Sometimes you find a new anime in the strangest of places. A few days ago, I was browsing Hot Topic when I came upon a new series of Funko Pop figures. I had no idea what Ouran High School Host Club was so I decided to check it out. What I found was an anime that was funny as it was informative about an aspect of Japanese culture I knew very little about.
Starting Today, You Are a Host
Haruhi Fujioka is just trying to find a place to study when he finds the meeting room for the Host Club. The members are very different to say the least. Trying to get away, Fujioka breaks a very valuable vase and finds himself in dept to the club. The members decide that he must work for them. Fujioka, the members are quick to figure out, has a talent and they make him a host. Which would be fine if Fujioka wasn’t actually a girl who just looks like a boy. The other members find out and the leader might have feelings for his new “host”.
A host club is where woman pay man to drink with them as well as hear their conversation. there are not as popular as the hostess club where the reverse happens. Being a high school, Ouran High School Host Club is about young man trying to help all the women they meet. This is not a job, but a sort of calling for them. I was a little suspicious at first, but the hosts in the story are pure and episodes find them trying to raise up or mend every women they meet.
Big Brother is a Prince
There is almost something Shakespearen about this show. The first is that Fujioka is a woman who is mistaken for a boy. The second is that this is a comedy about love as Fujioka and Tamaki Suoh, the leader of the club, fight their feelings for one another. The twins Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin speak as if they are one person. Kyoya Ootori, the vice president, who may have feelings for Fujioka. Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka who holds a few secrets. The show is also pretty progressive, as Fujioka’s father actually works as a cross dresser in a bar.
Outside of the club, my favorite character is Umehito Nekozawa. Wearing a hood at all times, he seems to be a mysterious and almost dark character. The reason why he dresses the way he does is something I will not spoil here, but he is a fascinating example of a non-villain villain. the show is smart enough that it plays with our expectations and subverts what we think is going to happen.
There were 26 episodes of this series and it is well worth your time. There is also a live action movie that picks up after the series ended. Sometimes, you don’t need fighting or science fiction to have a great anime. Sometimes, you just need good characters and an interesting story.