Synopsis
Welcome to the Ouran Academy, a school where the children of wealthy and prominent families are sent to learn. In this school there is a club that many young ladies go to in order to relieve their boredom; and that is the host club. A club of six handsome young men of different types, charming the young ladies with tea cakes and their own special charms. One day the club receives a visitor, and it is none other than the only scholarship student in the school, Haruhi Fujioka.
By sheer accident Haruhi breaks a vase that the club was intending to auction for eight billion yen, and in result becomes their errand boy. But there is more to this character than the club members may think.
The Good
One of the high points of the series that has been pointed out by many is the characters. Unlike many other reverse harem series, though the males fall under a certain dynamic, they actually step out of that stereotype from time to time. What is more is that this series is not exclusively a shoujo with the themes of a reverse harem but rather a comedy of a character ending up in a unique circumstance. The series also doesn’t simply focus on one genre but takes on comedy and drama as well. It pulls in the viewer and presents them not only with an interesting plot but with characters that you can easily fall in love with.
The Bad
The anime, while great on different points, veered off in certain points regarding its source material. It is understandable that there is not a cast for everyone, but taking out and adding in characters need to have a sense in the story. For example, in one episode, there is an introduction of a relative of a club member, but in the manga, there were two relatives of two host members.
Conclusion
From a personal opinion, this is series that you need to put in your need to watch shoujo list. While it may take a bit of a left field towards the end, the journey to it is worth the watch. This is not just a reverse harem where the male characters are aiming for the female character, this is a series that takes on a group of characters, develops their personalities and relationship while also managing to balance comedy and drama into the mix as well. And not only is the anime is a recommended watch, but the manga series as well.
Rating: 9/10