Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan

I was doing some research on hot anime guys and I discovered a fairly new anime called Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan that seems to be a very promising reverse harem anime. I haven't seen it yet, but as far as I can tell, there are eight main male characters in the anime, all of them beautiful bishonens. Hehe. The story reportedly also has some romance in it - and not between the boys, mind you! The anime has one main female character as well. I wonder which of the characters falls in love with her or she falls in love with. Hmm...

The story is about a girl named Chizuru Yukimura who has come to Kyoto looking for her father, a doctor who has gone missing. During her search for her father, she witnesses a fight between a mindless, vampire-like monster called a rasetsu and the special task force in Kyoto called the Shinsengumi. The Shinsengumi take Chizuru into custody and decide to keep her close at hand after discovering that she is the daughter of the doctor they are also looking for. And so Chizuru follows the Shinsengumi in their battles to help the shogunate and search for the missing doctor.

I can't wait to watch it. I bet I'm going to fall in love with the characters of Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan. Hehe. Hope it gets dubbed in English soon. Sigh... I know, I know, it will probably be two or more years before an English dubbed version of Hakuouki Shinsengumi Kitan gets released, but there's no harm in wishful thinking, is there? :)

Harem vs Reverse Harem

First of all, let me tell you what I mean when I say "harem" and "reverse harem" because different people seem to have varying definitions of these two terms which are frequently used in the world of anime and manga.

Harem - is a subgenre of anime and manga characterized by one male protagonist surrounded by three or more women who at one point or other start to develop feelings of love for him. The love may or may not be reciprocated as long as the element of romance or sexual tension is there. Animes I've seen that I would classify as harem are Clannad and Kanon.

Reverse harem - is the reverse of a harem in the sense of there being one female protagonist surrounded by three of more men who at one point or other start to develop feelings of love for her. And just like in a harem, all that's needed is a hint of romance or sexual tension between the guys and the girl. Animes I've seen that I would classify as reverse harem are Ouran High School Host Club, The Story of Saiunkoku, and Fushigi Yuugi.

Personally, I like reverse harems better than harems mainly because I like my anime and manga with lots of hot guys in it. And I find the notion of three or more guys fighting over the same girl quite exciting and romantic. On the other hand, I hate watching anime with lots of stupid, frivolous-minded girls fawning over one guy. In the case of Clannad and Kanon, however, I was able to tolerate the girls because the main male characters are hot anime guys.

In conclusion, there is really no contest between harems and reverse harems in my book. I would choose a reverse harem any day simply because there are more hot anime guys in it. Hehe... ;)

Ouran High School Host Club Anime Summary and Review

(Warning: This post may contain spoilers.)

The story of Ouran High School Host Club revolves around a smart girl named Haruhi Fujioka who, by her own merits and determination, was able to get a scholarship at the elite private school known as Ouran Academy. There at the Ouran Academy, while looking for a quiet place to study, she stumbles into an old music room where a group of boys who call themselves the Ouran Host Club hold their meetings, and she accidentally breaks a renaissance vase worth eight million yen. Tamaki Suoh, founder and self-proclaimed president of the Ouran Host Club, mistakes Haruhi for a boy and orders her to become the Host Club's "dog" (i.e. errand boy) in order to pay off the eight million yen. And so begins the story of the Ouran High School Host Club.

Throughout their adventures or should I say, misadventures (and they are quite hilarious), in the Host Club, Haruhi Fujioka, Tamaki Suoh, Kyoya Ootori, Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin, Mitsukuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka learn about friendship, love and acceptance. What started out as one of Tamaki's capricious whims turns out to be the best thing that's ever happened in their lives.

You know at first I thought this reverse harem anime was going to be one of those brainless, shallow, childish animes that are so common, and quite honestly I wasn't going to watch it at all after seeing the words "High School" so blatantly advertised in its title. But I'm very happy that I did because Ouran High School Host Club has now become one of my favorite animes of all time. The hilarious parodies and witty dialogues cracked me up, but what surprised me the most I guess was the depth of the story and personalities of the characters. It was also quite refreshing to see that Haruhi, the main girl in the story, had backbone and inner strength (unlike a lot of anime girls who whine and nag and fuss a lot and can't seem to do anything else besides being helpless and annoying).

I confess that I have watched the entire series of 26 episodes three times already, and I haven't gotten tired of it yet. In fact, I liked it better the third time around. And I loved the ending to the anime as well, and a good ending is quite rare in anime. Another thing I like about Ouran High School Host Club is its soundtrack. The orchestral tunes as well as the opening and ending themes are quite perfectly suited to the anime.  Overall, I give Ouran High School Host Club a 10/10. I would highly recommend watching it.