I Can't Lie...I Love Ouran Highschool Host Club

Roses...Roses everywhere...

Let's get one thing straight; I cannot stand romance animes. They just don't work for me. I've never understood harem animes. I think I watched one shoujo once (Revolutionary Girl Utena) which was good but utterly confusing and ridiculous. (Actually, I'm not even sure Utena really counts, if it is a romance anime it's a pretty messed up one at that.) When I watch anime I want something with compelling storylines and characters, not animes in which the main storylines revolve around several girls competing for one dude's love and most of the time failing spectacularly. So, with such a stance like this; WHY CAN'T I STOP WATCHING OURAN HIGHSCHOOL HOST CLUB? Is it the fact that it's so utterly ridiculous to the point that it comes back around and becomes good again? Is it that it has this ability to turn really silly story lines into meaningful character development? Maybe it's just the fact that behind it's ridiculous outer layer there's actually something really awesome and meaningful deep down. (Either that or it's just someone's dream reverse harem...could be either one honestly.) Either way, it's really good. This is coming from someone who loves Evangelion with a burning passion so how can I love something that's so damn happy and silly? (the literal antithesis of Evangelion).

There is a plot in Ouran, this one pretty homely student named Haruhi is looking for a place to study at the prestigious Ouran Academy. It's a school made for rich kids so that they can basically do anything they want. Haruhi on the other hand is a scholarship student who really doesn't mesh well with the general of atmosphere of Ouran. In attempting to find a quiet place to study Haruhi wanders into an empty music room and ends up breaking an expensive vase. Turns out the room is home to Ouran's Host Club, easily the school's most popular and powerful group consisting of bishounen boys who spend their free time romancing the women of the school. (really all of their time, I'm convinced Ouran is really a country club thinly veiled as a school. Seriously, WHEN DO THEY DO WORK?) Since Haruhi can't afford to pay for a replacement vase, the Host Club decides to make Haruhi into a host to cover the cost because well Haruhi turns out to be an adorable and successful host. Oh wait...there's something I forgot to mention...Haruhi is a girl. However, Haruhi being a female host in an all-male Host Club is hardly the most ridiculous part of this anime. There's the eccentric and excitable leader of the club Tamaki who probably has an unhealthy obsession with Haruhi. There's the club's eldest member, Honey-senpai, who has the mentality of a five year old. Theres the twins Hikaru and Kaworu, who almost seem more interested in romancing each other than they do women. (Seriously, WHAT THE HELL ARE PUNISHMENT GAMES?) There's Mori-senpai, who might be the strangest in the respect that he almost never talks. Then lastly there's the calculating Kyoya, who is probably the most straight edge of the group (other than Haruhi) but isn't without personality quirks of his own. Then there's the realization that this is a Host Club that involves one girl and several guys, IT'S A REVERSE HAREM!!!

So what actually makes Ouran such an appealing and entertaining show? Obviously it's not my usual cup of tea, especially considering that on MAL I list Evangelion and Steins;Gate as my two favorite animes ever. I guess the best way to explain this would be to posit an example of one episode. During this episode, Honey-senpai is no longer allowed to eat sweets because he gets a cavity. This cavity mind you is treated like a fatal disease and sweets are kept away from Honey as if eating a candy bar would cause him to combust into an explosion of sugar (and most likely roses, given this show). Meanwhile, Mori-senpai is literally punished himself for forgetting to tell Honey to brush his teeth one night, this being cited as the main reason for Honey getting a cavity. Yes, one night of not brushing his teeth, ignore the fact that Honey's diet probably consists only of cake and candy. However, Ouran is able to turn this into an extremely emotional and heartfelt episode. The crazy part is you start to feel the same way the characters do about everything. Suddenly, everything becomes a big deal, every situation has to be solved in the most dramatic way possible. No other show can turn an episode about a character getting a cavity into real drama without verging on narm. Ouran on the other hand knows that it should never take itself too seriously which is perfect for it's subject material. Given that the premise is a girl caught in the middle of an all-male Host Club, can it really take itself seriously?. The thing is though, it does. Everything is serious business on this show, even the most silly events and yet it is able to turn this into serious drama. Not to mention is already hugely entertaining to start with. Perhaps the reason I enjoy Ouran is that it really is a parody of the romance genre. It knows that it's ridiculous and it has no shame doing so. Sometimes it's just fun to watch a show like this, especially when it's this good.

Ouran High School Host Club is a fantastic show. There's hilarious Ho Yay for days and tons of awesome humor here to enjoy. At first glance, it's definitely not the usual show that I take on for anime watching but it's so freaking good. There's really a lot to enjoy here especially how well it parodies the romance genre. I can't wait to watch more and even more excited to see how the whole thing ends. And seriously, what the hell are punishment games?