School Rumble - Season 1

The plot and humor of School Rumble are often a bit too repetitive, but generally it's a pretty easy watch. It takes place in high school, but it's not about the classes. It's about the biggest love triangle ever made. I can't even describe it succinctly. I can think of only one situation in the season where two people actually like each other, and they're highly peripheral characters. But it can be simplified down to the central core of the conflict. The school rebel, who's really not very tough at all, likes a girl who likes a guy with no personality who's leaving in a year. I gotta say, it would be a little more interesting if the other guy was likable in any way, but he's just a cutout to cause the central frustration that drives the show.

That's not all there is though. They go out of their way to develop quite a few characters, making it seem a bit more like a real school than just the backdrop for their principal cast. There's plenty of different humorous events, like a school-wide athletics competition culminating in an over-the-top battle where squads of four try to knock each other over. Harima, the aforementioned rebel, is probably the best character. He starts off in a weird place but quickly becomes sympathetic. Despite his reputation he's a good person, and the show balances around him. School Rumble isn't the most intellectually stimulating thing you'll ever see, but it's pretty enjoyable.