Ouran High School Host Club

--The review contains spoilers-- Ouran High School is one of the best reverse harem anime series I have watched. The first episode really made an impact. It did not start as to be draggy but rather it easily showed the main idea of the story which started when they have discovered that Haruhi is a girl. The story was quite shallow at first which was just showing the different themes of the club and how they entertained the guests but when you continue with the later part of the series, you'll realize that behind all the smiles of the characters, there is a bitter past. Theflow of the story is also good. It starts with the story of a certain character, followed by an episode just for enjoyment, them the story of a certain character and so on which promoted the balanced flow of the story. The art of this anime is great since they can convene the different effects for a specific situation correctly. The type of animation used was the traditional type of animation (not the 3D or any modern form of animation) which for me, was better since the traditional type of animation was a type wherein the viewers can interpret more using their own imaginations. The opening song Sakura Kiss (which became my favorite) sung by Chieko Kawabe was really fitting for the series since it was lively and the lyrics can really relate to the main character which was Haruhi Fujioka. The ending song Shissou sung by Last Alliance was great in which it blended with the appeal of the club. I like the way they treat each other. They treat each other as close friends not some enemy that is to be competed financially or in other aspects (which was the opposite of what their parents really want). Each of the character's qualities complimented the others that's why their host club was in harmony. Other characters are also shown who were either supporting or testing the strength of the bond between the host club members. While watching this anime, I might have looked like i was crazy or something coz i kept on laughing out loud everytime there is something really really funny like the thing that happened during their host club ball and the ever-changing characteristic of Tamaki Suou. The "punch lines" and "Labels" also help a lot in expressing the humor of the series like in the part of Kyouya who just recently woke up from bed was placed title as a "Low Blood Pressure Evil Lord" and Haruhi was labeled "Studious Commoner" and the host club's "DOG" at the very start of the series. If you want a lot of laughs mixed with a mixture of romance and a little bit of sadness, or liked boys that are classified as the prince-type, loli-shota type, cool type, devil type or a natural rookie type, then you should watch this anime coz you'll really enjoy this movie and at the same time understand and appreciate the series as a whole. It's really great! ^_^

Looking for a show to laugh your ass off? Look no further, Ouran High School Host Club will not fall short in that aspect. All the characters are uniquely lovable. Each person has their own specific traits, and without a doubt, their own problems they need to overcome. Everyone has their favorites too, so within a few episodes you'll be rooting for one person to get with the other, no doubt. Character development and the enjoyment level were the biggest pluses for Ouran. It keeps you entertained nearly the whole way through (except for one or two episodes around 19 or so). Only weakness I found wasthe sound. I didn't particularly care for either the opening or the ending (though the opening wasn't all that bad I guess). So, in conclusion, it's almost impossible to not enjoy this show. The ending is great and the lead up to it is very well done. Want to feel good and laugh at the same time, check Ouran out.

Title: Ouran High School Host Club Manga, Anime: Ouran High School Host Club was originally a manga created by Bisco Hatori that began running in Hakusensha's LaLa magazine on August 5th, 2003, and is still ongoing. It has been licensed Stateside by Viz Media, and the releases are up to the 10th volume Stateside as of February 5th, 2008, while it currently stands at 12 collected volumes in Japan. Ouran High School Host Club is a twenty-six episode series that was produced by Studio Bones (famous for their work on Darker than BLACK and Fullmetal Alchemist) and directed by Takuya Igarashi (famous for hiswork on random episodes of Sailor Moon and Darker than Black). It ran on Japanese television from April 4th to September 26th, 2006. It has been licensed Stateside by Funimation, though it has yet to actually give a release date. Story: Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student attending the ultra-wealthy Ouran Academy, so poor that she can't even afford the uniform. One day, as she's trying to find a quiet place to study, she comes across the Third Music Room and the Ouran High School Host Club (if you don't know what a host club is, it's basically a bunch of guys flirting with women for profit). As she's trying to leave, she breaks a vase worth about $80,000, and is soon employed doing menial tasks to pay off her debt. Unfortunately, her short hair cut, outfit, and large glasses make her look like a guy, and they soon promote her to host after they figure out she has a lot of potential. She's a big hit, and even after they finally figure out that she's a girl, they have her stay on and conceal her gender, as she's such a hit, and she can repay her debt faster that way. Most of the series focuses on the customers and the members of the Host Club. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that this were a screwball romantic comedy, this would be a fairly standard customer/problem of the week series. However, it's because the series does not hesitate to turn its fairly sarcastic sense of humor back on itself that it succeeds so well. Ouran openly makes fun of several genre tropes of shoujo, and by openly having characters point them out, and breaking the fourth wall while they're at it, manages to create amazing moments of meta (self-referential moments, for those of you not famliar with fandom terms). It also has several good running gags that manage not to get old. Add to this the fact that every character in the Club gets some kind of development and background (though I do have issue with where this falls, but see Length for more about that), as do minor recurring characters, and you've got a fairly solid show. It's not anything that's ZOMG SPEKTAKULAR, but it's still a pretty good show. Art: I really like how Bones did this series. The lines that are used in the show are a bit thicker than the lines in most anime, which just makes the characters stand out that much more, and are especially effective when they use SD for humor moments. You can barely tell when CG's used, and the 2D animation itself is very fluid. The colors in general are very vibrant, and I actually found myself wondering how they got some of the exact colors that they did (especially Eclair's eyes), because they were absolutely beautiful. Also, a fact that particularly endears this series to my heart is that they had the guy who did the series composition and scripts for Revolutionary Girl Utena doing the same for this (Yoji Enokido), which means that we got a lot of Utena-esque imagery, in how there's lots and lots of symbolism using mundane objects. (The only reason I really noticed this was because I'm watching Utena with my school's anime club at the moment, and I saw a lot of similarities.) Music: The background music for this series is extremely exaggerated and over the top, which isn't that much different from how the entire series is. I don't know how it would stand on its own, but in context with the scenes that it's used in, it's a perfect combination. The OP and the ED are a special case. They're the stereotypical female JPop upbeat number and a rousing rock number, respectively, and, in any other series, would not impress me that much. They do here, though. And I don't know WHY. Seiyuu: Maaya Sakamoto (famous for her roles as Aeris Gainsborough in FFVII: Advent Children and Hitomi in Escaflowne) plays Haurhi, and Takehito Koyasu (famous for his roles as Touga in Revolutionary Girl Utena and Hotohori in Fushigi Yuugi) makes an appearance here and there as her father. Otherwise, all the seiyuu managed to capture their characters' qualities perfectly. Length: The only problem I have with this series is where they placed background information and character development. The former came after the latter, and, overall, it probably would have made a lot more sense to reverse the order, and maybe place it more towards the earlier end of the series more than the latter half. Overall, though, twenty-six episodes was a solid decision. I think they could've trimmed a few episodes off, but overall, the length was pretty solid. Overall: A screwball romantic comedy that's not afraid to have moments of meta and make fun of itself and its tropes, with excellent seiyuu, art and imagery, and music that fits the moments perfectly. Could have lost a few episodes and rearranged the order a bit, but hey, it's still pretty good. Story: 9/10 Art: 9/10 Music: 8/10 Seiyuu: 9/10 Length: 8/10 Overall: 43/50; 86% (B )

I would recommend this show even if you aren't a fan of the romantic comedy genre. It is an incredibly fun show. Even if you aren't super keen on reverse harem this show doesn't take itself seriously enough for that to be a major issue. There is of course a fair bit of romance for those of you who are looking for that but for me this was a show that was more comedy than romance. It has a really nice mix of silliness with a touch of sweet. This isn't a show that will blow your mind with art. I found the style a littledated, but for me that is never really a problem, the poster should give you a good sense of whether it is a problem for you. It is typical shoujo style really, big eyes, lithe framed men. Similarly the music is pretty standard and unremarkable. The story I found to be enjoyable. It's more situational with episodes revolving around their daily antics, until towards the end where things build nicely to what I found to be quite an amusing ending. But this is not really a story driven show. It's a show you watch for the crazy situations, the overblown stereotypes and the ridiculous factor particularly of the male lead. Just on him, he confused me at first because they claimed he was the "prince" type. For those of you unfamiliar with the term it basically describes that perfect guy who is good at everything, has a slim build, super popular and a bit of a charmer. But I found him in reality to be quite different. He is more of a parody of the ridiculousness of that ideal, and kind of an idiot, so in the beginning I didn't know what to make of him. As time goes on though I really came to enjoy him, he is actually really likable and I like a leading man who you can laugh at. To me that is what makes Ouran Highschool Host Club stand out; the way that it laughs at itself. So bottom line? If you like shoujo romcoms or reverse harem this is a must see! If you don't but you think you are open to watching one this would be the one to watch. If you can't stand shows about highschool and romance then I wouldn't watch it but trust me you are missing out!