Ouran Highschool Host Club
Ouran High School Host Club (桜蘭高校ホスト部 Ōran Kōkō Hosuto Kurabu) is a manga series by Bisco Hatori, serialized in Hakusensha's LaLa magazine between the September 2002 and November 2010 issues. The series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Ouran High School, and the other members of the popular host club. The romantic comedy focuses on the relationships within and outside the Club and satirizes the clichés and stereotypes that endure in shōjo. There are also occasional moments where the characters break the fourth wall. The manga has been adapted into a series of audio dramas, an animated television series directed by Takuya Igarashi and produced by Bones, and a visual novel by Idea Factory.
Plot
Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student at the prestigious Ouran Academy, a fictitious high school located in Bunkyo, Tokyo. Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Third Music Room, a place where the Ouran Academy Host Club, a group of six male students, gathers to entertain female "clients". During their first meeting, Haruhi accidentally knocks over and breaks an antique vase valued at ¥8,000,000 (US$80,000 in the U.S. English manga)[1] and is told to repay the cost in service to the club. Haruhi's short hair, slouching attire and gender-ambiguous face cause her to be mistaken by the hosts for a male student. The hosts all agree that Haruhi would be a good host, thus making her join the host club. Ultimately she agrees to join the Club as a host herself (dressed as a male) in order to pay off her debt.[2] She agrees to join since she does not mind hosting as long as she can pay the debt off faster. The hosts do later find out that she is, in fact, a girl. They keep this a secret, so no one will be able to tell. The Ouran Private Academy encompasses kindergarten to twelfth grade (along with a university). Most students come from wealthy families, but in special cases, merit scholarships are granted to exceptional students from a lower income bracket. The school's unofficial motto is "Lineage counts first, wealth a close second," meaning students with stellar family backgrounds but low socioeconomic status may be given top priority over those from rich families with lesser pedigrees.
Other than Haruhi, the other members of the club consist of the president Tamaki Suou, a student who treats Haruhi like she is his own daughter and is hugely jealous of anyone else who approaches her; Kyoya Otori, the bespectacled calculating vice-president who serves as the brains of the club; Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, a pair of mischievousidentical twins who like playing tricks on the other club members and playing up a homoerotic angle on their relationship; Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka ("Hunny" in the manga), a small, cute boy who has a great passion for stuffed animals and eating cakes; and Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka, a tall, quiet boy who is protective of Honey. All the characters are parodies of shojo manga characters, with Haruhi serving as the "natural" type, Tamaki as the "princely" type, Kyoya as the "cool" type, the Hitachiin twins as the "little devils", Honey as the "cute shotacon" type, and Mori as the "strong, silent type".
Characters
Haruhi Fujioka
Haruhi Fujioka (藤岡 ハルヒ Fujioka Haruhi) is the main character of the series. She was born on February 4[2] and is 15 years old at the start of the series.[3]
As an intelligent first-year student of the exclusive Ouran Academy that comes from a poor family, having a cross-dressing father and a deceased mother, she is required to achieve academic excellence and rank first in class to maintain a special scholarship. She comes across the Host Club while looking for a quiet study place and accidentally breaks a ¥8,000,000 (80,000 USD in the English edition of the manga) vase that was to be featured in a school auction. She clears her debt to the club by disguising herself as a boy and working for them as a host. She finds this task easy because she feels gender does not dominate her personality. She soon realizes that acting as host and talking with girls comes naturally and begins to enjoy the work. However, she dislikes taking time away from studying and finds the antics of other hosts bothersome. Although she appears indifferent and fearless, she is revealed to suffer from brontophobia, a fear of thunder.
Haruhi is shown to be brutally honest but she is very perceptive and caring, as shown when it is discovered she is the only one who can tell the twins apart. Despite her seemingly nonchalant attitude, she is shown to actually be very emotionally invested in all the host club's comings and goings, which becomes apparent when she shares an often surprising insight the other members have overlooked. She is surprisingly empathetic, and has shown an exceptional ability to understand the other host club members' personalities.
Tamaki Suoh
Tamaki Suoh (須王 環 Suō Tamaki), whose full name is René Tamaki Richard de Grantaine,[6] is a second-year student at Ouran Academy and the founder and president of the Host Club. He was born on April 8 (Buddha's birthday),[2] and is 16 years old at the beginning of the series.[3] Flamboyant and narcissistic, he is dedicated to his duties as a host. He is the princely type, who entertains customers with upper-class etiquette and shameless flattery. Tamaki is partial to classic piano music and plays exceedingly well. He refers to his club as his "family": himself being the father figure; Kyoya the mother; Haruhi the daughter; Hikaru and Kaoru the brothers; Mori and Honey the neighbours.
As Tamaki is the main comic relief character of the series, he is outspoken and naïve for his age, especially since he only views himself as an obsessive father figure to Haruhi, when, in reality, he is in love with her. Mori and Honey point out his naiveté when it comes to how he truly feels about Haruhi and the rest of the club sees this too. His naiveté applies to his overall dense approach to his own feelings, although he is very perceptive to the feelings of others, which Hikaru and Kaoru both note. He often becomes jealous of other boys who approach Haruhi and admires her natural personality. When he is kicked out by Haruhi or made fun of, he has the tendency to grow mushrooms in either the closet or the corner, which appear like they were worked on for weeks.
Tamaki is half Japanese and half French, and lives under the custody of his father, the wealthy chairman of Ouran Academy. They are separated from his French mother because of a deal made between Tamaki's ill mother and his cold-hearted paternal grandmother. He lives at the Suoh family's second mansion, while his father stays at the main mansion with Tamaki's grandmother. Eventually, he is accepted into the main residence where his grandmother lives. At first, she does not acknowledge him and makes his life sour by "pulling him back to reality", but he manages to win her approval with his mind and kindness and the two grow close. She also allows him to meet with his mother.
At one point in the manga, Tamaki realizes that he loves Haruhi as a woman and not a daughter. However, he does not act on it because of his own divided family, fearing that something similar will happen to the Host Club should he ever pursue Haruhi romantically. Thanks to his friend's efforts, however, he accepts that doing so would not hurt the club. Even then, though, he cannot find the courage to confess to her, frightened that she will not return his feelings.
Kyoya Otori
Kyoya Otori (鳳 鏡夜 Ōtori Kyōya) is an attractive, calculating second-year student at Ouran Academy and vice-president of the Host Club.[10] He was born on November 22 (Good Wife Day)[2]and is 17 years old at the beginning of the series.[3]Kyoya is best friends with Tamaki, despite their completely different demeanors. Kyoya is secretive and intelligent, as his ability to calculate the financial and social benefits that result from the Host Club's adventures demonstrates. He is a very realistic and pragmatic person, as well as a competent and accurate accountant. Despite his occasionally antagonistic traits, the Host Club would not have been successful without Kyoya's uptight resourcefulness. Although he is rarely seen entertaining guests of the Host Club, he is considered the cool type.[10]Kyoya lives with his father, an influent zaibatsu owner who specializes in hospital management. He has two brothers that he has to surpass to become his father's successor and a married sister who cares deeply for him. Despite his cold and uncaring exterior, Kyoya occasionally demonstrates his concern for others. For example, when the Club goes to the beach and Haruhi is harassed by men, he pretends to intimidate Haruhi to show her why the other members of the Host Club were worried about her. Another example is when he points out the false nature of an antique to an old woman who was about to buy it. Haruhi is able to see through his mask, however, and understands him well. In volume 16, his actions helped Tamaki strengthen his relationship with his grandmother.
Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin
The twins Hikaru Hitachiin (常陸院 光 Hitachīn Hikaru) and Kaoru Hitachiin (常陸院 馨 Hitachīn Kaoru) are depicted as mischievous, devious and otherwise childish young men who toy with people, including their schoolmates. They were born on June 9, a date chosen by the manga artist to show that they are alike yet different,[6] and are 15 years old at the beginning of the series.[3]When Hikaru and Kaoru were young, they were fond of their maid. One night, they discovered her trying to steal from their mansion and offered her a deal. She needed to guess which of the two Hikaru was in exchange for the combination to the safe. they hid it in their piggy bank cause she didn't tell which one was them which was their deal. The maid took the combination number from their piggy bank while they were sleeping anyway and when they asked why she didn't keep her promise she said that no one would ever be able to tell them apart. They eventually learned many skills from the maid, including how to fake emotions, before she fled the mansion and was never seen and never returned.Kaoru and Hikaru before joining the Host club, only trusted themselves. They did not have any other friends in school besides each other. In the "Which one is Hikaru Game", sometimes they wanted to be told apart, and sometimes they didn't. Haruhi is the only person that can tell the twins apart.During their second year of junior high, they meet Tamaki Suou, who wants them to join the newly-formed Host Club. The twins agree to join only if Tamaki can guess which twin is which. Although Tamaki fails many times, he eventually guesses it, at which point the twins give in and decide to try the Host Club. The club opened them up to new experiences, including the development of a deep bond with Tamaki. Prior to joining, the twins described the world as "us" and "them", being very distrustful of and unkind to others. Additionally, because their parents were often away, they were deeply dependent on each other; joining the club and meeting Haruhi helped them become more independent.The Hitachiin twins use acts of "forbidden brotherly love" as their main draw in the Host Club, with highly suggestive themes of incestuous boy love. They are both considered the mischievous, tricky, little devil types in the club. They have their differences: Kaoru is nicer, more mature and considerate to the thoughts of others, mostly when he's alone or helping his brother out, while Hikaru is more immature, even though he is the elder twin. Their different personalities are best shown when they are separated, and there is also a slight difference in the way they speak. Hikaru has a deeper voice and tends to talk first, while Kaoru voice is higher and a little more pitchy and he tends to talk second. There are several ways how to tell the twins apart, the most used being that Hikaru's hair is parted to the right side and Kaoru's hair parts to the left. And at the same time Hikaru tends to be on the left and Kaoru on the right. They both have a crush on Haruhi; Kaoru confesses to Haruhi but soon adds that Hikaru is more important to him, putting his own feelings aside to support Hikaru instead.
Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka
Honey is depicted as a childish and cake-loving boy who is much older than what his elementary school appearance would indicate. He is also a strong fighter who can send people flying with one kick. When Haruhi is warned about his legendary fighting skills, the point is illustrated in the anime by a mushroom cloud erupting where a city had once stood. In the anime, there is a scene which shows Honey's true strength and it is said that Japan's Defense Minister has told him not to show his full power for fear that other countries might think Japan holds a weapon of mass destruction, causing them to fire missiles upon Japan (episode 18 of the anime). Honey is often around his cousin Mori, to whom he is very close, and lives with his father, the owner of a famous dojo, and his little brother, Yasuchika, with whom he is often at odds.
Honey is very fond of eating sweets and his room is full of stuffed animals. He always carries around a plush bunny named Usa-chan, an abbreviation of usagi, which means rabbit (also called Bun-Bun in the manga). He used to hide his true self with much difficulty by acting like a "real man" for some time, but after Tamaki convinced him that liking cute things was not bad, he realized that there was absolutely no need to hide. Together with Mori, he joined the Host Club, attracting customers with his shotacon cuteness. It is possible his nickname, Honey, came from his first name, Mitsukuni (光邦), as mitsu can mean honey (蜜). It could also be an abbreviation of his family name, Haninozuka. He is referred to almost exclusively by this nickname, Mori being the only one who calls him by his first name.
Kawaii!!! More anime please???
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