Preface: This review will contain small and harmless spoilers. I feel pathetic introducing a text with this kind of unnecessary warning but the damned capitalism has created in the minds of some weak people that the malignant spoiler ruins the experience of a work. I couldnt disagree more. The surprise the twist for many IGNORANT readers matters more than the whole process. Its clear that anyone who consumes a story caring more about the surprise than the content should go to a magic show or watch a Manchester United game rather than consuming art. A view that is tremendously molded by consumerism which increasingly demands incessant and immediate insertion into media discussions in order to keep up with the content that is thrown up in our heads on a daily basis. As I am an empathetic and charitable person I feel obliged to welcome those who disagree with my vision even if it is clearly the right one. That said who cares about spoilers for a forgotten story like School Rumble? Be a serious person please. Dont let the enemy rule upon you. The superiority of comedy 350https://media.tenor.com/tX2A2kkrcIEAAAAd/schoolrumblekappa.gif Discussing comedy and humor is quite interesting defining what is funny or not is always limited to the relative. But every artistic manifestation is relative there is no such thing as objectivity in art and anyone who believes in this kind of idiocy is a poor soul who is only fooling themselves. Now comedy lives in a relativity within relativity. More relative than anything else. Whats romantic whats horror whats action all this is relativized without a shadow of a doubt but theres a firmer consensus among these genres about which is which and which isnt. The same cant be said about comedy. Its the most normal thing in the world to hear this kind of comedy isnt for me its not my kind of humor but you dont find anyone saying this kind of action isnt for me I prefer another kind of action. The complaint is usually directed at the development the script the characters the art but not the genre the story is set in. Nobody goes to a romance story and complains that its not the type of romance they complain about the development of that romance. Comedy is subtly different. It allows for the short and blunt its not for me THAT comedy its not my kind of humor and no one will care or be bothered theyll think its perfectly normal now try finding someone saying in front of me I dont like Dragon Ball fights theyre not good fights that offends me tremendously I wont accept it. How can you be that insane? I understand that you dont like some of the plot decisions you dont like the way the conflicts are resolved but Im talking purely about the action the fighting the choreography that alone how can you criticize it? We cant accept that as a society. Do you watch John Wick and leave the theater saying I didnt like the action in the film? If you do that youre a freak. If you think carefully you can extend the discussion to how horror also differs from person to person in fact everything differs any genre not just comedy but that would completely nullify my entire point what Ive said so far doesnt even make sense its just a stretch its not exclusive to comedy but we need to believe in its superiority and the particularity of humor to conclude that more than ever there is no objectivity in this discussion and because of the impossible definitive conclusion on the subject deciding whether School Rumble is funny or not will naturally depend exclusively on your judgment. The schoolrumblelike comedy 450https://i.ur.com/KDVvi10.jpg School Rumble doesnt use absurd nonsensical jokes like Ai Mai mi DFrag Poputepipikku Sakamoto Desu ga? RIP Nami Sano OdoruKremlin Kyuuden Asobi Asobase it also doesnt use metacomedy and inventiveness like the works of Kouji Kumeta or Dowman Sayman its not super cute and silly like Yotsubato TakagiSan or Mitsuboshi Colors. Its not scandalous like Grand Blue Danshi Koukousei ChioChan Jashin Chan Hinamatsuri either. But School Rumble isnt what others arent School Rumble is what it is and defining something by a negation tells us so little and for School Rumble this actually isnt complex at all defining the humor of SR is pretty simple actually not only because the comedy of the story is nothing unique or original nor is it the first or the best to apply the kind of humor it applies. I consider it to be an efficient and entertaining comedy in what it intends to do from start to finish delivering what it promised to deliver just like that and I think thats enough. Its a fun read. For some it may be frustrating to read a story with more than 300 chapters where the structure of the joke always remains the same that being the misunderstanding. School Rumble lives in the Meta of the misunderstanding its the only formula that varies and alternates according to the characters in its cast we rarely see a break from this its just daily jokes within a romantic development that clearly isnt going anywhere the only constant progress are the misunderstandings that escalate and transform embarrassing situations into humor. 450https://i.ur.com/WJ7u7iI.png If you order a pepperoni pizza and the delivery man delivers a pepperoni pizza are you going to get angry because an extra chocolate pizza didnt arrive? I hope not because if so youd be making life difficult for yourself and for the delivery man. If you read School Rumble and get frustrated with the lack of romantic development that the story pretends to develop youll be making life difficult for yourself and for School Rumble. Why should we expect a story to deliver more than it sets out to? If that delivery man give me for free something extra a cocacola perhaps Id be extremely happy and my experience would be even better but in any case its not what I asked for and its not what needs to be done. Gratitude is always welcome in these moments we just cant fall prey to greed and turn it into frustration if it doesnt come true. The schoolrumblelike comedy pt 2 450https://i.ur.com/mOgu4EV.jpg Reading a slice of life whether its short or not where a single joke is repeated in different ways with little direct development is a complex task for many smallminded people. For those who can only appreciate stories where they can clearly see a direct and continuous progression of the story School Rumble is like torture. For these poor people what isnt direct development is seen as pointless or dispensable things and I worry about this type of person. A weekend where you dont progress you dont work you just sleep and eat enjoying time with your family and friends is that a useless day because you havent produced directly? The usefulness of time is just one of the many lies imposed on us by capitalism its worth pointing out. To enrich your enjoyment Im going to give you one small tip on how to improve your experience and consume a story like School Rumble in a more appropriate way based on my expertise. Just read it slowly a few chapters a day between other readings if possible spaced out just read and enjoy your moment of fun if you find it fun. It took me about 3 months to finish a short story that could have been finished in 13 days and it was much more fun this way. That done maybe youll discover that this moment too has meaning and importance because I hate the expression turn off your brain our brain never turns off it simply knows how to appreciate different experiences it knows what engages us actively and what engages us passively what requires or doesnt require my attention the most and theres no demerit in being more or less complex its simply a different objective for each deed. Scorsese directed Goodfellas and he also directed The King of Comedy the Coen brothers directed No Country for Old Men and they also directed Ladykillers Jackie Chan has acted in comedies actions dramas and even pornographic movies each of which has its own merit and its own particular objective and theres nothing to argue with that. A doctor has the same value as a baker an ant has the same importance as a human being. Buddhist talk but thats it. 450https://i.ur.com/2nHWh3X.png is this racism? It brings tears to my eyes to find people who are guided by ratings and even worse who can only give high ratings to dramas where there is a lot of sadness a lot of suffering where they feel emotionally involved that emotionally is only taken into account if the story is considered deep and because of this they cant give the same rating to a comedy that entertained them from start to finish. If the proposed objective to make you laugh was met with excellence why not give it top marks? Dont be a jerk dont be unfair and dont impose a hierarchy on what doesnt exist we are all children of God and deserve to be loved. The best defender in the world has the same value as the best striker in the world an excellent comedy deserves the same respect as a psychological drama its for this idea that I get out of bed and fight every day. Discussing my selfinsert in the Final Arc of School Rumble 450https://i.ur.com/M56PFZI.png What Im going to discuss here is more of a confession than anything else and Ill be judged for it by the two people who will eventually come across this review but every review is in a way the confession of a lonely person with too much free time to write what nobody asked for satisfying his penury by writing. If you notice its not too difficult to see that very little if anything has been said about School Rumble itself in this text not least because as I already said there are several stories that do what it does and do even better. Angel Densetsu and Ochi no Gosu are closer comparisons and do many things better. Choosing to review School Rumble just happened because it happened it was what I decided to read at the moment I decided to write the stars aligned theres no deep reason it could have been another story but I liked it and cared enough to write about specifically it thats enough. In another reality I would write about another story it doesnt matter it would be practically the same review but thats not what happened and what happened has happened and will continue to happen theres nothing deep about it. What Id like to talk about in particular would be the last part of SR its romantic conclusion itself which is not an important factor for the story but it was important for me personally to think about it. An active reader of various media and it doesnt have to be just oriental on the contrary its a global interpretation can notice that a consensus has been created about whats really important in love which is to prioritize the happiness of your partner above all. I agree obviously. Its a wellestablished idea for everyone theres nothing absurd about agreeing that to love someone is to want their good. However there are circumstances that make me perhaps or rather most probably a bad and selfish person. 500https://i.ur.com/Lr0w5wl.jpg You see altruism followed by heartbreak is a very recurring theme in various stories again its not a Japanese exclusivity its a very popular theme. Actions like the protagonist Harima helping his crush withe their crush is something I personally cant relate to and is very far from my emotional reality. With all due respect if I love someone I want that person to love me back love is selfish in that way Im incapable of rooting for a loved ones love for someone else Im not good enough I want that person to be tremendously unhappy romantically and come back in tears knowing that Im the only one in their life not that someone else can make them happy reason and logical thinking is dismissed here. But reality is calling me and I know that this is far from the truth just as I chose School Rumble to talk about it I could very well choose another story there is no such thing as a single person and there are no soul mates it is what it is i wish you happiness. Now my support for someone elses relationship someone I like and care about? Never I want it to go extremely wrong romantically nothing personal. Please this mere confession allows me to be considered a bad person but dont confuse my selfish and simpleminded incellike desire to see my crushs romance fail with an active action to see the real failure taking place. I do nothing but distance myself close my eyes cry and uselessly wish for nothing to work out romantically in her life. In this I identify with Harima who wishes Karasuma all the worst. And know that the world moves through actions not thoughts so I plead not guilty. Characters like those in School Rumble and their conclusions are in my opinion selfless angels who recognize true love. A mothers love unconditional and unlimited love without expecting anything in return Im far from reaching that level. School Rumble doesnt set out to discuss or explore these ideas but the value a story receives is always ascribed by a third party reading it allows you to explore what the story didnt explore. Fiction is never just fiction it is a living thing that relates directly to your experience and your experience actively responds to it. Grades dont matter dont jump over the wall of text to conclude my opinion. The green 100 is beautiful and does not completely reflect or sum up my experience with School Rumble it only serves as a guide and incentive for you to get to know this fun classic that does not intend to fool you with anything less than what it promises that helped pave the way for stories you probably hate or love like Nagataro Komisan Takagisan. Not the first not the best but one of a kind. With the traditional manzai structure but also with its small and simple peculiarities delivering the beauty of simplicity of its humour its romance in its ultracharismatic funny and entertaining cast and poor those who cant find the time to appreciate and have fun with it. 350https://i.ur.com/DPd7oJw.png