Ouran High School Host Club Volume 16 Review

 Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 16  

Author: Bisco Hatori

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: June 7, 2011

Format/Genre/Length: Manga/Shonen/192 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Teen

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

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The time is rapidly approaching for Hunny and Mori’s graduation, hard as that is to believe. Even more unbelievable is that Mori has challenged Hunny to a duel! What’s up with that?

Synopsis:

Ouran High School is abuzz with the news of the impending duel, and bets have even been placed. But no one can predict how the duel indeed ends.

April arrives, and time for the new school year, but the door to Music Room 3 remains locked…

So much is changing, more than friends graduating and moving on. Tamaki has been asked to move into Mansion #1, his longtime dream come true. Or is it a nightmare?

Suddenly Tamaki has no time for club activities. Or anything else that includes the Host Club. Determined to find out what’s going on, the Club approaches Tamaki’s father, to Tamaki’s dismay. Is he lost to them forever?

As a bonus story, we’re given a glimpse into the courtship of Haruhi’s parents.

Commentary:

This volume of Host Club is both wonderful and infuriating. Wonderful because we’re getting closer and closer to everything we’ve waited and hoped for. Infuriating because sometimes you just want to shake someone and tell them to see what’s really going on around them.

Only two more volumes left. I have no doubt that Haruhi and Tamaki will overcome everything and end up together. I hope. Okay, maybe I have a little doubt. And a lot of worry. And what will they have to suffer in the meantime? Let’s just say I’ll be disappointed with anything less than them being together.

Bisco Hatori has made the Host Club very real. I feel like I know the members very well. I love her artwork and her writing style. This series is definitely a classic.

I suspect that in the next two volumes we’ll be able to tie up everything, answer questions, and weave it all together into one soul-satisfying cohesive whole.  After the series is finished, I guess I’ll have to satisfy my desires to visit with the members of the club by writing fanfiction about them.

Can’t wait for Volume 17!

Ouran High School Host Club Volume 16 Review

Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 15  

Author: Bisco Hatori

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: December 7, 2010

Format/Genre/Length: Manga/Shonen/200 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Teen

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

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Haruhi learns that Ouran High School Host Club is holding an Orienteering Tournament, with the entrants to be divided into teams of two to run the gamut of six checkpoints to be run by the members of the school. The prize is having the host club members do whatever you ask for one full day! Everyone has their ideas of what they will do with the prize, should they win, including having Kyoya as a servant, a date with Haruhi or a private date with the entire host club!

Synopsis:

The checkpoints can be visited in any order, the point being to accumulate items from each. Those members that are not participating in the checkpoints are free to pair up with customers. Haruhi suggests that Tamaki team up with Miss Kanoya. With the ingredients that are gathered, each team is to make a curry, and the winning curry shall be judged both on the basis of flavor as well as the speed with which its makers have gone through the checkpoints.

Checkpoint #1 features Hikaru and Kaoru in their classic rendition of which twin is which. For this occasion, they’ve reverted to their identical looks. Tamaki passes the test with ease, but the ingredients he chooses earn him a puzzled look from Miss Kanoya. Checkpoint #2 is manned by Black Magic Club – the “Identify and Explain the use of a Dark Relic” Challenge.

Everything is proceeding smoothly when Haruhi learns that the location of the finish line has been changed, so she’s running from checkpoint to checkpoint, alerting everyone so they can in turn alert the contestants.

The third checkpoint is Hunny’s “Whack the Bunny When it Pops Up” Challenge—but it isn’t as straightforward as it seems, as Hunny gets upset every time a bunny is bopped on the head.

As the test progresses, those in the contest and those who run it learn a few things about themselves, coming closer and closer to the hidden truths in their lives.

Tamaki’s enlightenment regarding his feelings for Haruhi leaves him feeling uncertain around her, and acting even more idiotic than ever. Meanwhile, Kyoya is keeping tabs on a certain lawyer who seems to be engaging in secret meetings—with Tamaki’s grandmother!

Haruhi’s birthday brings on the hilarity of finding the perfect present, without being extravagant, a trait little valued by Haruhi. And then comes the news that Hunny and Mori are about to graduate, so the Host Club hosts its final event before the Third Year graduation. When asked about their future plans, Hunny and Mori give surprising answers, to everyone’s dismay.

Commentary:

Things are really beginning to come together now, and plots are coalescing and developing apace. There is a great deal of character development going on, in self-awareness and growth, as is to be expected of young people of this age. Is not high school a time for learning, both academic and personal growth? These students are no exception to that, although maybe at one time it appeared that not all of them would end up with a clue.

Even so, there are still some elements of mystery remaining. It seems inevitable that Haruhi and Tamaki will end up together, but there are no guarantees in life, right? Even in a manga? So that remains to be seen. Life doesn’t always end up the way we think it should, and that’s just how it is.

Only three volumes remaining. While I look forward to getting the answers to my questions, I will feel sad when the journey is over. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. Oh well, no sense in growing maudlin. On the plus side, there are three volumes remaining! I look forward to them greatly. This was another wonderful volume in the series, a can’t miss one. Onward and upward!

Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 14 Review

Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 14  

Author: Bisco Hatori

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: July 6, 2010

Format/Genre/Length: Manga/Shonen/192 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Teen

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

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Once Hikaru confesses his feelings to Haruhi during the class trip, he tells her to take her time and bolts from her presence. Tamaki shows up unexpectedly, concerned for his welfare, and Hikaru informs him of what he has done, adding may the best man win. Everyone is invited to the Hitachin family manor for an end of the year party. Will things come to a head there?

Synopsis:

Haruhi comes to the party with Mei. She is still amazed at Hikaru’s confession, particularly that she never saw it coming. A disgusted Mei tells her to shut up, she finds her “cheesey blushing maiden in love” line annoying. Mei tells her that Hikaru is waiting for Haruhi on the balcony. Time to give him her response.

When Hikaru confronts Tamaki with the result of his talk with Haruhi, he assures him that he hasn’t given up. Meanwhile, Tamaki is wrestling with his own demons, caught between his misguided sense of family and his feelings for Haruhi.

Tamaki’s family life has never been easy, born as he was on the wrong side of the blanket, an error that was no fault of his but which has haunted him all his life. His paternal grandmother has never accepted him, nor permitted him to step inside the main Suoh mansion, relegating him to the second mansion. And yet Tamaki remains a very sweet, very caring young man.

He agrees to make a New Year’s shrine visit with the other members of the Host Club  The twins challenge Tamaki and the others to a bet—whoever finds the items that Haruhi likes best from the nearby knick-knack shops win. The time limit is one hour, the dollar amount no more than $10, a budget appropriate for commoners. As Haruhi approaches, the members all scatter, intent on winning the bet.

Tamaki gives Haruhi his gift, and she cherishes it, but he manages to insert his foot into his mouth, and Haruhi is miffed.  She walks away from him in a huff. Seeing someone she thinks she knows, she starts to hail the person, when she finds herself unexpectedly kidnapped.

When Tamaki finds his gift to her lying on the ground, he instantly deduces that Haruhi has been kidnapped. But no one believes him! Can he save Haruhi?

For the first event of the New Year, the Host Club is holding court outdoors, in fine equestrian style. The only member of the club who has no experience with horses and riding is Haruhi .A freak accident lands Tamaki in the hospital. Upon his release, he becomes the object of Miss Kanoya’s attention, feeling guilty for having brought about the accident. She is most attentive to him, in very feminine ways, and Haruhi realizes with a start that Miss Kanoya is everything she is not. And she has Tamaki’s attention.

In an extra episode, we see what Mori does on his day off.

Commentary:

The plot is certainly thickening, and we’re finally getting to the heart of the matter. We’ve definitely come a long way since the series began, and the characters have grown and matured along the way. Haruhi is becoming more and more aware of herself as a woman, and as a maturing adult, the object of interest of young men. The rivalry between Hikaru and Tamaki over Haruhi seems rather one-sided, except to Tamaki, who’s still struggling with his own emerging maturity. It’s easier for us, the readers, to see which way the wind blows. Only a few episodes left for Haruhi and Tamaki to figure things out.

Another great volume of Ouran High School Host Club. Can’t wait to see what happens in the next one.

Ouran High School Host Club Volume 13 Review

 Ouran High School Host Club, Volume 13 

Author: Bisco Hatori

Publisher: Viz Media

American release date: November 3, 2009

Format/Genre/Length: Manga/Shonen/200 pages

Publisher/Industry Age Rating: Teen

Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★

The class trip to France behind them, life continues in Music Room #3; the Host Club assembles once more, and this time they take their faithful followers to Turkey! Tamaki has taken a renewed interest in the workings of the club, and between that and learning about his father’s business, he is kept very busy. He’s concerned about Haruhi possibly having a fever and keeps trying to talk her into going to the hospital. Meanwhile, the other members of the club are trying to analyse Haruhi and Tamaki, while Hikaru tries to deal with his own feelings toward Haruhi.

Synopsis:

Haruhi heads home, where Mei is waiting for her. Haruhi confesses that she seems to be having an allergic reaction to Tamaki; she describes her symptoms—her heart hurts when she sees him, sometimes it palpitates, she feels feverish and she can’t speak clearly…Before Mei can tell her what this means, Kaoru calls and implores her not to, but she leaves behind a girls’ magazine which contains a ♥ test; Haruhi decides to take it, with surprising results. Well, surprising to her. The rest of us have known the truth for quite a while!

The next day, Haruhi runs into Tamaki and inquires as the previous day’s meeting. She confesses to having stayed up too late, reading a magazine, even as she realizes she has all the symptoms—she’s in love with Tamaki! Unable to handle the truth, she says she’s going to the nurse and tells her she is leaving school, unwell, then she runs to Mei’s school, confused and unsure.

The next day, a recovered Haruhi approaches the class president and the twins and tells them a skiing trip sounds great! (as long as the costs are kept down, of course). She’s decided to be a more interactive Haruhi, and not simply go through the motions. She’s going to do things and enjoy things, including skiing.

As a new interactive Haruhi, she suggests the Host Club cosplay Japanese folktales, and she assigns them parts.  But their complaints are making her feel guilty for having spoken up. An unexpected find in the form of a treasure map leads to fun for all, though. Another outcome is that Hikaru confesses to Tamaki that he has feelings for Haruhi.

On with the ski trip! Somehow Haruhi ends up rooming with Hikaru, who is struggling to reconcile his own feelings with the possibility that he may have inadvertently clued Tamaki into discovering his own feelings for Haruhi. Hikaru tries to feel out Haruhi, without revealing too much information, and she gives him what advice she can, considering he’s being very vague.

In a bonus episode, we see Tamaki’s first day in Japan, and how it went.

Commentary:

I am so happy that Haruhi has finally gotten a clue! Now, if only Tamaki would do the same! We’re really getting down to the heart and soul of the matter now. I feel sorry for Hikaru, for I can’t see that his feelings for Haruhi will get him anywhere but heartbroken, and of course I am cheering for Haruhi and Tamaki to end up together. Only five volumes left!

The ski trip was cute, and so is the emerging Haruhi. She’s finally coming out of her shell and developing, rather than just reacting to what happens around her. Great addition to the Host Club family!

Ouran High School Host Club Volume 11 Review

Ouran High School is about to hold its first sports festival! Tamaki and Kyoya are on opposing teams, a highly unusual situation. Which one will prevail? And what effect will it have on their friendship. Kyoya is the strategist, while Tamaki operates on sheer emotion. Will Kyoya over think the situation, or has he pegged his friend perfectly? But what other forces are in play that might have a hand in what is happening?

Hikaru and Kaoru are also on opposite teams, which makes them uncomfortable with keeping secrets from one another. But there’s more to their estrangement then that, if only they could put their finger on what that something is. Or is it someone?

By the time the first half of the festival is over, Tamaki’s Red Team has proven itself to be its own worst enemy, and it seems that the White Team will handily take the day. Is there any way to turn things around?

When it comes down to the relay race, Tamaki and Kyoya make a private wager between themselves—if Tamaki wins, he gets a free year-round use of Kyoya’s kotatsu passport, but if Kyoya emerges triumphant, then Tamaki  has to greet customers the following week wearing only a fundoshi.

The Host Club is wearing kilts—all except Tamaki, who’s in his fundoshi and complaining about it (although the customers certainly aren’t). Haruhi buys him a superball to keep him occupied; it works a little too well, leading to the discovery of a mischievous tanuki whose behavior becomes a bit extreme.

The class trip is coming up, and the destination is France. Tamaki doesn’t let on to the others, but he confides in Kyoya that he isn’t going. Meanwhile, the twins are discovering new things about themselves.

In a bonus story, we get a look at Hunny’s brother, Chika as he fights against his attraction to cute cuddly animals.

There’s a lot going on in this volume, and we get some real indepth looks into the characters and their motivations, although Haruhi’s appearances are rather minimal. It’s more about the relationship between Tamaki and Kyoya, and Hikaru and Kaoru.  The sports festival stories are enjoyable and fun. In one episode, Ranka and Misuzu and Mei make a brief appearance.  I wish there’d been a host club in my high school. How much fun would that have been?

Another great volume of Host Club, can’t wait to see more!

Ouran High School Host Club Volume 10 Review

Hunny unwittingly comes to the aid of a damsel in distress, only to find himself the victim of her curse! Kanazuki is a member of the school’s Black Magic Club. When the other members ask why she’s placing a curse on Hunny, she replies—because he stole her soul! She freaks Hunny out by the things that she does, and the boy is beside himself, wondering what he did to anger her so. It’s up to the other Host Club members to get to the bottom of things, and figure out what to do about Kanazuki’s apparent vendetta against Hunny!

It’s almost time for summer break, and Haruhi’s thoughts turn to helping Misuzu at the pensione again. Ranka says Misuzu is acting strange. It turns out that he has custody of his teenage daughter Mei for the summer, and she’s driving him crazy! She’s rebellious, loud and completely disrespectful of her drag queen father. He’s beside him with worry, and begs Ranka for help! When Haruhi begins disappearing from Host Club meetings early, the suspicious boys are determined to find out what’s up. They learn that she is going to Mei’s school to meet her and bring her to the Fujioka residence, watching her for her father.  The boys become determined to crack the hard nut that is Mei, and return her to her loving father’s… er… bosom. Mei finds herself taken with Tamaki, whom Haruhi has been avoiding ever since the kiss. Will Mei succeed in stealing Tamaki’s heart? Eyes are beginning to open.

Summer break begins, and Misuzu heads off to the pensione, sans Mei, who is staying with Haruhi and Ranka.  But why is Tamaki getting up extra early, now that he doesn’t have to go to school? Mei ends up spending time with the Host Club, and discourages Haruhi from coming, which works well with her avoidance of Tamaki. But Mei is quickly disillusioned. Instead of the chic lifestyle and fun she envisioned, the boys are obsessed with doing things and seeing things in the way of the poor people.  Tamaki enveigles Haruhi into a scheme, one she can’t disclose to Mei. To Mei’s dismay, when she’s with him, he mentions Haruhi—a lot!

When Kaoru and Hikaru learn what Tamaki is up to, they head straight to Karuizawa, and find they aren’t the only ones to do so. Although some are more helpful to Misuzu than others.  The boys come up with a scheme in which Mei will be “accosted” by a low-life hooligan, and her father will come to the rescue, earning her undying love and devotion! A splendid scheme, what could possibly go wrong? Well, consider the source…

Summer is drawing to a close, and Mei realizes she has neglected her homework! She tells Haruhi that she should do it for going behind her back with Tamaki, and the two exchange words, resulting in Ranka tossing them out of the house as he tries to sleep! A call from the twins concerning souvenirs from Okinawa leads to Mei dying to go there—not to see what the boys got, but because their mother is the famous fashion designer Yuzuha Hatachin! Oh. My. God.  Yuzuha has Haruhi dress up in her latest fashions, which she reluctantly does, to the boys’ delight. She gains some insight into the twins’ parents, and helps Kaoru answer an important question concerning his brother.

Back to school, and back to the Host Club. Tamaki is intrigued by something Mei told him, about a sports festival at her school. He’s always interested in knowing more about what the poor people do. When Takeshi Kuze, Football Club President, barges into the Host Club, a spirited rivalry ensues, which ends with Tamaki’s determination to hold a sports festival at Ouran.  With himself organizing it. He takes charge of one team, and sets Kyoya in charge of another. But Kyoya isn’t interested… until Takeshi pushes his buttons.

There is nothing boring about this volume of Host Club! I enjoyed seeing more of Hikaru and Kaoru’s parents. And Mei is an interesting character, even if I wanted to bitchslap her sometimes! I’m hoping that Haruhi and Tamaki are getting closer to realizing they have feelings for one another, and also I hope Tamaki gets over the idea that he’s her “father”. Can’t wait for Volume 11!