Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 2 by Bisco Hatori

Book Jacket

In this screwball romantic comedy, Haruhi, a poor girl at a rich kids' school, is forced to repay an $80,000 debt by working for the school's swankiest, all-male club--as a boy!  There, she discovers just how wealthy (and gorgeous) the six members are and how different the rich are from everyone else...

The school-wide physical exam has thrown the members of the Host Club for a loop.  How can the doctor not discover that Haruhi is a girl?!  And once the female customers learn the truth, Haruhi can kiss her job goodbye.  But then life at the club will be unbearably boring if she leaves!  So the guys wrack their brains for a solution.

Review

Normally I like my stories to have meaningful plots and consequences for actions.  But sometimes, if it's done well, I like comedies that just throw up their hands and say "Who cares about rules or logic?  Let's just have fun!" (FYI, this is how I feel about Glee.)  Ouran High School Host Club is definitely that.

A physical examination?  It will neatly be avoided.  A random pond of piranas at a resort?  Not a big deal.  Character left for Paris last issue?  We'll pretend that didn't happen so she can have her funny line.

What makes this okay, to me at least, is that the author is aware of the ludicrous and points it out by having her chracters break the fourth wall.  That changes it from poor writing to kind of hilarious.  There is a lot of that in this manga series, and that is why I keep reading it.

That and the twins, Hikaru and Kaoru.  They are mischievous pranksters, overly dramatic, and a little bit broken inside.  Obviously that makes them my favorite, and I ship Hikaru/Haruhi like nothing.  Or maybe I ship Kaoru/Haruhi....that is the trouble with twins.  Anyway, I most definitely don't ship Tamaki/Haruhi, because he creeps me out. 

Four out of five outlandish costumes.

Release Date:  September 2005
Reading Level:  Grade 6+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  Not yet owned by Dunlap. 

(Is there an audience at Dunlap for shojo manga aka girl manga?  I've bought some Fruits Basket and Vampire Knight, but they aren't being checked out very often.  Unless I get some feedback, I'll probably not buy Ouran High School Host Club or anything similar.  Which is sad, because I love it.)