Ouran High School Host Club
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
No issues specified. Please specify issues, or remove this template. |
| Ouran High School Host Club | |
| File:Ouran Logo.jpg Ouran High School Host Club logo. | |
| Genre | Romantic comedy |
|---|---|
| Manga | |
| Written by | Bisco Hatori |
| Published by |  Hakusensha |
| English publisher |   VIZ Media  Chuang Yi |
| Magazine | LaLa |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Original run | August 5, 2003 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 12 |
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Takuya Igarashi |
| Studio | Bones |
| Released | April 4, 2006 – September 26, 2006 |
Ouran High School Host Club (桜蘭高校ホスト部（クラブ）, Ōran Kōkō Hosuto Kurabu) is a manga series by Bisco Hatori, serialized in Hakusensha's LaLa magazine since August 5, 2003. The series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at Ouran High School, and the other members of the titular host club. The screwball romantic comedy focuses on the relationships within and without the Club and satirizes the clichés and stereotypes that endure in series aimed at girls. 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 Ouran High School, a fictional school located in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Because of the superlative cost of the school uniform, Haruhi resorts to wearing long slacks, polo shirts and vests. Combined with her large glasses and tousled short hair, Haruhi's look causes her to be confused for a boy.
Looking for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Third Music Room, the working place of the Ouran Host Club, a group of six extremely attractive male students (Takashi Morinozuka, called "Mori"; Mitsukuni Haninozuka, called "Honey"; twins Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin; Tamaki Suou, and Kyoya Ootori) who spend their time charming and entertaining the school's girls for profit. During their first meeting, Haruhi accidentally knocks over and breaks a vase valued at ¥8,000,000, estimated to be US$80,000.
In order to pay off the large debt, Haruhi is employed as the club's "dog" and is constantly ordered to do menial tasks like serving food or cleaning up. The club president, Tamaki Suou, without knowing she is really a girl, promotes Haruhi to "host" as soon as he discovers her potential. Even after the truth comes out in the Club, Haruhi continues the charade and is allowed to pay off the rest of her debt working as a host; in order to accomplish this, Haruhi conceals her true identity/gender from the customers and the school.
Clubs
The Ouran Private Academy encompasses kindergarten to twelfth grade. Most students come from wealthy families but, in rare occasions, special scholarships are granted to 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 are given top priority over those from rich families but low social status.
Host Club
Tamaki thought up the Host Club while in eighth grade and started it upon entering the Ouran High School. The members of the Host Club are highest ranking students at the school. At Ouran High School, class is determined by lineage and intelligence ("A" is the highest class and "D" the lowest usually consisting of the kids of Yakuza leaders). All the members are in class A and tend to be number one or two in their class coming from the wealthiest families in Japan with the exception of the twins and Haruhi. The twins are ranked fourth and fifth in their class and Haruhi is a scholarship student receiving the special privilege of being in class A due to her scholarship status (she is ranked number one in her year).
Customers have the freedom to choose which host will entertain them, playing to their specific needs and interests. The Third Music Room has been outfitted by the Club to accommodate their business and, sometimes, it has a specific theme, ranging from a tropical paradise to a traditional picnic, to heighten the customers' pleasure and keep things interesting. The members of the club include:
- Haruhi Fujioka
- Haruhi is the heroine of the story. She comes from a very poor family, but is very intelligent and so she is a scholarship student at Ouran. Her mother died when she was five years old and so her cross-dressing father raises her on his own. She is a seemingly apathetic heroine who has no interest in pretty and flashy things, sweet food, or frivolous males. The members of the Host Club all have a sort of weakness for her and either openly or secretly adore her. Haruhi appears as if she doesn't care about the host club member's feelings; however, she actually studies each and every one of them individually and cares for them all very much. The twins begin to realize that Haruhi appears to care more about Tamaki than she seems to demonstrate. Thus, trouble in the host club paradise arises. Haruhi soon realizes she has feelings for Tamaki, and confesses them to Mei.
- Tamaki Suou
- The president or "King" of the Host club. He is extremely passionate and kind, always ready to help people he might not even know, and has an interest in many things. He is also the most attractive of the hosts and is very intelligent, and appears to be a good athlete as well. He is very sincere in what he says, and takes his role to please girls very seriously, which stems from his deep love of his mother. However, the other club members recognize him as an idiot most of the times because he is very dense about his own situations (though he perceptive about others), and he can be selfishly interested in tasks either impossible or just very silly. He also has an odd obsession for the "commoner's lifestyle" and tends to be over-dramatic but he can be very serious when the situation calls for it. He considers the Host Club to be a family and named himself father and Kyoya as the mother. His father is the chairman of Ouran High School and his family is probably the wealthiest in Japan. His mother was forced to leave him so he could be recognized as the son of the Suoh family. Tamaki is half-French and half-Japanese. He later discovers he possesses feelings for Haruhi that he is unable to decipher, still thinking them as family.
- Kyoya Ootori
- The Vice President and "Shadow King". He is often called "Mother" by Tamaki. He is behind most of the Host Club schemes and the other club members tend to go along with whatever Kyoya says. He is a third son and has spent his whole life honoring his family name and yet yielding his true abilities as to not overshadow his brothers; however, it is clear that Kyouya has more ambition and drive, as well as talents, than his brothers. He also manages most of the finances with the club. He also tends to know important info but does not tell anyone until the problem is over.
- Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin
- Twin Brothers who used to reject others. Only recently after they joined the Host Club did they start to open up and allow other people into their world. They are the same age as Haruhi and are in her class, and so have a special bond with her; Haruhi is the first and only person who is able to tell the twins apart, something that both had secretly longed for. They enjoy playing "games" and tricks on classmates, especially Tamaki. One of the twins, Kaoru, is nicer, thoughtful, and more mature than Hikaru. Hikaru, on the other hand, is very immature, and is somewhat actually mean. The twins later on discover that, they too, harbor feelings for Haruhi. But Kaoru doesn't appreciate loving Haruhi enough to want her only for himself, so he ends up letting Hikaru be the twin who loves her romantically.
- Mitsukuni Haninozuka
- Also known as "Hunny" or "Honey." He is the cutesy shota character — he looks like an elementary school student rather than a high school student, although he is actually a senior. Hunny is obsessed with sweets and anything cute, much like a young boy would be. Honey carries a plush bunny around with him as well as a bunny blanket, indicating that he loves this cute furry animal. He is very smart despite his childish and adorable looks. He is usually found with Mori who is his cousin and a very mysterious and reserved character. Honey comes from a family known for their martial art abilities. In one episode it was said if his full combat abilities were revealed he would be considered a threat to national security. Though it appears to be a facade, his cuteness and seriousness are both very real, and after Tamaki explains to him that being himself is "true strength," he resolves never to change.
- Takashi Morinozuka
- Also known as "Mori". The tall, stoic character. Mori dedicates his life to Hunny by protecting him and an angry Mori is only seen when Hunny is injured or harmed. However, he is also very close with the other club members and many classmates look up to him. His character for the most part is very silent and only speaks occasionally, if not monosyllabic. Mori's family has served Honey's family for years, until a marriage two generations ago — Mori and Honey are cousins.
Black Magic Club
The Dark Magic Club is led by Umehito Nekozawa, a third year student. The club members seem to spend most of their time in a dimly-lit room poring over witchcraft paraphernalia, but the Club President insists they are performing a Black Mass. Each member wears a black coat and is provided their own free Beelzenef cat-puppet.
In the anime, Nekozawa is the only member shown and it is unknown if he managed to recruit anyone into his club. The initially strained relationship with his sister is focused on as well as his love for scary things. However, it is shown in the manga (in volume ten and the Halloween story) that there are four other members, including Reiko Kanazuki, who has developed a crush on Mitsukuni Haninozuka.
Newspaper Club
The Newspaper Club is made up by its Chairman Akira Komatsuzawa, Chikage Ukyo and Tomochika Sakyo. The Club strives to be more popular than the Host Club, but their newsletter is a sensational, gossip-filled tabloid that no one bothers to read.
Zuka Club
The White Lily Group, otherwise known as the Zuka Club (ズカ部, Zukabu) in honor of the Takarazuka Revue, is Ouran Host Club's counterpart at St. Lobelia Girls Academy. The leading body, composed of third-year student Benio Amakusa "Benibara", second-year student Chizuru Maihara "Suzuran", and first-year student Hinako Tsuwabuki "Hinagiku", have gained idol status at St. Lobelia; Benio, particularly, is the subject of extreme affection from her fellow students, requiring her own student security agents. The group is a strong advocate of female superiority. Besides theatric performances, the club hosts a wide range of activities, such as tea ceremonies and discussion groups. The club's official name is a reference to the Japanese term yuri, which literally means "lily" and is used to describe lesbian situations in anime and manga.
This group has a strong antagonistic relationship with the Ouran Host Club, with them often fighting over Haruhi.
American Football Club
The American Football Club consists of Captain Takeshi Kuze, Vice-captain Makoto Togoin and Hayato Tarumi. Kuze's family controls the largest domestic share of fruit and vegetable imports. The team is called the Ouran Orage, which rhymes with "orange" and is French for "storm". The American Football Club only appears in the manga. It is shown that the captain, Takeshi Kuze holds some sort of grudge against Kyouya. The grudge apparently comes from when they were very young, and Kyouya contradicted Kuze's knowledge on the nutritional value of oranges (and their peels). The American Football Club does not appear in the anime version.
Karate Club
Hunny was the captain of the Karate Club before joining the Host Club in his second year of high school. As captain, Honey was strict and hard on the students, in an attempt to purge the cuteness from himself. The current captain is Honey's stricter, younger brother Yasuchika Haninozuka.
Visual Arts Club
Not much is known about this club, apart from that their works are featured on the Ouran Gondola.
Gardening Club
A club that cultivates the plants and gardens in Ouran's grounds. Kasanoda is in this club, and is always growing crops for Haruhi. In the manga, they found a treasure map and presented it to the Host Club. This lead to the finding of a Hot Spring on the grounds, that only lasted for one day before mysteriously disappearing.
Classical Music Club
Two members of this club feature in the story. Shirou Takaouji, along with his crush who is set to move to Germany. Apparently, the club performs large concert pieces, however none of these are actually seen in the manga or the anime.
Media
Manga
The Ouran High School Host Club manga started its run on August 5, 2003 in Japan in LaLa. Publication is ongoing, and individual chapters have been collected in thirteen tankōbon volumes as of June 2008. Some volumes include stories from the series Romantic Egoist. The series is licensed in English North America by VIZ Media under the Shojo Beat line, and in Indonesia in the monthly manga magazine hanalala. It is published in Singapore (in both simplified Chinese and English) by Chuang Yi.
Audio dramas
The audio dramas were released from 2003. There are three drama CD releases, as well as two tracks included in LaLa magazine's twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth anniversary CDs. No English translation is available.
Anime
The animated television series premiered April 5, 2006 on Japan's NTV network. The series was directed by Takuya Igarashi and written by Yōji Enokido (Revolutionary Girl Utena, The Melody of Oblivion) , while the character designer and chief animation director for the series was Kumiko Takahashi (Cardcaptor Sakura). It also features a different cast from the audio dramas, with Maaya Sakamoto starring as Haruhi Fujioka and Mamoru Miyano portraying Tamaki Suou. Ouran High School Host Club finished its run on September 26, 2006, totaling to twenty-six episodes.
The series is licensed for distribution in North America by FUNimation Entertainment. Caitlin Glass is the ADR director of the series. The first anime DVD set containing the first thirteen episodes will be released on October 28, 2008 in North America;[1] the second volume will follow in January 2009 containing the last thirteen episodes.
Visual novel
The Ouran Host Club visual novel was released for PlayStation 2 on April 19, 2007 by Idea Factory. Based on the television series, the player makes decisions as Haruhi that affect the other hosts feelings toward her. The game features the characters of Jean-Pierre Léo, a long-time French friend of Tamaki, and Sayuri Himemiya, a childhood friend of Haruhi, designed by the series creator. There are two other characters. The game has been released exclusively in Japan.
References
- ^ "Ouran English anime official website". Funimation Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-09-10.