Love Lab

Summary: >

Natsuo attends a girls school where romantic relationships are forbidden. Elegant and seemingly reserved, she's the opposite of a rambunctious girl like Riko. One day Riko discoverers the truth behind Natsuo: she's a total weirdo obsessed with romance. The student council expands to five members which now includes Riko. Student tasks aside, there is the unofficial "love lab", where the girls study the pursuit of romance. Quite the challenge when none of them has any experience with boys.

Thoughts: >

I liked the concept of Love Lab, but it seemed like the kind of show which would go adrift after an episode or two. Nothing about this anime is a stand out feature, but it fairs well as a fun anime comedy. It certainly avoided my biggest concern, that it would become one of those spaced out shows with frolicking school girls accomplishing nothing.

The two main characters are a big part in why Love Lab works so well. Natsuo is outwardly a perfect girl. However the repercussions of being incredibly sheltered become obvious in how she's very weird in private. Riko is the focal point, as the girl who stumbles into the love lab. She's been a tomboy her whole life, and thus interacted with boys plenty but not on a romantic level. She inadvertently becomes the romance guru, as the group misinterpret her history. One girl catches on to Riko's false claim, as her lie continues to trap her. The other characters aren't worth mentioning.

I expected Love Lab to become tired doing.. whatever it chose to do, however this anime has surprisingly varied content. It's more focused on the characters than the study of love. This prevents the comedy from becoming stale, as new situations beget new jokes. It's not the most amazing comedy, sometimes it takes too long to reach the punch line, but I found this anime plenty funny. Many of the situations are fun to watch in themselves, my favorite being Natsuo's disastrous first interaction with a boy. I found this part so hilarious, that I wish it spent more time with it instead of moving on to club "drama".

Things come together well in Love Lab. Character interactions and situations make a cute show, providing enough comedy for a solid watch. It is however yet another school anime, and doesn't have much of a story. If wanting a light hearted show for a few laughs, it's worth picking up.

Screen Caps: >