Forum - View topicThe Secret Revolution of Ouran High School Host Club
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Foxaika
 Posts: 365 Location: Columbus, Ohio |
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I did. Perhaps strangely enough, I didn't know much about it when I watched it even though it was far after it originally aired and was dubbed and everything. I just watched it because it was supposed to be amusing. Turned it to be that true! At least to me, anyway. |
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lys
 Posts: 1008 Location: mitten-state |
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Oh man, I watched this series as it was airing while I was in college! Has it really been that long??
I agree about the series' special ability to unite all kinds of viewers: I was already deeply immersed in shoujo manga at the time, but not all my friends were quite to the same extent, and it was great to share in our glee over Ouran :D Can't say I'm thrilled for the trend toward all-male casts that out The Girl entirely: I do like to see interesting female characters in the series I read/watch. I guess if it came down to having Generic Girl or No Girl, I'd choose the latter (I realize we can't have Haruhi every time). But my ideal is an even mix of guys and girls... (which would not really be a fujoshi show, just a... show?) Delightfully written article, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and reminiscing over all the reasons I initially fell in love with the series (and why I continue to love it dearly to this day)! I enjoyed the comparisons drawn to other well-known series too. If I could offer one minor critique, it would be that the animated images interspersed throughout were a little distracting as I read, especially when a paragraph was nested between two animations (otherwise I could scroll up/down to get the image off my screen). I liked taking my time to take in Rose's writing, but my brain had a hard time focusing with moving stuff both above and below the text and at one point I had to shrink my browser window down till only one paragraph showed before I could move on. Maybe something to consider for future articles like this? (I did like the illustrations chosen, I just get bothered by the endless repetition.) |
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walw6pK4Alo
 Posts: 9322 |
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It was enjoyable. It had a bit of homo humor for the sake of giggles but rarely ever went there, it was mostly just the twins doing it to get a rise out of impressionable women. Other than that, it was mostly just decent comedy. |
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Wingbeats
 Posts: 272 Location: Boise, Idaho |
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Sometimes good anime is just good anime, regardless of gender or sex. It's just enjoyable for all C: |
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jrockfreak
Posts: 125 |
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Host Club is one of my all time favorite animes. It was one of the first anime I started to watch outside of what was on tv at the time. it was even my first cosplay. That scene with them going crazy over instant coffee still cracks me up
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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Wait, since when is daily live of high school boy considered fujoshi?
I did quite enjoy Ouran despite having no idea what Fujoshi, or even most of anime fandom, was at the time. It was just a funny show with an interesting premise. I did get the homo undertone but I never mind those so it didn't stop me. At the same time I though Free was a bit boring and would actually have greatly benefitted from embracing its homo side fully (I say that as a straight male). Just nothing much happened compared to Ouran where you had a good joke every minute or so. But I never was much of a fan of sport anime, so I might just have been looking for the wrong thing at the wrong place. I also think the same of the innumerable Yuri tease show, it just feel like they spent a lot of time on something for nothing to happen. Imagine if DBZ spent its requisite three episode on the character yelling and powering up just to not have a fight after that. |
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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Here. And I rather enjoyed Rose's article even though I wish she had found a few words to say about Haruhi's dad. I think he is an important part of her personality. Rather than being overly analytical about it I would prefer to enjoy it simply because the characters in the Host Club actually seem to be having a good time with what they are doing. Also I think Tamaki is actually a more rare and more interesting character than it would seem and for that reason fun to watch. It has been a couple of years and my DVDs are in some box somewhere, so I would have to go look at the stream on Funi before giving more details. |
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justseiyuuloveme
 Posts: 8 |
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Has it been 9 years? Oh god, I'm old! I was in my sophomore year of college when this aired, and Code Geass aired at the same time too. Up to this day, Ouran remains to be one of my favorite anime of all time. It was simply refreshing for me. <3
Other than the plot, I also watched it because of the seiyuus---and squealed later on when Hikaru's seiyuu (Suzumura Kenichi) and Haruhi's seiyuu (Maaya Sakamoto) got married. <3 |
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AholePony
 Posts: 330 Location: Arizona |
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Sure did. I just rewatched it about two months ago too! One thing about Ouran is that the same year it came out we had Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, which is extremely similar to Ouran but not very good. Nadeshiko showed us how WRONG they could have gotten Ouran if it had been entrusted to the wrong people. Aimless direction, terrible animation, pretty poor sound track... Fate was kind to Ouran haha. |
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scarletrhodelia
 Posts: 34 Location: Pittsburgh, PA |
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I’ve never heard anyone use the term ‘fujoshi comedies’. That sounds like a show about the wacky hijinks of those crazy bishie-obsessed fujoshi. The usual term is “fujoshi bait”, which carries more of the sense that the homoeroticism is present mostly in the eye of the fujoshi.
This article is a good analysis of Ouran’s appeal, however I can’t see Ouran as the precursor to Free! and other manservice shows. Ouran is a different type of show entirely; as the article details, it is shoujo reverse harem, rooted in the tradition of Fushigi Yugi and Boys Over Flowers while playing with the tropes. It seems to me that Free! was a response to the fact that certain shounen series attract a large female audience, in some cases mostly female. I call these shows “Shounen for Chicks” (TM), and they achieve that status mostly but not entirely through copious manservice. Other characteristics - bishounen leads; large secondary cast of bishounen allies and rivals; few female characters; bromance; and you know for sure that you have one of these on your hands when you see goods produced for female consumption (body pillows, doujinshi). Classic examples are Ruroni Kenshin, Prince of Tennis, and Gundam Wing. More recent examples are Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Kuroko no Basket, Yowamushi Pedal. Free! is much more in the tradition of shounen sports anime than in the shoujo tradition. One of innovations of Free! is that it cuts out the pretense that these shows are for boys and directly targets girls. |
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zztop
Posts: 645 |
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The Japanese never ordered a Season 2 of the Ouran anime, right? I'm aware the manga finished 4 years later in 2010, so I'm surprised the publishers never wanted to adapt the remaining material of a popular work. Was the Japanese reception poor?
I say this because in contrast, Inuyasha the Final Act was made to adapt the main manga story to the end. And then shows like Cute Defense Club get a 2nd season too...
I've noticed this is prevalent in certain otome games, like the Diabolik Lovers franchise. Interestingly there's quite a fanbase for that kind of thing, IIRC. |
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Keichitsu0305
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I'm surprised Rose didn't mention how the most of Ouran's cast are part of the Eternal Summer Funimation dub. Gosh, damn I would have loved if Funi made another bloopers track for Free! so I could hear them goofing around again!
As a fujoshi, there's a big difference between shows aimed at fujoshi fanbase vs shows with a high number of female fans. No one will consider Gintama a "fujoshi" anime but, the massive amount of Gintoki x Hijitaka doujins & fanfics would make you think otherwise. I wouldn't consider Daily Lives of High School Boys a fujoshi show either; it just a great show about stupid boys. Same with reverse harems or anime adaptations of otome games. I can't stand the recent ones like Amnesia or Diablolik Lovers and other otome seres are just plain forgettable to me. Fruit Basket and Fushigi Yuugi (nostalgia goggles) remains my favorites though. What made Ouran High School Host Club so important to me and why even nine years later (yes, it came out in 2006; I'm so OLD) it remains relevant is the self-awareness and parody of shoujo cliches. I was tired of not seeing alot of comedy anime series aimed for females or how most of the shoujo/BL manga I was reading had insufferable female protagonists or a**hole male love interests. Watching Ouran was (and remains) a breath of fresh rose scented air and, personally, the only other show to come close capturing that magic was Princess Jellyfish. Loved how Haruhi never acted helpless or air headed around the Host Club; they were just friends and (in the manga) a true family. And, yeah I totally shipped Kyouya with Tamaki; Haruhi was their child and I loved it.  Favorite episodes were Haruhi and Kyouya at the mall and when the Host Club go to the beach.
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secondkas
 Posts: 95 |
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Ouran is my favorite shojo series and this article precisely explains why. I loved it more as I followed further along in the manga. Love polygons refrain from forming because the characters are so understanding and considerate to each other. Haruhi is also a great heroine; she's kind but decisive, direct, and doesn't string anyone along. Her reaction spoiler[upon realizing her feelings for Tamaki] is the cutest and funniest “romantic” scene I have read in any manga. That said, I seriously wish the later chapters will be adapted to anime.
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SailorTralfamadore
 Posts: 499 Location: Keep Austin Weeb |
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I love "Kyoya's Reluctant Day Out!" That and the Alice in Wonderland episode are probably my most rewatched Ouran episodes. I thought I was the only one who adored that episode so much! And KyoTama (and HaruTama) for life. 
I had a friend in high school whose personality was a lot like Kyoya's. Right down to the angst over "super successful older brother and parents who expect me to follow in his footsteps/do even better," in fact. So I really have a soft spot for his character. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4082 |
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How about those who didn't like it? I like The Wallflower but never made it past the first half dozen of Ouran. Why? I didn't like Haruhi or the plot. Now if she was a guy, 1) It would have been a completely different show except it wouldn't have been, really and 2) The core premise would have made sense. Ok, more sense. Some sense. I'm a fan of indentured servitude as the next guy... and that just kind of says it all, right? And just to be clear, I'm being sarcastic. This is its premise: It's a group of guys with one girl... kind of, theoretically anyway. She says she's a girl... and they own her for their school host club. Funny. But they're all a bit, let's say "fey" so it's all ok. Yeah... No. Also, really didn't like Vic Mignona...'s character. Was he acting or just being himself? There was bright spot, where Haruhi was the only person who was able to tell the twins apart so that gave me some hope that the damn blonde was just a false main love interest but I looked at some spoilers and... yeah, there are better ways to waste time out there. |
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