Ouran High School Host Club
Encyclopedia
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 cliché
s and stereotype
s 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.
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) 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. 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.
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.
was serialized in Japan between the September 2002 and November 2010 issues of LaLa
. The individual chapters were collected in 18 tankōbon
volumes between August 5, 2003 and April 5, 2011.. Hakusensha released a fanbook for the series on August 4, 2009 titled . 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
.
magazine's twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth anniversary CDs. No English translation is available.
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. 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
. It is available on Netflix
streaming.
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.
on July 22, 2011. The live-action adaption features Yūsuke Yamamoto
as Tamaki Suou and Haruna Kawaguchi
as Haruhi Fujioka.
culture, especially cross-dressing, yaoi
and yuri cultures within otaku culture.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series by Bisco Hatori
Bisco Hatori
is a Japanese manga artist. She is well known for her series Ouran High School Host Club.-Personal:Born in Saitama, Japan, this successful manga artist uses the pseudonym Bisco Hatori. She has worked for such magazines as LaLa. Her manga debut was A Moment of Romance in LaLa DX...
, serialized in Hakusensha
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
's LaLa
Lala
Lala VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers.-Details:...
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
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
focuses on the relationships within and without the Club and satirizes the cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s and stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s that endure in shōjo
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
. 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
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series directed by Takuya Igarashi
Takuya Igarashi
is a Japanese freelance anime director who originally worked for Toei Animation. He has also sometimes used the alias .-Anime involved in:*Ashita no Nadja*Futari wa Pretty Cure*Kingyo Chuuihou!*Konjiki no Gash Bell!!*Mushishi*Ojamajo Doremi...
and produced by Bones
Bones (studio)
is a Japanese anime studio. It has produced numerous series, including RahXephon, Wolf's Rain, Scrapped Princess, Eureka Seven, Angelic Layer, Darker than Black, Soul Eater, Ouran High School Host Club and two adaptions of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga along with Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto and...
, and a visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
by Idea Factory.
Plot
Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarshipScholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
student at the prestigious Ouran Academy, a fictional high school located in Bunkyō, Tokyo
Bunkyo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived there...
. 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 ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
8,000,000 (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
80,000 in the U.S. English manga) 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. 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
Pedigree chart
A pedigree chart is a diagram that shows the occurrence and appearance or phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one generation to the next, most commonly humans, show dogs, and race horses....
but low socioeconomic status may be given top priority over those from rich families with lesser pedigrees.
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
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
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.
Manga
The Ouran High School Host Club mangaManga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
was serialized in Japan between the September 2002 and November 2010 issues of LaLa
Lala
Lala VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers.-Details:...
. The individual chapters were collected in 18 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes between August 5, 2003 and April 5, 2011.. Hakusensha released a fanbook for the series on August 4, 2009 titled . The series is licensed in English North America by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
under its Shojo Beat
Shojo Beat
Shojo Beat is a shōjo manga magazine formerly published in North America by Viz Media. Released in June 2005 as a sister magazine to Shonen Jump, it featured serialized chapters from six manga series, as well as articles on Japanese culture, manga, anime, fashion and beauty...
imprint, and in Indonesia in the monthly manga magazine Hanalala. It is published in Singapore (in both simplified Chinese and English) by Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi
Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd. is a publishing company based in Singapore that specializes in producing domestic and imported comics and comics-related merchandise, in English and simplified Chinese. Chuang Yi distributes all or some of its products in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines...
, and in Poland by JPF
Japonica Polonica Fantastica
Japonica Polonica Fantastica, also known as JPF, is a Polish manga publisher, located in Mierzyn near Szczecin, Poland. The founder of JPF is Shin Yasuda.-Titles published:*.hack//Legend of the Twilight*Akira*Angel Sanctuary...
.
Audio dramas
The audio dramas were released from 2003. There are three drama CD releases, as well as two tracks included in LaLaLala
Lala VC was an Indian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth soldiers.-Details:...
magazine's twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth anniversary CDs. No English translation is available.
Anime
A 26-episode animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
television series aired between April 5 and September 26, 2006 on Japan's Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
network. The series was directed by Takuya Igarashi
Takuya Igarashi
is a Japanese freelance anime director who originally worked for Toei Animation. He has also sometimes used the alias .-Anime involved in:*Ashita no Nadja*Futari wa Pretty Cure*Kingyo Chuuihou!*Konjiki no Gash Bell!!*Mushishi*Ojamajo Doremi...
and written by Yōji Enokido
Yoji Enokido
is a Japanese screenwriter. He is considered an experimental storyteller by anime standards and has penned scripts for such unconventional anime shows as Ouran High School Host Club, Revolutionary Girl Utena, FLCL, Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon, Melody of Oblivion, and Star Driver.His...
, while the character designer and chief animation director for the series was Kumiko Takahashi
Kumiko Takahashi
is Japanese animator and character designer. She is noted for her work as a character designer and animation director on numerous anime series, such as Cardcaptor Sakura, Witch Hunter Robin and Ouran High School Host Club....
. It also features a different cast
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
from the audio dramas, with Maaya Sakamoto
Maaya Sakamoto
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actress, and voice actress. She made her debut as a voice actress in 1992 as the voice of Chifuru in the anime series Little Twins, but is more well known for her role as Hitomi Kanzaki in the hit anime series The Vision of Escaflowne...
starring as Haruhi Fujioka and Mamoru Miyano
Mamoru Miyano
is a Japanese voice actor, actor, and singer from Saitama. He is best known for his roles on Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, Mobile Suit Gundam 00, and Kōtetsu Sangokushi. At the 2007 Seiyu Awards he was nominated for two awards for his role as Light Yagami in Death Note, and in 2008, he...
portraying Tamaki Suoh.
The series is licensed for distribution in North America by Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
. Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Glass
Caitlin Tiffany Glass is an American voice actress and ADR director. While still a college student, Glass was hired by Funimation Entertainment while on a tour of the studio. Her first roles were bit parts on Case Closed until she landed the role of Hiyono Yuizaki in Spiral...
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. 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
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
. It is available on Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
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, , was released in Japan on July 26, 2006 and contained twenty tracks, including the anime opening theme song. The second, , contained an additional nineteen tracks and was released on August 23, 2006. On September 20, 2007, a third soundtrack, the was released containing eight songs from the previous two tracks, with four additional songs.Visual novel
The Ouran Host Club visual novelVisual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
was released for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
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
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
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 TBSTokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
on July 22, 2011. The live-action adaption features Yūsuke Yamamoto
Yusuke Yamamoto
is a Japanese actor. He was born in Aichi, Japan. His debut role was as Tsurugi Kamishiro, a.k.a. Kamen Rider Sasword, in Kamen Rider Kabuto.-Television:-Movies:...
as Tamaki Suou and Haruna Kawaguchi
Haruna Kawaguchi
is a Japanese model and actress under the Ken-On agency.-TV serials:* Tokyo Dogs as Karin Takakura* Nakanai to Kimeta Hi as Ai Kakuta* Hatsukoi Chronicle as Misaki Satoura...
as Haruhi Fujioka.
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.Reception
The series is like a parody of otakuOtaku
is a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
culture, especially cross-dressing, yaoi
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
and yuri cultures within otaku culture.
External links
- Official Ouran High School Host Club manga website
- Official NTV Ouran High School Host Club anime website
- Official IDeaf Ouran Host Club visual novel website
- Official Ouran High School Host Club DS visual novel website
- Official Shojo Beat Ouran High School Host Club manga website
- Official Funimation Ouran website
- Official TV drama website