Ourn High School Host Club owns a piece of my soul.
I've finally watched all the episodes of Ouran High School Host Club. I stopped somewhere after 19 and then got the whole series but jumped straight to 26, the last one. But now I've caught them all.
I think it's certainly going into my Top 5 anime so far. Ouran is so cool, even Mr. Mousie enjoyed the off-the-wall humor. (For the record? Mr. Mousie loves anime. But shoujo? Not his bag). I've written about it beforehand, but still, does an extra pimp ever hurt? Nah.
Ouran (which is funny and adorable anyway but is a total trip if you've ever seen much anime or read manga, or heck, even been in a fandom of any sort) involves our heroine, Haruhi, a scholarship student at a glitsy, ritzy high school, who, through a hilarious set of circumstances, ends up working as a host with the Ouran Host Club to pay off a debt. Everyone in school with the exception of club members, thinks Haruhi is a guy and Haruhi is uber popular as a femmy, 'natural' type of boy. Most of the anime is centered around Haruhi's interactions with the club members, who the pragmatic, prosaic Haruhi views as a bunch of loons. It's really the hosts (the drama-queen Tamaki (ergo my current lj name tag), the Machiavellian Kyouya, the trouble-making twins Kaoru and Hikaru, Mori, the quiet reserved one and Honey, who is the oldest, but acts like a small kid) who make the anime for me, though Haruhi is a really cool heroine: very un-gender conscious, self-reliant, and utterly immune to the hosts' lunacy and charm.
The show mocks (but affectionately) so many fandom and shoujo stereotypes: the fangirl love for slash and pretty gay boys, school rivalry, even class and gender issues. There s a lot of humor and a bit of angst (some of the later episodes totally made me sniffle a bit because I am easy), a ship or two *waves Tamaki/Haruhi 4evah flag* and some amazing cleverness (there is an episode later in the show which is entirely a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland). It's chock-full of cool characters. It's rare for me to have more than one or two favorite characters in an anime, but here, while Tamaki is my favorite, most of the hosts are just irresistable and so is Haruhi. Oh, and there are tributes to things like Utena and RahXephon. How can one not love it?
I think ep 20, the one about Hikaru and Kaoru and how they came to join the club might just be my favorite. It's funny, because somehow it's a rather sad episode yet it works in this really light series. This, and the Kyouya centric ep later, also explains why, teasing aside, all of them are so fond of Tamaki. He really dragged them all out of their shells because what the twins were before, was not functional at all. And no wonder Haruhi is important to the twins as the first person who can tell them apart. Their 'guess which one is Hikaru' game is really funny at first (ep 5 I think) but by ep 20, you really see that it is something sadder and more messed up than one realized at first. I also love that by the end, the twins' personalities are very different and you really can tell Kaoru and Hikaru apart by their behavior.
How much do I adore Tamaki? Thiiiiiis much. I loved that Kyoya centric ep and how grey Kyoya's life was before, bound in duty blah blah. That image of the painting finally escaping its borders its really cool. It being Kyoya, his ambition is to surpass his brothers and inherit, but hey, he is doing what makes him happy instead of conforming and it's neat. And when we first see him in the flashback, he is mechanically tallying up advantages and disadvantages of all the acquainaces but what Tamaki gives him, and host club gives him, is real feelings and real friends. Kyoya agrees with Haruhi that the host club is absurd, but Tamaki wants it and also, even though it must have surprised him a lot, Kyoya finds it a lot of fun.
And Tamaki/Kyoya=Friend!OTP. You know what they remind me off, oddly enough? Ban and Ginji from GetBackers, which isn't as odd a comparison as you might think. Ginji (Tamaki) is the sunny blond who is simple and unworldly but extremely good-hearted and who is necessary to Ban because he allows Ban to be human and he makes him deal with friendship and all that. While Ban is the practical, cynical one who 'shelters' Ginji in the real world. Tamaki, just like Ginji, wins friends and becomes a leader through sheer purity of heart.
To get back to Tamaki. Points to the story for weaving Tamaki's family issues throughout the anime, but always in the background, so when the finale two parter came around, it made sense. I love the little touch in ep 20, when the twins were trying to get Tamaki to leave them alone and they snapped at him that he is an illegitimate child and he is just lonely so he is trying to deal with it (which is true) and they mentioned about his Mom being his Dad's mistress and the way there is that little shot of Tamaki's hands clenching. And then later, when the hosts tell Haruhi about Tamaki's background (and the pretty animation with the faces all black shadows).
Btw, UGH. how much do I hate Tamaki's grandmother. I mean, loathing is the word. I love how Honey, who is usually so sweet and 'babyish' goes, when he sees her 'I hate her.' The scene where Tamaki goes to greet her at the school festival and she walks by him as if he is a piece of wood and audibly snaps at him (in hearing of everyone) 'Filthy child!' ugh! And later she is talking to Tamaki's father and tells him she intends to have Tamaki pay for all of his father's sins? Hello? WHY? How can it be anyone's fault for being born? BITCH much? I also love the fact that Tamaki is not a mopey type but bounces back from things. I think part of it is wilful determination on his part and part his own sunny nature.
And it's interesting that finding out about his mother (her family lost money and grandmother said that if she agreed to give Tamaki up forever, they'd have enough money and she was in poor health so she couldn't have done without. So Tamaki volunteered and he hasn't seen her since he was 14), makes Haruhi have some parallels with her own mother thing (hers died when she was small).
OMG. And I love the finale two parter. LOVE. Haruhi is jealous! EEEEE! And then Tamaki dissolves the club (because he thinks he is being selfish but also because the grandmother told him if he marries who she wants him to, she will let him see his mother) and Haruhi is clearly upset though she won't admit it and her father can tell. And the hosts try to get to Tamaki to let him know about everything but can't (and eeeeee, Tamaki's cell? has a pic of him and Haruhi! Eeeeee!) And how much do I love the fact that Haruhi chases after Tamaki, and tells him the club wants him back, and that she, herself, loves the host club etc etc etc. And his annoying fiancee lets him go and as Haruhi is tumbling into the water, he jumps in and rescues her for the second time. EEEEE! I love the shot of them falling and him pulling her to him and just holding her head on his shoulder. And then he carries her out and asks her if she is OK because she's soaked and she replies 'Handsome men can't be hurt by water' and ROFL.
And then all the host club members dance with her and I love that shot of her and Tamaki. I don't think the two of them realize their feelings, but they are a lot closer to it than they were before. I love that everyone and their blind sister can tell that Tamaki is nuts for Haruhi, but Tamaki himself is so caught up in the self-made family (to compensate for his non-existent one) bit that he is 'yeah, I totally view Haruhi as my (club) daughter. Even though she is a year younger than me. And I go crazy when any guys try to get interested in her. And I fantasize about seeing her in swimsuits and having walks on beaches etc etc.' And Haruhi is so out of touch with the girly, emotional side that she is incredibly emotionally dense both about her own feelings and the feelings of others. Heeeee. Love how she keeps denying she is jealous. Awww, crazy kids.
I really love the ending. It ties a lot of loose ends, and sets my fave ship on happy sailing waters (but not in a fashion to prevent people from shipping otherwise if they so choose) etc etc etc.
I think it's certainly going into my Top 5 anime so far. Ouran is so cool, even Mr. Mousie enjoyed the off-the-wall humor. (For the record? Mr. Mousie loves anime. But shoujo? Not his bag). I've written about it beforehand, but still, does an extra pimp ever hurt? Nah.
Ouran (which is funny and adorable anyway but is a total trip if you've ever seen much anime or read manga, or heck, even been in a fandom of any sort) involves our heroine, Haruhi, a scholarship student at a glitsy, ritzy high school, who, through a hilarious set of circumstances, ends up working as a host with the Ouran Host Club to pay off a debt. Everyone in school with the exception of club members, thinks Haruhi is a guy and Haruhi is uber popular as a femmy, 'natural' type of boy. Most of the anime is centered around Haruhi's interactions with the club members, who the pragmatic, prosaic Haruhi views as a bunch of loons. It's really the hosts (the drama-queen Tamaki (ergo my current lj name tag), the Machiavellian Kyouya, the trouble-making twins Kaoru and Hikaru, Mori, the quiet reserved one and Honey, who is the oldest, but acts like a small kid) who make the anime for me, though Haruhi is a really cool heroine: very un-gender conscious, self-reliant, and utterly immune to the hosts' lunacy and charm.
The show mocks (but affectionately) so many fandom and shoujo stereotypes: the fangirl love for slash and pretty gay boys, school rivalry, even class and gender issues. There s a lot of humor and a bit of angst (some of the later episodes totally made me sniffle a bit because I am easy), a ship or two *waves Tamaki/Haruhi 4evah flag* and some amazing cleverness (there is an episode later in the show which is entirely a reimagining of Alice in Wonderland). It's chock-full of cool characters. It's rare for me to have more than one or two favorite characters in an anime, but here, while Tamaki is my favorite, most of the hosts are just irresistable and so is Haruhi. Oh, and there are tributes to things like Utena and RahXephon. How can one not love it?
I think ep 20, the one about Hikaru and Kaoru and how they came to join the club might just be my favorite. It's funny, because somehow it's a rather sad episode yet it works in this really light series. This, and the Kyouya centric ep later, also explains why, teasing aside, all of them are so fond of Tamaki. He really dragged them all out of their shells because what the twins were before, was not functional at all. And no wonder Haruhi is important to the twins as the first person who can tell them apart. Their 'guess which one is Hikaru' game is really funny at first (ep 5 I think) but by ep 20, you really see that it is something sadder and more messed up than one realized at first. I also love that by the end, the twins' personalities are very different and you really can tell Kaoru and Hikaru apart by their behavior.
How much do I adore Tamaki? Thiiiiiis much. I loved that Kyoya centric ep and how grey Kyoya's life was before, bound in duty blah blah. That image of the painting finally escaping its borders its really cool. It being Kyoya, his ambition is to surpass his brothers and inherit, but hey, he is doing what makes him happy instead of conforming and it's neat. And when we first see him in the flashback, he is mechanically tallying up advantages and disadvantages of all the acquainaces but what Tamaki gives him, and host club gives him, is real feelings and real friends. Kyoya agrees with Haruhi that the host club is absurd, but Tamaki wants it and also, even though it must have surprised him a lot, Kyoya finds it a lot of fun.
And Tamaki/Kyoya=Friend!OTP. You know what they remind me off, oddly enough? Ban and Ginji from GetBackers, which isn't as odd a comparison as you might think. Ginji (Tamaki) is the sunny blond who is simple and unworldly but extremely good-hearted and who is necessary to Ban because he allows Ban to be human and he makes him deal with friendship and all that. While Ban is the practical, cynical one who 'shelters' Ginji in the real world. Tamaki, just like Ginji, wins friends and becomes a leader through sheer purity of heart.
To get back to Tamaki. Points to the story for weaving Tamaki's family issues throughout the anime, but always in the background, so when the finale two parter came around, it made sense. I love the little touch in ep 20, when the twins were trying to get Tamaki to leave them alone and they snapped at him that he is an illegitimate child and he is just lonely so he is trying to deal with it (which is true) and they mentioned about his Mom being his Dad's mistress and the way there is that little shot of Tamaki's hands clenching. And then later, when the hosts tell Haruhi about Tamaki's background (and the pretty animation with the faces all black shadows).
Btw, UGH. how much do I hate Tamaki's grandmother. I mean, loathing is the word. I love how Honey, who is usually so sweet and 'babyish' goes, when he sees her 'I hate her.' The scene where Tamaki goes to greet her at the school festival and she walks by him as if he is a piece of wood and audibly snaps at him (in hearing of everyone) 'Filthy child!' ugh! And later she is talking to Tamaki's father and tells him she intends to have Tamaki pay for all of his father's sins? Hello? WHY? How can it be anyone's fault for being born? BITCH much? I also love the fact that Tamaki is not a mopey type but bounces back from things. I think part of it is wilful determination on his part and part his own sunny nature.
And it's interesting that finding out about his mother (her family lost money and grandmother said that if she agreed to give Tamaki up forever, they'd have enough money and she was in poor health so she couldn't have done without. So Tamaki volunteered and he hasn't seen her since he was 14), makes Haruhi have some parallels with her own mother thing (hers died when she was small).
OMG. And I love the finale two parter. LOVE. Haruhi is jealous! EEEEE! And then Tamaki dissolves the club (because he thinks he is being selfish but also because the grandmother told him if he marries who she wants him to, she will let him see his mother) and Haruhi is clearly upset though she won't admit it and her father can tell. And the hosts try to get to Tamaki to let him know about everything but can't (and eeeeee, Tamaki's cell? has a pic of him and Haruhi! Eeeeee!) And how much do I love the fact that Haruhi chases after Tamaki, and tells him the club wants him back, and that she, herself, loves the host club etc etc etc. And his annoying fiancee lets him go and as Haruhi is tumbling into the water, he jumps in and rescues her for the second time. EEEEE! I love the shot of them falling and him pulling her to him and just holding her head on his shoulder. And then he carries her out and asks her if she is OK because she's soaked and she replies 'Handsome men can't be hurt by water' and ROFL.
And then all the host club members dance with her and I love that shot of her and Tamaki. I don't think the two of them realize their feelings, but they are a lot closer to it than they were before. I love that everyone and their blind sister can tell that Tamaki is nuts for Haruhi, but Tamaki himself is so caught up in the self-made family (to compensate for his non-existent one) bit that he is 'yeah, I totally view Haruhi as my (club) daughter. Even though she is a year younger than me. And I go crazy when any guys try to get interested in her. And I fantasize about seeing her in swimsuits and having walks on beaches etc etc.' And Haruhi is so out of touch with the girly, emotional side that she is incredibly emotionally dense both about her own feelings and the feelings of others. Heeeee. Love how she keeps denying she is jealous. Awww, crazy kids.
I really love the ending. It ties a lot of loose ends, and sets my fave ship on happy sailing waters (but not in a fashion to prevent people from shipping otherwise if they so choose) etc etc etc.