Saturday, June 13, 2015

A look at Manga- Ouran High School Host Club


Ouran High School Host Club was written by Bisco Hatori and was released in 2002. The manga ran for eight years ending in 2010. There was a total of 18 volumes made up of 83 chapters. It is a romantic comedy that focus on the club members in and out of the club.
The main character is Haruri Fujioka, a first year scholarship student at Ouran High School. A school were lineage counts first and wealth is a close second. While looking for a place to study she goes to the third music room. Instead of finding some place quite to study she finds the host club. Mistaking her for a guy, because of how she dressed, the start to put on the clubs charms. Trying to leave an explain that she was just looking for a place to study, she knocks over a vase and brakes it. The vase is worth 8,000,000 yen or about $80,000. Since she can't pay them back she becomes debited to the host club. She becomes a host, since the club members still mistake her for a boy. Eventually all of the club members figure it out that she is in fact a girl. Except Tamki Suoh who only finds out when she drops her wallet and looks at her ID.
The rest of the manga fallows the adventures of the host club. They become a bit crazy since all of the host club members have an infinite disposable income to play with. Haruri is often dragged along reluctantly. The Host club members are very interested in her "poor lifestyle" often going to shopping malls and riding trains because they never have. Tamki ends up falling for Haruri and her for him. At the end of the series they get married and have a child together.

I liked this manga. I'm not saying it was amazing but good. It is very typical shojo were the main female and male character like each other, but it takes almost or the whole manga for them to admit it to each other and some times even them selves. There also harem elements to it. Since Haruri is surrounded by six attractive males the entire time. Only three of the charaters accually admit to liking her or even have story around liking her. They are Tamki, who she ends up with, Kaoru Hitachiin, and Kyoya Ootori. The two later never pursue Haruri because they value their relationship with Tamki to much. Honestly, I think Haruri's personality goes better with one of those two characters, but it is very common in manga that the more different the two characters are the more likely they will end up together.
Some times the story would go a little over board. One point building a whole replica of Venice in the gym. Another, they have a parade with elephants. I understand the whole rich thing with no limits to what you can do, but really. I'm just wondering were Bisco Hatori came up with every thing.
I did really all of the outfits that the host club wears. Also, all the different chapter covers. They were always fun to look at. I'm a sucker for costumes. I'm the type of person who will read or watch some thing just for the costumes or practical effects.
This manga is defiantly good for people who like a little different from normal slice of life stories. There will be cute sparkle moments like any shojo, but the main character is against them. If it was up to her there wouldn't have even been a manga and she'd be studying some were. There are some really sweet moments and you will really like the characters. You do get attached to them. Even if there are a few eye roll moments.
Next week I'll be doing Fullmetal Alchemist.
~^.^

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