Ouran High School Host Club 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 the six members are and how different the rich are from everybody else...

Hikaru and Kaoru's fight over Haruhi is taking its toll on Hunny and Mori, who are trying to watch over the estranged twins.  Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Tamaki, Kyoya starts looking for Tamaki's mother in France.

Review

Oh man, I'm so sad to say this, but I'm not really in love with Ouran High School Host Club anymore.  I don't know when this drifting started, but as of this volume it's official.  I know this because volume 12 has everything I usually love--a focus on the twins and a side story where Kyoya is sneakily awesome.  But I think the plots are being drawn out way too much, and any character development feels repititious at this point.

For instance.  I am super glad that Hikaru and Kaoru have officially come to terms with their desire to have individual lives.  Hikaru's hair dye will assure that people can tell them apart, and treat them as unique and beautiful snowflakes.  But the plot that leads up to that?  Been done before.  The twins fight, but the fight means something different than it looks like on the surface.  Kaoru is self-sacrificing, Hikaru is relationally blind.

Tamaki and Haruhi continue to blindly adore one another, and that annoys me!  Who in the world has such a massive crush on a person for so long, and DOESN'T REALIZE IT?  I'm sorry, but that's absurd.  And I'm not interested in reading about it volume after volume.

I will continue to read this series, because I'm near catching up with what's released, but....nope, I'll be optimistic.  Maybe the magic will return!  But for now, I can't help comparing it with Fruits Basket, which has gotten better and better of late.  C'mon Ouran!  You can do it!

Three out of five trips to France.

Release Date:  June 2009
Reading Level:  Grade 6+
Where In Dunlap Public Library's Collection:  Not yet owned by Dunlap.