Ouran Obsession Continue or Waning?
Went to chapters this weekend and read some Ouran's manga (English Translation)... I tend to prefer Chinese, but right now I only have access to the English one (plus it's free, so I shouldn't complain)...
The series is funny and the characters are good... I do enjoy Hunny-sempai, though I think the anime seems much more lively than the manga (mostly because I tend to be more picky at the drawing style in manga than anime, and shojo drawing style is just too... well anime-ish for my liking... I'm more into the shonen jump style -.-;; or maybe it's all just an excuse and I just like to hear ShinnShinn's voice)
I really do like Hikaru quite a lot XD more specifically I like the Hikaru/Kaoru relationship most XD I think I've got the twin-obsession thing from angry_cherokee lol XD but more importantly they seem to be the ones who actually broke out of the archetype mold and show more complexity in their character... sadly though I still haven't been able to find a good forum/LJ that has intriguing discussion like those in GS/GSD... I am not surprise since well... maybe i'm bias, but it is shojo... -.-; and Gundam is known for having geeky fans who would go great lengths to examine the series (which I actually like... being a nerd myself I guess -.-)
In any case, I feel like I still want to write something on it since it's one of the few anime of recent that caught my interest... thanks to ShinnShinn's voice actor
Like I said before, I like Hikaru best :) For 1, he has Shinn's voice actor. He is, like our beloved Princess of Orb, the more blunt and straight forward type that can be rude and even do hurtful stuff to others XD Not a goodie two toe, which I love :D He reminds me of Killua from HxH and Tsubasa from Whistle in a sense :)
His relationship with Kaoru is what really draws me in. Hikaru is not complete without Kaoru and Kaoru without Hikaru. Though the anime and manga seems to pose Hikaru/Haruhi as a plausible pairing, I'd much rather them not... It might be true that the twins would like to be told apart, and their world is growing bigger to incorporate other people... it's definitely different from having a girl jammed in between the pair. If Hikaru/Haruhi does happen, Haruhi would just remind me of Lacus...
Despite Kaoru's effort in playing matchmaking for the two, it only serves to enhances his insecurities... if he is the one that make HikaHaru happen, then obviously he wouldn't felt left out, right, since it was his will after all. He should feel happy for them. It felt more like an act of desperation - to hurry up and be done with the pain of eventually being separated with Hikaru - than a genuine want for HikaHaru to happen. Sure, Kaoru is the more matured and perceptive one, but in reality, he is only 16... and in a way, we can see that he still doesn't have his feelings sorted out. I honestly see Kaoru's attempt at making Hikaru realize his feeling for Haruhi as an act of fear of getting hurt, his pessimistic-ness and lack of confidence in Hikaru.
Hikaru on the other hand is oblivious to his feelings for Haruhi, or so we're told. Personally I am not sure how believable this is... consider the fact that he was told right in his face by Kaoru that he likes her... Hikaru might be less perceptive, but he's not that dumb - especially since he can see that Tamaki likes Haruhi... IMO, Hikaru knows Haruhi was someone special since she's someone that can tell him and Kaoru apart (i.e. no longer just a toy). But the question is how special?
From the Ghost-House eps, we can really tell who's the most important person in Hikaru's mind... Even in the moment of heat being trapped in a nest, the one and only one that he worries for is Kaoru. No matter what Hikaru feels for Haruhi, I think in Hikaru's mind, it's clear that his number 1 would always be Kaoru (again, we see that after the vase dropping act - Hikaru doesn't think it was worth it to risk Kaoru for winning a bet for being with Haruhi).
In Hikaru's mind, Kaoru is one and only and they will stay together always. In Kaoru's mind, he's insecure and worried that he'll soon be replaced, and choose to orchestrate the separation through Haruhi. Both were naive: Hikaru being insensitive didn't notice Kaoru's insecurity. Kaoru (although being the matured one) is still not matured enough to bring up the topic and discuss it with Hikaru and decide to act under assumptions. So Hikaru doesn't know that a problem exist, while Kaoru knows a problem exist but is solving it w/o fully understanding the situation (i.e. Hikaru's feelings - which for all we know is content with the way things is and sees Kaoru as his most important person.)
The series is funny and the characters are good... I do enjoy Hunny-sempai, though I think the anime seems much more lively than the manga (mostly because I tend to be more picky at the drawing style in manga than anime, and shojo drawing style is just too... well anime-ish for my liking... I'm more into the shonen jump style -.-;; or maybe it's all just an excuse and I just like to hear ShinnShinn's voice)
I really do like Hikaru quite a lot XD more specifically I like the Hikaru/Kaoru relationship most XD I think I've got the twin-obsession thing from angry_cherokee lol XD but more importantly they seem to be the ones who actually broke out of the archetype mold and show more complexity in their character... sadly though I still haven't been able to find a good forum/LJ that has intriguing discussion like those in GS/GSD... I am not surprise since well... maybe i'm bias, but it is shojo... -.-; and Gundam is known for having geeky fans who would go great lengths to examine the series (which I actually like... being a nerd myself I guess -.-)
In any case, I feel like I still want to write something on it since it's one of the few anime of recent that caught my interest... thanks to ShinnShinn's voice actor
Like I said before, I like Hikaru best :) For 1, he has Shinn's voice actor. He is, like our beloved Princess of Orb, the more blunt and straight forward type that can be rude and even do hurtful stuff to others XD Not a goodie two toe, which I love :D He reminds me of Killua from HxH and Tsubasa from Whistle in a sense :)
His relationship with Kaoru is what really draws me in. Hikaru is not complete without Kaoru and Kaoru without Hikaru. Though the anime and manga seems to pose Hikaru/Haruhi as a plausible pairing, I'd much rather them not... It might be true that the twins would like to be told apart, and their world is growing bigger to incorporate other people... it's definitely different from having a girl jammed in between the pair. If Hikaru/Haruhi does happen, Haruhi would just remind me of Lacus...
Despite Kaoru's effort in playing matchmaking for the two, it only serves to enhances his insecurities... if he is the one that make HikaHaru happen, then obviously he wouldn't felt left out, right, since it was his will after all. He should feel happy for them. It felt more like an act of desperation - to hurry up and be done with the pain of eventually being separated with Hikaru - than a genuine want for HikaHaru to happen. Sure, Kaoru is the more matured and perceptive one, but in reality, he is only 16... and in a way, we can see that he still doesn't have his feelings sorted out. I honestly see Kaoru's attempt at making Hikaru realize his feeling for Haruhi as an act of fear of getting hurt, his pessimistic-ness and lack of confidence in Hikaru.
Hikaru on the other hand is oblivious to his feelings for Haruhi, or so we're told. Personally I am not sure how believable this is... consider the fact that he was told right in his face by Kaoru that he likes her... Hikaru might be less perceptive, but he's not that dumb - especially since he can see that Tamaki likes Haruhi... IMO, Hikaru knows Haruhi was someone special since she's someone that can tell him and Kaoru apart (i.e. no longer just a toy). But the question is how special?
From the Ghost-House eps, we can really tell who's the most important person in Hikaru's mind... Even in the moment of heat being trapped in a nest, the one and only one that he worries for is Kaoru. No matter what Hikaru feels for Haruhi, I think in Hikaru's mind, it's clear that his number 1 would always be Kaoru (again, we see that after the vase dropping act - Hikaru doesn't think it was worth it to risk Kaoru for winning a bet for being with Haruhi).
In Hikaru's mind, Kaoru is one and only and they will stay together always. In Kaoru's mind, he's insecure and worried that he'll soon be replaced, and choose to orchestrate the separation through Haruhi. Both were naive: Hikaru being insensitive didn't notice Kaoru's insecurity. Kaoru (although being the matured one) is still not matured enough to bring up the topic and discuss it with Hikaru and decide to act under assumptions. So Hikaru doesn't know that a problem exist, while Kaoru knows a problem exist but is solving it w/o fully understanding the situation (i.e. Hikaru's feelings - which for all we know is content with the way things is and sees Kaoru as his most important person.)