Every fairy tale must come to an end, and what better way than to finish things off with a carriage, a pumpkin, and an endearingly dense patriarch?  Somehow, between episodes 13 and 14, Ouran magically transforms, showing us the sweet pumpkin pie behind that slick, shiny animated carriage.  Almost a Cinderella story in reverse, we see the heart hiding underneath, only after first being shown the pretty dress and glass slippers.  Perhaps a little backwards, but it's perfect and makes for a very satisfying series.

As she is constantly reminded, Haruhi Fujioka is a regular girl on scholarship at the elite Ouran Academy.  Mistaken for a boy by the school's host club, she accidentally breaks a ridiculously expensive vase in the process of escaping their clutches.  In order to settle the debt, she is persuaded to join the host club as a boy, since she's "a natural."  Slowly working off the price of the vase one cosplaying tea party at a time, Haruhi becomes better acquainted with the quirky boys of the host club.  A deluded Tamaki might think of their motley group as a family, but some of the sharper hosts just might recognize certain feelings for what they really are.  Family or friends or something more, all good things must come to an end, and all one can do is enjoy the ride.

After whining about wanting to see a little deeper under the slickness of the series, my wish was granted this go around.  While the first half of the series introduces all the players, it's as if someone opened the gate to the playpen and said, "Go frolic."  Then, like magic, episodes appear that explain why this or that character behaves the way he does and how his mind works.  A series that started out with pure silliness and fun morphs not into something else entirely, but something a little different and a bit tastier from the way it began. 

Ouran is still silly and fun; I couldn't eat while watching this series because it made me laugh so much.  However, throughout the second half, there is a sense of drama and sweetness that adds so much more.  The humor is intensified by the pathos, and there are some truly sweet moments.  Sometimes the sweetness or drama might be found in a tiny visual detail that isn't even mentioned, and other times it is the point of an entire episode.  These scenes are delightful and surprising, tucked in between the laughter, and make the series all the more enjoyable for it.

It's hard to resist a series that is like hot chocolate and fuzzy stuffed bunnies.  Warm and sweet and always there to bring a smile, Ouran High School Host Club is just the thing on a chilly winter day.  With its endearing characters, over-use of pink and lavender, and well-played jokes, Ouran is worth owning, perfect for pulling out when in need of a smile. 

Details: Runtime 300 minutes, contains episodes 14-26.  Extras include actor commentaries, manga pages from Viz media, outtakes, textless songs, and trailers.