To LOVE-Ru

Rito Yuuki is unlucky when it comes to love — no matter how hard he tries to confess to his crush, his efforts end in failure. After another day’s confession goes down the drain, Rito spends his night sulking in his bathtub. But when a naked girl with a pointed tail teleports into the tub with him, it seems like Rito’s luck is finally looking up! His fortune doesn’t last long when he finds himself accidentally engaged to the buxom beauty who is none other than the princess of the planet Deviluke!

To Love Ru (2008-2015) is a Japanese animated harem romantic comedy series created as a shounen anime and produced by XEBEC with TBS as a broadcaster. Rito Yuuki, a hapless high school student whose confessions always fail, is voiced by Akeno Watanabe, and his life is upended when the alien princess Lala Satalin Deviluke, voiced by Haruka Tomatsu, is accidentally engaged to him. Golden Darkness, voiced by Misato Fukuen, and Haruna Sairenji, voiced by Sayuri Yahagi, add to the crowded household of pursuers and rivals. The engine of each episode is simple: Rito tries to win a romance, misunderstandings pile up, and alien gadgets from Deviluke backfire in a school and home setting. The show runs four seasons across sixty-four episodes, following a continuing thread of escalating romantic entanglements. It is set in a contemporary Japanese high school town with an invented sci-fi overlay. Its tone is breezy, lighthearted and fan-service driven, with a warm comedic heart. Fans of Love Hina, Mahoromatic and Ah! My Goddess will find resonance in its blend of romance, alien whimsy and ensemble comedy.

Audience reception is mixed overall, with the first season rated lowest and later seasons rated progressively higher for the playful harem comedy.

• Highschool of the Deadshared romantic comedy harem premise, ecchi tone, alien love interest, slapstick school setting
• Love Hinashared harem romantic comedy structure with a bumbling male lead surrounded by devoted female characters
• Mahoromaticshared alien princess romance premise and light sci-fi comedy tone in a high school setting
• Ah! My Goddessshared sci-fi romantic comedy with an alien woman entering an ordinary boy's life

Release Date

2008-04-04

Episode runtime

24 min

Rating

6.4 / 10 (418)

What is To LOVE-Ru about?

An unlucky high school boy is accidentally engaged to the princess of an alien planet and drawn into a crowded harem of devoted women.

What is To LOVE-Ru like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of To LOVE-Ru as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is To LOVE-Ru violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in To LOVE-Ru.

What did critics think of To LOVE-Ru?

Audience reception is mixed overall, with the first season rated lowest and later seasons rated progressively higher for the playful harem comedy.

Which shows are like To LOVE-Ru?

Shows with a similar feel include Highschool of the Dead, Love Hina, Mahoromatic, and Ah! My Goddess.

How long is To LOVE-Ru?

To LOVE-Ru: 4 seasons, 64 episodes.

Is To LOVE-Ru still running?

No, To LOVE-Ru has ended.

Where can I watch To LOVE-Ru?

In United States, To LOVE-Ru streams on HiDive.