Ouran Live Action

[Marilina Crawn]

Effectivemovies based on a live-action drama series should relate to the series in some way. Ideally, they should be the climactic conclusion of the series as a whole, solving all the unresolved issues that couldn't be solved in the series' conclusion. Alternatively, they should present a significantly more complicated, multi-layered problem - a problem that would justify taking a movie-length amount of time to solve, instead of a typical episode.

What the Ouran live action did well, in the movie and drama, is the styling and casting. Almost all the cast embodied their roles very well (except for Honey-senpai, whose actor seemed to be awkward with Honey-senpair mannerisms and straining to reach a Honey-senpai-worthy pitch in his voice...to be fair, it's not an easy - or potentially possible - task)

Michelle Monaru brought none of that. Her big 'problem' revolved around her older brother - a dynamic which none of the characters, least of all Tamaki or Haruhi, had experience or problems with. They barely touched on her connection to Tamaki's mother and even that was only in physical appearance. Tamaki was obviously not attracted to her and the 'Arranged Marriage to a Rich Girl By the Evil Matriarch' plotline is done to death. All in all, she didn't add anything that hadn't already been explored.

Personally, I think they should have gone with the Kanoya arc from the manga, if they had to introduce another female character from the manga. Her resemblance to an 'idealised' Haruhi presented one of the only 'real' challenges to Tamaki and Haruhi's relationship and her angst about her father paralleled Tamaki's mother issues, allowing him to see parallels between his situation and her's.

For all the drama, Michelle Monaru's dilemma was ridiculously simple to solve, plot-wise, which is why it felt super underwhelming. It was just not big enough as a plot to frame the entire movie.

However, as a Ouran manga fan, I can't help but feel like it was a huge missed opportunity, plot-wise. I'd really hope for a second movie to come out but I don't think that's happening so I guess my dream of seeing the second half of the manga be represented in some form won't be fulfilled ):

In the world of shojo, there are some series that stands above the reset, and Ouran High School Host Club ranks up there. The rom-com is one of the best in its genre to come from anime, and much of its success is due to Haruhi Fujioka. Now, the club itself is coming into focus as Ouran High School Host Club is getting a live-action makeover, and the club's stars have been found.

The update comes from the team overseeing Ouran High School Host Club's new stage adaptation. The franchise is returning to live theater in Japan, and director Chobi Natsuki has found several of the show's leads.

According to the team, Junya Komatsu will play Tamaki Suoh as the host club's de facto leader. He will be joined by Masamichi Satonaka as Kyoka Ootori. As for the Hitachiin twins, Yuu Futaba will play Hikaru and Kaname Futaba will play Kaoru. Finally, Eito Konishi will play Mitsukuni Haninozuka while Sho Kato oversees Takashi Morinozuka.

A key visual has been released for the play, and it shows these Starrs all dressed up according to their role. From Tamaki to Kyoka and more, these actors look stunning in character, and Ouran High School Host Club fans are geeking out for the upcoming show.

According to the show's team, Ouran will return to the stage starting in 2022. This means the show will have to find itself an actress to play Haruhi, but fans have faith in what the creatives can do. So if you want to check out this show in person, Ouran High School Host Club will be out starting this coming January.

What do you think of this live-action project? Will you try to check out this stage adaptation of Ouran High School Host Club? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.

Regardless of the time that's passed since an anime series has ended, sometimes its lasting popularity and supportive fanbase are enough to ignite a continuation. It can come in the form of a sequel series, a remake or in this case, a live-action adaptation. Even though the charming reverse-harem comedy anime Ouran High School Host Club ended in 2006, the series did so well that it received a live-action TV adaptation in 2011. This version even led to a film the next year, picking up where the TV series left off.

Fans of the original series may want to give the live-action series a try to to see how the Host Club's hijinks play out beyond the confines of the anime and manga, even if it isn't quite the same. Like any adaptation, there are similarities and differences that make for a different viewing experience. Whether someone's checking out Ouran for the very first time or is already a long-time fan of the series, here's what they can expect to stand out between the anime and its live-action counterpart.

Ouran High School Host Club's live-action adaptation ran for 11 episodes compared to the anime's 26-episode run, truncating the story that fans of the anime are familiar with. The TV drama adapts what are essentially the first 11 episodes of the anime. The live-action episodes aren't exact frame-by-frame recreations of the anime, especially when considering certain side characters are featured more heavily, but the plot overall is retained with little deviation. The story is still about Haruhi joining the Host Club to pay off her debt for the vase she accidentally broke, and each episode recreates the kooky antics of the club, its customers, and the relationships between Haruhi and the boys.

Outside of the shorter story length, the most obvious differences in the live-action Ouran are visual. The defining hair colors for the twins, Tamaki and Honey are far less exaggerated than in the anime. The signature powder blue Ouran High uniforms are also a much more realistic navy in the TV drama. With the anime being as comedic and camp as it is, the TV drama does make attempts to carry over visual gags, but like anything crafted through animation they may appear a bit awkward in a realistic setting.

Another rather large difference in the live-action Ouran is how much of a presence the character Nekozawa has compared to the anime. While the vampire-like president of the Black Magic Club appears in only five episodes of the anime, he shows up in every episode of the TV drama.

Nekozawa's somewhat menacing dark attire throughout the series is attributed to his photophobia. In the anime and manga this includes a black wig covering his blonde hair, whereas the live-action series opts for a simple black hairstyle and no wig at all. In the TV drama, it's almost as if he's an honorary member of the Host Club given how involved he is with everything going on.

What the live-action series chooses to add doesn't do much to deter from the essence of what Ouran High School Host Club is, which existing fans can surely appreciate. However, what it lacks may be where it falls short for anyone who's seen the anime or even read the manga. With the live-action adaptation retelling so little of the overall story, there's less of a chance to really delve into each character and how their relationships with one another develop.

Even though a shorter series may seem like the easier starting point for some fans in terms of the time commitment, the anime would still be the best place for newcomers to begin. It's only just over double the length of episodes, but as such, the anime develops a lot more character depth that will provide a much clearer understanding of all the relationships and everyone's personalities. Either the anime or the TV adaptation are good for anyone who's looking to watch a reverse-harem series, especially one that manages to satirize the genre's tropes effectively across both visual mediums.

The franchise's dedicated fanbase continues to this day, with a new musical stage-play getting its debut in Japan in January 2022. However a fan chooses to enjoy Ouran High School Host Club, they've got a variety of options to choose from that are just as cute and comical as the next.

I need someone to distill the live-action drama adaptation of Ouran High School Host Club into a liquid form so that I can intravenously feed myself with its delicious, nutritious, sparkly brand of awesome. If you are not watching Ouran, I can merely make a moue at you and shake my head with sadness that you are missing out on the bite-sized insanity that is a host club consisting of one drama queen, one non-crossing dressing skeptic, one criminally hot future leader of a country who likes to use the IPad for blackmail, twins who need some time away from each other, one sentient brick wall, and one honey bunny who is so damn funny.

She broke a priceless vase so she has no choice but to host to earn money to repay the cost of the vase. But in truth she is a girl. At the North end of the school under the stairs, if you open the door to Music Room #3, seven gentlemen will welcome you to the Ouran High school host club.

Tamaki is offering a client a selection of tea cups to drink the tea. The twins are doing another of their routines and driving the ladies mad. Kyoya walks by and unfurls a cart containing pictures of all the host club members for the ladies to purchase and carry with them as a keepsake. I love how mercenary Kyoya is.

Haruhi watches and realizes that the expenses for the host club are paid through such schemes. Tamaki walks over (okay, more like sidles over smoothly), and oh so casually overs Haruhi some afternoon cookies.

Tamaki says the picture is SOOOOOO CUTE. Look at the long flowing locks. He wants her to quickly grow her hair long again. Her daddy, that is him, has already prepared a bow for her future long hair. Tamaki takes out a very pink bow.

Tamaki makes this horrified face (like a victim in one of them horror movies makes when they see the serial killer behind the door), and the guys proceed to destroy him. They say that girly Haruhi will probably be pursued by all the guys at school. Kyoya IPads it to show that Haruhi was very popular in middle school and got annoyed with all the guys chasing her. If her real gender is revealed at Ouran, even Prince Tamaki will find it hard to approach her. During this entire reveal, Tamaki grows greyer and more brittle until he shatters into a million pieces on the floor from the agony.

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