Just a small early look due to to many crazy papers (7 page script, full fictional production schedule… 3 paper rewrites….and more….gahhhh).  So let’s go ahead and take a look at Tuesday’s release of Ouran High School Host Club, Part1.

Haven’t made it through all the episodes, but I’m quite enjoying it.  I happen to love silly comedies, and this is most definately silly.  Most people likely already know if they have interest ion the show or not, but I’d suggest the guys take a second look.  Some good show underneath the fluffy cute boys on the cover (although any guys who have issues with even the slighty suggestion that 2 guys might touch in any fashion might wanna look elsewhere), but I say sit back and enjoy a quite good comedy.  While I don’t plan to do a full review just due to being busy, if the show keeps up, I’d rank it an A grade comedy.

Video quality is good.  Not much more to say than that.  Every once in awile I’ll notice little nothings, and when you get black backgrounds the black isn’t stable, but the video is quite good.  B+

Unlike the School Rumble set, despite the same audio stats, I found the audio quality in Ouran good.  Levels on the Japanese track are nice and rich, with similiar levels in the dub.  Watched a bit in both and I think with Ouran I’ll be sticking largely with the dub.  The entire English cast turns in an A class performance here.  Despite fully knowing Haruhi was a girl there were a few times in episode 3 and 4 when I had to sorta remind myself.  You get so used to the character being referred to as such, and Caitlan Glass’ voice fits a young high school boy well enough that the mind drifts.  The rest of the dub cast is just as good, if not a bit less stellar just based on the fact that everyone is what they seems (with maybe a bit less simply because, no one will mistake Luci Christian’s voice for Honey as that of a boy, although I’m sure some people will argue it.  The voice works well enough though…).  Tamaki is the Mignogna and I doubt I have to say anything more about that.  Audio Quality is a B or B+, quality of the dub is an A.  (And I should note, on a few rare occassions, rather than changing a joke, Funimation does thru up a quick info box in the subtitle track to explain something, so take it as you will).

Packaging is literally exactly the same as School Rumble Season 2 Part 1, so not much to say.

Good set overall for a good show.

Although I do need to add…  Funimation…. could you please stop trying to con us with the ‘Funimation Green’ logo?  Cardboard box…. 4 page catalog….  a mail in card ….and a mail in card advertisement for Shojo Beat?  I mean, cardboard box, fine.  But how about you kill the mail in card and just have a web address listed in the extras section, and for the catalog, why not go and do what Pioneer used to do?  Just have a full catalog in the extras section.  I liked when Pioneer did that.  I don’t care if you are gonna have a ‘green’ logo and program, but if you are gonna do it, then actually do it.

Gallery under ad. All caps are lossless PNGs taken in VLC, feel free to request more. (Caps are sized 640×480 so as to display properly on computer monitors, as encoded the disks are 720×480, but having the caps be 640×480 emulates how they will appear on your television screen).

Tags: Animation, Anime, DVD, Early Look, Funimation, Ouran, Ouran High School Host Club