Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 2

The story: In another set of wacky adventures, the club starts off the volume with physical examinations at school. Of course, there's one little problem -- what will happen if Haruhi's cross-dressing secret gets out? The second tale involves an unprecedented fight between the twins, Kaoru and Hikaru, and Haruhi can't help but get involved. But, with the way the twins are fighting, is there any hope of them resolving their differences? In the last adventure, the gang heads to a water park owned by Kyoya's family to hilariously disastrous results!

Reaction: Everything in this series is so out there and it takes nothing seriously. The characters are silly and so exaggerated in their satirical nature that I find myself giggling out loud. As far as the misadventures go, the endings aren't unexpected (things are fairly episodic still), but the physical comedy is at its best here. There are glimpses of romantic moments, but it's blushing cheeks and any feelings are relatively unacknowledged past the initial joke. I like that the focus here isn't on some kind of unending love between two characters, but on interactions between everyone in the club. It's refreshing and makes for some great visual gags.

Deep thoughts: If manga are any indication, full health examinations are a regular occurrence in Japanese schools. While the United States is in the midst of a major health care reform debate, many countries, including Japan, have a nationalized health care industry. With the exception of the United States, every industrialized country in the world has a form of universal health care.

Artwork: Sure, there are plenty of pretty boys here, but Bisco Hatori's talent really shines when it comes to illustrating physical comedy. Whether it's Tamaki's dejected face or the Hitachin twins devious planning or even Mori's stoic silence, it's all played up to great effect. The costumes and settings are another strong point -- I especially like the Arabian-themed outfits from the sixth chapter.

The verdict: Highly recommended. This shojo rom-com has a cast of characters that exaggerate stereotypes to hilarious effect alongside straight woman Haruhi. OHSHC takes all the shojo tropes and takes them to their ridiculous extreme at a breakneck speed that had me zooming quickly through each chapter. If you're looking for laughs in a high school setting with no major romantic entanglements involved, you could do much worse than this series! Ouran High School Host Club is available in the U.S. from Viz.

Ouran High School Host Club, vol. 1

The story: Haruhi is a scholarship student at the ubër-prestigious, private Ouran Institute. One day, while looking for a quiet place to study, she stumbles into a very special club of the school's best, and handsomest, male students. Amazingly, it's modeled after a host club, where young, handsome men entertain women! When Haruhi breaks an expensive vase, she finds herself indebted to the club. To pay back them back, the club members -- who are yet to recognize the androgynous Haruhi as a girl -- force her to become a host. What hijinks will ensue and can Haruhi endear herself to the club enough to get rid of her debt?

Reaction: What's not to love about this slapstick comedy that has the chutzpah to send up some of the best shojo manga tropes? There's a host club member for every fetish -- whether it's shotacon, twincest or the exotically handsome type -- and Haruhi is the perfect straight man for all the other characters, especially since she's just a "lowly commoner." I also liked the other students involved in the story. From an arranged marriage to a fangirl, the side characters bring some much-needed variety to what could easily devolve into a simple gag comedy.

Deep thoughts: In this volume, there's an arranged marriage between two Ouran students. While this is a traditional practice in other countries, it is unheard of in mainstream American culture. While the divorce rate in the U.S. is 50 percent (the highest in the world, I believe), arranged marriages have a lower divorce rate. Whether this is due to commitment to an arranged marriage as opposed to "love matches," or if divorce is simply not considered an option, is still uncertain and merits further research.

Artwork: Since this manga is a satire of all things shojo, the art definitely reflects that. From abundant screentone use to panels with flowers bursting at the seams, there's a lot of the visual trademarks of the girly genre. There's also plenty of blushing cheeks, chibis, doe-eyed looks and extreme close-ups. Thankfully, it's not all pretty boys and girls; Bisco Hatori also does a great job with the many costume designs and the elaborate setting of the private high school.

The verdict: Required reading. This is one of the best shojo series out there, with its entertaining plot and character dynamics. Bisco Hatori really outdoes herself here with a tongue-in-cheek satire of the genre, while still entertaining its committed fans. If you only ever read one high school shojo manga, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more entertaining read than this one. Ouran High School Host Club is available in the U.S. from Viz.