Hatori Bisco - Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 04-10 (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

I had read volumes 1-3 about a year or so ago and decided not to continue because the paneling was too busy and the manga lost a lot of humor without the sound effect of the anime.

But then, I saw volumes 2-10 at the library and decided to read them just for the heck of it. It also helped that rilina had been telling me that the manga got much better, especially once it got past the territory covered by the anime. So far, it covers most of the anime, with a few unanimated chapters in volumes 8-10.

Thankfully, either I got used to Hatori's paneling, or she got better at it; it no longer confuses the heck out of me, and I'm fairly certain that her layouts have gotten less busy. Some bits are still funnier in the anime—Tamaki's "Mon ami!" in particular—but Hatori's art is pleasant. I also love that she includes sketches of her characters by other mangaka in the extra bits, particularly the one Matsuri Hino did.

Storywise, there's not much difference so far. I am having an easier time telling the twins apart in terms of personality, though I vaguely remember being able to do that in the latter half of the anime as well. I do like that the non-animated bits have more women in them, although usually it's a girl and how the host club heals her or whatnot in some way. On the other hand, volume 10 introduces a non-Haruhi female character who could stick around for a while.

Spoilers

I love Mei! I hope she sticks around for a long time! It's so nice for Haruhi to have someone non-insane to talk to, and I really love how Mei provides another POV on the host club's view of money and wealth. I also love that she looks like a stereotypical character (the kogyaru thing), but she ends up with her own very distinct personality. And while the series is very specifically pandering to and commenting on female moe projected on men, it's still nice to get two girls talking to each other.

I am somewhat divided on the series' treatment of cross-dressing. Despite the use of "tranny," I'm not entirely sure where Misuzu and Ranka fall in the spectrum of gender identification. It seems like Ranka identifies herself as female, although she does seem to call herself "Daddy," and I can't remember enough about Misuzu to be sure. I wish the portrayal of Misuzu weren't so comedic, though I'm glad Ranka's appearance isn't meant to be funny. On the other hand, they're both very comic characters.

Still, I'm glad that the manga doesn't show their gender preferences as messing up Haruhi or Mei, and I especially like that the manga specifically identifies Ranka as bisexual (having it shown in the manga would be nice, but oh well).

In terms of plot development, I'm a little surprised it's taken so long for romance to show up, and I have to say, I like the host club as a unit so much that I'm not particularly looking forward to shipping wars. Still, Hatori does a good job of showing why so many boys are crushing on Haruhi, as opposed to many YA and shoujo series, where people just seem to be randomly bowled over by the heroine. I'm not sure if I totally buy that Hikaru and Haruhi and Tamaki are all unaware of their feelings, but then, Tamaki and Hikaru are so dense at times that it could be. And I will handwave and say Haruhi is deliberately trying to not notice.

I'm rather disturbed by the translation's use of "tranny;" does anyone know if it corresponds to a similarly derogatory Japanese term, or if it's supposed to just be informal?

Still, fun manga, especially now that it's going beyond the territory of the anime. Also, I root for more character development for Kyoya and Mori, my favorite host club guys.

Comments

[swanjun.livejournal.com]

I don't normally like episodic manga that makes the characters repeat the same school year over and over, but Ouran is an exception. Maybe it's that I don't expect much from it, but like you say, I like the club as a unit and I'm in no particular hurry for major changes in group dynamics. Oh, sure, I want Haruhi and Tamaki together in the end, and I'm happy to see glimmers of progress in that direction, but I'm not in a hurry.

One thing I have particularly enjoyed has been the evolution of Kaoru and how thoughtful and observant he has become. Like you say, it'd be nice to see some similar attention given to Kyoko and Mori, who I also like. Really, the only char I'm actually meh about is Hunny, because neither his cuteness nor his violence ever amuse me.

[oyceter]

Heh, I think I'm less invested in any romantic pairing, mostly because I think it'll mess with the group dynamics. Also, Tamaki, while wonderful down at heart, is rather high maintenance.

I... yeah. Hunny really doesn't do it for me. Part of it is because I keep comparing him with Momiji from Fruits Basket, who gets a lot more character development.

[larryhammer]

They get compared a lot, in no small part because they had the same voice actor in Japanese.

---L.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

EEE! You are reading Ouran! I think it really begins to hit its stride around volume 8 or so; to me, it gets better at not just mocking the tropes with love, but also doing more with the ensemble's characterization (especially the twins, Tamaki, and Haruhi). And I too was so happy that Haruhi finally got a female friend.

I think the manga continues to improve after this, but I am very biased due to my love of spoilery arcs which I will not mention.

(As far as extras, I was very amused by the instructions from Hatori on how to tell Hikaru and Kaoru apart.)

[oyceter]

I am! I blame my library.

I totally took notes on Hatori's instructions re: the twins.

[snarp]

I wish ardently for more plotlines in which Kyoya loses his cool.

I'm pretty sure the Japanese word used to refer to Ranka and Misuzu is "okama," which is usually considered insulting when used by non-transvestites. I'm not actually sure whether transvestites ever use it to refer to themselves.

[swanjun.livejournal.com]

"Okama" sounds right to me too, now that you mention it.

[jiawen]

Just FYI (and maybe you already knew this), "transvestite" is considered demeaning by most of the people it's normally attached to. Perhaps you meant "...when used by non-transgender people"?

As I've seen it, okama is used highly ironically by some Japanese trans folks. Fairly similar to the use of "tranny" in English, actually. But, like a lot of these words, it ain't cool for people who aren't a member of the group to use the term.

[snarp]

Ohh, okay. Really sorry about that - I wasn't thinking.

[jiawen]

No prob -- live and learn! :)

[swanjun.livejournal.com]

It was my understanding that "transvestite" generally applies to someone who simply wears the clothing of the opposite gender but is, in fact, distinct from the concept of someone who is "transgender." A man might like to wear ladies' clothing but still feel that he is meant to be a man, for example.

[jiawen]

Part of why my post used a lot of waffle-words is that a lot of this terminology is still undergoing serious change, and there are people who vehemently disagree with some uses of some of the words.

In general, though, "transvestite" means a person who cross-dresses for sexual pleasure -- i.e., as a fetish. It also usually means a male person who does that, and it further usually has a very clinical tinge to it. So clinical, in fact, that a lot of people, even those who it might otherwise cover, reject it as too derogatory. And "transvestite" tends to be used for transgender women in other cultures -- Thailand, for example -- which shows how the word tends to have negative connotations.

Does "transgender" include "transvestite"? This is another definitional question, and one that has a lot of proponents on various sides of the argument. For the most part, though, my sense is that "transgender" is an umbrella term that includes "transvestites" (scare quotes because I dislike the term), crossdressers, transsexuals, bois, drag queens, people who live as one gender but have genitalia normally associated with another, gender queer folks, people into genderfuck, etc. etc.

Note that "transgender" does not equal "transsexual". The terms are sometimes used similarly -- some people define "transgender" as people who were assigned one gender at birth, but who identify strongly with another gender, probably to the point of wanting to live in the gender they identify with. This definition of "transgender" appears to be gaining currency.

[oyceter]

Thanks for the clarification on both terms!

[oyceter]

Gotcha, thanks! It's always so hard to tell when it comes to translation.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

I would put money on it being okama in the original, which is definitely an insulting term when used by outsiders, but one that has been reclaimed by many crossdressers, mtfs, and gay men. So tranny is a good translation, or just fag(got), poof, queen, etc. if directed at a gay guy.

[larryhammer]

It is indeed okama in the original.

---L.

[oyceter]

Thanks!

[oyceter]

Gotcha, thanks! I... am not sure of how I feel of Hatori using it, even though she usually has crossdressers using it in the manga.

[parallactic.livejournal.com]

Hatori's paneling did get clearer and less cluttered.

I like Mei as a new character, because she's just as lovably eccentric as the male characters and she brings out another side of Haruhi. But she hasn't grown on me enough on me to balance out how much I'd hate a heavier focus on romance in the series.

In volume 3, Ranka does mention giving birth to Haruhi, but Ranka does seem to identify more as Haruhi's dad than anything else. It could be that Ranka doesn't want to be seen as replacing Haruhi's mom.

[oyceter]

Yeah, I'm also very skeptical about the move toward romance... More Mei though! And I love the whole "win her heart through cooking!" thing.

*nods* OK, I wasn't sure if I was remembering wrong about Ranka or just letting Tamaki's fatherhood schtick get in the way of my memory or something.