A twenty-four episode anime adaptation of the
love hina manga series, produced by Xebec, aired in Japan from April 19, 2000 to September 27, 2000. It was followed by a bonus DVD episode, Christmas and Spring television specials, and a three episode original video animation (OVA) entitled Love Hina Again. The love hina anime series, special, and OVA were licensed for release in North America by Bandai Entertainment. In July 2007, the license was acquired by Funimation Entertainment, who released a boxset of the television series in February 2009. The series is also licensed in Australia by Madman Entertainment and in the United Kingdom by MVM Films.
The series has proved extremely popular around the world, both commercially and critically. In Japan, the love hina manga sold over 6 million copies; over 1 million anime DVDs were also sold. The English release of the manga has been reprinted many times. Both the love hina anime and The love hina manga have received numerous industry awards in Japan and North America, as well as praise from critics.
After the end of the television series, Love Hina Final Selection was released, containing a summary of the series and "Love Live Hina", a live concert featuring all of the main cast members.
Some of the pictures in
The Love Hina Game is borrowed from the love hina anime!
Anime
in English usually refers to a style of animation originating in Japan, heavily influenced by the manga (Japanese comics) style and typically featuring characters with large eyes, big hair and elongated limbs, exaggerated facial expressions, brush-stroked outlines, limited motion and other distinctive features. The term may also be used who for other animation connected to Japan or to anime proper, irrespective of style. The word comes from Japanese anime, meaning "animation" in general.
While the earliest known Japanese animation dates from 1917, and many original Japanese cartoons were produced in the ensuing decades, the charateristic anime style developed in the 1960s - notably with the work of Osamu Tezuka - and became known outside Japan in the 1980s.
Anime, like manga, has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world. Distributors can release anime via television broadcasts, directly to video, or theatrically, as well as online.
Both hand-drawn and computer-animated anime exist. It is used in television series, films, video, video games, commercials, and internet-based releases, and represents most, if not all, genres of fiction. Anime gained early popularity in East and Southeast Asia and has garnered more-recent popularity in the Western World.
