Ouran High School Host Club – ep 22

New character Ritsu, who wants to learn from Mori how to become more popular basically sums up the episode. Quite hilarious, especially the expressions of Mori, and who can forget the final scene of a scantily clad Haruhi.

A group of gansters are waiting to greet their young master as he leaves for school, shouting out many lines of encouragement. Finally someone shouts out “Otsutome”, a term more appropraite for someone going to jail, rather than school, Ritsu the young master turns round in a pissed off mood and corrects them. Only one guy, Tetsuya, dares to speak up to him after that, asking if he would like the car. Saying no, Ritsu continues walking, saying how today is the day….

Meanwhile, the host club is cosplaying as samurai masters. Of course, everybody are up to their antics, and the girls are squeeling. Haruhi can only reflect that she never knew that Bakumatsu cosplay was so popular. Renge proceeds to explain why Bakumatsu cosplay is so popular, and points out the different Samurai masters that everyone looks like.

Kyoya comes over and thanks renge for her plan to just let the girls imagine which specific master they are cosplaying. Even as various girls are guessing who Haruhi is cosplaying, Haruhi can only think of the pork sale that’s going on at the super market

Just as the girls are squeeling over Mori, he suddenly takes his katana and stabs it into the wall. THe host club is surprised, but Mori explains that there’s an intruder, which turns out to be Ritsu. Apparently, Ritsu wants Mori to take him as an apprentice.

Kyoya explains that Ritsu is a new student, and the 3rd generation of the Kasanoda group. Silent, with a scary face and no friends, rumours goes that looking into his eyes will give you nightmares for 3 months. Arguing with him will probably get you a direct route to the grave, hence he is known as the human blizzard as well.

Ritsu explains what he wants, and that he is actually not scary, just born with a scary face. The twins get his name all wrong, first Casanova, then Bosanova. Ritsu totally loses his temper, causing tamaki and the twins to scamper behind the sofa. Actually since young, he has been noted for the most scary face in so many generations, and thus have been trained to act and look tough. Thus everybody is scared of him, but in fact, Ritsu wants people to play with. Thus he wants to learn to be like Mori

Ritsu proceeds to describe Mori as scary, expressionless, silent, and unsociable, and doesn’t understand how someone with his looks, can have so many friends.

The twins proceed to ask Tamaki if they will help Ritsu out, but Tamaki states that since Ritsu asked to be Mori’s apprentice, it should be Mori to make the decision. But Mori just looks pleadingly at Tamaki, sending him SOS signals. The twins reveal that in the end, Tamaki really wanted to interfere.

Tamaki states that Ritsu is just lacking a “lovely” item. In the case of Mori, his “lovely” item is well… Hunny. Obviously Mori looks absolutely scary, but when you attach a hunny to him, he’s no longer scary! Suddenly Mori becomes a “silent yet still very good man.” Hearing this, hunny turns to mori asking if that’s all he is to him, a “lovely” item, and thus making use of his. All these while, Mori is obviously traumatised by what Tamaki says.

Just then, tamaki notices Ritsu’s sense of dressing, which was like a gangster, and promtly orders the twins to give him an image change. Returning home, Ritsu is greeted by Tetsuya, but is shocked by Ritsu’s new image. Ritsu basically now has dreadlock hair, wears a scarf, and has a “lovely” item, a teddy bear. Tetsuya asks what happened in school, but Ritsu is too embarassed, ending up scarying everybody instead.

Next day Tetsuya notices that it might rain, and wonders if Ritsu brought an umbrella, and decides to bring one to school. In school, ritsu has popped out from the pillars offering to carry Mori’s and Hunny’s bag. Just then, Mori notices that there’s a falling flower plot, thus pushes Ritsu away. There’s yet another one, which Mori proceeds to slice with his bare hands. Seeing what happened, everybody crowds around Mori, checking to see that he is ok. At one side, Ritsu can only look on in jealousy.

Ritsu arrives back at the host club that afternoon, where Tamaki declares a new and improved strategy. Ritsu argues that yesterday’s attempt only made people more scared of him. But Tamaki just brushes it aside, saying that it was simply just the fault of the twins, and that he is very serious about helping him.

Even as everybody strategises, Haruhi goes over to Ritsu, telling him not to take what the rest of the guys say too seriously. But Ritsu argues that these are the guys that Mori had recommended. Ritsu doesn’t really know Haruhi, so haruhi introduces herself as a new yr 1 student, and as they are fellow freshies, they are like friends already. Ritsu blushes, and asks if haruhi likes to play “kick the can”. Haruhi says not really, but thinks that it’ll be nice to play it now and then. This causes Ritsu to blush even more, and he thinks to himself how haruhi seems just like a girl.

New image strategy decided, and Ritsu is made to wear a Neko-mimi hairband. Fail. Even hunny can’t help but call him a cat monster. Tamaki is puzzled with the failure, since renge had said that the neko-mimi hairband is a very cute item. The twins comment that it’s insufficient, and proceeds to outfit Ritsu in a Neko maid oufit.

Just then Tetsuya appears, and is stunned to see Ritsu in that outfit. He stammers an apology for interrupting while Ritsu is enjoying his new found hobby. Ritsu is utterly embarrassed and pissed, commenting that no guy would have such a hobby, and storms out of the room with Tetsuya chasing after him.

At the school garden, Ritsu reaches for a basket, revealing a sick sparrow that he is taking care of. Just then, Haruhi surprises him by appearing beside him. Haruhi asks about the sparrow, which Ritsu explains that he took it to a Doctor who said it’s recovering well. Haruhi then requests to feed the sparrow as well. Ritsu blushes a lot, and also realises that Haruhi has very large eyes, looking like a girl. Then he realises that haruhi is a “guy”, and he should be thinking about “guys” like that. *gay*

Suddenyl Hunny appears and kicks a thrown can of paint out of the way, but some paint splashes on Haruhi. The shock causes the sparrow to fly away, giving Ritsu some joy. Tamaki appears as well, full of concern that the red on Haruhi’s uniform is not blood. Mori also appears, dragging two guys out of the bushes. One of them accuses Ritsu of kidnapping their leader’s son, and wants him to return the guy, but Ritsu has no idea what is going on. Hunny explains that these two guys have been targeting Ritsu all this while, and not Mori, from the incident of the potted plant. Ritsu wonders why Mori had saved him earlier, and Mori expounds that it is because with one look, he is able to tell if a guy is bad or not.

Haruhi leaves to change. Then Tetsuya starts to kick and scold the two guys. In actual fact, Tetsuya is the son mentioned. After an argument a year ago, Tetsuya had left home, and while in the streets, Ritsu had offered him his umbrella. Since then, Tetsuya had known that Ritsu is a nice guy. Thus he wants to break off ties with the Sendou group and join the Kasanoda group.

Ritsu realises he hasn’t apologised to haruhi, and goes to look for her, only to find her in the midst of changing, and wearing a bra!

Thoughts

The episode was comical, very comical. With gems from Mori and Haruhi. No idea if Ritsu will remain as a character, it will be interesting if he does.