DVD Review: School Rumble Extra Class

[Chris Beveridge]

Review


School Rumble OVA: Extra Class (of 1)
Released By: FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.
MSRP: $19.98
Running time: 60 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Resolution: 480i/p or less (mixed/unknown)
Encoded With: MPEG-2
Release Date: 06/17/2008
Review Date: 06/13/2008
Date Announced: 03/28/2008
Region: 1 - North America
Reviewed By: Chris Beveridge

In Summary:
It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what feels off about this release, but something just doesn’t seem right. Perhaps it’s just the adjustment of going from four episodes to two and there not being enough “funny” to compensate, making it more obvious. Or it’s just that the stories, which are the kind designed to fill in some of the gaps, just don’t work that well and not having the progressive narrative – however slight it may be – impacts it more than I had expected. There are good moments to be found here, but it feels like you have to work a bit more to get them. The things that does make the TV series enjoyable are certainly present here, they just feel weaker. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but it does put me in the mood for more of the TV series as quickly as possible.

[The Great Bear]

I didn't quite have the same feeling of disappointment that you had while viewing this. I took it for what it was: odds and ends, some extra content on the side. Granted, the opening vignette with Yoshidayama or whatever his name is again (orange top would-be punk) was underwhelming and not a very strong way to start, but it got going better with the Sarah, seating assignment and Lara/Ichijou segments. The prehistoric one was amusing enough, though it seemed to me mainly just a way to reuse the same jokes, but have the characters wear different clothing.

The OVA as a whole does accomplish its main task: to make you want to see more School Rumble.

[WTK]

This was certainly entertaining enough to watch. It's not the best, but like TGB said, it makes you want more School Rumble. It's time to bring on the 2nd Season.

[pathos]

I think the oav's were all omake material, wasn't it?

Some of the school rumble omake was actually pretty good. But, the review isn't really a surprise. It really IS odds and ends

[Beagle-san]

I liked this a lot. "B+" at a minimum for me.

Amazing. No one mentioned the onsen sequence. It's good bit of fun, working as an epilogue to the camping story arc: Tenma, Eri and Mikoto on the girl's side (Eri's first time at an onsen!). On the boy's side. Hanai, mistakenly thinking that Yakumo is still there, trying to control Imadori who has only "D" on the brain, and Harima who plays it cool until Tenma starts talking about him (and, as usual, getting everything wrong). Eri-chan sees a monkey (or something).

The seating sequence is, as has been mentioned, one of the highlights of this disc. The Yakumo and Sara sequence is very nice, showing how their friendship started, and also showing, yet again, how much the Tsukomoto sisters love each other.

The other sequences also worked well for me, filing in a bit of background on characters. The Yoshidayama sequence was fun, showing how the fallout from the weirdness of the Harima/Tenma/etc., "relationships" impacts (pun intended) others around them.

The Yakumo/Ghost-girl sequence is another nice li'l vignette, with a followup, briefly, in the second episode. Of course, as a Yakumo fanboy, I'm a sucker for anything with her.

The only thing in episode 1 that I didn't like was the closing song. Bleh. (Both episodes use the opening form the first series.)

The 2nd episode has 3 stories: Lala, the caveman sequence, and Harima and Yakumo. Lala, Ichijou (we meet her little brother), Imadori, fast food workplace, plus dog = hilarity.

The caveman sequence is fun silliness.

The last sequence is just pure sweetness with Yakumo helping Harima with the deadline approaching on his manga when a black-out hits, with a radio DJ offering help to those who've lost power by offering tips to makeout with your girlfriend.

And finally, the ending credits are just great! The same song as the closing from the first TV series, which featured sexy shots of the girls in the background, and an SD Harima in action in the foreground, this version switches things - it's the guys in the background, with SD versions of the girls in the foreground. Hysterically priceless with a kawaii factor which can't be measured except by the newest super computer.

This release succeeds in whetting the appetite for the 2nd season of School Rumble, as additional background info on the characters, and as fun and/or sweet self-contained stories. Sure, its a collection of odds and ends...but what's wrong with that?

[Serial Experiments Nobue]

Originally Posted by The Great Bear

The OVA as a whole does accomplish its main task: to make you want to see more School Rumble.

Originally Posted by Beagle-san

This release succeeds in whetting the appetite for the 2nd season of School Rumble, as additional background info on the characters, and as fun and/or sweet self-contained stories. Sure, its a collection of odds and ends...but what's wrong with that?

Bingo! I'm definitely looking forward to season two also.

Originally Posted by Beagle-san

The seating sequence is, as has been mentioned, one of the highlights of this disc. The Yakumo and Sara sequence is very nice, showing how their friendship started, and also showing, yet again, how much the Tsukomoto sisters love each other.

I was sure that the seating sequence was in the first season, but I guess it was just a really vivid memory I had from reading the manga!


The Yakumo and Sarah scenes were my favorite in the OVA, but then again, I'm a Yakumo and Sarah fan anyway, so it made me very happy to see more of their story animated.

[akcoll99]

I'd give this a B+ as well. Solid, entertaining way to kill an hour in front of the TV. I laughed considerably during several sequences, my favorite being Imadori's beatdown behind the counter at the burger joint. This release has done its job, and really whetted my appetite for Season 2.

[Njr Scrawl]

I like SR for being what it is, who is in it & the way they are. So all extra episodes are welcome.

I hope Season 2's box will have an additional space for this volume.

Like you SRs2 can't come fast enough. SR & Shuffle are my 2 favourite Funi titles at present.

[karen0586]

It's good to see that it means that a lot of you guys are anticipating the second season then. It may feel lower, but then it seems like it wasn't suppossed to be taken as a continuation as much as fill in spaces but not really .

[Solid Slap]

The OVA was a lot of fun, but now I'm ready for the 2nd Semester...and Hell Girl 2nd Cage.