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!!

W Juliet (Manga)

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Name: W Juliet
Type: Manga

Author:Emura

Books: 14
Genre: Romantic comedy, slice of life, drama, gender bender
Age Rating: 13+

Review:
Ito Muira is an aspiring actress in the drama department who accidentally finds out that the new girl, Makoto Amano, is actually a man.

This was the weirdest manga ever. I mean, I enjoyed it well enough, and it was pretty funny, but it was...weird. The plot was super simple and yet the author kept trying to make things more exciting using old mermaid legends, a random time-traveling bit, and frequent, seemingly needless competitive contests between the characters. I felt that the books dragged on across too many books, and started getting tired and bored of reading them at some points. They could easily have been condensed into 6 or 7 volumes.

As for the romance, I was more interested in the side relationships of Miura's brothers and her classmates. I didn't dislike the two main characters; they were a bit odd, yes, but I did have fun reading about their story. The problem was that their character development was a bit slow, and as people, they lacked a certain depth. In many ways, the minor characters were more interesting albeit a tad cheesy. Their actions were also predictable, even in the random scenes where nothing made any sense.

I had a hard time deciding whether to give this series 2 stars or 3, because it made me laugh more than once, and I did enjoy reading it overall, but I've read better. There was nothing truly offending about the book, but I felt the romance between Ito and Makoto progressed far too quickly when it could have been developed over a period of time across the 14 books (this would have helped the pace and keep the reader's interest a little better). And the idea that they take on the characteristics of the opposite gender is a bit disconcerting.

Mature Content:

• Sexual References- Mild sexual tension between characters
• Makoto sleeps over at Ito's house even though he is a boy without her family's understanding. Nothing ever happens
• There are several boys who have "set their sights" on Ito and want her to be their girlfriend
• Homosexuality-- One of Ito's female classmates has a crush on her
• Nudity- Some girls lift up Makoto's shirt to confirm his gender (he is wearing fake breasts and a bra) 
• Makoto unintentionally walks in on Ito while she is swimming naked
• Magic- Mermaids and mermaid lore (including magic) is used in one volume, and in another, the characters travel through time
• Profanity- Use of the words"hell" and "damn"

Personal Note: 
This might actually make a better Anime.