With a name like Rumbling Hearts you kind of know what you're getting into before you even read about the series. This anime published by FUNimation does indeed rest firmly within the romance genre and to be honest it's kind of like an anime soap opera. Originally airing between 2003 and 2004, Rumbling Hearts is a 14 episode show that is based off of a dating sim PC game from Japan. It's kind of surprising considering that most game to anime series stem from action oriented titles like Street Fighter and Star Ocean.

With a strong Boys Be... vibe emanating from every scene, Rumbling Hearts tells a very complicated love story. After watching the first volume the show proved that it wasn't afraid to take chances and tackle complex emotions. At its core this is a triangle romance tale between Takayuki, Hayase, and Haruka. Believe me when I tell you that things get complicated.

While watching the introductory volume I found myself incredibly bored for the first two episodes. Nothing was happening and the development of characters seemed to be static at best. My interest in the show began to wane and I felt that Rumbling Hearts faired little better than mediocrity. Then something surprising happened.

I dodged the issue in the first review to keep things from being too spoiled but at this point in the game it's impossible not to talk about it. When Rumbling Hearts began it told the forming of a relationship between Haruka and Takayuki as high school sweethearts. The show played a little bit with Hayase beginning to show feelings towards Takayuki and that added a tricky element because Hayase and Haruka were friends. In fact the only reason Hayase became friends with Takayuki was because Haruka had a thing for him. Well, in the second episode Takayuki was supposed to meet with Haruka but was late because of Hayase. His tardiness caused Haruka to be hit by a car and rendered unconscious and hospital ridden for the next three years.

At the future point in time Takayuki and Hayase are dating seriously and talk about moving in together; even possibly getting married. That's when they get the news that Haruka has woken up from her coma and looking for Takayuki. As difficult as it is to understand she still thinks that it's three years prior and she and Takayuki have a thing. This creates a rift in Hayase and Takayuki's relationship that makes things difficult long into the second volume.

Takayuki feels a sense of obligation to visit Haruka and be with her until she feels better but Hayase fears that she will lose him to his old lover. Part of her fears are justified as Takayuki begins to exhibit distant expressions around her and nightly visits to the hospital. Partly drunk and full of determination Hayase isn't about to give up without a fight thought. She makes the decision to move in and presses for their relationship to move to the next level.

As the second volume progresses the feelings become stronger on both accounts and it seems that Takayuki is being pushed back into Haruka's arms. Just like the previous volume I can't really divulge much more if I want to keep away from spoilers. My description of Rumbling Hearts as an anime soap opera is proven with every episode. Each character plays their role in relatively predictable fashion. Takayuki is the guy that's torn between lovers, Haruka is hopeful and clueless, Hayase is jealous and fearful, and Akane plays the difficult and immature sibling. To be honest all that is missing is a person coming back from the dead and a mysterious killer with an eye-patch. "As the Rumbling Hearts turn" springs to mind.

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' first volume really surprised me though and the second follows suit. This time around the character and emotional development feels a little drier than I would have hoped for. The plot moves ahead well enough but it takes a while for things to happen here. Still, the show is one of the most unique titles within the genre that I have seen and the story seems to be handled well enough to make it a serious contender. 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 and haze 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 and my only complaint is that the art direction is generic and without 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. Once again there are only some trailers and textless animations to be found.

I must admit that when I first started watching Rumbling Hearts I was a little skeptical. The first volume blindsided me with the car accident and twisted the tale in an interesting way. The end result is a love triangle that is complicated and emotionally painful long into the second volume. The slower pace of this show does allow for some tension in most scenes but the script doesn't give the characters a lot of room for development. Despite that the second volume is still strong and risk taking but just not as equally so as the first installment. Fans of the romance genre will definitely want to take a gander.

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