[Read on UnitedJPop here].When I first read that there was going to be a Live-action adaption of the manga and anime series Ouran High School Host Club I was incredibly excited. I am a HUGE fan of the anime series and I had wanted a live drama to be created from for a long time. My sister and I had even come up with our ideal castings for each character, (we have also compiled a casting list for the Vampire Knight series! So if any directors need some ideas...!).
My excitement levels were bolstered by the announcements of the actual cast, despite the fact that none of the actors I wanted were chosen APART from the the twins!! (hmph!). However, as I say, I was still happy with it...
Ouran High School Host Club is the story of a bright young girl named Fujioka Haruhi. She is a student at the prestigious Ouran Academy, on a scholarship offered due to her outstanding academic abilities.
She comes from a poor family; being a highly independant and capable girl due to the fact that she was often left to raise herself after her mother's untimely death and her father's consequent need to work constantly to support them both.
Understandably then, the extremely rich students that inhabit her school often leave Haruhi perplexed beyond measure, and vice versa.
One day, Haruhi wishes to find a quiet place to study as everyone else is too busy playing around and being obnoxiously affluent to care for academics (hey...they are all rich enough to live a life of leisure anyway!) She stumbles upon a music room that is inhabited by six male students, welcoming her to the school's Host Club.
The girl is so startled by the boys' seductive advancements that she falls and knocks over and extremely expensive vase - smashing it to pieces.
So, the six hosts come to the decision that the only way this poor student can pay of their debt is to become a host and that her "company" is requested by at least 100 girls.
OH and I almost forgot to mention, due to Haruhi's masculine clothing and short hair, the hosts have mistaken her for a boy. *gasp!*...
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GOOD POINTS
- As I have mentioned, somewhat controversially according to the general opinion, I really liked all of the cast choices. The twins that played the Hiitachin twins (Shinpei and Manpei Takagi) were exactly who I had in mind for the roles. And every other member of the cast played their character very well. I was pleasantly surprised by Yusuke Yamamoto's portrayal of Tamaki Suou - my favourite character and, I think, the most difficult to play.
- I liked the fact that they stuck quite loyally to the format of the anime rather than trying to fill time up with new and pointless narratives. I feel that a lot of OHSHC's charm lies in the fact that it is quite ridiculous and unrealistic and I would have hated it if it was extended out to 45 minute episodes simply because that is what most other dramas seem to stick to.
- It was quite nice that they tweaked the stories slightly to allow more room for Nekozawa (Ryo Ryusei) to be included in the episodes. He is a weird and eccentrically Gothic character, so naturally I like him a lot. :P
- I simply like the fact that Kyoya Ootori (Shunsuke Daito) had an iPad that contained all his sneaky bits of information that he had on everybody. Kyoya is a cool character...iPads are also cool.
- I loved Haruhi's transvestite father (Shigeyuki Totsugi) in this almost as much as I loved him in the anime!
- I liked the fact that they didn't include an episode with the girls from Lobelia Girls' Academy, I did not like them at all!!
- I also liked the fact that they included all of Tamaki Suou's little quirks including his obsession with Kotatsu and his love for his teddy bear.
BAD POINTS
- Despite the fact that I say they stuck well to the anime, some changes were made that I thought were completely unnecessary. For example, an episode featured a girl who straightened her hair every single day due to the fact that she hated it natural and frizzy. Tamaki complimented her on her straight hair, so she began to build a grudge against him even though it was not his fault he did not know any different....I mean, seriously...
- I feel that Yudai Chiba's portrayal of Haninozuka Mitsukuni was very good. However, I found his over-cuteness quite annoying sometimes....but maybe that's just because it was a real human doing it, as opposed to a sweet little cartoon character.
- I was really looking forward to seeing one of the friends of Haruhi's father when all the characters spent some time at a holiday resort. I found that character hilarious in the anime series, but for some reason, they did not even include him in the episode! :(
OVERALL
I had invested so much hope into this Live-action adaptation and, thankfully, I was not disappointed. I would recommend this drama to anyone who is in the mood for a fun and silly series, especially if you are also a fan of comedic animes and any Shoujo Manga series!
There is also a film planned to be made, which I am so excited for...(especially since a guy from one of my favourite K-pop groups - 2PM - has been casted for a role! Yatta!!)
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