Ouran High School Host Club: the halfway mark review

I know, I’m really late with watching Ouran. I only have time for so much anime at once, and I just didn’t have time for this one back when it first came out. Also, for some reason I thought it would be too “fan girlish” for my taste…but after watching half the episodes, I’m happy to say that my opinion of Ouran has changed =)

Although the very first episode of Ouran made it seem like the series was going to be pretty much just catering to the bishounen/male harem desires of fan girls, it didn’t take long to show that this series has a lot more to offer than just that. With great animation and music, enjoyable characters, and plenty of comedy as well as emotion, Ouran is definitely more than just fan girl bait. It’s one of the more entertaining episodic series’ and definitely a shoujou/comedy masterpiece. I’m not sure how the series ending will be, or how it compares to the manga, but from what I’ve seen of Ouran so far, I’m glad I finally took the time to get into it ^^

One of this series’ best attributes is that, while it has a cast of male characters that appeal to fan girls, it obviously makes fun of these different bishounen archetypes at the same time. Having the host club customers squeal with moe-ish glee over Tamaki’s flirting or Hikaru and Kaoru’s incest is mirroring how a lot of fan girls feel about these kinds of characters in real life…making this fact so apparent within the series is what makes it so comical! XD And even when they’re not filling their host club roles, the characters are still just as entertaining. From Tamaki’s hapless lust for Haruhi, to Hikaru and Kaoru’s mischievous pranks, and Kyouya’s money-making schemes…such an eccentric bunch of characters makes for an endless supply of comedy!

Ouran also has a great lead female character in Haruhi. She’s tomboyish without having the stereotypical abusive and hot-tempered personality. On the contrary, for being a girl in a male harem, she’s not angsty at all but fairly level-headed and independent. Of course she has her own inner vulnerabilities and tragic past, but her emotions aren’t shoved down our throats like in other series’. Her contrasting attitude compared to the other host club members, as well as contrasting social status compared to their “rich people” habits, also adds more comedy. And rather than have a bunch of love triangles and angst-ridden scenes with all the male characters, Haruhi is pretty sarcastic about the whole host club situation, always taken aback at the crazy antics Tamaki and the others pull.

The story/plot of Ouran High School Host Club isn’t nearly as complex as most series’. It’s very episodic and pretty much just revolves around the host club having lots of comical and/or emotional misadventures. It’s similar to Fruits Basket in this sense; the characters are simply “being,” having adventures come to them rather than going out and seeking adventures. But in comparing the two, while both series’ have their share of comedy and serious, emotional conflict, I think FB has more of the latter and Ouran has more of the former.

As far as art and music go, Ouran is stellar in both categories. Animation from studio Bones never disappoints me, and Ouran is one of the best I’ve seen. The animation always flows perfectly and character designs never look distorted. Other good animation techniques, such as the hilarious on-screen text boxes and well-timed cartoon slapsticks (for example, cartoon arrows stabbing into Tamaki when he’s told something discouraging), add to Ouran’s unique and addicting comedy. And for the music, the classical sounding BGM definitely matches the high-class feel of Ouran Academy. The opening and ending songs are good, but not great…they’re far outshone by the BGM.

Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say about Ouran so far. I’m sure I’ll continue to like it throughout the rest of the episodes, maybe even more. I can definitely recommend it to any fan who likes comedy and/or shoujou anime. Even if you’re a fan of dark, serious, action anime, if you have an open mind, I’m sure you’ll find Ouran to be entertaining too ^^