Ouran Highschool Host Club

Title: Ouran Highschool Host Club Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance Rating: 8.8/10

Summary: Fujioka Haruhi won a scholarship to attend Ouran High, a school reserved for the rich and prestigious. Despite what other students may think of her, Haruhi cares little for physical appearances or the fact that she's a commoner. Unfortunately for Haruhi, her high school days took a turn when she stumbled upon the Host Club, a group of guys who use their specific traits and charms to entertain the women of Ouran High. Even worse was that Haruhi had accidentally broken an 8 million yen vase in the club. Unable to repay her debt with money, Haruhi found herself with no choice but to work for the Host Club, becoming a male host herself.

Review: I watched this anime quite some time ago so excuse me if I miss any minor details. Ouran Highschool Host Club, along side Love Hina were the reasons I got into romance comedies. Saving heavy drama till the end of the series and making it look more like a climax to an action movie is quite possibly the best thing they could have done. The characters were diverse, but none of them were bad. Even the crazy antics of the twins was quite amusing. What I enjoyed most was how the story developed. Unlike most romance comedies that have a boy or girl interested in someone right from the start, the romance between characters wasn’t realized until quite a few episodes in. Quite realistic in the sense that no one actually suddenly likes someone they have never spoken to. Physical attraction doesn’t count either you crazy kids. Even the support characters were very well explained, and you got the sense of loyalty and companionship among them. Mainly used for comedic relief, support characters also had their back stories told. And for anyone who has read my previous reviews, it is easy to tell that I am a huge fan of support character arcs. But what are with romance comedies and always have the characters come from tragic pasts? Can’t anyone just have normal up bringing? Well I guess that’s what is entertaining about it. Quite a few guys don’t really pick up this anime because of its girl service (I mean it IS a club meant to cater to girls), but I wouldn’t turn it away. The powerful romantic scenes mixed with well placed comedy balances everything out. The dramatic moments helped you grow attached to characters a lot faster. I wasn’t a big fan of the art style, but it didn’t set the anime back too far. The soundtrack was a bit to lovey-dovey for my tastes, but what do you expect? It is supposed to be that type of anime. So in that sense I would say the soundtrack fit well, but I don’t plan on listening to the OST any time soon.

Final statements: Ouran Highschool Host Club should be picked up by any romance comedy fan. Although I probably would say avoid watching public if you are a guy, don’t pass it up. It got me into romance comedies for good reason. The bond between club members is respectable (though can get a little awkward at times coughtwinscough). Even if you aren’t a romance fan, it is still a solid anime. So consider this a high priority watch for everyone. I plan on re-watching this myself.