Takuya Igarashi Ouran High School Host Club

Synopsis

Ouran Academy, a school where family prestige is first and wealth is second. Financially poor Fujioka Haruhi earned entrance to Ouran Academy via a rare scholarship.

One day, while searching for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Ouran Host Club, and promptly breaks a vase worth $80,000. To pay for it, Haruhi becomes their newest member. Everything seems to be going fine and there are no problems with the "natural rookie" Host. That is, until they find out that "he" is a really a "she"...

Personal Opinion

I know, I know, I gave this show straight 5's. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that just because I like the show so much. This series really deserves those ratings, and it has only been out since April 4th. Allow me to elaborate though.

Graphics

This is the kind of series that would really suffer if the animation wasn't outstanding, so thank goodness it is! If you went into this not knowing the premise, you really would think that Haruhi is a boy, and yet it's totally possible to imagine her looking like a girl under that boy-ish appearance. The animation, in general, is very well done for the series. I feel they do a really nice job of showing the elegance and humor at the same time through the graphics. The animation is very expressive.

Sound

Let's start right at the beginning. The opening is upbeat and SO addictive. If there's one part I watch over and over again, it's the opening. I enjoy singing along. The voice work is fabulous. I've followed the manga series since it was released her the US, and when I first heard the voices in the first episode, the very next thought running through my mind was "That is so what I imagined them sounding like!" Sakamoto Maaya-sama really does the Haruhi's voice justice. Like, vigilante justice. The sound effects and background music really bring something to the show.

Replay Value

Let's just say, I usually keep my anime on my external hard drive, but I made an exception for this series. Why? Because I enjoy watching it over and over again. The first time I wrote up this review (and then it got lost, stupid internet), I was watching the 3rd episode while I typed. I won't even go into how many times I've watched the first two episodes, partially because I've lost count. And yet, they don't get old or tired, and I'm always looking for an opportunity to watch them all again. Like I said, the opening is especially replay-able.

Other

I'm just going to go through some things that I think are particularly noteworthy in this series.

• The use of symbolism is really subtle, but really good and well-placed. In the first episode, the use of the light bulbs was genius. I didn't even get what they were for until the 3/4 bulbs were lit. The second episode uses a teacup ride (very cleverly actually) to show the problem and resolution of said problem of the female patrons. The 3rd episode uses a kite to show Haruhi's respect for Tamaki.
• I really enjoy the (what I'm going to call) "Pointers of Obvious Trouble". Everytime the vase was in a scene in the first episode, there was a beeping / blinking arrow pointing to it. No matter how little of the vase is on the screen, the arrow is there. They have arrows in the second episode, but the sake of not ruining something absolutely hilarious, I won't say what they point at.
• The characters are all very unique and well expressed. Even though there have only been 3 episodes released on fansub so far, you can really tell that each character has their own distinct personality. What I also appreciate is that they act like rich high school kids. There are no deep, dark pasts; no traumatic experiences. These are high school students and they act like it (even if they do also act as rich as they are).
• I realized at one point watching it that the opening does a really good job of showing how "fancy and elegant" the Host Club setting is, but also showing that the show is really funny.

I would highly recommend this series to absolutely anyone. It's hilarious and completely enjoyable.

(In my original type-up of this review, I think I had a few more things, but I can't remember what they were off the top of my head, also, my shift is over and I have to pack up to go).