Ouran High School Host Club

Ouran High School Host Club
The cover of the first volume of Ouran High School Host Club, with Haruhi (left) and Tamaki (right)
桜蘭高校ホスト部 (Ōran Kōkō Hosuto Kurabu)
Genre	Romantic comedy
Manga
Written by	Bisco Hatori
Published by	Hakusensha
English publisher	Madman Entertainment Viz Media Chuang Yi
Demographic	Shōjo
Magazine	LaLa
Original run	September 2002 – November 2010
Volumes	18 (List of volumes)
TV anime
Directed by	Takuya Igarashi
Studio	Bones
Licensed by	Madman Entertainment Funimation Entertainment
Network	Animax, NTV
English network	FUNimation Channel
Original run	April 4, 2006 – September 26, 2006
Episodes	26 (List of episodes)
TV drama
Network	TBS
Original run	July 22, 2011 – September 30, 2011
Episodes	11
Live-action film
Released	March 17, 2012 (2012-03-17)
Anime and Manga Portal

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 since August 5, 2003. 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 without 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 scholar student at the prestigious Ouran Academy, a fictional high school located in Bunkyō, 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 look 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 as well). 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.

Characters

The Host Club dressed as caterers. From left to right: Takashi "Mori", Mitsukuni "Honey", Haruhi, Kaoru, Hikaru, Tamaki and Kyoya

Main article: List of Ouran High School Host Club characters

Tamaki thought up the Host Club while in ninth 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 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 always ranked number one in her year).

Customers have the freedom to choose which host will entertain them, playing to their specific needs and interests. Each member of the host club is a specific shōjo "type" designed to suit the varying tastes of female clients (Cool Type, Wild Type/Strong and Silent Type, Loli-shōta Type, Prince Type, Little Devil Type, Natural/Gentle Type). The twins, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, and cousins, Takashi Morinozuka ("Mori") and Mitsukuni Haninozuka ("Honey"), showcase their respective close relationships to please or entertain customers. Haruhi Fujioka, who used to be the Host Club's dog in order to pay her debt of 8,000,000 yen, entertains her guests with her naturalness, gentleness and humbleness. Tamaki Suou is president and leader of the club, while Kyouya Ootori as vice president manages the finances and all the events for the club. The Third Music Room has been outfitted by the Club to accommodate their business and, at times, is elaborately decorated according to 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

Unlike other characters in The Host Club, she comes from a poor family. It is thanks to the scholarship that she is able to enter Ouran High. The heroine of the story who ends up joining the club disguised as a boy to pay back a debt of 8,000,000 yen she incurred by breaking a valuable vase. In the host club, she is the "Natural/Gentle Type". She can be very blunt when talking; hurting people without meaning to. Her denseness could almost compete with Tamaki's; during her middle school years, she had a lot of admirers but unknowingly turned them all down. She seems to be the only one able to tell the Hitachiin twins apart. The other members of Host Club seem to hold some feelings for her, yet some don't realize it or don't act upon their feelings. Throughout the manga, Haruhi eventually falls in love with Tamaki.

Tamaki Suou

The idiotic host king, who created and founded the club. He is very charismatic and charming and considers himself the "Daddy" of the group. He is also the "Prince Type" or "The King" in the host club. He considers his relationship with Haruhi as paternal in nature, but is often seen using it to mask his true feelings - he is in fact in love with her. The twins use that to their advantage and harass Haruhi in front of him to anger one or both of them. He also has a strange interest in the commoner and Japanese lifestyle. He moved to Japan from France when he was fourteen due to family issues. His reason in starting the host club was simply because he wanted to make others smile and be happy. Due to the past story of his parents, leading to his current state of not being able to see his mother, he's under the impression that falling in love will only lead to broken families. Because he considers the Host Club his family, he refuses to realize the fact that he's in love with Haruhi, instead believing it to be a fatherly love. It's not until later chapters in the manga however, that the Host Club finally makes Tamaki realize that they will always be together even if he is to pursue Haruhi romantically.

Kyoya Ootori

The Vice President of The Host Club, the co-founder, the third son of the Ootori Group. In the host club, Kyoya is seen as the "Cool Type". He, like the rest of the members of the club, is very handsome. He carries a clipboard with him and it is a long-running joke that it is unknown what he writes in said clipboard. In almost everything he does, he gets something out of it. Kyoya also researches all who attend Ouran Academy and appears to know 'everything about everyone'. He is considered the "Mommy" of the group by Tamaki. He is also known to have low blood pressure, so if one tries to wake him up from his slumber, they are going to have a very mean and unhappy Kyoya. Tamaki is his closest friend.

Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin

The twins; they are devious and funny. They are seen as the "Little Devil Type". Hikaru is the older twin, little devil #1, and Kaoru is the younger twin, little devil #2. Haruhi was the first one who could tell them apart, while their mother hid that she could. Their contribution to the host club is when they do their routine act of "forbidden brotherly love" with suggestive themes of boy love shown to admiring female fans, Hikaru's part as the "seme" and Kaoru, the "uke". They are often mistaken for homosexuals, due in part to their act, as well as their naturally close bond. Because Haruhi was one of the first to tell the twins apart, Hikaru and Kaoru develop strong feelings for her. Later on in the manga, Kaoru put aside his feelings to help Hikaru, who decided to "compete" fairly with Tamaki ever since he realized his own feelings for Haruhi.

Mitsukuni Haninozuka

Also known as "Honey" for short (or "Hunny" according to the manga). In the host club, he is known as the "Shōta Type". He looks like an elementary school child rather than the 17-year-old third-year student that he actually is, which gives him an excuse to look cute while holding a toy bunny, Usa-chan/Bun-bun, with him around the school. What he mainly does in the club is eat cake with his clients. He is very strong for his size, coming from a martial arts family and is very close to his cousin; Mori. In fact, he is so adept at martial arts that, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry, if he ever used his full ability, he could be classed as a weapon of mass destruction. Honey is also the only host club member to call Mori by his first name. He has a fondness for anything cute, like bunnies and eating a lot of cake, making his little brother, Yasuchika "Chika" Haninozuka see him as some sort of alien, though he does look up to him in away for his older brother's skills in martial arts. Honey is also the champion in judo and karate at school (national champion in the anime).

Takashi Morinozuka

Also known as "Mori", his character is the "Strong and Silent Type" or the "Wild Type" in the host club. He is the tallest and quietest member of the group. His strength can compare with Honey's but instead of martial arts, he does kendo, and happens to be the champion of kendo at school. Mori dedicates his life to Honey by protecting him and only gets emotional when Honey is injured or harmed. He is also very close to the other club members and many classmates look up to him because of his quiet, gentle nature, despite his intimidating appearance. He usually only speaks when necessary, and responds to questions mostly with monosyllabic answers. Mori's family served Honey's family until a marriage two generations ago made them cousins. Even though the servant-master bond was technically broken, Mori still serves faithfully as Honey's guardian and best friend. He also has a brother, Satoshi Morinozuka, who, unlike Chika, praises him.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Ouran High School Host Club chapters

The Ouran High School Host Club manga was serialized in Japan between the September 2002 and November 2010 issues of LaLa.^[3] The individual chapters were collected in 18 tankōbon volumes between August 5, 2003 and April 5, 2011..^[4] Hakusensha released a fanbook for the series on August 4, 2009 titled Ōran Kōkō Hosuto Kurabu Fanbukku: Uki Doki Kōryaku Daisakusen (桜蘭高校ホスト部(クラブ)ファンブック～うきドキ☆攻略大作戦～^?).^[5] The series is licensed in English North America by Viz Media under its Shojo Beat imprint, and in Indonesia in the monthly manga magazine Hanalala. It is published in Singapore (in both simplified Chinese and English) by Chuang Yi, and in Poland by JPF.^[6]

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

Main article: List of Ouran High School Host Club episodes

A 26-episode anime television series aired between April 5 and September 26, 2006 on Japan's Nippon Television network. The series was directed by Takuya Igarashi and written by Yōji Enokido, while the character designer and chief animation director for the series was Kumiko Takahashi. It also features a different cast from the audio dramas, with Maaya Sakamoto starring as Haruhi Fujioka and Mamoru Miyano portraying Tamaki Suoh.

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 was released on October 28, 2008 in North America.^[7] The second volume containing the last thirteen episodes was released on January 6, 2009. On April 27, 2009, the series made its North American television debut on the Funimation Channel.^[8] It is available on Netflix streaming.

Soundtracks

Three soundtracks have been released by Video and Audio Project using music from the Ouran High School Host Club anime adaptation. The first, Ouran High School Host Club Soundtrack & Character Song Collection (Part 1) (桜蘭高校ホスト部サントラ&キャラソン集 <<前編>>^?), was released in Japan on July 26, 2006 and contained twenty tracks, including the anime opening theme song. The second, Ouran High School Host Club Soundtrack & Character Song Collection 2 (桜蘭高校ホスト部サントラ&キャラソン集 <<後編>>^?), contained an additional nineteen tracks and was released on August 23, 2006. On September 20, 2007, a third soundtrack, the Ouran High School Host Club Soundtrack & Character Song Collection Special Edition (桜蘭高校ホスト部 サントラ&キャラソン集《特別編》^?) was released containing eight songs from the previous two tracks, with four additional songs.

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 original characters. The game has been released exclusively in Japan. A Nintendo DS port of the game, updated with a fully voiced cast and new character-specific scenarios, was released on March 19, 2009.

Live-action TV series

A live-action TV series of Ouran began airing in Japan on TBS on July 22, 2011. The live-action adaption features Yūsuke Yamamoto as Tamaki Suou and Haruna Kawaguchi as Haruhi Fujioka.^[9]

Film

A live-action film of Ouran was announced during a fan meeting on August 25, 2011 and will continue off from the conclusion of the television series. All actors of the live-action television series will reprise their roles. The film is set to be released in March 2012.^[10][11]

Reception

The series is like a parody of otaku culture, especially cross-dressing, yaoi and yuri cultures within otaku culture.^[12]

References

1. ^ "Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 1". Viz Media. http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?product_id=5114. Retrieved 2009-05-18. 
2. ^ "Ouran High Host Club". Chuang Yi. Archived from the original on 2007-12-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20071213234928/http://www.chuangyi.com.sg/new/ecatalogtitle.php?title=Ouran+High+Host+Club. Retrieved 2009-05-18. 
3. ^ "Ouran High School Host Club Manga to End in September". Anime News Network. August 23, 2010. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-08-23/ouran-high-school-host-club-manga-to-end-in-september. Retrieved August 31, 2010. 
4. ^ "桜蘭高校ホスト部(クラブ) 18 [Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 18]" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592187189. Retrieved July 10, 2011. 
5. ^ "桜蘭高校ホスト部(クラブ)ファンブック～うきドキ☆攻略大作戦～" (in Japanese). Hakusensha. http://www.s-book.net/plsql/slib_detail?isbn=9784592187028. Retrieved February 28, 2010. 
6. ^ Salva (2 October 2007). "Ouran High School Host Club" (in Polish). Tanuki.pl (Małgorzata Kaczarowska) 845. ISSN 1898-8296. http://manga.tanuki.pl/strony/manga/92-ouran-high-school-host-club/rec/27. Retrieved 30 June 2011. 
7. ^ "Ouran English anime official website". Funimation Entertainment. http://funimation.com/ouran/. Retrieved 2008-09-10. 
8. ^ "Funimation Week 18 of 2009". Funimation Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. http://web.archive.org/web/20090420065018/http://www.funimationchannel.com/schedule/1_e918.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-14. 
9. ^ "Ouran High School Host Club Gets Live-Action Show". Anime News Network. May 19, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-19/ouran-high-school-host-club-gets-live-action-show. Retrieved May 19, 2011. 
10. ^ "川口春奈、初主演ドラマ『桜蘭高校ホスト部』映画化決定　来年3月公開" (in Japanese). Oricon. August 24, 2011. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/confidence/2001138/full/. Retrieved August 24, 2011. 
11. ^ "Ouran High School Host Club Manga Gets Live-Action Film". Anime News Network. August 25, 2011. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-08-25/ouran-high-school-host-club-manga-gets-live-action-film/. Retrieved August 26, 2011. 
12. ^ Darlington, Tania. "The Queering of Haruhi Fujioka: Cross-Dressing, Camp and Commoner Culture in Ouran High School Host Club". University of Florida. http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v4_3/darlington/. Retrieved October 28, 2010. 

External links

• Official Ouran High School Host Club manga website (Japanese)
• Official NTV Ouran High School Host Club anime website (Japanese)
• Official IDeaf Ouran Host Club visual novel website (Japanese)
• Official Ouran High School Host Club DS visual novel website (Japanese)
• Official Shojo Beat Ouran High School Host Club manga website
• Official Funimation Ouran website
• Official TV drama website (Japanese)
• Ouran High School Host Club (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia