A mostly light-hearted, character-driven, episodic series that follows the many school adventures of Haruhi Fujioka, and her colorful supporting male harem including: the pompous but well-meaning blonde leader, the smart one (because glasses), the incestuous twins, the loli boy (ackchyually..he's still as old as everyone else, trust me bro), and the stoic, quiet, tall guy (Mori is the best host).

The show pulls no punches in having fun with its premise. From the grounded and ever-lovable Haruhi, taking shots at the self-absorbed nature of the rich, anime-related meta jokes, the melodramatic antics of the Host Club members, all the way to a whole Alice in Wonderland parody...like with any good episodic series, you can't wait to get home, plop down, and see what new shenanigans they get into next.

And the more you get to know these characters, the more you can't imagine the show without them. I can't say I disliked any one of the main cast, and even at their lowest (for the most part), you still had it in you to sympathize with them. Kyoya's episodes help give him depth beyond the smooth-voiced, intelligent, calculating type, and Haruhi's dad was always an utter delight to watch onscreen. The host club members all get humbled thanks to Haruhi's influence as "one of the guys," and it's wholesome at best, especially as the show comes to its end, but eye-roll inducing at worst. Though fortunately, most of it is usually seen through Haruhi's perspective. You can never go wrong with tasteful deadpan.

There's not a ton more I can praise OHSHC for outside of hitting all the basic standards, though. Not every episode is memorable, the charm wears off accordingly, and I found Renge funny at best, ear-grating and irritating at worst.

Another claim to fame it has is in how this series has a pseudo-progressive air around it? Question mark? Full disclosure, I'm not educated enough to delve deep into it (I'm a straight cis guy), but it seems that while novel for the times in many areas, you're still mostly here for the slice-of-life antics and occasional serious beats. If the twins' incest shtick, a lot of Tamaki's behavior, and given how real life Japanese host clubs are apparently an utter nightmare are anything to go by: it's definitely not the holy grail of progressive anime by any means. I think you'd be hard pressed to give it props in some areas, but overall, idk. I guess I'm just sitting here hoping Yuri on Ice is as excellent as people say it is, then. Still, in my defense, let me reiterate that Ranka Fujioka is my favorite character.

It was an enjoyable time with these boys and girls, and I'm glad I found the ending satisfying enough. Yeah yeah, I'm sure the manga was better and whatnot, but as is, I liked seeing how everyone came together to keep the club alive, and how Haruhi was fully accepted as part of their family.

Best episodes: 10, 13, 17, 19, the last few eps.

Worst episode: Yeah, I didn't know what to make of ep. 8. Kyoya, I love you but dafuq was that?

Watched the dub, and although he's a great actor, hearing Vic Mignogna saying all those lines as Tamaki, feels, well...you know, uncomfortable considering the gift of hindsight. I love Greg Ayres.

Song of the day: "Catch your Wave" by the Click Five.