A self-described random assortment of odds and ends, “School Rumble: Extra Class” is not only an atypical OVA, but is also one of the most confusing anime releases in quite some time. As if the regular series didn’t seem strange enough, this disconcerting collection of short stories is so off-the-wall that no other anime compares. The first episode is certainly the more accessible of the two – as hijinks involving schoolgirl crushes and assigned seating deliver sitcom-type humor – but it’s the second episode that goes full-on zany as the large cast of characters find themselves in an alternate world as Neanderthals. Unfortunately, unless you’re already familiar with the show, “Extra Class” will seem like more of an unwanted distraction than the eccentric comedy it aims to be. Characters and relationships are already too far developed for newcomers to just jump in, while the creators’ insistence on pounding the audience with cutesy, “Hello Kitty”-esque humor will turn others away.
