The Gender-bending Drama in Ouran High School Host Club

Sometimes she’s a girl, sometimes she’s a girl pretending to be a boy, and sometimes she’s a girl pretending to be a boy, pretending to be a girl. Haruhi Fujioka is a boyish scholarship student at the exclusive Ouran High School, which is basically a playground for rich kids. Since Haruhi dresses like a boy, has a boy’s haircut, and wears glasses that hide half of her face, she’s often mistaken for a boy.

Let the Hosting Begin

One day, she’s wandering around the school and ends up in the third floor music room where she meets the Ouran Host Club.

The Host Club is a group of six attractive boys who entertain girls at the school. They’re basically the popular, hot guys, and girls pay to have tea and cakes with them.

When Haruhi first meets them, they already know who she is and they begin to unknowingly insult her because of her low social class. She’s overwhelmed by their overwhelming personalities and ends up knocking over an extremely expensive vase.

And then boom. She’s now the Host Club’s dog/errand boy.

During the first episode, one by one, each member of the host club realizes that Haruhi is in fact a girl, but that’s after they’ve already made her a host. She’s a natural apparently and gets requested because of her unassuming charm.

Tamaki, the host club king, is the last to realize Haruhi is a girl, and throughout the series he denies his obvious love and affection for her, and hides behind the guise of father-figure. The show is romantic, hilarious, and all the queerness and gender fluidity.

The Best of Both Worlds

Haruhi’s dad is transgendered, and it’s nice to see girls swooning over the two twin boys Hikaru and Kaoru. Since, in mainstream television it’s usually guys swooning over twin girls.

The host club has a “flavor” to fit every girl’s needs – from the kingly, handsome type – Tamaki, to the twins Hikaru and Kaoru, who regularly pretend to be in an incestuous relationship.

There’s also Mitsuki or “honey-senpai,” the boy Lolita, his cousin Takashi “Mori”, the strong and silent type, and finally Kyoya, the “silent king” and cool type.

Kyoya basically handles all of the behind the scenes business and lets King Tamaki be the face of the host club.

The show is great because it has so many themes, and the characters are so varied. I really like how even though honey-senpai is the sweet one, he gets angry when he can’t have sweets.

I especially love the relationship between the twins and how they’re fiercely protective of Haruhi. And Haruhi herself is just such a likable character in that she’s just herself, and she can be a bit oblivious, which is really charming.

If you haven’t seen it, it’s a great comedy anime, and the romance between Tamaki and Haruhi is particularly strange and beautiful.