Title: To Love Ru Season 1 on Blu-ray
Director: Takao Kato
Anime Writer: Akatsuki Yamatoya
Studio: Xebec
U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks
U. S. Release Date: March 31st, 2020
Format: Blu-ray / 650 Minutes / 26 Episodes
Genre: Ecchi, Fantasy, Sci Fi, Comedy
Age Rating: 17+
Overall Personal Rating: B
Synopsis:
To Love Ru Season 1 contains episodes 1-26 of the anime directed by Takao Kato and features a new English Dub.
What do you do when a naked princess from outer space suddenly appears in your bathtub? If you’re Rito Yuki, the confused teenager who’s rub-a-dubbing when the perky Princess Lala of Deviluke splashes down, you inexplicably find yourself engaged to her royal highness’ heavenly body, whether you want to marry her or not! Oh, and you’re ALSO now heir to the throne of the Planet Deviluke, as well as the target for an endless stream of intergalactic invaders, assassins, rival suitors, and an unbelievably long cosmic chorus line of gorgeous women who are all determined to wormhole their way into Rito’s heart and/or bed! And that, needless to say, is probably going to make getting together with the nice Japanese girl who Rito’s actually in love with just a wee bit more complicated!
Commentary:
Yes here it comes again with a new English Dub. To Love Ru, is one of those anime that just keeps on giving and with a very specific target audience the giving is oh so welcome. Funny thing is that I may not be part of that target audience and end up seeing the flaws that most viewers miss because they don’t care about things like writing or true character development. Now I will give it very high marks for staying true the Japanese formula of having a helpless shy embarrassed young man as the main protagonist and a buxom bouncy wouncy space princess as his kryptonite. Never-the-less, To Love Ru brings it all in your face and makes you either root for Rito or better yet root for Lala to crush his helpless existence. Either way there isn’t much hope for either.
I realize that this anime was first aired in 2008. There might be all kinds of reason why it really looked more like a late 1990’s production and why the writing is so shallow, but it was clearly popular enough in Japan to keep coming back for more. I guess that every shut in Otaku wished he was Rito. Of course there are moments I would have like to be Rito, but those are few and far between.
Overall Grade: B
As I mentioned, I found it strange that the animation production levels look old for a 2008 production and the character design was also outdated. This made it a little harder for me to watch it, but the most frustrating issue I had with the series is its writing and character development. I know what the series is meant to do and that is to titillate the viewer and this is where it excels. The characters are one demential and don’t give much reason to care about any of them.
Every episode is just a setup for the series to show off women’s bodies and in the end make young me want more. I wish this one could have been left on the shelve longer, it just left me feeling sorry for the guys who are going to line up to get them some To Love Ru. Of course, it is for this very reason that I give it a B and not a lower grade. The series does not try to hide what it is in fancy writing or over the top animation, it just is what it is and does have merit.
So, if you are looking for that classic Ecchi anime then you need look not further, To Love Ru is here for you.
