I can see how people who don't like anime wouldn't like this. It's an affectionate parody of anime, and if you don't watch a lot of anime...well the jokes just won't resonate.
I for one LOVE school rumble to death. It was the second DVD box set I bought. And I bought it when it was still pretty expensive and I only made about $20 a week. (It was three or four weeks pay). I still watch it regularly after having seen it a couple years ago. Both the english dub and the original japanese are epic. All my friends like it, except for one. He just complains at the lack of an overall plot (he dislikes ouran high for the same reason, but likes welcome to the NHK for some reason. Welcome to the NHK has even LESS plot than school rumble)