By: Zach Goodier
Ouran
High School Host Club is a 26-episode anime that centers around the
eccentric "Host Club" of Ouran High School; a place for wealthy families
that have too much time on their hands.
A new student, Haruhi Fujioka, is attending this prestigious school on
an honors scholarship. Haruhi is
eventually indebted to the Host Club, and is forced to join them, despite being
a girl in an all-male host club. Other
members include President Tamaki Suou, Vice President, Kyoya Ohtori, Twins Kaoru and Hikaru
Hitachiin, "Honni" Haninozuka, and Takashi Morinozuka.
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| (Left to Right) Takashi, "Honey," Twins Hikaru and Kaoru, Haruhi, Tamaki, and Kyoya |
Right off the bat, this series introduces
itself as a light-hearted comedy.
However, as you progress, there are serious moments sprinkled in to
offer a change of tone every now and again.
These moments are meant to add dimension to the characters, and to offer
some degree of understanding to how these characters have developed and joined
the Host Club. The most obvious
difference from a lot of other animes is this series is a sort of
"reverse-harem" type: The protagonist is a girl who joins an all-male
club. This might seem like a turn-off
for most guys, given the traditional angle that "harem" animes work;
however, this isn't the case here. While
there are some hints at romance in the series, there is more of a focus on the
characters themselves than anything sexual or romantic most of the time. And even when these elements are introduced,
it's not overly suggestive, and results in your typical hilarity that one
expects from a series of this type.
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| There is a brief spoof that does a take on "Alice in Wonderland" that provided a lot of entertaining moments. |
The characters are the strong point of this
series, with each one feeling relevant and well thought out. Haruhi is a far cry from your typical-feeling
female character, which makes since given that she is the lead in this
show. However, you might often find that
Tamaki steals the spotlight with his antics and excessive personality. Each character has their oddities, but Haruhi
provides the more grounded feel of a character who sees their antics as the odd
behaviors they are. Others, like Kyoya
and Takashi, also provide some more grounded characters to give some
perspective on the story and help guide the show through the more serious
moments when they do occur.
This series was surprisingly endearing. With eccentric and entertaining characters,
nobody feels all that much like a placeholder in the series. Everyone has a story, and their odd behaviors
can often be linked to some story from their past. This makes them both humorous and engaging to
the audience. While these are great points,
this show isn't for everyone. Obviously,
there's really no action to speak of, and the ending is admittedly rather
weak. It takes the typical
"open-ended" approach so you can just fill in the blanks however you
want. While the ending has some degree
of closure, you still wish you could have had a brief epilogue to see what
happens to the characters. And while the
characters were well developed, there is your predictable basic formula to it:
character has rough childhood/past, becomes reclusive/depressed, then joins the
club to try to move past it, somehow. So
after your first couple of little stories, you get the idea of how all these
stories go. This isn't a major bash on
the story, because it's the details that set each story apart to some extent;
however, it does make the cast feel somewhat formulaic, even if it sets the
stage for all of them to come together.
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| Expect a lot of moments like this, and if you find this completely confusing, context is important in shows like this. |
In closing, this is an entertaining show that
will endear those who are looking for a light-hearted, yet somewhat serious
series that breaks the traditional formula for a lot of shows. However, this series isn't for everyone. The lack of action, and somewhat romance-heavy
plot can make you feel like you've seen this type of thing before, even if the
details really separate this show from others in the genre. Still, you will likely enjoy this series, and
all of the entertaining antics that ensue between the characters. You just have to keep in mind that the tone
of this series jumps between extremely over-the-top to slow and somber
regularly, and while this fits into the overall story, it does make the
narrative feel muttered at times. While this feels best suited to the female audience, it still holds appeal to a broader demographic, and has enough charm and humor to make it an enjoyable series for all.
Good:
-Hilarious series that will keep entertained and charmed throughout.
-Characters feel well thought-out and endearing, with independent stories
that give each one depth.
-Female lead surrounded by a predominantly male cast provides a new atmosphere,
and provides the opportunity to explore each of the characters without turning
it into your typical "harem" show.
Bad:
-Muttered tone to the series as a whole makes you sometimes wonder where
the funny went, especially near the end of the series.
-Ending really doesn't resolve much, just leaves a lot hanging for the
viewer to fill in with their imagination.
Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10