As much as I love anime, I tend to be VERY late to the party, with a lot of shows. It mainly has to do with me not even really knowing what anime was, until like, 2011. So a lot of those LEGENDARY shows that are an absolute necessity to watch, I've either only recently seen them, or are still planning to do so. One of these shows... is Ouran High School Host Club.
I had heard about this show, in the past. But I didn't really pay it much mind, because it didn't really seem like my thing. But man, do people rave about this series!. At first, I was just like "Is it a fan service show?" "Is it just a girl's show?" Well, I'm very ashamed in myself for thinking those things. Because after all the different types of anime that I've seen, there is one lesson I've learned that is VERY clear. That lesson is this: In anime... there is NO SUCH THING as a "boy's show" or a "girl's show". Not. At. All. Anime is for everyone. It doesn't fear taking risks and breaking molds and boundaries. Absolutely everyone can get something out of some sort of anime. There's something for everyone, out there. And if a certain anime isn't for you, it'll never be for a reason as trivial as it being "too girly". So let's stop beating around the bush and talk about this show. First off, is this show worth all the hype that it's gotten? I'll answer that right now. Yes. Absolutely, 100% yes.
I seriously cannot stress enough how near perfect this show is. From Episode 1, I am immediately drawn in with the entire world and its characters. And there are a lot of shows in this genre that I very much enjoy. But there's always at least one or two episodes that I don't like watching. Ouran doesn't have that. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every single episode. Each one has both hilarity that never gets old, as well as deep and engaging character development. That's where this show really shines. Its characters. They are SOOOOOOO deep! You're never done learning about them and you end up loving them, with every single passing moment. They're not perfect people. But they have very admirable qualities that often surprise you. They also go through a lot of growth and understanding of other people's feelings. I was not expecting that, from this show. Whenever an episode would come up, where the topic would be to make fun of a certain thing, usually a person's appearance or personality. At first, I would be a bit turned off, thinking the whole episode would just be making fun of these sort of things that I've had personal experience with, just because some sorts of people think it's funny. But as the episode progressed, you saw that some of the characters didn't go along with those sorts of performances. They'd actually speak up and make others aware of how some of these "jokes" can be quite hurtful. And when it comes from characters that you think would just be one dimensional boy toys, it's really powerful, seeing just how unpredictable these people are.
Tamaki was probably my favorite one, out of the bunch. He could've easily had a constantly bratty and demanding personality, who never cared or even noticed when they were hurting others. But in as early as the first episode, they show you that he isn't that kind of a person. He has a conscience. A DEEP one. He cares very deeply for his friends and for common courtesy and respectful behavior, towards other people. I think the right word would be... impressed. This show, and its characters, very much impressed me, with just how deep and civil they all were. And the whole cast is like that. Ya, all of them have that one defining trait. But they all have stories and emotion and shifting feelings. This is honestly one of the deepest and most enjoyable cast of characters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. The ONLY character I didn't like in this show, as well as the only THING I didn't like about this show, overall, was Renge. I thought she'd just be a "one episode only" character, but she wound up being a recurring one, for reasons I still don't quite understand. I honestly don't think she adds anything at all to the show, with her presence, past her introductory episode. And even still, the best part of that episode was when they shot her down, for her less than pleasurable ideals. She's the one and only complaint I have about this show. And honestly... that's pretty impressive.
The animation isn't anything mind-blowing. It doesn't look old, as it was made in 2006. And we all know how seller anime looked in 2006. I'd more so be willing to call its design stylized, rather than simple. Whether or not people would agree with me on that, I cannot say. Probably the most shocking thing about the animation is that it was done by.... Studio Bones... That's just cool, to me. I really like how anime companies don't really have all much of a set in stone style, to them. Some of them do, of course. But I'm really happy that I can look forward to being surprised, with whatever it is I'm looking at, whenever it comes to anime. A lot of people say anime all looks the same, but that can't be farther from the truth. Look at shows like Cowboy Bebop, Clannad, Attack on Titan, and Ouran, all side by side. And try telling me that all anime looks the same. Or sounds the same, for that matter. Which leads me to my next topic: Ouran's music. For the regular tracks, it's all very nice. Nothing too mind blowing, that I can remember, after the show is over, now. BUT THE OPENING! MAAAAAAAN, THE OPENING! If you don't get addicted to that opening, the SECOND you hear it, I don't know what to tell you! THAT is a good opening theme song. And so is the ending theme song, which is quite a rarity to even say!
And finally, the classic sub vs dub debate. Honestly, after hearing how much praise was sung about this show, by the english voice actors and its fans, I absolutely had to go with the dub, on this one. And it is by far one of the best dubs I've heard. The only voice I had a problem with was with, big surprise, Renge. I don't know, it may just be because I'm use to hearing that voice attached to much younger girls, like Amy from Case Closed or May Chang from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. But whatever. It's a minor nitpick. That Japanese is pretty spot on, too. And this show does have a lot of Japanese text that pops on the screen, throughout each episode. It's all just a bunch of titles, along with some flavor text. None of it is necessary to read, but I would've liked if they had edited it, for the English release. It's really not a big deal though, trust me. The Japanese did a great job, but seriously. The English voice cast NAILED this one. And they LOVE this show, just as much as its fans do. So seriously. For this show, dub. All the way.
I honestly wish I did a full, in depth review on every single episode. Every one of them has merit, in both surprising you with its characters and engaging you with its story and lessons. I absolutely ADORED this show, from beginning to end. My only worry now, is that any slice of life show I watch after this won't be able to top it. But if there's one thing anime is good at, it's surprising people. So I'm excited for what the future holds, for my viewing pleasure. And I very happy, in the hear and now, for getting to meet and experience some of the greatest characters in any anime, I've seen. This show is a masterpiece. There's no other way of putting it. I can 100% recommend it to anyone and everyone. Whether it's to surprise you with something you haven't seen before. Or to just make you feel good, with the kindness and friendly characters this show has to offer. This show came to me at a very good time. It helped me feel good about life, and friendships, in general. I feel I was able to better understand some of my own friends, because of it. And I'm very grateful to this show, for that.
Ouran High School Host Club... gets a 9/10
