Ouran High School Host Club - Reviews

I FREAKING LOVE OHSHC, ITS AMAZING I REALLY NEED A SEASON 2 :( 

This is a beautiful piece of art, storyline, and voice acting. Haruhi is calm, cool, collected; smart, and sometimes so much so that she seems almost dull at times when the host club is at their most crazy. She almost seems like she wouldn’t be the center of a reverse harem (those not understanding this, its when there are a group of guys for one girl instead of a bunch of girls for the guy… easy enough to get, right?) and pretty much not the type to be swooning over the boys. Well, your pretty much right but that’s what makes Ouran High pop out more then any other that came before.

As for the men, well they are as shallow and van as rich, handsome boys can be with a whole matter of stereotypes. A fun thing with this is that they don’t really have every single male going after her, luckily, its more of the ones closer to her age and three get touched on while the forth really hides in the bushes to make way for the other. Yes, I am talking about Tamaki, Kyouya, and the Hitachiin twins Hikaru and Kaoru.

Let’s touch the first three and then I will get down to my favorite and most logical choice after. Hikaru is the most headstrong of the bunch, the prankster and pretty much the one that gets Kaoru into trouble every once in a while. Kaoru is the one that’s more… well kind in all aspects. When he’s not with his brother, he seems sweet and good natured which might be why most of the girls swoon over the two when they go into their whole boy love thing… among other things… Kaoru always steps back and pushes Hikaru to go after Haruhi so that his brother can find love even though he does make it somewhat clear that he wants a bit of the action as well.

Kyouya is the brains and mostly profiteer of the host club, looking for the money instead of having the girls have fun, although he is able to pull a fast one when it comes to getting what he wants out of pretty much anyone around him, including Tamaki. Yes, the relationship between Kyouya and Tamaki every once in a while does tend to swing in the ‘we are hot for each other’ way, not that the author isn’t quick to pick up on this fact and uses it to its advantage. There is a good reason why Kyouya is called ‘Mother’ in the host club although if it was for sexual reasons, he would probably be top. Nope, the reason is that I can tell that if he was a woman, he would be one of those girls that will flaunt it just to get anything out of someone.

And last but not least, my all time favorite, Tamaki. Yes, he is an airhead… yes, he is quite clueless… yes, I know he sees himself as a father for Haruhi… uggg… now that freaked me out. No, I will not bring up that joke, he actually figures it out later why it’s strange for him to be calling himself that but no, the reason why I like him to be with Haruhi is simple and it’s one reason on top of many. It’s because he is just like her Father. I know that is crazy but think of it this way, she knows how to take care of someone like that, she knows he has a good heart under all that blond hair, and she knows how pure his intentions were form the start. From the vary start, The Hitachiins would tease her and sometimes even go beyond to harass her, Kyouya really was mostly in it for the money, it seems that the only reason why Tamaki put his heart in soul into making her come with them was mostly, because he liked spending time with her and no matter if he tried to make her into a fully fledged girl, he in the end always went about saying that she needed to be true to herself. (If you can’t tell, I can get into a lot of detail when it’s an anime I really freaken enjoy!)

Now, on to technical merits. The artwork is so beautiful and bright that when they start going comedy, they seem to lost a lot of detail and turn somewhat chibi-fide creatures. And yet, to me it works. I am happy most of the story line doesn’t focus on all the customers that come in, letting the characters shine in their stereotypical designs although… how the hell is Hunny a martial artist? Ya, he looks nothing like it and the blond hair kind of pushes me off there as well. When the story starts to get dark is when most of the details start shining in a aposing danger is on its way, and the shadows mix well in to the details, making them stand out much more. Thoughout the show, there are a lot of roses and I do wish they wouldn’t have so many. Ok… so we know the rose is a symbol of love… we get it… you don’t have to flaunt it every freaken second that they are there for love.

The voice acting is also well done for both Dub and Sub. They pulled out all the stops with Caitlin Glass having solid voice acting next to Maaya Sakamoto for Haruhi. They both gave her more of a cool hearted not caring attitude that made up her character. Even better when she was playing against Vic Mignogna’s rather overly fun character Tamaki. At first, I could not get away from how he sounded just like Edward from Fullmedal Achimest but I can see how the characters fit perfectly. Tamaki has the same style freak outs as Ed whenever someone calls him on something stupid he did or said that I couldn’t help from smile.

Other Characters got voices like J. Michael Tatum as Kyouya, Todd Haberkorn and Greg Ayres did a unbelievable job keeping the harmony between Kaoru and Hikaru even when the two were speaking ‘with one voice’ as it was. They used Luci Christian as Honey and it worked rather well, pretty much perfectly for the cuteness, Monica Rial as the over Otaku girl Renge, and I could not stop laughing at Patrick Seitz’s depiction of Umehito Nekozawa.

I had heard good things about this anime, but I didn't really know what I was getting myself into. But I'm glad I read the manga, and now I will review the anime :D

 

Story: 8/10

Story is pretty solid. Haruhi Fujioka is a lower-middle-class girl who gets a scholarship to attend the prestigious Ouran Academy, which is crawling with rich, uppercrust boys and girls from well-to-do families the world over. After stumbling into an abandoned music room, she encounters the Host Club, a congregation of handsome boys who run a service of entertaining the ladies with their good looks. After she breaks a freakin' expensive vase, they charge her with the task of entertaining girls dressed up as a boy (did I mention she is REALLY androgynous?) to pay off the bill. Don't get the wrong idea, Haruhi WANTS to do this, because she's responsible and stuff. What transpires is a mixture of romance, comedy, and chaste sexy moments.

 At the Ouran High School Host Club, there is a "type" for every lady. If you are into the strong and silent type, then you go and visit the barely-speaks-even-two-words-an-episode-Mori; interested in sweet as pie, impossibl adorable, bishie-style chibi boy? "Hunny" Haninozuka is your guy. Want someone cunning who also wears glasses? Ease on down the road to Kyoya, who is also second in command and in charge of the Club's spending and finances. Can't get enough of "brotherly love"? Watch as Hikaru and Kaoru make poorly-disguised sexual advances on each other. Want a man who will sweep you off your feet like a knight in shining armor? Here comes Tamaki, the mastermind behind the whole shindig. And Haruhi is supposed to be the "plain-Jane" I suppose. Down-to-earth and honest and hard-working.

Some cliches in the episodes do arise, there are certain comedic touches that do the trick and make you forget about that.

 

Animation: 8/10

The animation is clear-cut and typical of its time. The chibi moments are hilarious where they're placed and not overdone. The rosy backgrounds and the sparkles accentuate the cheesiness that the boys shove down the poor girls' throats in an effort to seduce them into shivering puddles of gaga-ness. The bodies are bishoujo, long legs and arms, angular in clothing, yet stylish. Like all shojo, glitter and sparkles abound in multitudes, but it isn't quite overdone. Just right in this setting.

 

Sound: 5/10

The opening theme is naturally a J-Pop song, but it isn't that bad. It kind of gets you into the mood for the hilarity and romance that ensues in this series. After listening to it, you are expecting the classic reverse-harem anime, but hoping for something new. There is not much to say about the music in question, I only know that when the episode is about to close, the ending theme begins to play. It's a pretty good song (english dub) but when the man starts singing, his voice cracks ever-so-slightly

 

Characters: 9/10

Being a reverse-harem, there are six male characters along with one female heroine. That's a lot to balance. The story gives you enough of a background to fill in some gaps and get a sense of what is behind those handsome and adorable faces. And Haruhi plays an entertaining lead. She's blunt, not into girly things as you could probably guess (she dresses up as a boy of her own free will, for God's sake) . She's a "co-worker" with them in a sense, but quickly becomes their pet and befriends them all. They like her and look out for her in a world where rich people can do some pretty mean things. After all, she's a "commoner" among "kings". Though a little stereotypical, after all they are cut-outs of a "type" of man that one girl is dreaming of, they still have their own personalities and likes to give more depth and feel to their places in the Host Club. And certain scuffles arise and even though they may fight a little and get into a few shenanigans, they're all friends and in this for the glamor and the fun.

 

Overall: 7/10

With its well-balanced characters and even mixture of hilarity and romance, this is a good watch for anyone looking for a series that has a wide cast of characters and uses every one effectively to the best of their abilities. This is a very funny, original, well-produced series that I probably won't find in a while.

Do you like shojo? If your answer is no, because you found it surronded by outdated clichés, specially the genre known as reverse harem, i just had one thing to say: don't let the tags shojo and reverse harem fool you. This show is not like the rest.

Let's start with the story: Haruhi Fujioka is a normal teenage girl, inteligent, who works really hard to get the best degrees, with her feet on the ground, and studies in Ouran, an academy for rich kids. She met the Host Club, a group of gorgeous boys who organize activities to...be with girls. Despite she thinks that it's a waste of time, she ended up helping them after she broke an expensive vase owned by them, becoming one menber more. One important detail: they iniatially thought she's a boy. With a premise than anyone else could make a boring and awful written story, they manage to make a show so funny that you'll never get bored , with a written that matchs the craziest humor, making fun of every shojo stereotype, with the day-by-day situations that Haruhi has to deal  with, plus the intervention of the Host Club, who seem Haruhi can't get rid of, and always has the most comic solutions. Aperfect match between realism and parody.

The art will remind of classic shojo titles, but with an own style,and an animation that makes everything looks speed,like the characters can't take a break, and won't let the viewer have one in the humourus scenes, that fits with the screen play.

The soundtrack is good, not great, but it does what is meant to be. The voice casting really feats the personality of every character, a really strong point: a childish voice for a childish character, a malicous voice for a malicious character...thet helps to make them more believable. Every seeiyu knows when he has to overact and when has to take the screen seriously, making the dialogues hard to feel forced.

The characters are one of the main appeals of the series. Like i've said before, the seeiyu did a great work putting their voices in the characters, but is the character development what finish to complete them and make them greater. Every boy is based in a harem reverse cliché: the blond prince charming, the smart with glasses, the stoic dude who looks scary...the characters know that and they take adventage of that founding the Host Club, playing that role. But when it's turn to tell us their past,e volution and true personalitys, they feel like real people and not bishies to make fantasys.

Ouran Highschool Host Club is famous for the humour, but has a lot of things to offer to you. It will make you laugh always, cry sometimes and when you finish to watch, you'll remenber it as great show.  

Ouran High School Host Club (or OHSHC for the purposes of this review) details the story of intellectual protege Haruhi Suzu-I mean Fujioka and her various school life adventures with her fellow club members at the Ouran's High School Host Club in this romantic comedy/slice of life anime.

We are introduced to Haruhi as she wanders around an extremely prestigious school, reserved only for the insanely wealthy. Her acceptance is due to her brilliance and studious attitude, giving her a significant academic advantage over her stereotypically spoiled classmates. During her wandering, she accidentally breaks a priceless vase that belonged to the Host Club, and because she is so poor and has no way of repaying the club, she reluctantly joins as a means of paying them back. And so the hilarity ensues.

Story

In it's most simplest form, the entire premise for this show is Haruhi, a female, who is mistaken for, and dresses up like, a male host. In accordance with this type of anime (comedy/slice of life), there isnt really a strict storyline per se, more of a collection of various situations the unorthodox school club get up to. As a comedic slice of life anime, it does this very well; every episode has it's own comedic charm regardless if it's a serious character develpment episode, or obligatory beach episode and it makes the show thoroughly enjoyable. The romantic side of this anime however was fascinating. As a male watching what is arguably a show designed for girls, it was refreshing seeing a reverse-harem that heavily featured yaoi themes (even twincest) used for comedic purposes but done tastefully. Seeing how each of the Host Club members slowly fall for Haruhi and begin fighting for her attention, it brought a very realistic sense to a on-the-surface "light" show. Now I give the story element a 7.5 and not an 8 or a 9 is because what makes this show great is the characters. Sure the situations they get in are hilarious, and the underlying message of breaking the gender barrier Haruhi enforces is great and all, but as you got to know the characters, I'd rather it was primarily about the romantic element rather than the slice-of-life (still keeping the comedy of course, don't want this to be heavy and deep!") But I can't fault it on what it is trying to be, and it does it to a great standard.

Animation 

The animation is very....feminine, for lack of a better term. The colours are very pastely, very bright and very light. The detail in the backgrounds and enviroment combined with very cartoonish character models really set the tone for this show. It is a very flowery show and the animation confirms that ten fold, to the point where you can almost smell the roses and taste the sweet cake just watching this show. But for me, the comedic use of animation in this show makes those moments all the better. The timing and instant transition from heavily detailed model to almost stick figure quality to amplify the comedy is almost flawless. My only gripe, giving the score an 8 not higher, is the fact it is very pastel and some of the backgrounds are very static. It would have been nice to have them a bit more "alive", but its such a minor gripe, and it takes away nothing from the show.

Sound

The choice of music suited the show very well, however it wasn't particularly to my taste so I found myself skipping most intros. I did like the piano music that would play throughout as it really gave you the sense of wealth, prestige and royalty, adding to the already sickly sweet atmosphere.

Characters

This is the anime's strongest feature by far. Every character has some form of comedic nature to their stereotypical personalities.

In the host club for example, you have Tamaki, club leader and prince of hosts, who is very light hearted, good natured and extremely eccentric while having a tendency for over reacting and the dramatic. Then you have Kyoya, the intellectual type with glasses who basically runs the club and it's finances while scheming ways to increase their own profits. You also have twins Hikaru and Kaoru who play on the forbidden love of twincest and yaoi, and are also mischevious pranksters. Honey-senapi is one of the older memebrs, but due to his appearence he plays on the lolita/shota fantasy that women apparently have in this show; all about the cuteness and sweets. Mori is a combo fo the tall, dark and handsome type and the strong and silent samurai; even though he's a man of few words, his never faltering devotion and protection to Honey also has it's female allure. On the surface, they seem like extravagent and typical anime personalities made flesh, however as the show goes on, we see that each character is SO much more than what they let on, and having seemingly shallow characters fleshed out so well is refreshing, as slice-of-life animes are a great medium to portray and develop brilliant characters.

Haruhi, for me, I found quite difficult to like. Being a reverse harem, Haruhi plays the part of being the often annoyingly ignorant and oblivious character, hwoever it's done to such an extent, it makes you wonder if she really is all that intelligent in the first place. Sure there's a difference between academic intelligence and social intelligencel, and sure this is the part she was designed to play, but I found myself more interested and invested in the other members of the club than the protagonist. Haruhi isn't all bad though, as we are shown the reasons as to why she is seemingly cold and takes no nonsense, as well as a her phobias, she becomes more human rather than a check list of personality quirks a harem hero must have. As a protagonist, even for a reverse harem, I would have preffered her if she was a little less "vacant" and oblivious, but all in all she fit the bill well for the role that she was in.

Overall

As far as I can think, there haven't been that many notable reverse harems (that I've watched) however OHSHC can proudly stand on it's own as key anime to watch in the Harem genre. Countless laughs and feels to be had in this very well made and animated show, while addressing socially sensitive topics such as cross dressing, gender swapping  and feminism. Keep in mind however that it's suggestive yaoi themes and sickly sweet animation may put off many viewers, but it adds to its comedic value and charm. I hope that my review entices you to at least give OHSHC a try as it definitely deserves the attention.

8/10