This was one of my first anime. It still holds up, honestly. Its very funny, the extended cast (although underutilized) gives it a fun touch. There's a proper reason so many remember it fondly. All in all, decent, maybe above average shoujo rom-com. It gets the job done.

The manga was adapted pretty faithfully imo, it skips around a bit but its mostly the same. The problem with the manga is that, whereas the anime just stops and wraps it in a neat little bow, the manga... keeps going? I don't even remember what happens in the last part because it was so unremarkable. So, my advice, just watch the anime and be done with it. This could have easily been 6 volumes shorter. Hell, it drags in such a way that it ruined the ending for me. If you thought the anime ending was unfulfilling, boy I got news for you. Even though my favorite guy had won, I was so tired and bored I'd stopped caring. So yeah, it's not a bad manga, it just drops the ball. But if you're just going to read the first few volumes I'd watch the anime instead. They are interchangeable.

... Last updated on August 23rd, 2023, 8:43pm

This is, first and foremost, a gag manga; and it honestly doesn't have a lot of tricks, it just repeats the same few with different circumstances regardless of how much sense it makes to do so.

Tamaki, the main male lead, is used so often as a punching bag by his so-called "friends" it's honestly hard to believe they actually like him. And Tamaki is not allowed to learn his lesson until it's convenient to the plot, and sometimes he reverts. If Tamaki and the rest of the host club were real people, they'd be enemies who pretend to be close. Their motto would be "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

And Haruhi, the female lead, is defenseless around the wrong people and puts her defenses up only for the character, Tamaki, who has consistently shown a non-selfish care for her. Not to mention her common sense isn't very common.

Most relationship dynamics in this manga would never work the way shown in the manga if they were real people. They're all caricatures at best.

expectations___ said this series has no humanity, and they're right, but I think they used the wrong word. There are moments with "humanity", but there are no moments with "humans".

This is such a painful read at times. And yes, occasionally it's funny and occasionally something sweet happens... but those occasions are not nearly often enough.

And then there's the filler. You know how anime will create filler episodes that usually aren't as good as the main story? That happens in this manga. There are filler chapters, a few of them, even in the first 22 chapters.

We also have two of the characters hang around only because the author lampshaded their original stupidity and made them significantly smarter now that they need to be.

Is it the worst thing ever? No. Is it a mess? Absolutely.

If the author wrote a competent story that had consistent and realistic characterization, and we were to keep all the other elements as they are, this story would be a bleak tragedy.

It's not boring, some of it is well above average, and it's all held together by turning one's brain off.

Second rate, ephemereal and puffed up... this series reads like a text from another species. This has ZERO humanity.

(One day I'll type a better review but for now...)

Love it, anyone who loves shoujo has to read this

honestly, i've read so many different series and books, but ouran has always been the one story that stays with me. all the characters are so relatable; from your family's expectations, the struggles of single parents, and making unexpected friends that essentially become the ones that pull you out of the darkest times in your life.

the setting is very exaggerated, of course, but i think that's the beauty of it. every "visit" to the host club is unique, brings it's own theme and experience. there isn't one dull moment in this. and although characters such as tamaki, honey, and even renge seem very superficial and predictable, the thought put into each of them and the growth that they all go through really is fleshed out.

i've lost count of the amount of times i've read the series, sometimes just going to certain parts because i miss certain moments, and every single time i leave with a warm feeling of familiarity. it's strange, but the characters grow so quickly on you that they inevitably become a part of you in some way. from tamaki's gentleness, honey's desire to stay true to himself, kaoru and hikaru's struggles to let people in, they all carry pieces of readers within them and that's what truly made ouran one of the best series ever released under the shoujo genre.

even as an adult, i often think back on this manga and really feel like it did what every mangaka should strive to do: make an impact. there's no need for rushed stories, what we truly need are series that have a lot of thought, emotion, and planning put into them. characterization goes a long way and i think that ouran is a perfect example of characterization done right.

even after the series was over and extras were released in later years, it was like a feeling of meeting your old friends at a reunion and seeing them doing so well in life. really, i'm only ever 100% full of praise for this series. now and always.

I like how, despite the manga being a comedy and had many gag chapters, the character didn't lack depth. The characters all had their imperfections AND strengths.
Besides, the fact that this manga, deapite being very effing hilarious, still managed to become serious and dramatic at times, without losing its lighthearted touch! It was both a touching feels fest as well as a tear-jerker, but the latter was because of laughter of course!
It had everything I wanted.
It's just soooo damn good, man!

... Last updated on October 13th, 2017, 12:37pm

It's hard to pin down my feelings about Ouran. It's not terribly deep emotionally, although it does have some relatable moments and teaches some good lessons - and it's not very tightly plotted, although it DOES have an overarching plot that gets resolved. I'd say the fun's more in the journey than the destination, but I think it also does a good job of concluding the main story in a satisfying way.

How much you like it will probably depend on how much you like the characters and if the humor clicks with you. Honestly, my favorite characters were Hunny and the Twins. I've "read through" the series twice now, but both times I found myself skimming over episodes that didn't involve the three of them much, and only paying attention when I saw Hunny's flowery word bubbles show up. In a way, I guess that makes me like a real live customer of the host club: I only care about the ones that are my "type"!

My advice: watch the anime first. If you don't like it, walk away. If you do like it, read the manga from volume 10 on.

Given the success of this work, it's easy to see how Bisco Hatori came to fame. Or, at least, fame as far as you could call a comic artist.

As the longest-running series by Hatori-sensei, it bears a very large change between the beginning and end of the story. As she took time off of Millennium Snow to work on this series, it become immediately apparent why that might have been: this story just has so much potential!

Although played as comedy, there are still many heartwarming moments throughout the early chapters. Having an extremely 90s art style while playing up the eccentricity of the characters certainly helps drive home the humor, and it's no secret that this is Hatori-sensei's strong suit.

By the end of the story, however, things have changed dramatically--drama, in fact, is the largest of these. The story begins to include many plots wherein the characters may fight or cause on another trouble in some way. Although not tragic characters by and large, they still manage to come through as genuine because of the effort they put into everything they do. Although never played up for depression points, each characters has a history.

The art evolves into a modern style by the end, showing off a much rounder look; specifically, more realistic in appearance. It looks very clean and suits the more dramatic elements of the latter half. As drama and romance are played up, the art moves away from the "glitter and glitz" screentones and overly-dramatic pictures to more subdued and soft effects.

Overall, the story is definitely worth reading no matter what types of story you like to read; don't be fooled by the romance and comedy labels, as these are certainly not the extent of everything Ouran High-School Host Club has to offer.

The characters are cliche and based on character tropes...And I actually don't mind it for once. The only reason it works is because it was an intentional move on the author's part that actually adds to the comedic value.

I loved this manga. The chapters and the situations were so random and hilarious, at least the first 50 chapters. It then starts focussing on the romantic aspect, which I personally found very taxing. The mangaka spoonfeeds every bit of the characters' emotions to us. There was no subtlety in how it was played out(Like the reviewer before me said). I was completely bored when Tamaki went into his serious mode. But, his recovery marked the beginning of another series of laugh-out-loud sessions.

My favourite character is definitely Tamaki. He provides much of the comic relief, along with the twins,of course. His method of sulking by crouching suits his character perfectly.

The gorgeous art is an added bonus. I swooned every time the host club did a new cosplay. Give it a shot. You won't regret it.