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EP. REVIEW: Ouran High School Host Club




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MarshalBanana



Joined: 31 Aug 2014
Posts: 5296
PostPosted: Sat May 30, 2020 8:15 am Reply with quote
I strangely liked this, despite not being the target audience.
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AholePony



Joined: 04 Jun 2015
Posts: 330
Location: Arizona
PostPosted: Sun May 31, 2020 3:22 pm Reply with quote
Interesting take and fun to read this from a new viewer. This is a comedy focused on romance and relationships. To touch on Eat the Rich themes about the rich abusing those "beneath" them, you'd basically need to make all the core cast bad guys, and that would make watching this show insufferable. Ouran is too "fun" to go that route imo.

That being said, it's been several years since my last viewing, I'll be interested to see if you catch themes I might have missed or forgotten!
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milkyy



Joined: 24 Jul 2018
Posts: 86
PostPosted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:30 pm Reply with quote
Watching this with my boyfriend right now, on ep 22. I've seen in 3 times, he's never seen it. It's such a fun show, and I just love Tamaki... the manga is so good, too.
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SailorTralfamadore



Joined: 25 Feb 2014
Posts: 499
Location: Keep Austin Weeb
PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 3:16 pm Reply with quote
It's well-known that I am a humongous Ouran fan, so I am happy about these reviews. I am also aware of though (and actually enjoy discussing) the more problematic and dated aspects of the series, so I'm eager to see how they come up here.

Reading this latest review, I was just thinking about how much I wish the anime had had the chance to go further with the manga because there are some more unapologetically-feminine female characters who come up later and are treated sympathetically. Mei in particular comes to mind, and I really loved watching the friendship she built with Haruhi over the course of the story's second half.
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tee2330



Joined: 11 Oct 2013
Posts: 64
PostPosted: Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:56 pm Reply with quote
This was made in the early 2000's before PC culture or gender identity was even a concept in the west outside of a girl being a tom boy, this was meant as some silly gag ridden anime that was subverting expectations, I dislike it when PC reviewers try and act like it was made in the west in modern day with PC undertones, when it's not. From everything I've seen Japan isn't very into PC culture I've seen Japanese peoples tweets making fun of how PC the west is and expressing disdain for it, that's why we like anime, this one is just very unique and it's wacky out-there unorthodox gag storytelling at the time seems to resonate with people who care way to much about gender identity and keep asserting that it has those sorts of themes in it, despite identity politics not existing in that time in japan (and from what I remember not even the west) it shouldn't have points detracted from it because it's themes aren't purposely what PC people wish them, to be it's just a gag anime to make people laugh and subvert some tropes.
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NeedMoreCats
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Joined: 06 Oct 2018
Posts: 299
Location: Westchester, NY
PostPosted: Sun Jun 14, 2020 10:31 pm Reply with quote
Coming to the party a little late but I’m all caught up on my rewatch for these reviews. So happy Ouran got picked.

This series has long been a favorite of mine. Whenever I need a little lift, that first episode never fails to make me laugh—especially the applause when Tamaki declares he WILL drink the instant coffee. This is a show that I always watch dubbed—fell in love with it when dub was all I had available—and some lines are just funnier in the dub, particularly sulky Honey eating cake with his bunny: “It’s just us, Usa-chan. Everyone else said they were too busy.” Also loved the whole lightbulb joke, which was anime-original and a perfect way to translate the joke from manga to anime.

SailorTralfamadore wrote:
Reading this latest review, I was just thinking about how much I wish the anime had had the chance to go further with the manga because there are some more unapologetically-feminine female characters who come up later and are treated sympathetically. Mei in particular comes to mind, and I really loved watching the friendship she built with Haruhi over the course of the story's second half.

I haven’t gotten to that yet, but I did splurge and buy the boxed set from Amazon (comes with free Ouran notepad!). I’ve always wished they could go back and give us more seasons. I mean, I know they animated everything that was written at the time and then some but, once the manga finished, they could have given us more, darn it!

Quote:
It comes off more as a case of the twins doing it out of complacency rather than a fear of being emotionally exposed.

I agree with Chris that episode 5 is one of the best so far, but I disagree a bit on his interpretation of the opening scene. When they say “There’s nobody here named ‘Both of you,’” I always go a real sense of loneliness masked, and bitterness, too. It’s nice to have each other as a constant companion, but everyone wants to be seen, loved and accepted for who they are as individuals and, based on that scene, Hikaru and Kauru have been denied that because no one could be bothered to take the time to tell them apart. I feel like they leaned into the “twins gimmickry“ hard as a reaction to repeated disappointment.

Then there’s that close-up of Kauru’s side-eye to Hikaru at the end showing that he’s probably a bit more self-aware than his brother. A great episode all around.
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FireChick
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Joined: 26 Mar 2006
Posts: 2385
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 6:04 pm Reply with quote
In regards to episode 10's usage of the T word that rhymes with Franny, for what it's worth, Caitlin Glass did mention in a podcast that she does regret using that word to describe Ranka (She did work on the dub scripts on Ouran to some extent) now that it's been acknowledged as a slur.
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capt_bunny



Joined: 31 May 2015
Posts: 364
PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 6:24 pm Reply with quote
Are they allowed to say 'nazi' in this review? No disrespect, nor bashing but a genuine question. The internet has been pointing at many people who say the word 'nazi' in describing themselves and/or other people. The main people being Jeffree Star who said himself as a "lipstick-nazi".

I understand how PC ANN is so I am truly confused if it's okay. Doesn't mean I agree or disagree but just how ANN is. Sorry if I am saying this in a rude manner. I don't mean it so I hope my words are okay to say.
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Zerreth



Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 207
Location: E6
PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 7:36 pm Reply with quote
capt_bunny wrote:
Are they allowed to say 'nazi' in this review? No disrespect, nor bashing but a genuine question. The internet has been pointing at many people who say the word 'nazi' in describing themselves and/or other people. The main people being Jeffree Star who said himself as a "lipstick-nazi".

I understand how PC ANN is so I am truly confused if it's okay. Doesn't mean I agree or disagree but just how ANN is. Sorry if I am saying this in a rude manner. I don't mean it so I hope my words are okay to say.


For reference:


This isn't about PC language and being more articulate with their words. The language he's using isn't a metaphor or substitution, there's a reference to what could be best described as literally "Nazi Feminism"
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capt_bunny



Joined: 31 May 2015
Posts: 364
PostPosted: Fri Jun 26, 2020 8:10 pm Reply with quote
Zerreth wrote:
capt_bunny wrote:
Are they allowed to say 'nazi' in this review? No disrespect, nor bashing but a genuine question. The internet has been pointing at many people who say the word 'nazi' in describing themselves and/or other people. The main people being Jeffree Star who said himself as a "lipstick-nazi".

I understand how PC ANN is so I am truly confused if it's okay. Doesn't mean I agree or disagree but just how ANN is. Sorry if I am saying this in a rude manner. I don't mean it so I hope my words are okay to say.


For reference:


This isn't about PC language and being more articulate with their words. The language he's using isn't a metaphor or substitution, there's a reference to what could be best described as literally "Nazi Feminism"


I was just assuming by how the site is regardless. I was confused (not joking or anything negative as said before) so the word "nazi" had me wondering if it was okay due to how they often censor words too. In my assuming in how they would censor that word too.

But thank you for having me remember scene correctly. ^^ I did forget they had that hand salute in that ep.
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Brainchild129



Joined: 09 Aug 2011
Posts: 307
PostPosted: Tue Aug 04, 2020 11:49 am Reply with quote
The second episode with the Zuka club features a rather meta joke that I love: when the boys find Haruhi at practice, they are stunned to hear her singing beautifully...until she turns out to be lip-synching.

There's an extra layer to this joke if you watch this subbed because Haruhi's seiyuu is Maaya Sakamoto, who is just as famous as a singer as she is as a voice actress.
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Morry



Joined: 26 Jun 2016
Posts: 756
PostPosted: Tue Aug 25, 2020 11:41 am Reply with quote
When I first watched Ouran, I instantly knew the last two episodes were filler. I could just feel the pacing change from all the prior episodes and how rushed all the character arcs were. Thankfully, it's so far separated from everything else, you can just ignore it and jump right into a hypothetical second season.
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thedarkemissary



Joined: 07 Apr 2010
Posts: 88
PostPosted: Wed Aug 26, 2020 6:07 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
My problem is that for as much of the climactic events of these episodes are laid at her feet, Eclair really doesn't do much. Even with the background we're given, her manipulation of Tamaki into leaving comes off way too simple and easy, and then she merely spends a few token scenes acting cruel to him, Haruhi, and Kyoya so we know how villainous she is. It's remarkably shallow for a show that had been as reflective as I mentioned before, and leaves the series shockingly low on complexity for its finish beyond overcoming the whims of this obvious villain they've dropped in for the finale.

My other major issue with Eclair's driving of the plot is how the writers use her to reframe Tamaki and Haruhi's relationship for this last go-around. Prior to this was the predominant question of whether Haruhi and Tamaki even recognized that they had any romantic interest in each other, complicated by others like Hikaru and Kaoru having their own increasingly-tangled relationship designs on Haruhi. It was, in my opinion, a unique take on the typical shoujo-centric love polygon that made strong use of its uniquely-identified characters and easier pacing. Eclair ‘stealing’ Tamaki away here instead pivots things to a Tamaki-focused love triangle between Haruhi and this new girl, complete with ‘jealousy’ arising in Haruhi that doesn't really jibe with how she's regarded any of the characters regardless of how much romantic tension has been fostered between them. The show actually seems to tease the question of whether someone like Tamaki must be romantically invested in a relationship for it to be deemed important, ostensibly setting its sights on his simpler fondness for Haruhi. But by the end, the implication is that Haruhi had to be the one to pull Tamaki from his imminent departure because the two of them always realized their relationship was just that special. It undercuts a lot of the complex ambiguities I'd liked about Ouran, arriving at something much more the norm than I would have expected from the series.


Literally describes the end of Naruto Shippuden, verbatim. Just replace Tamaki with Sasuke, Haruhi with Naruto and Eclair with Kaguya. Wink Wink
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