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(I'm going to try not to give away too much of the plot. This is just a review)

When I think of Shoujo anime, I think flowers, sparkles, bishounens and clumsy, innocent heroines. Ouran High School Host Club has all of these - bar one. The first thing that struck me when watching this anime was the lack of the stereotypical protagonist girl.
Haruhi is a hardworking, down-to-earth, intelligent young girl, who is unfazed by the crazy goings-on of the super-rich school she is in. As most shoujo mains are, she is surrounded by an array of extremely rich and handsome young men throughout the ... series. These bishies are also the members of the school's Host Club, a club where they entertain the young ladies of the school. Unfotunately for Haruhi, she manages to get caught up in this and ends up working for the club, disguising herself as a boy.

Haruhi herself is one of the strongest points in the anime, I feel. She is a far cry from the damsel in distress caricature that plasters most of the females in this genre. While most shoujo girls would blush, stammer and faint, Haruhi keeps her nose out and makes descisions for herself.

One of the things that amused me about this anime was its clear mockery of its own genre. Everything is completely over-the-top. The rose petals come down like rain and the characters sparkle like twilight vampires. The other female students in the school act exactly opposite to Haruhi, squealing and blushing all over the place.

Now for the boys. The Host Club in Ouran Academy offers five different 'types' of bishounen to suit every lady's tastes. And, I have to admit, this group has to be one of the funniest overly-cliche gangs of all time. There's Tamaki, the leader of the club and the 'prince-type.' Although he has girls falling at his feet, he is intrigued by Haruhi throughout the series because she is almost completely indifferent to him. In my opinion, he is definitely the funniest of the characters, mostly because of his drama queen-like antics and his ability to overreact to anything.
Alongside the 'prince type' are the 'devil types,' mischievous twins Hikaru and Kaoru, the 'cool type,' calculating and money-minded Kyouya, and the 'cute type' and 'strong type' Honey and Mori.

The Story - 7/10

The first part of Ouran doesn't have much of a story. It concentrates more on introducing the characters and giving a bit of backstory to each of them. The early episodes also reflect on the relationships between the cast. This is all to establish a connection between the audience and the protagonists, and in my opinion is a rather good idea.
In the second part the funny stories of fights and friendship slow down and more serious issues come to hand. It is at about this time that you begin to think 'Wow! It actually has a plot!' Yes it does, and although the later episodes are less slapstick and more drama, Ouran still keeps some comedy in every situation to avoid the series becoming to heavy.

The Characters - 9/10

The characters are the driving force of this anime. Each one is colourful and memorable, and most importantly, well developed. Although at the start they appear to be your typical flat one-sided cut-outs, as the story goes on they become much more than that. For example, even though Tamaki is seen as being somewhat arrogant and vain at the beginning, he truly reveals himself to be a kind and caring being by the finale. The twins, though they appear confident and playful, were actually very lonely before entering the club.
Another important point is the change that Haruhi brings to each character. She helps them realise their fears and overcome them, turning them from potentially shallow beings into well-rounded characters.

The Art - 6/10

Pink. Everything is pink. This might be nauseating for an anime that was actually taking itself seriously, but Ouran is exactly the opposite of that and therefore manages to pull it off - just.

Sound - 7/10

Lots of fancy violin and classical tunes going on in the soundtrack. Overall it does reinforce the whole atmosphere of the setting (ie, snobby and 'refined') and works very well. As for the voices, I find them quite distinguished and unique to every character. I think there is an English dubbed version of the series but I, personally, am not going near it with a ten foot pole. If subs give you a headache, watch the dub, but if you can bear them, The original Japanese is the way to go.

Enjoyment - 10/10

I enjoyed this anime immensely. It seemed so cliche at first, but the warmth of the characters, the side-aching slapstick and the touching moments all came together to make one of my favourite shows of all time. And for those of you who try to avoid shoujo if you can, give this a try. I'm not going to deny it's cheesy, but what makes Ouran different is that it knows it's cheesy, and it owns it.

Overall - 9/10

As much as I adored this anime, I realise it may not be for everyone. Some fans may get tired of the humor, which can get repeditive at times. The artwork is good, but not incredible, though that really shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying this heartwarming story. Just remember not to take this anime too seriously, and I hope you enjoy the bizarre adventures that await in Ouran High School Host Club!