Miyabi, Tina, and now Taeko. These are the girls living in the Sakuraba Mansion with Kaoru and Aoi that are not Kaoru’s girlfriends! While Kaoru succeeds in remaining faithful, the misunderstandings and challenges from these girls and the crazy situations they experience may still lead to bodily injury for our hero. Between ferrets and wild bathhouse parties, clumsy housekeepers and romantic evenings alone with women you are trying not to date, Kaoru can’t stay out of trouble! Then again, his pain is our entertainment… The cast expands as Taeko, a girl from Kaoru’s university, joins the odd ménage at the Sakuraba family mansion and Tina, the loudmouth American, buys a pet ferret. Although Taeko is supposed to become the housekeeper, she breaks, spills, burns, and otherwise destroys everything she touches. Aoi–the heiress to zillions–cheerfully cooks for everyone and cleans the enormous mansion by herself. The relationship between Kaoru and Aoi slowly blossoms, but the scenes of them shyly holding hands and exchanging confidences don’t jibe with the often gross humor that includes fan service shots of lingerie and jiggling breasts. Another romantic comedy involving mismatched (mostly female) roommates, Ai Yori Aoshi is clearly aimed at Love Hina fans. But Kaoru is so bland, he makes Keitaro look dynamic, and Aoi lacks Naru’s rambunctious appeal. (Rated 13 and older: nudity, risqué humor, alcohol use, comic violence) –Charles Solomon

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