Another Anime Love!

[jedishampoo]

I spent some time alone this weekend when sharpeslass went home for a couple of days, and watched the first part of Ouran High School Host Club that lexsara bought me for an early birthday present.

OMG, I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I got through eight episodes and sat on the couch kicking my feet like a teenager and giggling and squeeing in delight. This anime is so adorable!



Most of my anime/manga friends have probably already seen this, but it's about a super-rich high school where some of the best-looking boys have formed a "host club" for the school's ladies, a place where the girls can be served coffee and flirted with and squee at teh prettehness of the boys. I didn't think I'd like a high school series so much at this point in my life, but I do! The animation style is cute-- in fact, it translates to anime so well you'd think it was made for anime rather than manga first.

I think it's clever and self-conscious and it laughs at shoujo anime/manga while still BEING shoujo anime/manga. And there are arm-waves or ironic nods to class-consciousness, shounen-ai, transvestitism, lesbianism, incest and shota thrown in for good measure. And unlike Ranma 1/2, which is also a gender-bending high-school adventure that I adore, this one has a lot of character development-- the characters are growing and changing, even early on, and I find them utterly charming.

My favorite character by far is Tamaki (see icon). He's so selfless and selfish at the same time, arrogant and sensitive. And cuuuute! ::squeezes:: Anybody else watch this? What are your 'ships, just out of curiosity?

Confession: I watched an episode or so in sub but I must admit that I watched most of the episodes in dub. And I liked the dub. Unlike in Saiyuki Reload, the English-language voice actors seem to be actually acting rather than reading a script. I've definitely heard worse!



In other news, I want a cigarette. I just ate lunch. I started The Patch this morning but it wasn't until I finished eating that I really wanted that smoke. :( Better call mom!

Comments

[whymzycal.livejournal.com]

It's so awesome that you like it! I'm going to pretend that I didn't see that you like the dub.

Ouran is the one anime I use to convince all of my anti-anime friends that they DO actually like anime. And it's never once failed me.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Heh, foolproof? Well, it is pretty adorable. sharpeslass watched the first couple of eps with me after she got home because I begged, and she was laughing as well.

And I was going to make the confession to you but decided I would expose my shame to the world. Tamaki is Kougaiji, ya know. ;)

[whymzycal.livejournal.com]

Ehehehehehe. It's a FABULOUS anime. I love it more than is reasonable.

I don't think any less of you as a human being. I'm just snickering at you behind my hand. That's all. Ha!

[error256.livejournal.com]

Isn't it the one anime with a couple of yaoi'ish twins? I've seen a few episodes but never had time or patience to watch it completely. Maybe, I should consider watching it finally >.>

I chewed bubble gum when I wanted to smoke badly. It's not very healthy too but at least it kinda keeps the mouth busy

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's the one! The twins thrill the girls visiting the club with their homosexual, incestuous antics.

It really is cute overall! I'm totally het-shipping this one, too.

Oh, I love bubble gum. I ate all the bubble gum balls I got for Easter, already, so I'm making do at the moment with Lifesaver Wint-O-Greens. :)

[winged-sandals.livejournal.com]

I love Ouran Host Club <3 I actually kind of liked the dub too, to be honest. (Except Grey Ayres. Greg Ayres is my mortal foe. He seems like a neat guy and he's a talented voice actor, but for some reason I just can't stand his voice. And he's in every single one of my favorite dubbed anime, no joke. IT'S LIKE HE FOLLOWS ME GAAAAH /tangent)

As for ships, I usually ship any combination of Tamaki, Kyouya, and/or Haruhi.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Those are my three favorite characters! :)

Fweee, another who likes the dub, yay! Greg Ayres's voice seems to fit his character in this one, and I didn't mind him in Saiyuki. I guess he's a bit of a twerp in real life, though-- just glommed from rumors, don't quote me on that. ;)

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

I adore Ouran! It was one of the first animes I ever saw (the first was Princess Princess, which I will always love because you never forget your first) and it's just pure fun. I still crack up thinking about the "commoner" coffee episode. Hee! Poor Haruhi - must have been hard not to pour it in his lap. :-P

My friend S brought over the dubs. I was thrilled to hear Goku Greg doing one of the twins (gah - I can't remember which one! I'll guess and say Hikaru :-P [ETA - Damn, it's Kaoru! Oops! Sorry Greg!]) I'm not usually a big fan of dubs - I LOATHE the KKM dub voices, and I LOATHE the Reload guys who replaced the Gensomaden guys. The (original) Saiyuki dubs might actually be my favorite because the Ikkou voice actors are wonderful, and I especially love Ilyich Guardiola who voices Gojyo. My boy. Hee!) But I didn't mind the Ouran dubs. In fact, I kind of liked them, though I still prefer the Japanese voice actors overall.

As for favorite character, I love Mori and Kyoya, and the twins. And Haruhi is ♥. Tamaki tends to be a bit over the top for me, but he did grow on me. Honey is adorable, but sometimes a bit too cutesy, though I love how he climbs all over Mori. So cute! Hee! I don't really have any ships; I just enjoy watching it because it's such great fun.

I tried to read the manga, but it was so...cluttered, and I had a really hard time following it - and this was after I saw the anime! Maybe one day I'll give it another go, though I do hope they do a second anime series.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I agree that the original gensomaden Saiyuki dubs are pretty good-- it was hard to get used to the Reload Gojyo, though he grew on me. The Hakkai and the Kougaiji and the Sanzo were pretty bad, though-- I'll agree that overall the dub quality went way down, there.

Oh, I checked out the manga online and you're right-- it's cluttered! But somehow the anime is easy to follow. Tamaki is wayyyy over the top, but I adore him, anyway. :)

Y'know, I don't think I've ever heard of Princess Princess! My "gateway drug" to anime was Ranma 1/2, back in the early 90s. Oh, and Ninja Scroll, of course. It was the first anime that made me think "cartoon men can be HOT!" Hee!

[missingkitsune.livejournal.com]

i just discovered this one myself. *squeee's with you* i have to admit i adore the twins. they're just so much fun.

i usually watch the dubs of most anime for one reason...i hate to have to take the time to read when i'm so involved in watching something. *is very lame that way*

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay, another newbie! I thought I was the last to discover this series. (And I totally agree about the dubs-- sometimes I just don't feel like reading when I'm watching.)

[chomiji]

I just about never watch anime of anything, but I follow the manga of this with great devotion. One of the things like most about it is its complete acceptance of everybody, no matter what their quirk. I actually like Haruhi an awful lot - one of the few manga girls I really like - probably because her attitude toward clothes and feminine accoutrements is pretty close to mine (Revy of Black Lagoon is another manga girl I like for similar reasons). And I love Ranka (her father) and Mori.

I don't tend to ship much with this at all ... I think the fact that they seem so young to me is part of it. The manga is developing an interesting plotline about the twins that is giving them a lot more depth.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I checked out the manga online and like someone mentioned above, it seems a little cluttered, but I'm looking forward to getting them and reading them, anyway, just to see if there are different things (and where it's going).

I agree with you about the acceptance-- that's one of the things I like about Haruhi. She's so blase about things that others might think is all "weird," and that episode where they introduce her father-- OMG I think that's my favorite one so far. "Hi, Dad!" and he's gorgeous as a chick, LOL!

[clytemnaestra.livejournal.com]

ISN'T OURAN CUTE?! It makes you feel like you are 15 again, but in a good way!

Kyouya is my favorite, with his Death Note uber-plotting-notebook-of-doom and his oh-so-mysterious glasses glints. :D But Tamaki is absolutely adorable, and the two of them are hilarious as opposites that are perfectly matched. I totally don't ship them or anything, lol.

I couldn't get past the English-language opening theme that Funi did, it was just too...weird...like, why did they do that anyway? The voices seemed ok for the most part, but I'm not a fan of Vic Migno...however you spell his name. Also I'm a huge seiyuu nerd, and think that Miyano Mamoru's Tamaki was perfect. :D

Aaaaaand, stay strong! Good luck with quitting! We'll all be here to poke and prod you not to have that smoke, no matter how bad you want it!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Hee hee, I totally have no problem identifying with the character in this show, whereas I often do with high-school anime/manga, so yeah, maybe I'm just feeling younger. :)

I think sharpeslass has picked Kyouya as her fave, also (I'm making her watch it). Rewatching them with her made me pay more attention to him. So sneaky! I could see shipping him with Tamaki because they're foils for each other, personality-wise. Though I must say I'm taking the het route on this one... sososweet!

Oh, I skip the theme song on this one, anyway-- I'd watched four or five episodes before I realized they HAD translated it into English.

And thanks for the

[clytemnaestra.livejournal.com]

I can definitely see sharpeslass digging Kyouya. Gotta love those devious glasses men! :)
And I agree on the het in this series, Haruhi/Tamaki is way too cute. I think you'll really like the ending, I thought it worked quite well and was way adorable.

(Darn, I only have the one Ouran icon! Poor Tamaki is about to go into his emo corner...)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I LOVE the emo corner! ♥♥♥

Going to Best Buy tonight to pick up part 2...

[lexsara.livejournal.com]

I'm so going to have to come back and visit to try this out now! So glad you're enjoying it.

And just keep a lot of gum handy...fight that urge, I know you can do it! And if you need to call me just to have me talk you through a craving, I'm here! You can do this!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I can't wait until you come back! :)

Thank you again, honey. ::hugs::

[minidrag33.livejournal.com]

I love OHSHC. I am way past any HS girl days. But gosh darn it is such a cute anime who can resist it? My favorite character is Kyoya. Dark hair, glasses and smart and maybe a little dangerous. Reminds me of Hakkai a little. If you liked the first half you will love the rest of the series. I LOVE the end. It is so wonderful :)

I have not watched the dubbed version except #1 that is free to view from the vendor website. I watched all of them with fansubbed version.

Honey cracks me up. Now I view him a bit differently because of what my husband said about the character. Honey is supposed to be 17 years old (not a child that is a genius). My husband pointed out to me while watching this that he thought Honey was crazy (like insane crazy). I am not sure if this is what the author had in mind but the more I thought about it Hubby may be correct. This is not necessarily true, just a possibility.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

We certainly can't resist it-- and usually I resist high-school anime very easily! :) Haha, sharpeslass was saying last night that Kyouya was very Hakkai.

I like Honey, but I can't figure him out really, either. I think all of them have a little crazy, if we're going there!

I can't wait to watch the rest! I'm glad to hear the ending is good.

[minidrag33.livejournal.com]

Did you get the 2nd box set yet? I watched them all on fansubs. I do plan on getting the box sets but they are on a long list of other animes I want to purchase also.

Since it is a frivolus purchase I have to wait for house hold projects that need to be done first.

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I couldn't resist... I bought part 2 tonight. And it's rent/car-payment time! Weeep! But it's so funnnnnn!

[minidrag33.livejournal.com]

Have fun watching. They are like potato chips - can't stop at just one. :)

[hlynn.livejournal.com]

I love Ouran High School Host Club! And I actually like the dub, too. :) When you finish the anime, make sure to check out the manga too, since it's still ongoing.

My main pairing is Tamaki/Haruhi, although I feel bad for Hikaru because he likes her too, and logically he would be a better match because he wouldn't drive her up the wall. :)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Yay, another fan of the dub! I will probably pick up the manga. I usually do that when I fall in love with something-- I search out all its forms!

My main pairing is Tamaki/Haruhi

TOTALLY. I am so het on this one. ;) They are so cuuuuute and I love Tamaki, and I love his mad crush on Haruhi.

I'm not that far, yet, but wondered if they'd bring one or both of the twins in on the romance angle.

[lysander-o.livejournal.com]

I just watched the first episode this eve... damn, can see a new addiction on the horizon! It was just lots of fun :) I'd seen the manga in shops but never got around to actually reading any. Thanks for the rec!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Wasn't it fun? Oh, I think that's why I love it so-- I needed some pure, unadulterated fun right about now. I hope you enjoy more of it!

[caeseria.livejournal.com]

Sorry I'm capslocking this:

DAMN sharpeslass FOR MAKING ME WATCH THIS.

I just watched five episodes. Gah!!!!

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

HAHA, I had to bribe sharpeslass to make her watch it, but I knew she'd like it. So she talked you into watching some, too? Squeeeeee!! Is it not the funnest?

I know you and she probably like Kyouya, but I loooove Tamaki. See icon with boo-boo on finger. ♥♥♥

Edited to say: Apparently I go for blonds. Sigh, I am so predictable.

[caeseria.livejournal.com]

Yes, she mentioned how funny it was so I went off and thought I'd give it a go, and ended up watching five episodes!

I can't say I have a preference for any one in particular, although Mori reminds me of Kenren for some reason, and the twins are hilarious!

Ah, yes...it's always the blonds. It must be a Taurean thing ;)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

I can see the looks thing, but Mori and Kenren's personalities are so opposite that it's difficult!

Going to pick up the 2nd thirteen episodes tonight.. Squeeee!

[sharpeslass.livejournal.com]

Nothing wrong with blondes. Blondes rock. And they are super smart too.
I apparently go for smart, dark-haired men with glasses on them. *sigh* Caeseria-kun says Kyouya (or is it Kyoya? I've seen it spelled both ways. I'll have to check the manga when I get home tonight) is Hakkai at 17. I see it, though he's a hell of a lot less angsty. I still love Hakkai best, but I wouldn't kick Kyouya out of bed for eating fancy tuna... (Psst. Jedi or Caes! Make me a kyouya icon!! *stamps foot* I want him in a kimono or shirtless, pleaze!)

[jedishampoo.livejournal.com]

Find the pic, I'll make the icon. Or caeseria can make it. ;)

Much less angsty and serial-killerish than Hakkai, heh.

[sharpeslass.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... angsty and serial-killerish. *sigh* ♥

[minidrag33.livejournal.com]

Agreed :D