The first Manga I ever read was Fushgi-Yugi, and the only reason I could enjoy that was there was a host of likable side characters who almost ended up getting more focus time than the two main characters, an insipid girl and an ass-hole guy. Ouran High School Host manages to avoid these issues by not only having a strong support network of likable characters but our two mains feature an independent girl, and I do mean genuinely independent not the kind of 'grrr I'm in pain so I'm not going to let anybody close and be a total bitch until the last episode because all I really needed was a hug and a boyfriend' kind of independent. And the main guy in fun and only really has a chance with the girl once he attempts to change his personality for her. That said there is no real conclusion for the romance as the anime ended up getting ahead of the manga and didn't yet know the ending so it is left open for real possibilities. I am sure I am just one of many who really would like to see and second season.
Looking at the actual plot you have Haruhi, our main character being accepted into the prestigious Ouran Academy because of their amazing brains, and accidentally coming upon the Host Club whilst looking for a quiet place to study. Procedds to then knock over an expensive vase and has to work for the host club to pay it off. The big reveal that comes at the end of the first episode is that Haruhi is in fact a girl. The gender humour is where most of fun comes from, I have seen a few mangas and animes which have played up the gender humour angle, most memorably Ranma 1/2 which features the main character turn into a girl when drenched in cold water and back to a boy in hot water. Ouran Host Club really plays down the mistaken identity angle which is used often in anime and manga. Aside from the first episode where the reveal of Haruhi as a girl, I can only think of 2 instances where hiding her identity as a girl is the main drama.
Ouran Host Club is also the first instance where I've ever been remotely confronted with what's called Yaoi. For those who don't know Yaoi is the mange or anime that focuses around 'boy-boy love', showing over romanticized feminine men in relationships generally for the enjoyment of female readers. Just as a lot of lesbian related material is done for male readers rather than for lesbians themselves. Ouran Host Club however plays this up for laughs and is more a parody of the culture then actually being Yaoi itself.
If you enjoy anime or looking for something that is a pretty light and very tongue in cheek with really likable characters then I would heartily recommend it.
8/10
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