Introduction
Ouran high school host club. A romcom popular within the anime an manga community. But was it really that good? Or was this series over hyped by its fans of the cheesy genre? Is it really worth a try even if you aren’t especially a fan of the genre or medium? Well, I’m here to answer these questions and convince you why this show is worth it. But first if your not familiar with the storyline and it’s characters, let me summarize for you.
Characters and Storyline
Ouran high school host club members consist of main protagonist Haruhi Fujioka and her costars, Tamaki Suoh, Kyoya Otori, Hikaoru and Kaoru Hitachin, Takeshi Morinkzuka, and Mitsukuni Haninozuka. Each character with a different troupe to have a variety of personalities and to appeal to the clubs female guests.
This story follows honor student Haruhi Fujioka. Who gets emitted to the prestigious school, Ouran Academy on a special scholarship, to help her follow her dream of becoming a lawyer like her late mother. Her and her father, make do with what they have and are not able to afford Haruhi a proper uniform. This makes it so Haruhi is wearing what her rich classmates would consider shabby, and a recent incident with gum in her hair has caused her to cut her hair extremely short. Making her look like what society’s claims is a “boy”. Haruhi not caring what she is perceived like, thinks nothing of this at all and attends school like normal. Being the honor student she is, is one day looking for a quite place to study. With all the three libraries filled with chatty students, she happens to wander into what she thinks is an abandoned music room, and stumbles upon the schools host club (a host club, if you didn’t know, is a club where men or women have the job of romancing another men or woman that attends this club as a guest and can choose a type of guy or girl to see regularly.) As she meets the school handsomest and richest boys, she is bumbarded by the question of her type by the clubs king, Tamaki. He asks her these question under the premonition she is really a he. In an attempt to avoid this flamboyant boy’s intrusive questions, she ends up running into and breaking and 8,000,000 yen vase(Which is about 80,000 US dollars.) Haruhi, being the broke girl she is, now has to repay this debt by working at the host club. And since the club is run by boys, she now has to hide that fact she is a girl to her guests and fellow classmates if she is to pay off her debt at the school host club. That about sums up the story. Now onto why this show deserves your attention.
Why you should watch/read this series
If that did not have you at least slightly compelled to watch or read this series, let me see if I can change that. Ouran is a comedy based romance that shows the different struggles of the schools student and how the host club (or more so the leader of the club Tamaki) is determined to help those around them. This series goes into depth of the characters pasts and how that shaped the person they are today. And shows how they plan to move forward. It’s an a fun loving show that can easily distract you from your daily life. And thats part of the reason I’m so passionate about it. This series was there when I didn’t really know I needed it. It drove me out of of a place that could have been really dark, and gave me something to put my energy and time into that was positive instead of something negative. This series doesn’t require you to think hard and makes for a funny and comfortable experience. It gave me a sense of comfort and relaxation because of how happy I was watching and reading this series. I’m convinced this series is so good because it’s character (including side characters) are so well written. It’s characters pasts are written so that they are human; just like you and me. It’s makes it so that they aren’t impossibly powerful, with some outlandish superpower. They’re human. With flaws. Like all of us. And I believe a story can get 10 times better when you can relate to a character. With this show, it made me rethink my view on the whole romcom genre. Of course there are some cheesy parts but thats inevitable, and it makes for some funny situations. It made me love even its cheesy parts because of how fun the series is to watch and read.
Conclusion
Hopefully you will give this series a watch or a read because it’s so worth it. Everybody has their own opinion but I hope you will consider mine. This is just an overall great series I hope you can consider something worth spending time on. Thanks for taking the time to read.
Selah Sotomayor – Daniel Webster Middle School – Waukegan To College