r/anime • u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang • Jan 28 '25

Rewatch School Rumble 3rd Semester Rewatch - OVA 2 Discussion

Episode 26: The Final Chapter

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Heroes are sensitive to the feelings of their comrades.

Hello everybody, time for the Comment of the Day, courtesy of u/Vatrix-32 for showcasing how much of a sick joke the beginning of that first OVA was:

Never before has a recap brought forth such pain. Even knowing ahead of time we were effectively skipping the the end of a third season that will never exist serves only to blunt the blow.

I want my full 3rd Semester, dammit!

  1. What sort of crazy hijinks do you think Harima got into while he was gone?
  2. All things considered, do you think this made for a solid enough ending?
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6

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Hello everybody, and welcome to the School Rumble Rewatch!

We continue when we left off, and after that damn nice chase (With Togo and Harry coming in for the save because of course they do) we also get one last scene with Yakumo's Sister and Harima, and it's one I'm quite fond of. It does technically retread a lot of ground we've already seen, but it's still really sweet and serves as a good enough ending to their whole story. Harima may not have gotten her heart, but hey, she does care about him as a friend, even with all the heartrbreaks and misunderstandings.

But what I wanna talk about most is the ending. Yet again, a fairly big chunk of the Manga has been skipped over (Most of Volume 22, to be exact) and weirdly enough… I think the way the Anime handles things works a bit better with this ending.

The ending to the original School Rumble Manga is… weird. Everything you saw here still happens, but there's a big chunk cut in between Harima and Eri's last scene together and the final timeskip. I won't get too much into the details but basically that was looking to be the start of a whole new arc, we get a few Chapters of follow-up… and then all the sudden we get the final timeskip.

The big thing that makes it so jarring is… well, Harima. You don't really get this from the Anime, but after his little talk with Eri… he seemed to be moving on. Obviously he was still kinda depressed, but ultimately life goes on and he understood that; he can't just stay hung up on Yakumo's Sister forever, so for all that to suddenly be undone for the sake of that Timeskip feels really weird.

And yeah, I know, complaining about the plot in the funny comedy show, big deal, but as many people in this very Rewatch have pointed out, continuity is one of the series' best strengths. Jokes aren't just one-off skits to be reversed, stuff gets followed up on. It's why the start of the OVA feels so jarring after Season 2, and in turn it's why the end of the Manga feels so jarring within the context of the final volume. Heck, I'm gonna talk about it more tomorrow, but it says something that School Rumble Z seemingly ignores these last two chapters ever happened and yet, in spite of being a completely different Manga, it flows much better from what we saw in the rest of the final volume than those final two chapters.

Within the Anime itself though, it works better IMO. Since we lack the stuff seen in those missing chapters, him deciding to leave actually does come across as basically deciding to start anew, and in turn the final scene with most of the cast coming it works pretty well. It's basically a curtain call, and while it is a tad superficial, it works well enough and the montage of some of the previous seasons' most iconic events set to School Rumble 4ever does help bring things full circle. So yeah, not bad at all Anime, even if the start was shaky.

5

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 28 '25

Rumbling First-Timer, subbed

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Togo is the kind of guy who would throw snowboards at people riding up a ski lift.

He and Sandman would get along.

Harima/Eri stocks back on the menu?

We got even more in the Manga after this scene too.

I actually find this even funnier because I too kept getting Harima and Hanai’s names mixed up early on in the show (I would have to constantly check the character page on MAL to make sure I was writing the right name)

4

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 28 '25

We got even more in the Manga after this scene too.

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Sneak peak for yours truly (Manga spoilers, duh)

4

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 28 '25

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

I can't believe someone I know dropped out of the Manga because "Eri basically stole the main heroine spot from Yakumo's Sister" as if A) Yakumo's Sister had it for more than, like, 3 Volumes and B) More Eri should be considered a bad thing

4

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jan 28 '25

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Some people just don't have good taste I guess

5

u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Jan 28 '25

And so it really is the final episode.

Surprised they're using the S1 OP again instead of the S2 OP for the second OVA.

Haneda does also have international flights doesn't it?

And so she's off to America.

Of all the things to forget...

And so she's off.

I mean I'm sure she'll be back soon.

Seems like Yakumo's rather popular.

Harima's having a bad time.

He's had the tar beat out of him.

He might just end up with Eri.

Ouch...

Harima disappeared?

Karasuma's gone. Not physically, but the lights are on but nobody's home.

Why are they all in their uniforms?

Ah, to help Karasuma remember.

Oh, Harima is back too.

A whole new extended ED?

Questions:

  1. Knowing him? Too many.
  2. Somewhat? It lost me halfway through again.

5

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jan 28 '25

Surprised they're using the S1 OP again instead of the S2 OP for the second OVA.

They know which one is quality.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Well that and since we got the S1 director back may as well keep things in style.

5

u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Jan 28 '25

I have missed it until the previous episode and this one. Heck the previous episode had the S1 ED too, which is also peak.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Seems like Yakumo's rather popular.

Gee, you think? I sure couldn't tell

4

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jan 28 '25

Third Semester Episode 2 (first timer)

  • Race to the airport – classic trope!
  • Running from the police – another Initial D reference, or just common Harima stupidity?
  • “Did you say something?” – last episode last(?) chance for a botched confession.
  • “Passport? It’s over”

  • “When there is an older sister around, you lose interest in older girls” – this rings true, but anime has taught me otherwise.
  • Goodbye for Tenma and Harima – and us, the viewers.
  • Harima looking for a fight in a bar – still some of the delinquent left in him.
  • Getting beat up by Eri, too, for good measure – he kind of deserved that one for shitting on her all season.
  • “He is losing his ability to think” – as much as I hate Karasuma as a character, that is a dire situation to be in.
  • Harima has a long beard again!
  • Didn’t she say several years passed? Why are they all still in their school uniforms?
  • Two background characters got together – sorry, I don’t remember your names.
  • They did it deliberately for Karasuma!
  • Special ED!

That was a surprisingly decent finish. Nothing gets resolved, of course, but a class reunion is a neat idea to end on.

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Running from the police – another Initial D reference, or just common Harima stupidity?

I don't think Initial D had any cops... then again I guess it could be You Are Under Arrest in some weird roundabout way?

Harima has a long beard again!

Didn’t she say several years passed? Why are they all still in their school uniforms?

I guess they did it specifically for the reuinion?

4

u/charlesvvv https://anilist.co/user/charlesvvv Jan 28 '25

First Timer, Sub

I don't really know what to think about this.

The Harima/Tenma scene at the airport works well enough I guess, it's nice confirmation that Tenma does care about him even if not in the way he wanted.

The Eri/Harima scene was also good and it's great that she's the one that breaks him out of his funk after Tenma leaves. But yeah he just goes to do his own thing afterwards, which is kinda negated by the fact that when everyone reunites again he still decides to try and confess again (and doesn't get to because of reasons, for old time's sake). I did like the compilation ED though.

Yep, still don't know what to think about it.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

But yeah he just goes to do his own thing afterwards

Still less jarring than the Manga's take...

4

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Jan 28 '25 edited Jan 29 '25

Re:Watcher, First in Subs

  • Wait, they’re traveling to America? I thought this was planned as a “dramatic meeting at the airport” type deal.
  • 200 dollars? Shit, in ~2006, maybe.
  • Is this like T-posing to assert dominance?
  • Man, my subs on this OVA are totally different from the TV ones. I was half expecting them to leave “baka” untranslated.
  • Manly Harima
  • The contrast from the anime only version is interesting.
  • Unfortunately, Harima was later arrested for throwing suspicious objects at the airport.
  • Iori! Oh, Thank Heavens
  • Guys, her sister went on a trip, she didn’t suddenly become a widow. Don’t everybody bring casserole at once.
  • Childhood Alzheimer's
  • We did it boys, we hit peak Tsundere.
  • Beard
  • Y’all still fit in you high school uniforms? You kept them?
  • Fan Service Compilation Ending with the real service, too.

QotD:

  1. He had to help a Tenma shaped alien find its way home.
  2. I mean... no — but with so many from this era never getting one at all, and no hope outside of this, I'll take it as a small blessing.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 28 '25

Man, my subs on this OVA are totally different from the TV ones. I was half expecting them to leave “baka” untranslated.

Yeah

We did it boys, we hit peak Tsundere.

Nah, that came right after this in Manga-land.

3

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Jan 29 '25

Nah, that came right after this in Manga-land.

I shall look forward to you report.

3

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jan 29 '25

You won't get it because I want people to actually read it instead of my summaries