Ohran High School Host Club (General Discussion)

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by musouka

Keep in mind, that's just what the author likes, not the couple that's going to end up happening. Tamaki/Haruhi has the lion's share of time devoted to it, and BONES seems to be going out of their way to make it even more romantic than the manga.

But Suoh is such a doofus, and Haruhi is so level-headed, rational and sees thorough all their tricks! How can they even pair up? Unless Tamaki becomes a little bit more serious, rather than treating it as a usual game with one of his clients (or Haruhi just tosses her brain out), I just don't see how they will lead to even a hint of a possible relationship.

Would be interesting to see...

[SmartChick]

Originally Posted by musouka

Keep in mind, that's just what the author likes, not the couple that's going to end up happening. Tamaki/Haruhi has the lion's share of time devoted to it, and BONES seems to be going out of their way to make it even more romantic than the manga.

I think bones is doing a great job with the addition of the romance. I read several volumes of the manga and sadly I got bored after a while. I prefer the anime much more than the manga. I just hope this wont be a Thousand Years of Snow type of ending.

[Ori]

How many episodes do this have? I hope it's 24...

I think the anime is better than the manga so far... it just moves faster for me... and not as insanely flowery as the manga.

[musouka]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Unless Tamaki becomes a little bit more serious

Tamaki is serious. I think what you're talking about is him being cooler. He's actually a pretty sweet guy; Haruhi could do a hell of a lot worse. I think he's pretty endearing, myself. (Moreso in the anime, though)

And well

Spoiler for Haruhi's family:

you know what they say about girls marrying guys that remind them of their dads...

I know you seem to be against any and all romance in this series, Mr. Prophet, but it's not ONLY a "parody". There are a lot of traditional shoujo elements in there, and BONES seems to be going out of their way to actually highlight them instead of having a moment then zooming off to the next gag like the manga does. While romance is not what the series is "about", it's still there.

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by musouka

While romance is not what the series is "about", it's still there.

No, it is not. In the two episodes shown, there is no romantic feeling at all. So far... 8)

That's what I was trying to say: with the way the characters stand now, and especially the silly manner in which Tamaki acts, it's just not logical for him and Haruhi to hit it off. It would come completely out of the blue and would only the ruin the perfect harmony that has developed so far.

But, if the characters do evolve in the right direction, there would perhaps be a possibility for romance. Unlike what you supposed about me, I am not at all averse to it IF it is properly set up and developed.

Haruhi suddenly sprouting a deep crush on Suoh (or anyone for that matter) for no reason and without any "foreplay" would only look silly and not convining at all.

[Cal-Reflector]

I've just today browsed the manga up to its latest release (Chapter... 35?). As mentioned before (and I won't bother with the spoiler this time) this is truly a interesting shoujo in that romance is so neglected.

I think that mangas from a particularly polar genre, when adapted to anime, tend to be done in such a way as to move it more towards the mainstream from whatever pole it occupied before; Furuba was made a bit less girly, Keroro Gunsou was made less ecchi and less otaku-parodied; to take into consideration television's more comprehensive viewership (or, potential viewership).

Ouran Host Club may actually be considered an Anti-Shoujo; its Shoujo laughing at itself as a genre. Romance does sell however, so I think that most definitely, there should be a significantly higher emphasis on romance in the anime.

That said, here are three links below to a blog of mine. The first contains no spoilers, the second and third show scenes taken from the manga, and are probably spoilery. All have to deal with the couple I've decided to root for in this not-romantic shoujo show. *Laughs*

http://cal-reflector.livejournal.com/25767.html#cutid1
http://cal-reflector.livejournal.com/25902.html#cutid1
http://cal-reflector.livejournal.com/26279.html#cutid1

[Ori]

The thing is romance does not have to be two sided.

I can totally see Tamaki falling head over toe for Haruhi while Haruhi stay completely oblivious and finds him completely stupid and annoying.

Like in the movie Love Actually, I thought the sweetest story in there was actually one unrequited love one. =D

Of course, I would like to see these characters develop so that Haruhi won't find Tamaki that annoying. But for now, one sided thing is romantic enough...

Btw Musouka, I agree with you Tamaki is a pretty sweet guy... just rather overdramatic and vane.

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by Ori

I can totally see Tamaki falling head over toe for Haruhi while Haruhi stay completely oblivious and finds him completely stupid and annoying.

Only thing is: since Tamaki is not the main character, it is a lot harder to understand him unless he comes "out of the closet", so to speak, and shows what kind of feelings he has/will have for our heroine.

So far the only thing he is displaying is that he's found himself a shiny new toy to play with. The kind of toy you can dress up, play "house" with and generally steer in the right direction. There is almost a parent-child relationship between them (only the "child" is way more mature than the "parent").

Whether he has really fallen for Fujioka and is just hiding his emotions with his over-the-top antics, is hard to gauge. So, when Souh shows us something concrete about the way he feels about Haruhi, we'll see if Kyoya's "prophesy" has come true.

PS: It's a bit hard to discuss this series with people who read the manga. Please consider the fact that not everyone has the luxury of knowing the story and the way the characters develop beforehand. I only see what I see, so if there is any depth or complexity behind any of the characters, we shall learn it in the proper time.

[Tzurial]

I would say this story has a good amount of romance, just not in the usual shoujo fashion. For example Parfait Tic! (another shoujo I read and enjoy a lot) has a lot of internal dialogue and well, crying...lots of crying. I think the romance in Host Club is just more low key than what most people expect of a shoujo. Just because Haruhi is not doubled over with intense angst does not mean that romance is any less a part of the story. And Tamaki's crush (or at the very least..his interest in Haruhi) is so sweet and honest..how can you not be immediately charmed! :>

[musouka]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

No, it is not. In the two episodes shown, there is no romantic feeling at all.

Actually, there have been. Specifically, to name a couple of examples, the "wallet finding" ep 01 (look at her expression) and the "glance outside the classroom" in ep 02, when Haruhi reflects on the point of the Host Club. Subtle, but definitely there. (Plus there's that whole sequence about 15 minutes into the second ep)

Haruhi is also much nicer to Tamaki in the anime. Both eps so far have ended with a completely adorable grin from our heroine instead of her manga-deadpan "you're a complete idiot" look.

I'm also not sure where you're getting the idea that Tamaki sees Haruhi as a plaything. I think what you have to keep in mind is that Tamaki's playboy-ish attitude doesn't mean he doesn't really care about his patrons or Haruhi.

I think Haruhi generally sees Tamaki as an idiot. But I also think the anime is very VERY clear at showing the scenes where he makes her think of him in a different light, and so far the anime has pretty much ONLY shown those scenes between the two of them. It's been very clear in showing a rather unique bond between the two of them that doesn't really exist between her and the other club members.

Plus...well...who's the guy that gets the most time in the OP?

[Potatochobit]

i dont think haruhi was so much looking in a romantic way as much as it was admiration.

[musouka]

Originally Posted by Potatochobit

i dont think haruhi was so much looking in a romantic way as much as it was admiration.

I'm not saying that Haruhi was inwardly swooning over Tamaki in those scenes, but I think the overall feel for those scenes is, yes, romantic. Especially when you take the music and direction into consideration.

I think they are romantic in a subtle sort of "getting to know what this person is really like" way. They're very warm scenes, and I feel good watching them. They are also the kind of scenes I look for when it comes to romance. Of course your milage may vary...

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by musouka

Actually, there have been. Specifically, to name a couple of examples, the "wallet finding" ep 01 (look at her expression) and the "glance outside the classroom" in ep 02, when Haruhi reflects on the point of the Host Club. Subtle, but definitely there. (Plus there's that whole sequence about 15 minutes into the second ep)

No. I actually gave it a bit of a thought before I wrote my previous reply, and I disagree.

1) Wallet finding was mostly about showing Tamaki as a normal person, you know, just a guy who can have friends and can help them (this was confirmed by the speech he gave to Ayanokoji). Besides, he still thought at that time that Haruhi was a boy. Unless Tamaki is bi (and he doesn't look like one, despite the posturing), I don't think he thought of helping Haruhi find the wallet as anything other that helping a friend.

2) Tamaki was so embarassed by the fact that Haruhi is a girl and he was the very last person to realize it, that he decided to overcompensate and hide his embarassment by reverting to his previous fawning self, but doubled. He was actually getting all cutesy over Haruhi in ep. 1, so now he just starting doing at again to hide the fact that he blushed and became flustered (and thus produced emotions unbecoming of the self-proclaimed "King of Bishounen").

I think it's natural that Souh is embarassed. Not everyone is cool and collected like Mori or Kyoya, or simply snarky like the twins. But I don't think he felt any physical attraction to Haruhi. Yet...

I think Tamaki likes Haruhi as a person because Haruhi is so cute (being either boy or girl, he doesn't care) and because Haruhi isn't taking him too seriously, unlike the other girls in the Host Club.

Plus...well...who's the guy that gets the most time in the OP?

He is the main attraction of the show. The chief victim of shoujo spoofs. 8)

[Potatochobit]

i think tamaki is also embarrased because he shared those special moments with a girl, which normally he may not have done. by letting her get close to him was unintentional, especially since he is the type to keep up appearances. sure a crush is developing but we will have to see in future episodes how it turns out.

[musouka]

(Sorry to gouge huge chunks out of your posts)

Originally Posted by MrProphet

I don't think he thought of helping Haruhi find the wallet as anything other that helping a friend.

Not from Tamaki's end, but Haruhi's. But I thought the teasing "did you fall for me?" made the romantic mood explicit. I do agree that it was about showing Tamaki as something other than a vain idiot, but I think if they had just wanted to do that, they could have cut that scene and left the one where he stands up for Haruhi in front of everyone. That would have certainly gotten the same message across.

The wallet scene was much more personal; it highlighted their relationship.

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Tamaki was so embarassed by the fact that Haruhi is a girl and he was the very last person to realize it, that he decided to overcompansate and hide his embarassment by reverting to his previous fawning self, but doubled.

Spoiler for ep 2:

I think it's hard to deny that Tamaki finds Haruhi attractive after the scene of her in girl's clothing. It's different from the other scene earlier in the ep where he is loudly lamenting about Haruhi's lack of femininity, because in the second one he doesn't fawn or really try to engage her in any way. It's an entirely personal reaction.

Even if you have trouble believing that Tamaki is genuine, I really do think the gap in his normal behavior compared to his reaction in that scene is very different.

Originally Posted by MrProphet

He is the main attraction of the show. The chief victim of shoujo spoofs. 8)

But, in the opening, there is no sense of that. It's not a series of Tamaki pratfalls, it's a bunch of shots of him and/or Haruhi, some of them blatantly framing the two of them in a romantic manner.

(I'm really not obsessed with this couple, honest! I don't know why I feel so defensive...)

[tritoch]

I thought the scene where they were looking for Haruhi's lost wallet looked really romantic

[MrProphet]

I don't want to argue about this because...

a) This is largely a matter of opinion.
b) We'll learn the truth of their relationship sooner or later

... but I want to correct one thing.

Originally Posted by musouka

Not from Tamaki's end, but Haruhi's. But I thought the teasing "did you fall for me?" made the romantic mood explicit. I do agree that it was about showing Tamaki as something other than a vain idiot, but I think if they had just wanted to do that, they could have cut that scene and left the one where he stands up for Haruhi in front of everyone. That would have certainly gotten the same message across.

The wallet scene was much more personal; it highlighted their relationship.

Actually, that scene was necessary, and not because they wanted to hint at Suoh X Haruhi.

The water scene was put there in order for Tamaki to learn that somebody has a bad enough grudge against Haruhi, which prompted Tamaki's tell-off to Ayanokoji later on. Additionally, the scene showed to Tamaki that Haruhi is a "good guy" who wouldn't tell on Ayanokoji even though "he" knew that she was the culprit.

So, all in all, it was an important scene above and beyond any romantic innuendo between the two.

[hakasan]

Just watched ep. 2, one thing is for sure:

Tamaki = KAWAII...........................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hakasan]

[QUOTE=musouka]Tamaki is serious. I think what you're talking about is him being cooler. He's actually a pretty sweet guy; Haruhi could do a hell of a lot worse. I think he's pretty endearing, myself. (Moreso in the anime, though)

Yep, got to agree with u that Tamaki is serious, in his own way. He just got different priorities in life in comparision with others!!! U got to love him!

[Burner of Anime]

I wonder if someone can make a morphing .gif of the 2 Haruhi versions? It's sure to freak people out with the gender bending. The main question is of course, Why? The girl didn't have to let her ENTIRE appearance slide because of gum...