School Rumble

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School Rumble
School Rumble logo
School Rumble logo
スクールランブル
(Sukūru Ramburu)
Genre Romantic comedy
Manga
Author Jin Kobayashi
Publisher Flag of Japan Kodansha
Demographic Shōnen
Serialized in Flag of Japan Shōnen Magazine
Original run 2002 – ongoing
Volumes 20 (with 276 chapters as of 08 June 2008)
TV anime
Director Shinji Takamatsu
Studio Flag of Japan Studio Comet
Licensor Flag of the United States Flag of Canada FUNimation Entertainment
Flag of the United Kingdom Revelation films
Flag of Australia Flag of New Zealand Madman Entertainment
Flag of Germany Tokyopop
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo
Original run October 10, 2004 – April 5, 2005
Episodes 26
OVA: School Rumble - First Term Extra
Director Shinji Takamatsu
Studio Studio Comet
Licensor Flag of the United States Flag of Canada FUNimation Entertainment
Flag of the United Kingdom Revelation films
Flag of Australia Flag of New Zealand Madman Entertainment
Flag of Germany Tokyopop
Episodes 2
Released December 22, 2005
Runtime 25 minutes each
TV anime: School Rumble - Second Term
Director Takaomi Kanasaki
Studio Studio Comet
Licensor Flag of the United States FUNimation Entertainment
Flag of Germany Tokyopop
Network Flag of Japan TV Tokyo
Flag of Italy Cartoon Network
Original run April 2, 2006 – September 24, 2006
Episodes 26
OVA: School Rumble - Third Term
Director Shinji Takamatsu
Studio Studio Comet
Episodes 2
Released July 17, 2008
Runtime 25 minutes each

School Rumble (スクールランブル Sukūru Ramburu?) is a manga serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Magazine, created by Jin Kobayashi.[1]

A 26-episode anime adaptation was broadcast on TV Tokyo between October 2004 and April 2005.[2] In December 2005, an OVA was released, containing two special episodes,[3] and a second season titled "School Rumble - Second Term" was broadcast in 2006 between April and September.[4] The next OVA, titled School Rumble 3rd Semester and containing two episodes will be bundled[5] with volumes 21 and 22 of the School Rumble manga, the first of which is to be released on July 17, 2008. Sony PlayStation games were produced in July 2005 and July 2006. The manga is ongoing, though recent chapters indicate that it may be brought to an end soon.

The manga is published in English by Del Rey Manga. Unlike other Del Rey releases, the manga uses the original Japanese naming order (family name followed by the given name) to conserve the puns in the manga.

FUNimation Entertainment released the first volume and starter box set on August 21, 2007.[6] The series features prominently in the ongoing fansub debate, due to the actions of its copyright holder, Media Factory.[7]

Contents

[edit] Plot

The plot of School Rumble covers the daily lives of students of the fictional Yagami High School and their surroundings. The series is of the romance comedy genre, with scenes in the story being exaggerated for comedic purposes.

The heroine is Tenma Tsukamoto, a second year high school girl with no special qualities who has a crush on Oji Karasuma, a stonefaced eccentric. The generally clueless Tenma finds it difficult to confess her love to him. Complications arise with Kenji Harima, the male protagonist and a delinquent, who has developed a crush on Tenma. He too has difficulty confessing to her. The attempts of the two characters to confess their respective loves are running gags seen throughout the series.

As the series progresses, the story changes focus to the relationship that develops between Harima and Tenma's close friend, Eri Sawachika, which results from various embarrassing situations involving Eri and Harima. Harima also develops a relationship with Tenma's younger sister Yakumo Tsukamoto, who begins to assist Harima with the development and drawing of his manga.

As the story progresses, Harima gets himself into romantic situations with Tenma, the relationship between Tenma and Karasuma progresses, and Eri's and Yakumo's bonds with Harima grow stronger.

[edit] Characters

Main article: List of School Rumble characters

School Rumble features a diverse cast of characters, most of whom attend Yagami High School, and the protagonists and most of the supporting characters belong to Class 2-C. While both Kenji Harima and Tenma Tsukamoto are the protagonists, the focus is not exclusively on them, as the supporting characters in particular receive a fair amount of character development.

This supporting cast includes Oji Karasuma, Tenma's love interest, who otherwise does not play a more active role in the story. Yakumo Tsukamoto is Tenma's shy younger sister, who can easily read the thoughts of anybody who loves her, including boys who try to approach her, her sister and her pet cat Iori. Tenma's friends include Eri Sawachika, a wealthy, half-Swedish, half-Japanese girl who becomes attracted to Harima, Mikoto Suo, a black belt in Kenpo, and Akira Takano, who is very perceptive, resourceful, intelligent, and mysterious. Rounding out the group is Haruki Hanai, a childhood friend of Mikoto's who is head over heels for Yakumo.


[edit] Media

[edit] Manga

Artwork from the manga, 2nd volume, showing Sara Adiemus (left) and Yakumo Tsukamoto (right).
Artwork from the manga, 2nd volume, showing Sara Adiemus (left) and Yakumo Tsukamoto (right).

In the manga, the main plot is described in chapters marked with a musical sharp sign (e.g. ♯1, ♯2, ...) appearing in Weekly Shōnen Magazine (週刊少年マガジン?). Incidental or side stories are told in flat sign chapters (♭1, ♭2, ...) which appear in the monthly Magazine Special (マガジンSPECIAL?), and the natural sign chapters (so far only ♮1, included in School Rumble Volume 7) appear serialized in the seasonal Shōnen Magazine Wonder (少年マガジンワンダー?). All three magazines and collected volumes are published by Kodansha in Japan. The Del Rey version uses the sharp/flat designations for chapters, with the Sharp chapters listed first in the table of contents of each volume followed by the Flat chapters.

Flat chapters 1-7 focus on Yakumo, chapter ♭8 focuses on Suou Mikoto and Hanai Haruki, and later Flat chapters feature minor characters from the main storyline or Sharp episodes viewed from an alternative perspective. The only Natural chapter released is a general story involving all the characters and their general relationship during the meteor shower during Tanabata with no story bias towards any character.

[edit] Anime

See also: List of School Rumble episodes

The manga was adapted into an anime TV series, School Rumble, was broadcast from October 10, 2004 through April 5, 2005 on TV Tokyo. It was followed by two OVA episodes, School Rumble - First Term Extra, which were released on December 22. A second TV series, School Rumble - Second Term ran from April 2 through September 24, 2006, also on TV Tokyo. The anime series was adapted from a composition of the Sharp chapters, enriched in parts with the Flat and Natural stories. The OVA specials are a compilation of the remaining Flat chapters with an original, new story. At the end of Second Term, a message is displayed which states, "School Rumble will continue". More than a year later, on February 27, 2008, Kodansha announced in Chapter 263 of the manga that the next OVA, School Rumble - Third Term, will be bundled [5] with volumes 21 and 22 of the School Rumble manga, the first of which is to be released on July 17.

Cover of the TV series's first DVD
Cover of the TV series's first DVD
Theme songs - season one
  • Opening (eps 1-24 and OVA 1-2): "Scramble" (スクランブル) by Yui Horie with UNSCANDAL
  • Opening (ep 25): "Umi no Otoko wa yo" (海の男はよ) by Kikokumaru's Man Chorus Group (鬼哭丸少年合唱団)
  • Ending (eps 1-17, 19-24 and OVA 2): "Onna no Ko♥Otoko no Ko" (オンナのコ♥オトコのコ; Girls♥Boys) by Yuko Ogura
  • Ending (ep 18): "Hatenkou Robo Dojibiron's Theme" (破天荒ロボ ドジビロンのテーマ) by Jūzō Nanba
  • Ending (ep 25): "Scramble" (スクランブル Sukuranburu) by Yui Horie with UNSCANDAL
  • Ending (ep 26): "School Rumble 4 Ever" by Ami Koshimizu, Hitomi Nabatame, Kaori Shimizu, Yui Horie
  • Ending (OVA 1): "Ginga Ensen '05" by Hiroki Takahashi
Theme songs - season two
  • Opening: "Sentimental Generation" (せんちめんたる　じぇねれーしょん Senchimentaru Jenerēshon) by Ami Tokito (時東 ぁみ Tokitō Ami?)
  • Ending (eps 1-12 and 14-16): "Kono Namida ga Aru Kara" (この涙があるから次の一歩となる) by Ami Tokito (時東 ぁみ Tokitō Ami?)
  • Ending (ep 13): "THE LAST CANDLE"
  • Ending (ep 17-26): "Futari wa Wasurechau" (二人は忘れちゃう♡) by the Tsukamoto Sisters, Tenma (Ami Koshimizu) and Yakumo (Mamiko Noto) [1]
Theme songs - Third Term OVA
  • Opening: "Scramble" (スクランブル) by Yui Horie with UNSCANDAL
  • Ending (OVA 1): "Onna no Ko♥Otoko no Ko (Tsukamoto Sisters Ver.)" (オンナのコ♥オトコのコ(塚本姉妹ver); Girls♥Boys) by Ami Koshimizu and Mamiko Noto

[edit] Music

Main article: List of School Rumble albums
Main article: List of School Rumble character image albums

[edit] Video games

PlayStation 2 dating simulation games have been adapted from the story. The first, School Rumble: Neru Musume wa Sodatsu, was released on July 21, 2005. A successive game was released on July 20, 2006, School Rumble Ni-Gakki Kyōfu no (?) Natsugasshuku! Yōkan ni Yūrei Arawaru!? Otakara wo Megutte Makkō Shōbu!!! No Maki. On July 7, 2005, School Rumble: Nesan Jiken Desu! was released on a UMD for the Sony PlayStation Portable.

[edit] Light novel

  • School Rumble: Koi, Shirisomeshi koro ni (スクールランブル～恋、知りそめし頃に～)
  • School Rumble: Me wa Megalodon no Me (スクールランブル～メはメガロドンのメ～)

[edit] Live performances

On 5 December 2004, a concert named School Rumble Presents Come! Come! Welcome? Party featuring the seiyū cast of School Rumble was held at Yokohama BLITZ. It has been released on DVD [8] on 24 March 2005 featuring the following:

On 21 July 2005 - 25 July 2005, a stage play called School Rumble Live Butai - Osarusan dayo Harima kun recapping Season 1 of School Rumble was shown. It had been released on DVD [9] on 10 October 2005. The cast members are as follows:

  • Yuka Koide as Eri Sawachika
  • Mai Yoshida as Mikoto Suō
  • Mana Hyashi as Akira Takano
  • Mami Sakamoto as Karen Ichijō
  • Rikako Miura as Tae Anegasaki
  • Keiichi Beshi as Kyōsuke Imadori
  • Mondo Yamageshi as Haruki Hanai
  • Rie Mashiko as Itoko Osakabe

[edit] Reception

School Rumble has been well received by English reviewers. Eduardo M. Chavez from Anime on DVD commented about the manga that "the execution and randomness is perfect. Readers can literally pick up this title, select a chapter and enjoy. Comedy like that is universal making it a must for readers from all demographics."[10] David Maduram stated that "The real strength of this series is its witty use of puns, wordplay, and comic situations." [11] Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network comments that the anime involves "Great fun, a little more emotional depth, and two of the greatest animation non-sequiturs you're likely to see anytime soon".[12] Tim Jones from THEM Anime Reviews said about the second anime season that "School Rumble Second Semester manages to be funny without being repetitive and boring, a feat very hard to do in a series that goes on for 52 episodes (when you count the first season)." [13]

Media Factory has served a cease and desist notice to the website AnimeSuki to remove links to fansubs of their works which includes School Rumble;[14] AnimeSuki had a policy to remove links to a fansubbed anime should its license be purchased. Media Factory-owned anime is the subject of debate over the validity of fansubbing practice.[15][16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ School Rumble (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
  2. ^ AnimeNFO anime information. Accessed 2007-01-15.
  3. ^ AnimeDB OVA information. Accessed 2007-01-15.
  4. ^ School Rumble Nigakki (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia. Accessed 2007-01-15.
  5. ^ a b School Rumble 3 OVA Announced. Animekon. Retrieved on 2008-02-26.
  6. ^ Fanime '07: Bits And Pieces of FUNi Pre-AX. Accessed 2007-05-28
  7. ^ Media Factory makes request to stop fansubbing. Anime News Network (2004-12-09). Retrieved on 2007-07-26.
  8. ^ Come! Come! Welcome? Party DVD(Catalog No: KIBA-1194)
  9. ^ School Rumble Live Butai - Osarusan dayo Harima kun DVD(Catalog No: ZMBH-2401)
  10. ^ Chavez, Eduardo M. (2006-02-15). School Rumble Vol. #01A of 13. AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-15.
  11. ^ Maduram, David (2004-10-11). School Rumble 1 Review. davidslife.com. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
  12. ^ Kimlinger, Carl (2008-03-07). School Rumble DVD 4 Review. animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-09.
  13. ^ Jones, Tim. School Rumble 2nd semester. THEMAnime.org. Retrieved on 2007-01-17.
  14. ^ AnimeSuki page about Media Factory. Accessed 2007-01-16.
  15. ^ Fansub BitTorrent site gets cease-and-desist mskala's home page : lawpoli : cases. Accessed 2007-01-16.
  16. ^ c-net news.com Anxious times in the cartoon underground. Accessed 2007-01-16.

[edit] External links

School Rumble
v • d • e
Characters: Kenji Harima • Tenma Tsukamoto
Eri Sawachika • Yakumo Tsukamoto • Oji Karasuma • Mikoto Suo • Akira Takano • Haruki Hanai
Character groups: Class 2-C • Class 2-D • Class-1-D • Faculty members • Sawachika Family Household Staff
Idols and Mentors • English Exchange Students • Animals
Media: Manga • Anime • Episodes • Video games
Music: List of School Rumble albums • List of School Rumble character image albums
v • d • e
Series currently running in Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Fighting Spirit • Kindaichi Case Files • Godhand Teru • School Rumble • Air Gear • Negima!: Magister Negi Magi • Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle • Ahiru no Sora • Tokkyu!! • Mō, Shimasen Kara • Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei • Area no Kishi • Daiya no Ace • Smash!! • Fairy Tail • Shinyaku "Kyojin no Hoshi" Hanagata • Yankee-kun to Megane-chan • Hammer Session! • Shibatora • Yokai no Oissha-san • Bloody Monday • Tobaku Haō-den Zero • Baby Step • Stand By Me • Hakutsu! Machine Yarō!! • Kagutsuchi
Website: http://www.shonenmagazine.com