A fine adaptation of the manga, School Rumble is sort of like Azumanga Daioh, except with a plot.

Plot Summary
Tenma likes Ouji. Harima likes Tenma. Ouji likes... curry? And that is merely the beginning of the tangled web of relationships which make up the core of this crazy high school comedy.

The Review
This is a series where I read what was available of the manga before seeing the animated version. The School Rumble anime does a great job in capturing the feel of its manga counterpart, complete with side commentary.

Like the manga, the story is very uncomplicated, unlike the ongoing soap opera between the students in regards to who likes who. This, of course, is the focus of the show. Tenma Tsukamoto is our main heroine. She's energetic and happy, and about as dense as a brick. She has a crush on the mysteriously quiet Ouji Karasuma, who is supposed to be transferring to a new school. Kenji Harima is the once truant delinquent, and he has a crush on Tenma. Like the manga, this spirals out to Tenma's friends and classmates, and by the midway point of the series, nobody can be certain just who likes who anymore, and their source of confusion is our source of amusement in this series. While mostly a comedy, there are some dramatic elements to the story. Because of this, the story becomes a blend of unbelieveable slapstick comedy with some touching moments sprinkled throughout.

Each episode is made up of three segments, which are sometimes (but not always) connected. The cast is large, but each character is distinct, and chances are you'll have more than a few favorites as the story goes on, if you haven't already gotten favorites from reading the manga first. The best news, perhaps, is that if you're a fan of School Rumble as I am, there is an OVA and second season to look forward to!

If you want an easy to watch school comedy, School Rumble should be high on your list.