School Rumble #4

Genre manga Author Jin Kobayashi Publisher Del Rey Manga External Links Official School Rumble #4

Tenma, Kenji, and the gang are back for another ridiculous high school adventure. This volume concentrates on the going-ons of summer vacation and of course the unrequited high school romance.

I can't help but feel sorry for Kenji although a lot of the predicament is equally his fault as it is Tenma's. In the previous volume, Tenma had helped Kenji practice his confession to Mikoto, since she thinks he's in love with her. Later in the last volume Kenji accidentally confesses to Erika. This confusion is brought up later when Eri mentions that Kenji confessed to her. Tenma then begins to believe that Kenji is the worst possible human. Phew, okay. We get see later on the gang at a summer house where they have a bravery challenge, Kenji getting a summer job, Eri and Mikoto getting in a fight, Kenji sending his animals to the zoo, and Akira's summer vacation as some kind of spy. There's a lot going on and each chapter is separate enough that they can be read and enjoyed for what they are. It's the randomness of the comic that gives it its charm, as well as the misunderstandings between the cast members. This is a shoujo manga, so if you don't like girly comics i.e. romantic comedies, then this is not the manga for you. Of course if you like looking at pretty girls in school uniforms, then maybe you should pick this up.

The art in the manga is pretty standard, and besides the hairstyles a lot of the characters look alike, at least the female characters. It seems like there's a stock eye shape for the naïve, active girls (generally wide) and for the more mysterious girls, the eyes are slightly smaller and more almond-shaped. For the guys, there seems to be other differences like accessories, clothing, and hair styles. It seems like the mangaka is better at drawing men, which makes sense as the person who created school rumble is a male. It's a pretty stereotypical stereo of misunderstandings and unrequited love of most shoujo manga. Some guy likes a girl, but she doesn't like him, and all the other girls end up liking the guy, but he doesn't even notice. Of course the difference here is that even though the basic story is the same the humor and sometimes drama is what carries the story. The incredible stupidity of the main characters, puns, and action sequences make this manga stand out from the rest. Where else can you see a fight scene at the same time as a fireworks display? The dialogue is fresh and helps to distinguish the characters even further. I also enjoyed the School Rumble collectable cards where you learn the strengths, weaknesses, and finishing blow of each of the main characters in the story. You'll laugh, you'll cry a little on the inside, and rejoice. It's a fun comic and the characters each have something to love about them and something that will annoy you, but that's what makes a good character.

Overall, this does not have as much of the light heartedness as the early volumes, although it still is quite funny. It's mostly a volume about heartbreak whether it be about love or friendship. In the end, the characters triumph and are a little wiser, but not that much. I strongly recommend reading this.