I don't really remember why I decided to start watching this series. I mean, I hadn't heard much about it beyond that it was a fairly well-regarded Shoujo anime, and I'd never really watched any shoujo, so I figured I'd give it a look as a break from an Monster marathon. I was somewhat familiar with the premise, so I thought I knew what to expect. Sure enough, the first episode opened with an uptempo theme song that I still can't stand and still can't get out of my head, and we were introduced to Haruhi.
For some reason, I wasn't really expecting her to have that much of a personality. Instead, I found her instantly likeable, and actually became interested in what was going on. Then, I noticed the loud blinking arrow pointing to the inevitably broken Priceless Ming Vase, and cracked a grin. And by the end of the first episode, I was holding my sides laughing harder than I have at anime in a very long time.
Let me be clear here: this is probably one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It pulls no punches in its parody of all things anime, especially the oh-so-annoying fangirls. Ladies, you know who you are. It's loud, raucous, rapid fire comedy backed up by a cast that takes every obnoxious bishie archetype so far beyond the extreme that they become completely hilarious and centered around one of the better protagonists I've seen in any series.
Contributing to the hilarity is the English voice cast, which surely deserves an entry on the Superlative Dubbing page if nothing else. Caitlin Glass is perfect as the straight man to everyone else's totally over the top antics, and special mention should go to Vic Mignogna and J Michael Tatum for their pitch-perfect delivery as Tamaki and Kyoya, respectively. The only voice I don't care for is Aaron Dismuke in his one-episode role as Honey's Big Little Brother, and that's only because he doesn't quite reach the level of inspired insanity that's otherwise ubiquitous in the show.
While it does get extremely syrupy at times, this is generally one of the most pleasant surprises I've been exposed to in quite some time. I heartily recommend that you give this one a look. Many belly laughs are in store for those of you brave enough to push past the pink frilly curtains and give this series a fair shot.
Ouran: One Man's Perspective
I don't really remember why I decided to start watching this series. I mean, I hadn't heard much about it beyond that it was a fairly well-regarded Shoujo anime, and I'd never really watched any shoujo, so I figured I'd give it a look as a break from an Monster marathon. I was somewhat familiar with the premise, so I thought I knew what to expect. Sure enough, the first episode opened with an uptempo theme song that I still can't stand and still can't get out of my head, and we were introduced to Haruhi.
For some reason, I wasn't really expecting her to have that much of a personality. Instead, I found her instantly likeable, and actually became interested in what was going on. Then, I noticed the loud blinking arrow pointing to the inevitably broken Priceless Ming Vase, and cracked a grin. And by the end of the first episode, I was holding my sides laughing harder than I have at anime in a very long time.
Let me be clear here: this is probably one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It pulls no punches in its parody of all things anime, especially the oh-so-annoying fangirls. Ladies, you know who you are. It's loud, raucous, rapid fire comedy backed up by a cast that takes every obnoxious bishie archetype so far beyond the extreme that they become completely hilarious and centered around one of the better protagonists I've seen in any series.
Contributing to the hilarity is the English voice cast, which surely deserves an entry on the Superlative Dubbing page if nothing else. Caitlin Glass is perfect as the straight man to everyone else's totally over the top antics, and special mention should go to Vic Mignogna and J Michael Tatum for their pitch-perfect delivery as Tamaki and Kyoya, respectively. The only voice I don't care for is Aaron Dismuke in his one-episode role as Honey's Big Little Brother, and that's only because he doesn't quite reach the level of inspired insanity that's otherwise ubiquitous in the show.
While it does get extremely syrupy at times, this is generally one of the most pleasant surprises I've been exposed to in quite some time. I heartily recommend that you give this one a look. Many belly laughs are in store for those of you brave enough to push past the pink frilly curtains and give this series a fair shot.