, 2025
Pensaba que Love Hina sería un poco como The Office, la estadounidense, y que el primer tomo sería como la primera temporada de TO, que es superincómoda, aunque por suerte la serie mejora ¡y de qué manera! Pero en el caso de Love Hina esto no es así: este tercer tomo vuelve un poco a las andadas del primero, con algunos detalles bastante incómodos, sobre todo con Shinobu o Kaolla, que solo tienen 13 años. Es un humor bastante burdo y pajillero, pero claro, no soy un chaval de 15 años, así que no soy el target y, aunque lo fuera, algunos detalles han envejecido como la leche. De todos modos tiene algo entrañable tras toda esa maraña de convenientes casualidades. Si sigo leyendo, es porque me pica la curiosidad XD Y porque me siento muy cómoda leyéndolo en japonés: tiene el nivel perfecto para desafiarme lo suficiente como para seguir aprendiendo cosas nuevas sin aburrirme o abrumarme con mucho vocabulario o gramática desconocidos.
September 9, 2020
Un tome 3 où le voyage est au centre. Keitaro et Naru ayant eu une mauvaise surprise lors de leurs résultats décident de s'offrir un voyage de consolation. Vu le climat entre eux, ce voyage doit se faire séparément mais bizarrement ils n'arrêtent pas de se croiser. Les membres de la pension, curieuses, décident de leur filer le pas.
A travers tout le Japon, on va donc suivre notre fine équipe et Keitaro va rencontrer une jeune femme aussi maladroite que lui (si si c'est possible).
Un tome assez dynamique qui relance la machine avec l'arrivée d'une nouvelle protagoniste qui jette le doute dans l'esprit du héros qui est toujours aussi boulet dans son genre. le côté romance est quand même très présent et sous-jacent dans la relation entre Keitaro et Naru (malgré des circonstances peu propices). Agréable à suivre donc je verrai le tome suivant.
A travers tout le Japon, on va donc suivre notre fine équipe et Keitaro va rencontrer une jeune femme aussi maladroite que lui (si si c'est possible).
Un tome assez dynamique qui relance la machine avec l'arrivée d'une nouvelle protagoniste qui jette le doute dans l'esprit du héros qui est toujours aussi boulet dans son genre. le côté romance est quand même très présent et sous-jacent dans la relation entre Keitaro et Naru (malgré des circonstances peu propices). Agréable à suivre donc je verrai le tome suivant.
April 27, 2025
Got this in a manga surprise bookswap parcel.
Visually, I found this one quite interesting. The characters are drawn in a simple, dynamic style that goes well with the comedy genre, andbut whenever there is a calmer, more important scene (or the emphasis is on arriving at a new place), the pictures are really detailled. I especially enjoyed the views of Tokyo and Kyoto and the various architectural styles, even if it was just for brief glimpses.
The story is... fun, but personally I find some of the tropes really worrying and potentially dangerous. There is a lot about "accidentally" seeing somebody naked and also that familiar manga thing about girls saying "no" and shouting "pervert!" a lot but secretly liking the guy. Presented without context, this can potentially contribute to toxic behaviour.
Visually, I found this one quite interesting. The characters are drawn in a simple, dynamic style that goes well with the comedy genre, andbut whenever there is a calmer, more important scene (or the emphasis is on arriving at a new place), the pictures are really detailled. I especially enjoyed the views of Tokyo and Kyoto and the various architectural styles, even if it was just for brief glimpses.
The story is... fun, but personally I find some of the tropes really worrying and potentially dangerous. There is a lot about "accidentally" seeing somebody naked and also that familiar manga thing about girls saying "no" and shouting "pervert!" a lot but secretly liking the guy. Presented without context, this can potentially contribute to toxic behaviour.
January 3, 2021
Sooo, I think this is the last volume I am going to read. The interesting part just isn't the main focus, which is unfortunate😢
The three volumes I read though was ok and funny but makes no sense to use any more time on them. I will find a summary for the rest of the series to get my answers, hahaha. But I feel like the main characters will never get into Tokyo uni even if their life depended on it😂
The three volumes I read though was ok and funny but makes no sense to use any more time on them. I will find a summary for the rest of the series to get my answers, hahaha. But I feel like the main characters will never get into Tokyo uni even if their life depended on it😂
June 5, 2021
E dopo aver l'esame di ammissione, Keitaro si prende una piccola pausa e fa un viaggio. Peccato che Naru abbia avuto la stessa idea. Ne viene fuori un viaggio assurdo in cui Keitaro incontra la sua versione femminile... E tutte le altre ragazze del dormitorio li cercano in lungo e in largo...
E arriva anche una tartaruga. Speriamo che almeno lei sia normale!
E arriva anche una tartaruga. Speriamo che almeno lei sia normale!
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.
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...
August 18, 2017
I'm seeing some more character development in this volume. And I'm kind of rooting for Naru x Keitarou! I hope this isn't another tease like Negima :')
June 30, 2019
Ages 16+
July 31, 2019
Silly, juvenile, unoriginal and totally hilarious. Best volume of the series so far
September 27, 2020
Pretty great Romance manga, really good story and love the art style 😁👌❤️
October 6, 2021
No me gusta mucho este personaje pero esta bien
July 24, 2022
This is another funny light-hearted installment of the series. Good for stress relief. I don't actually remember what the main plot is anymore if there was one.
August 23, 2025
Possibly my favorite volume, if only because it contains one of the most pivotal moments of the whole story. Plus I really like how K&N’s dynamic develops here. Also Otohime rules, what a nightmare
November 25, 2025
There's a really good story in here, but it's a shame it's buried in egregious fan service.
January 1, 2017
Une jolie lecture drôle et pleine de douceur (aheum, tout est relatif).
February 14, 2017
was a good read funny at times
August 15, 2009
I reall enjoyed Love Hina Volume 1 but felt that Love Hina Volume 2 was lacking. I feel that volume 3 had gotten back on track. I liked the three seperate adventures that Su and Shinobu, Motoko and Kitsune and Keitaro and Naru. The book also seemed to go back to its more bouncy style of the first book.
However the new female character Mutsumi felt a little forced and was the low point of a great book.
However the new female character Mutsumi felt a little forced and was the low point of a great book.
March 18, 2013
The constant 'whoops my clothes came off' is really really getting on my nerves but apart from that it's fine. Not great, but fine. I know the whole clothes coming off thing is part of this series but on under-18 year olds (even manga characters) it just makes me really uncomfortable.
It does remind me of being a teenager though, I used to read and watch Love Hina all the time with my friends. So there's the nostalgia element. If I discovered this series ONLY as an adult though I am sure I wouldn't have liked it.
It does remind me of being a teenager though, I used to read and watch Love Hina all the time with my friends. So there's the nostalgia element. If I discovered this series ONLY as an adult though I am sure I wouldn't have liked it.
September 20, 2013
Oh poor Keitaro! He just can't get cut a break. Crazy stuff happens to him all the time and it's not his fault, but he always gets blamed for it! And despite working so hard he just can't seem to do better on his exams.
The characters are outrageous and funny. Each one different than each other and each one seems to have their own huge personality that doesn't quite get enough time. Keitaro is silly and endearing. You root for him even though you know he's probably not going to make it, but maybe...just maybe he'll surprise you!
The characters are outrageous and funny. Each one different than each other and each one seems to have their own huge personality that doesn't quite get enough time. Keitaro is silly and endearing. You root for him even though you know he's probably not going to make it, but maybe...just maybe he'll surprise you!
July 18, 2008
Ken Akamatsu, Love Hina vol. 3 (Tokyopop, 2002)
And here we are-- it's time for the big test to get into Tokyo U. And is Naru the girl Kitaro made his promise to fifteen years earlier? He can't quite recall, but when she lets slip she's trying because of a promise she made as well, Kitaro's feelings get to falling all over each other as much as his feet do. Series remains strong and witty. ****
And here we are-- it's time for the big test to get into Tokyo U. And is Naru the girl Kitaro made his promise to fifteen years earlier? He can't quite recall, but when she lets slip she's trying because of a promise she made as well, Kitaro's feelings get to falling all over each other as much as his feet do. Series remains strong and witty. ****
May 13, 2015
I think, after the surprisingly strong second volume, I was expecting more from this one than I probably should have. Also, I guess I just wasn't down with the girls (and Keitaro) leaving Hinata House and going on separate adventures for a book - so much of what works about this series is these people bouncing off each other, and pulling them into smaller cliques works against the comedy. Almost a two-star, but the last couple of chapters got it back on track.
May 24, 2016
I'm not a real fan of Mutsumi to begin with. Her character is annoying and unbelievable and she really slows this volume down with her nonsense, especially since Akamatsu gives new characters gimmicks and then does them to death. Even so, the detailed backgrounds as Keitaro and Naru go travelling to ease their disappointment at failing the entrance exam are great and the other Hinata House residents are still there for comic relief.
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.
October 4, 2007
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 ..
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 ..
May 6, 2008
This manga is funny!! I know this manga from my ex-boyfriend. I have 1-14 series except number 2, in Indonesian. Haha Keitaro is immortal!
October 17, 2008
I decided to read this book because it was made by my favorite author, Ken Akamatsu. I figured if Negima is TOTALLY AWESOME, than Love Hina would be, too!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews