Ouran rant
Well, I've decided to rant about Ouran High School Host Club, since I have the time now
I first came across the anime when it was airing in 2006, the first episode being number 5 (on youtube). I didn't really think much of it, I think, I thought oh, well, it's a typical fighting situation (with the blond main guy Tamaki the one with the twins) - maybe since it looks like Yaoi it might be more interesting than a typical shoujo. I dunno
Then I found out Haruhi was a girl
I watched the first episode, and found myself very impressed with Haruhi Fujioka as a character, finally ( I thought) a shoujo heroine who was grounded, practical, intelligent, focused,, self confident had drive and ambition
All the things that, in general, I thought were lacking in many other shoujo manga
But generally speaking, I liked the anime because I thought there were some nice messages that were being sent.. without the blunt preachiness
I dunno about you, but whenever I come across a female character who was obviously created by the writers to be like because she was 'strong' who gets the impression that a criticisms is always somehow related to her gender, I can't help but cringe
See http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TsundereSue
Of course I'm always up for a strong female character, and Haruhi's strength is different - sure she understood that people should be respected regardless of gender, it wasn't as though she was continually pushing her morality on the boys
and that's even when I personally believed that Tamaki had preconceived notions of girls that I believe he would have benefited from changing
Of course, I then decided to follow the manga.. and well, I really did become furious and what had happened (well, at least what I felt happened to her character)
You know, I have always wondered why shoujo heroines are called that - Why are they called 'heroines'? Because there are many who I feel do not deserve that title
Let my summarize my issues with what has happened in the manga
1. Haruhi blushing/etc.
In short, I don't like it very much
I know, I know, alot of fangirls think it's cute, and who knows, Hatori probably intended it to be that way, but I was very disappointed with her acting that way.
I had always liked Haruhi because she, well, wasn't like that, unlike so many other shoujo leads she was able to keep her composure when around the members of the handsome host club. I admired her for it. and I didn't like the fact that she became someone who could no longer stay cam simply because Tamaki looked at her
personally, I found that ridiculous
Alot of people say "But she doesn't blush around the other guys, except Tamaki, isn't she the same?"
Personally, I don't think that's good enough. My preference was that she keep her cool around all of the boys
ESPECIALLY the one that practically everybody was expecting to start getting nervous and stuff.
Alot of people also say that it's perfectly normal for Haruhi, who hasn't experienced romantic love to act that way
That may be true. That's probably a mistake on my part. I liked the fact that Haruhi wasn't interested in romance (a diversity in interests when it comes to shoujo manga is a good thing) But unfortunately Hatori decided it was more naivety, possibly ignorance, than anything else
What a pity
and, after her saying that appearances didn't matter, I found it disappointing that, during that phase (if it is one) that she should start worrying about her breast size. My issues with that..
1. I thought it was already established that, despite Tamaki's beauty complex he wasn't a superficial egotistical jerk
2. I would have thought that by now, being so close to all of the guys, that Haruhi already knew that he felt this way.
3. If Haruhi had half a brain, she would have realized that, to be quite blunt, this was none of his business anyway. Last time I checked it was her body, not his. Ergo his opinion is irrelevant. I might have said this before, but I think that a person should only interfere with anther's actions or appearance if there is real harm being done to said person or other people. That is not the case here.
4. I thought it was established that, in actuality, Haruhi indeed did have a brain and was smart enough to realize the above.
It's interesting, in other places where this issue was brought up, a common response is "But its' normal for girls to worry about appearance'. That is true
But just because you do, doesn't mean you should. I dunno, maybe it wouldn't have bothered me as much if Hatori had portrayed in a manner where the message 'Yes, she's worrying about her breast size. THIS ISN'T A GOOD THING". But I dunno whether this was her intention
Do I hate the idea of Haruhi falling in love? Well, I think now it's just that I simply had a preference for her staying single
In that way, I hoped the focus woudn't always be on "WHO WILL SHE END UP WITH?"
But then again, the length of development of whatever may have simply exacerbated that, if anything
I think there are a few issues with her falling in love in general
1. Mostly it's just the premise that the romance was the most important aspect of Ouran and always was (given the amount of times I've been told that Ouran was a romantic comedy that's the impression I get)
But for me, the appeal of Ouran was (what I thought it's take on gender)
I have probably said this more than once, but I liked the fact that Haruhi was introduced as someone who has a decreased sense of gender awareness. people might see this as strange. It's not that I think that the physical differences shouldn't be acknowledged. But the fact that it's not something she worries about is something that I see as a positive. Why? it means that she has not become bound to the stereotypes associated with that gender. It means that her behavior isn't restricted to what people/society thinks is normal/proper for her gender.
Guys shouldn't be either, those that like romance and feminine things should not be considered weak, and guys who don't like sex shouldn't be ridiculed or feel shame either, but unfortunately society appears to dictate otherwise.
Ouran wouldn't be the first manga/anime to deal with gender roles, but it is my observation that most deal with gender switches than anything else. Not that that's a bad thing ( I like Otomen, afterall, which is a pretty good example of the above) , my problem is that, in spite of the genders being reversed the roles are not reevaluated - loud-mouthness, crudeness and the ability to fight are still seen as 'masculine' characteristics in spite of a girl having said characteristics. A male who is quite and not outspoken is still considered feminine. This reinforces the gender roles more than anything else. Haruhi is the first who I've seen who doesn't fit into either, or could fit into either depending on what she wears.
I have read where people believe that the concept of gender is a cultural construct than anything else - I agree.
But now, I can't help but wonder whether that issue was ever important.
has Haruhi gotten girlier? Or is it simply because she hasn't been in her uniform for a long time?
It's interesting, I have read in other few places where people believe that Haruhi has become a stereotypical shoujo heroine. Do I agree? I can certainly understand why they would think it, otherwise I don't think I'd be as disappointing as I am
But for me, maybe it's the fact that I've lost all interest in Haruhi as a character is the problem then whatever respect I had for her.
Who knows
The thing is, I don't hate feminiity, and I don't think strong female characters are those who reject that. But the appeal of Haruhi was that she wasn't considered sterotypically feminine, whilst acting sterotypically masculine (ie tomboy) eitehr - to be honest I've never come across another female character who was like that, really.
Maybe the closest example would be Ennis from Baccano! - then again.. she technical isn't human, soo...
3. Tamaki
Ok, first off, I DON'T HATE TAMAKI
Having said that
Another reason why I liked Ouran was because I got the impression that it wasn't going to be another manga where the girl is looking up to the guy
You know, because he's smart, he's perfect, he's cool, he's brave, has a good heart, etc etc
I'm not saying that these are bad qualities. I'm not saying that Tamaki isn't a good character
BUT ISN'T HARUHI SUPPOSED TO BE THE MAIN PROTAGONIST?
I just wished the focus was on her qualites, as opposed to Tamaki. But maybe that's just the impression I get since most fans of Ouran are Tamaki fans as well
Do I want her to be human and flawed? Yes, absolutely. But would I be wrong in thinking that Hatori is suggesting that Haruhi has closed herself off because of her studies and whatnot?
If so, I wish she hasn't. Of course, it's common to find people who take it too far, who do need to experience all things...But, well, I personally would like to see a person's ambition and drive portrayed, more positively than that
But like alot of things, I was probably looking too much into it
Her handling of Kaoru's and Hikaru's feelings aren't something that I like all that much either
But I'll talk about that later
I first came across the anime when it was airing in 2006, the first episode being number 5 (on youtube). I didn't really think much of it, I think, I thought oh, well, it's a typical fighting situation (with the blond main guy Tamaki the one with the twins) - maybe since it looks like Yaoi it might be more interesting than a typical shoujo. I dunno
Then I found out Haruhi was a girl
I watched the first episode, and found myself very impressed with Haruhi Fujioka as a character, finally ( I thought) a shoujo heroine who was grounded, practical, intelligent, focused,, self confident had drive and ambition
All the things that, in general, I thought were lacking in many other shoujo manga
But generally speaking, I liked the anime because I thought there were some nice messages that were being sent.. without the blunt preachiness
I dunno about you, but whenever I come across a female character who was obviously created by the writers to be like because she was 'strong' who gets the impression that a criticisms is always somehow related to her gender, I can't help but cringe
See http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TsundereSue
Of course I'm always up for a strong female character, and Haruhi's strength is different - sure she understood that people should be respected regardless of gender, it wasn't as though she was continually pushing her morality on the boys
and that's even when I personally believed that Tamaki had preconceived notions of girls that I believe he would have benefited from changing
Of course, I then decided to follow the manga.. and well, I really did become furious and what had happened (well, at least what I felt happened to her character)
You know, I have always wondered why shoujo heroines are called that - Why are they called 'heroines'? Because there are many who I feel do not deserve that title
Let my summarize my issues with what has happened in the manga
1. Haruhi blushing/etc.
In short, I don't like it very much
I know, I know, alot of fangirls think it's cute, and who knows, Hatori probably intended it to be that way, but I was very disappointed with her acting that way.
I had always liked Haruhi because she, well, wasn't like that, unlike so many other shoujo leads she was able to keep her composure when around the members of the handsome host club. I admired her for it. and I didn't like the fact that she became someone who could no longer stay cam simply because Tamaki looked at her
personally, I found that ridiculous
Alot of people say "But she doesn't blush around the other guys, except Tamaki, isn't she the same?"
Personally, I don't think that's good enough. My preference was that she keep her cool around all of the boys
ESPECIALLY the one that practically everybody was expecting to start getting nervous and stuff.
Alot of people also say that it's perfectly normal for Haruhi, who hasn't experienced romantic love to act that way
That may be true. That's probably a mistake on my part. I liked the fact that Haruhi wasn't interested in romance (a diversity in interests when it comes to shoujo manga is a good thing) But unfortunately Hatori decided it was more naivety, possibly ignorance, than anything else
What a pity
and, after her saying that appearances didn't matter, I found it disappointing that, during that phase (if it is one) that she should start worrying about her breast size. My issues with that..
1. I thought it was already established that, despite Tamaki's beauty complex he wasn't a superficial egotistical jerk
2. I would have thought that by now, being so close to all of the guys, that Haruhi already knew that he felt this way.
3. If Haruhi had half a brain, she would have realized that, to be quite blunt, this was none of his business anyway. Last time I checked it was her body, not his. Ergo his opinion is irrelevant. I might have said this before, but I think that a person should only interfere with anther's actions or appearance if there is real harm being done to said person or other people. That is not the case here.
4. I thought it was established that, in actuality, Haruhi indeed did have a brain and was smart enough to realize the above.
It's interesting, in other places where this issue was brought up, a common response is "But its' normal for girls to worry about appearance'. That is true
But just because you do, doesn't mean you should. I dunno, maybe it wouldn't have bothered me as much if Hatori had portrayed in a manner where the message 'Yes, she's worrying about her breast size. THIS ISN'T A GOOD THING". But I dunno whether this was her intention
Do I hate the idea of Haruhi falling in love? Well, I think now it's just that I simply had a preference for her staying single
In that way, I hoped the focus woudn't always be on "WHO WILL SHE END UP WITH?"
But then again, the length of development of whatever may have simply exacerbated that, if anything
I think there are a few issues with her falling in love in general
1. Mostly it's just the premise that the romance was the most important aspect of Ouran and always was (given the amount of times I've been told that Ouran was a romantic comedy that's the impression I get)
But for me, the appeal of Ouran was (what I thought it's take on gender)
I have probably said this more than once, but I liked the fact that Haruhi was introduced as someone who has a decreased sense of gender awareness. people might see this as strange. It's not that I think that the physical differences shouldn't be acknowledged. But the fact that it's not something she worries about is something that I see as a positive. Why? it means that she has not become bound to the stereotypes associated with that gender. It means that her behavior isn't restricted to what people/society thinks is normal/proper for her gender.
Guys shouldn't be either, those that like romance and feminine things should not be considered weak, and guys who don't like sex shouldn't be ridiculed or feel shame either, but unfortunately society appears to dictate otherwise.
Ouran wouldn't be the first manga/anime to deal with gender roles, but it is my observation that most deal with gender switches than anything else. Not that that's a bad thing ( I like Otomen, afterall, which is a pretty good example of the above) , my problem is that, in spite of the genders being reversed the roles are not reevaluated - loud-mouthness, crudeness and the ability to fight are still seen as 'masculine' characteristics in spite of a girl having said characteristics. A male who is quite and not outspoken is still considered feminine. This reinforces the gender roles more than anything else. Haruhi is the first who I've seen who doesn't fit into either, or could fit into either depending on what she wears.
I have read where people believe that the concept of gender is a cultural construct than anything else - I agree.
But now, I can't help but wonder whether that issue was ever important.
has Haruhi gotten girlier? Or is it simply because she hasn't been in her uniform for a long time?
It's interesting, I have read in other few places where people believe that Haruhi has become a stereotypical shoujo heroine. Do I agree? I can certainly understand why they would think it, otherwise I don't think I'd be as disappointing as I am
But for me, maybe it's the fact that I've lost all interest in Haruhi as a character is the problem then whatever respect I had for her.
Who knows
The thing is, I don't hate feminiity, and I don't think strong female characters are those who reject that. But the appeal of Haruhi was that she wasn't considered sterotypically feminine, whilst acting sterotypically masculine (ie tomboy) eitehr - to be honest I've never come across another female character who was like that, really.
Maybe the closest example would be Ennis from Baccano! - then again.. she technical isn't human, soo...
3. Tamaki
Ok, first off, I DON'T HATE TAMAKI
Having said that
Another reason why I liked Ouran was because I got the impression that it wasn't going to be another manga where the girl is looking up to the guy
You know, because he's smart, he's perfect, he's cool, he's brave, has a good heart, etc etc
I'm not saying that these are bad qualities. I'm not saying that Tamaki isn't a good character
BUT ISN'T HARUHI SUPPOSED TO BE THE MAIN PROTAGONIST?
I just wished the focus was on her qualites, as opposed to Tamaki. But maybe that's just the impression I get since most fans of Ouran are Tamaki fans as well
Do I want her to be human and flawed? Yes, absolutely. But would I be wrong in thinking that Hatori is suggesting that Haruhi has closed herself off because of her studies and whatnot?
If so, I wish she hasn't. Of course, it's common to find people who take it too far, who do need to experience all things...But, well, I personally would like to see a person's ambition and drive portrayed, more positively than that
But like alot of things, I was probably looking too much into it
Her handling of Kaoru's and Hikaru's feelings aren't something that I like all that much either
But I'll talk about that later