Everybody loves a good romance anime. But not every romance anime is a good one. There are a good number of great plots when it comes to romance in anime, however, some of them don’t get the chance to continue their storyline because of a number of issues encountered during the production, or because simply, there weren’t enough people talking about the anime itself.
A Prime example of an anime that stopped before the story even reached its end is Ouran High School Host Club, also fondly known as one of the big three romance anime. The other two slots are always interchanged, but in most romance anime fan opinions, OHSHC will always be in that top spot.
Despite being a fan favorite, Ouran High School Host Club never got the chance to finish its story in the anime. The first and only season of Ouran High School Host Club featured the beginning of Haruhi and Tamaki’s sweet romance, but the last episode of the anime wasn’t even close to getting to the good part.
What is Ouran High School Host Club About?
Ouran High School Host Club is one of the most loved Romance Anime of all time, and though it is a high school romance, the plot is definitely not a cliche.
Ouran Academy is a prestigious higher school for the wealthy. Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student from the middle class, which is unusual at the school. She stumbles onto an unoccupied music room while looking for a peaceful spot to study, which turns out to be the club room for the Ouran Host Club – a gang of lazy affluent lads with remarkable good looks who entertain female clients. Haruhi is forced to join the Host Club as an “errand boy” after accidentally knocking over a magnificent Renaissance vase worth far more than she can reasonably repay (8 million).
Haruhi, on the other hand, quickly shows to be a natural host (no training required) and is raised to full rank as a Host of the Ouran Host Club. It soon becomes evident that not everything is as it appears…
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The “Fruits Basket-like Treatment”
Fruits Basket, although completely unrelated to OHSHC, is one of the few romance animes that actually had the chance to animate the whole story, primarily because of popular demand. If you have been reading romance mangas for a long time, you would know that Fruits Basket was first animated in 2001. It was first directed by Akitaro Daichi, and because of some issues, the animation stopped.
However, 18 years after the first season aired, fans were thrilled when they found out that the Romance Anime was getting a reboot. The Fruits Basket reboot lasted for 3 years in total with its first season beginning in July of 2019 and the final season aired during the 2021 Spring Season. This, of course, is a rare sight to see! Other romance manga-turned-anime only get one season, which meant that not even half of the manga is animated, but Fruits Basket actually covered most of the plot in the manga and even stuck to its emotional ending (spoiler alert, it even had a movie!).
Fruits Basket is a unique story about the Zodiac Animals and a girl who breaks the curse. Honda Tohru is an orphan, she lost her dad early on in life, and her mom in a recent car accident. Because of the distance from the school to her house, Honda Tohru had no other choice but to camp in a nearby forest in an attempt to make it to school earlier, one day, she chances upon a classmate, Yuki Sohma, and the boy asks her to live with them. In return for the favor, Tohru is tasked to help with the chores around the house. Little does she know, however, that the Sohmas have a pretty dark secret, and that she will be the one who breaks the traumatic bond that binds them.
Fruits Basket is a good romance anime—it’s a great one even! It features all of the complexities of love, but in a different form, and that’s why every Romance Anime or Manga fan who has read it or has watched all three seasons love it. But there are many Romance mangas out there who have similar characteristics but aren’t getting the same opportunities, which is really a let-down.
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Why Ouran High School Host Club Deserves a Reboot
You might wonder why the title specifically states “Fruits Basket-Like Treatment,” but it shouldn’t even be a shock. Ouran High School Host Club has one of the cutest, drama-less romances. Considering the fact that it has a wide fanbase, both in Japan and internationally, this romance manga definitely deserves a reboot like that of Fruits Basket where they actually finish the story in the manga.
If you have the same opinion, you are not alone. Some fans actually took to Twitter to express their desire for an Ouran High School Host Club reboot or remake. Some of these tweets are years old, but the call remains the same: To give Ouran High School Host Club the animation justice it deserves.
Check out some of the tweets from the fans of the series below:
As mentioned above, the anime barely covers the critical scenes in Haruhi and Tamaki’s quest to find romance. The “more than friends but definitely less than lovers” tension is definitely there, and there’s no denying it, but it’s just not enough.
Watching the one-season show felt like eating the chocolate at the bottom of an Ice Cream cone (if you know what that feels like). It’s when you’re finally getting to the good part, but then the “good part” is already over and you barely enjoyed it.
It has been 16 years since the anime was first released, and fans are still waiting for a miracle, and a miracle might be on the way! A few months back, the author of the series released an Ouran High School Host Club official art which features a new and more modern art style, and fans are speculating that this may be a hint for the reboot. Well, at least they hope it is—we all hope it is, but there’s little information to go by (for now).
Read More: Ouran High School Host Club Posts New Art, Fans Beg For Reboot
Where to Watch Ouran High School Host Club and Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club are both available on Netflix in selected countries, worldwide. You can watch all of the seasons of Fruits Basket and the one season of Ouran High School Host Club, along with many other Romance Animes Netflix has acquired licenses for in the past three to four years.
Both are relatively old Romance Mangas, so both of them have finished serialization and all volumes have been out for quite a while now. So if you’re more of a manga reader than a watcher, it would be much better for you to purchase a copy of the manga’s volumes in stores near you.
Ouran High School Host Club has got a fandom that goes way back, and everyone is eager for a reboot sometime soon because Haruhi’s adventure with the Host Club members is ultimately just beginning.
Are you also a Romance Anime fan? Have you watched or read Ouran High School Host Club? Or perhaps you’re more of a Fruits Basket person? Share your thoughts with us!
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