J-Drama: Ouran High School Host Club Drama Review

Hey people, sorry for the silence for the past few days. Been suffering from this nagging annoying and painful stiff neck that is refusing to go away after almost a week. I dont know why and how it happened but it did and no amount of massage or sticking on those plaster thing seem to do anything. Only the painkillers numbed the damn pain.

Anycase, I wanted to do quick review on Ouran High drama.

Thanks to Kerstin's sharing on liking and "persuasive nudging" to watch the drama, I trusted her views and decided to give it a second chance, to stick it out beyond the 1st episode to see if I could possibly like it. While I wont say I am in love with it as much as "HanaKimi" or as per the manga (though I am forgetting chunks of it having been several years now since I last read it), however that said, this series isnt as bad as I had thought based on my first impression.

For those who had not heard of this yet, basically it's a shoujo manga adapted romantic comedy drama, about a poor gal Haruhi on scholarship to attend a premium exclusive Ouran High school, and ending up "working" as a "male host" to pay off her accidental debt for breaking an uber expensive vase. She soon discovered how ridiculously wealthy (not to mention eccentric in some ways) her fellow 6 other peers are, not to mention the "agenda" of the host club was to "please" the ladies in the school.

Quick Story Characters

Each episode of the drama begins like the manga, shows the boys in different "theme" and costume. Each of the guys has their own quirks and character with the seemingly lovable but silly flamboyant verging on narcissistic leader yet childlike Tamaki leading the gang. At times, he seemed to be clueless naive goofball, overemotional yet at times he would sprout something that touches your heart with his honesty and perceptive insight. He is actually a rather comic relief character but also a very kind guy who never bears a grudge. He was raised till 14yrs by his mum in France but was then "exchanged for money"by his mother to live with his father and granny. The condition was that his mum should disappear and never to see Tamaki again. Later in the manga, Kyouya actually found the mum and helped to reunite them. His feelings for Haruhi was "mistaken" as a fatherly love intitally and he roped (unilaterally) Kyouya to be the mother.

Next person in the hierarchy is the cool and super intelligent Kyouya,  holding the post as the club's "vice-president" and financial controller. Kyouya is as different from Tamaki as the moon and sun. While Tamaki is outspoken and silly, Kyuoya comes across as secretive, composed, cool type and seemingly cold, scheming and uncaring on the outset. However, as the story develops, we will his that he is rather caring side and plans ahead like a chess player.

However, his kindness is never apparent like how he grabbed Haruhi to bed as he wanted to illustrate the point to Haruhi (that she cannot overpower a man)  and why Tamaki was angry at her over the seaside incident.

Next is a set of mischievous twins, Hikaru and kaoru,  whose "forbidden brotherly love is a big hit with the gals. The story will evolve later for us to see the twins struggling to overcome their feelinsg for Haruhi and dealing with their widening their social circle

There is also an odd ball set of short and tall senpai, Honey and Mori where the former is cute and adorable  while Mori his cousin side kick bodyguard is tall and man of few words. Put together, the group achieved a "all encompassing" dynamic host club members.

Drama Casting Review
In the manga, I personally like the twins quite a bit. Honey was cute and Tamaki was a tad stupid for me sometimes.

In the drama, Yusuke was playing the character for Tamaki. Okie frankly speaking I didnt or wasnt expecting much from Yusuke because I thought him to be an average actor from past drama I had seen. However, in here I thought he pulled off his role rather well and his expressions certainly had me laughing a few good bits. He isnt the most charming or handsome actor in the block but he is rather well suited for such roles. I didnt think anyone could pull off Tamaki's character honestly being so over the top and goofy, princely yet stupid...but I think Yusuke delivered it well. As I type and think of some of his "silly" facial expressions, I'm chuckling to myself. At the same time after this drama, I actually backtrack to catch another older drama he starred in known as Tumbling.

Who would imagine that in the drama, I ended drooling over Kyuoya! The character that I didnt think much of in the manga. Call me shallow, I dont care, but the actor Shunsuke taking on the role of Kyuoya was a piece of yummy meat for me! (lol!)

Crap I was getting all excited in the scene where he was toweling himself when Haruhi came out of the toilet.

Almost pee in my knickers (a phrase I learnt off Chef Ramsay) when he grabbed Haruhi and threw her on the bed and sat on top of her, pretending to want to kiss her and do the "H" stuff (he did it because he wanted Haruhi to understand why tamaki was angry with her for standing up to 2 strangers (men) instead of asking for help where the rest are nearby) till Haruhi called his bluff and  said "Senpai will not do anything that is off no benefit to him". Kyouya then gave a "cold" laugh and got of her... Damn Haruhi! you sure know how to "cool off" a man's heat! In the drama, they did not elaborate more but in the manga, Kyuoya was "constantly" teasing Haruhi about her taking food home etc and it was Honey Senpai who pointed out Kyuoya's developed but hidden feeling for Haruhi after Tamaki finally confessed his feelings. However Kyuoya was quick to state that it was better because he have both their friendship and a happy couple.

 I will first admit that I didnt think very much of him (Shunsuke) in the first few episodes. Maybe it was the hair.

However the episode where they were doing the Police cosplay and Kyuoya was in the police outfit with the shades, I was going "HOT HOT HOT" x100!!! If my drool could be measured, it will be overflowing from my bathtub now! The next scene that was also scoring perfect 10 to me, was the part where he threw his specs off and jumped off the cliff after Haruhi was pushed down. Man!! How come we dont get good looking hero like that in real life!?!! I kept trying to recall where I had seen him before then I realised he had appeared in Love Shuffle before.

(Left: Daito Shunsuke    Right: Seiji Fukushi)

For me, Shunsuke ( on the left) looked a little like the actor Seiji Fukushi (acting as Kuroki kun in Nodame) but Kerstin think otherwise. Am I really seeing things? I dunno..no matter how I looked, they look like silblings to me! hahaha.

As for Chiba Yudai as Honey Senpai. They got a rather cute actor for the role but oh man, he was a tad too girly for me in some scene, esp the epi where they were tailing Haruhi and Honey was dressed in the pink girly maid outfit. That was abit yacky for me esp when he talked in that girly voice. Cute or not, sorry, I am not really into this "man-woman" thingie.

I didnt like the twins quite as much. Not sure if its the casting or the lack of airtime to develop their characters that made them a little uninteresting for me. I guess its not easy to find a real life pair of twins who are Both cute and can act.

As for the actress who starred as Haruhi...honestly, she was neither inspiring nor interesting. Actually she came across rather bland like her emotions was almost fixed and constant or perhaps brooding. She isnt cute, but she isnt non fitting either. In another words, she was forgettable for me and if someone else replaced her, I wont bate an eyelid or scream injustice.

Mori casting was ok but I was somehow expecting someone beefier! hahaha.

Overall, I think the drama only focus on the "manga" highlights and it was little too short to do the manga any justice. The drama was more like an "introductory" miniseries to each character and how they came together without really going into details. In the manga, the main focus was more like Tamaki and Haruhi comin to a "super" slow realisation of their feelings for each other, Haruhi coming to understand why Tamaki was the way he was, his kindness and his family problems that involves a cold grandmother and a "missing" mother and a "cowardly" father. So the drama came across more frivolous than what the actual managa actually represent.

Yet based on entertainment value, Ouran High didnt fare too badly afterall. I prob give it a 6.5 rating. The part for Tamaki that made me laughed the most was actually those moments where he got pinned to the words by Haruhi's harsh names for him. hahaha! So all in all not bad series to watch to get some laughs. I think I am going to replay the episode of kyouya over and over again just for the time being...