With a name like Rumbling Hearts you kind of know what you're getting into before the first episode even starts. This anime published by FUNimation does indeed rest firmly within the romance genre but you may not realize that it's actually based on a Japanese PC game. Now, I've seen plenty of show's based on games before. Street Fighter, Sakura Wars, and Star Ocean come to mind, but an anime inspired by a dating game? I don't believe that I have ever heard of that one.

Originally airing in Japan between 2003 and 2004, Rumbling Hearts has 14 episodes under its lovey-dovey belt and five of them are featured on this first disc. At first I really didn't know what to expect with the series. The four characters came off as kind of generic at the start and I really got a Boys Be... vibe from the concept. A person can only take so much of the slow pace, cheesy music, and blissfully staring into each other eyes. Then the second episode happened.

I just want to say up front that I am going to do my best to avoid divulging details about what happens. It literally changes the show's established mechanic and though it remains a romance series throughout this event really blindsides you. It is also something that changes it for the better it would seem. I was quite bored with the first two episodes but the third and fourth were definitely more interesting.

At the start of the show we are introduced to four kids who all go to school together. Mitsuki, Takayuki, and Taira are a dynamic trio of buddies and at the start Haruka appears as kind of a fourth wheel. She's friends with Mitsuki and shows up to start blushing innocently at Takayuki. Gee, I wonder if she likes him.

Actually the whole point for Mitsuki even being friends with Takayuki and Taira was so that Haruka could have a reason to be introduced to Takayuki. It's kind of a long process but when you're a young teenager I suppose you don't think these things through. In that regard Rumbling Hearts truly does capture the innocence of youth. To make a long story short Takayuki and Haruka become boyfriend and girlfriend and all is happy with the world. They go out on a date, they talk, and they almost "hook up" when the parents aren't home. You know; young love stuff.

Along the way though Mitsuki begins to show signs that she has feelings for Takayuki. On one occasion he even ditches his girlfriend to hang out and talk with her. There's another time where he bumps into her and buys her a ring for her birthday while Haruka is waiting by the train station. In the third episode the show jumps ahead three years and we see Takayuki in a confusing relationship with Mitsuki. It's hard to tell just how they feel about each other but there is talk about moving in with each other so they must be semi serious at least.

From this point it's really difficult to talk about Rumbling Hearts without giving a lot of the plot away. I will say that things are awkward when Mitsuki and Takayuki see Haruka again. Their little triangle really adds a lot of depth to the emotion and personality of the show. After watching five episodes you can't really deny that this series takes itself seriously and it's not afraid to tackle hard issues.

I've never really been the type to go for romance anime because I think the genre can be a little hokey most of the time. Rumbling Hearts really surprised me though. It had a strong Boys Be... vibe with realistic emotion and tough situations. Because of this I'm going to recommend this one even for you romantic naysayers out there (and not just because of the nudity). Check it out and you might be pleasantly surprised!

Presented with a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio Rumbling Hearts receives a nice transfer courtesy of FUNimation. The picture quality is very clean the entire way through with no noticeable grain or aliasing to muck things up. The image does have a certain fuzzy look to it at times but it looks like something that was intended by the producers instead of a byproduct of this transfer. The show's animation is pretty solid though the art direction is somewhat generic without a lot of flare. You could almost easily transplant any of these characters into another series and they'd fit in just perfectly.

Both the English and Japanese tracks in Rumbling Hearts come with a 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo presentation. Needless to say that leaves very little diversity on the soundstage for either track though you really don't need it for a show like this. Sappy music and drawn out dialogue tends to plague romance anime and this one is honestly no exception. The 2.0 presentation is just fine for the material and though a 5.1 track would have been nice it probably would have been overkill.

Rumbling Hearts may be big on the love but it's light in an area where it counts; the extra features. Only trailers and textless animations make it to the first volume here.

I must admit that when I first started watching Rumbling Hearts I was a little skeptical. It started out slow and didn't have any instant pop but that all changed as the episodes went on. Things became a little riskier as the series began to do things that few other romantic shows have tried before. My preconceptions were turned upside down and over as I continued to watch. If the rest of the series turns out as well as this batch of episodes did we could be looking at one of the defining entries into the genre.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!