Ouran High School Host Club

(Top left to bottom right): Mori, Huni, Tamaki, Kyouya, Kaoru,
Haruhi, and Hikaru
in all of their Host Club glory!

  So, I just finished re-watching/reading the entirety of Ouran High School Host Club. I'm telling you, when I get into something, I get into it! But anyways, I actually ended up enjoying this anime and manga far more than I anticipated at first; and I loved watching it way more the second time than the first time. Honestly, at first, the characters sort of shocked me a little bit and I didn't know how to take them, because they're all just so flamboyant and insanely funny; but then, as I kept watching and reading, I found the heart of the characters and the story, and might have fallen a little bit in love with it.

       Here's a run-down for those who know nothing about it: OHSHC is basically a shojo manga/anime story about a girl named Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at the elite prep school, Ouran Academy in Japan. One day, while trying to find a place to study quietly, Haruhi stumbles into Music Room #3, the meeting-room of the Ouran High School Host Club! The members are 6 extremely handsome, rich, and well-mannered young men whose job it is to entertain and flatter the young women who visit the club; sort of like reverse-gender geishas. When she breaks a valuable vase that belonged to the Club, Haruhi is forced to work for the Host Club in order to repay her debt, first as an errand-boy, and then as a host. Ah, and did I mention that everyone in school thinks that she is a boy? However, the Host Club realizes her true identity rather quickly, and from there everything gets highly interesting.

       The show gets most of its energy, at least in the beginning, from the antics of the Host Club 

"I will drink this coffee!!!!"

members and Haruhi's reaction to them. Haruhi is practical and has a rather apathetic attitude; Tamaki Suou, the leader (or "King") of the Club, is a narcissistic idiot; Kyouya Ootori is an extremely business-minded, serious person who secretly runs the show; the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, are mischievous to the point of being almost evil, and have a rather twisted way of viewing themselves and the world outside of their two-person "unit"; and Takashi Morinozuka (Mori) is a strong and silent figure who always accompanies his cousin, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, a tiny "Lolita" who carries around a bunny and always eats cake. The group grows together, fights some tough battles together, and before the end, they become a true "family."

The Host Club boys in Wonderland...

       The animation in the show is beautiful and pristine, and perfectly matches the rich setting of the show and characters. The characters are beautiful (of course), but the animators aren't afraid to draw their faces in hilarious ways, and their movements are graceful and smooth. I think the voice actors for both the sub and dub did wonderful jobs as well, and for this show I don't really have a preference; I love the English version, though, because of the twins' voices; and Vic Mignogna as Tamaki Suou is great, very different from his performance as Edward Elric, but he pulls it off splendidly!

       And of what have I been reminded/ learned from this anime/manga? That friends are there to help us through the toughest and most confusing of times. That revealing your feelings and thoughts about a situation makes things about 100% less complicated and easier on everyone involved. That if you turn your back on the world, the world will turn its back on you (a loose reference to the Lion King, I think?) - that is, a life lived in the safety of being shut up within itself may be safe, but it is lonely beyond measure. Certainly, with opening yourself up even a little to others is terrifying and comes with an almost guaranteed risk of being hurt, but the benefits vastly outweigh the risks. That any friendship worth your salt will not break easily. That every day is an experience, and should be made the best of, even if it is hard. And, most importantly, that all people are idiots - but they are worth getting to know and reaching out to anyways. We all have a story and a lesson to tell others.

The "Family" :)

      
       Quite surprising lessons from a simple soujo reverse-harem manga, eh?

       So, to conclude, I would recommend this anime and manga to anybody who is looking for a light, fun story with hilarious characters who are far deeper than they seem - mostly girls, as I don't see guys being all that into this story. There are some issues with cross-dressing (such as Haruhi hiding her gender and her father being a transvestite) and homosexuality (a.k.a. "twincest," although they are only putting on an act, and the Host Club guests fangirling over the supposed "love quadrangle" in the Club), but if you can get past those elements then you can find a story with a lot of heart, and an adorable love story to boot.

*** Spoiler Alert:









I just had to... They're so cute!!!