Ouran High School Host Club (Anime)

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Name: Ouran High School Host Club
Type: Anime

Official Rating: TV-14

Director: Takuya Igarashi

Seasons: 1
Genre: Romantic comedy, drama, harem, gender bender
Age Rating: 15+

Review:
When Haruhi stumbles upon Ouran's High School Host Club and breaks a vase, the boys agree to let her join the club in order to pay off her debt, not realizing that she is actually a girl.

This anime is better when you watch it with a good friend, like I did. All the characters were wacky and their personalities were intriguing. I appreciated how each episode focused on one or two of the members, digging deeper into their past, personal ambitions, and the ultimate reason they joined the club. I do think that this anime appeals more to girls than boys; my dad saw one episode and thought it was awful, to the disbelief of my friend and I. It can be a bit wacky at times, and a lot of random things happen throughout the show, but it added humor instead of irritation.

The twins were harder to understand, and incest--or "twincest" as they called it--was implied, though never truly confirmed. Despite this, the implications were uncomfortable and disconcerting at times, which is one of the reasons why I gave a 15+ age rating. There was also cross-dressing of the main character, Haruhi, and her father, who turns out to be a transvestite. There was also a lot of "dating" between the characters and the girls who were obsessed with them, but there was no kissing(other than an accident between Haruhi and another girl), which in a way made the show less of a romance and more of a comedy.

On surface level, Ouran High School Host Club is a lighthearted show about a girl who finds herself surrounded by beautiful men and thrown into many wildly hysterical adventures. The more I watched the show, the more I realized it is more a psychological anime about acceptance, inner pain, and the dramatized life of outcasts who found their place with each other.It was easy to become engrossed in this show; many heart-wrenching backstories and almost pitiable circumstances hidden behind sugar-tainted humor leave the viewer sympathetic and protective of the characters. 

Mature Content:

• Sexual References- Tamaki calls himself Haruhi's father, and calls her his "daughter", and "little girl"
• The twins exhibit a "brotherly love" that seems more incestuous than familial 
• Homosexuality- Haruhi doesn't care if she looks like a girl or a boy
• Haruhi's father is a transvestite and cross-dresses accordingly
• Haruhi accidentally has her first kiss with another girl in the first episode
• Profanity- Use of the word "damn"

Personal Note: 
Honey would be my best friend!!