Finally, an anime willing to pander to all my shoujo reverse harem interests! Wait, you say there are others? I say there are none so funny as this one. Willingly poking fun at many major “boy types” and shoujo themes, Ouran High School is both cute and expansive in its story. It also lends itself surprisingly well to male viewers, as the story is easily followed, and the characters are amusing even without background information.
Haruhi’s androgenous-yet-cute appearance allows her to quickly become the group’s “Natural”-type, able to listen and relate to her female clients easily. The rest of the lineup is similarly good at pleasing their target audiences, and ranges from: Tamaki Suou, the group’s leader and founder, a “princely” type just wacky enough to avoid pretentiousness; Kyoya Otori, the second-in-command, a “cool” type who spends just as much time managing the group’s finances as he does Tamaki’s strange plans for group events; Takashi Morinozuka, the strong, silent “wild” type, often seen carrying “Honey” around; Mitsukuni Haninozuka, the “boy-lolita” type, rarely seen without his stuffed bunny Usa-chan and making the most of his boyish looks; and of course, the twins: Kaouru and Hikaru Hitachiin, the “little-devil” types who make their fans faint with adoration for their ‘brotherly love’. (Apparently the occasional suggestion of ‘twincest’ goes a long way.)
Aside from their ‘type’ personas, however, the series really allows you to view the characters as individuals with their own distinct personalities, likes, dislikes, and motives. The twins’ like mindsets allow for flawless planning when teasing another group member, Kyoya’s dedication to detail seems to overlook sharing important information with the others, and Tamaki’s strange obsession with ‘protecting’ Haruhi could stem from either a big-brother incentive, or perhaps a budding romance. Throw in the occasional obsessed female french otaku and you’ve got anime gold.