Its one of the most wonderful series that I got to read. Yes its long but it doesn't matter really. Once you get hooked on reading you'll always be asking for more. And the best part of this series- the humour in the series doesn't rely on anything vulgar. Its purely from the characters and their interactions and reactions. From random internet surfing on the best shoujo anime I had come across this title many times, but was reluctant to pick it up due to the "Host Club" in the title. But I am so glad that I finally gave it a try. It is now one of the top anime in my must have anime collection. Since the anime is so hilarious I wanted to give this manga a try as well. And once I picked up I just couldn't put the book down.
Story [10/10]: The theme of a host club in a high school seems like a dangerous concept. But the Mangaka has handled the subject extremely cleverly to not let it lean towards becoming something vulgar. The story is also not at all shallow though its a comedy genre. In the first 7-8 volumes you read of the host club's daily activities and the heavy interaction between the club members and their "customers" and friends which are just too hilarious. In these you are also introduced to the family backgrounds of each club member slowly. In the later volumes you start seeing the change in the relationship between Haruhi and the other club members. Again this relationship transition is slow and smooth. Nothing in the story feels forced. All the situations shown seem inevitable. While keeping up the goofy atmosphere for most part the entire story gives you some very nice food for thoughts on friendship and family.
Art [10/10]: While the art of this series might not compare to say Arina Tanemura's art or CLAMP's art (well I consider their art that way) where the characters are just gorgeous looking, still all characters in this series are perfectly lovable. The reactions of all the characters and the sound effects in the manga add to the humour nicely. The Ouran High School being a school of the elite is richly drawn in most of the scenes. Even the outdoor locations seemed to have been researched thoroughly before drawing. You can come to know of how most locations or sceneries were drawn from the side panels where the mangaka gives all the details.
Character [10/10]: The strongest point of this series naturally. Each character is whimsical but still extremely likeable. You have the trouble makers twins, the airhead Tamaki, the quiet but still very much attached to his friends Mori, the childish Hunny, the extremely calculative Kyoya and the apathetic Haruhi. Their personalities are so strongly developed in the series that the humour from their interactions comes naturally since people having such personalities are bound not to be together. But the fact that they all are causes all the goofball situations and jokes.
Enjoyment and Overall [10/10]: I enjoyed reading every single volume of the manga thoroughly. Loved the story and loved the characters. Loved all the scenarios depicted in the story and especially the brilliantly they all were executed by the Mangaka. I even enjoyed reading the side panels and extra pages by the mangaka giving all the small details that went into the making of this series in general. Overall a hilarious show packed in 18 vols. Totally recommended and a must have manga for your collection.
