Hump Day Husbandos: Takashi Morinozuka (Ouran High School Host Club)
I may have grown up with Ouran High School Host Club but there’s a good reason why I had yet to cover it here at Rice Digital until now. The truth is that I was never that much of a fan of it. Sure, it might have been one of my very first exposures to the Shoujo genre – that is other than the incredibly questionable Peach Girl – but everything about it felt uninspired to me, other than its beautifully iconic opening song performed by Chieko Kawabe. Queen.
But what it did leave me with was the gradual development of a monstrously fat crush on one of its leading – yet tragically side-lined – lads. I am pretty sure that the dude in question is the one and only reason why I was so susceptible to the particular charm of Katekyo Hitman Reborn!’s stoic Hibari.
Who is Takashi Morinozuka?
Taciturn Takashi Morinozuka – or just “Mori” as he is usually addressed as – is one of six of its members from the titular host club within Ouran Academy. Mori tends to be underappreciated from within said anime and manga as well as within the external audience of fangirls and fanboys alike. It’s more than understandable in both cases really.
Both anime watchers and manga readers see very little of him in comparison to the other host club members, and it’s known that he is the least popular member of said host club between the characters. The latter tends to be due to Mori’s overall vibe being more scary rather than approachable compared to the other guys since he is the stockiest and most deadpan member of the group. He’s quite imposing when taking him at face value, but in actuality he’s the guy who is unquestionably the biggest gem of the group.
Why we love him
If you put Mori and the saying “actions speak louder than words” together then it would be a match made in heaven. His character seemingly lives life by following this exact saying since he barely ever utters much at all. But through his behaviour and decisions the mere fact that he is an all round good guy is obvious, and it’s always a delight to see.
We have multiple instances to back up this point with. Mori immediately went to help out Haruhi upon their first interaction together, he is sought out as a mentor by Kasanoda to turn over a new leaf, offers advice to Hikaru when he’s seeking guidance with love and is the first to congratulate Haruhi becoming a parent by the end of the manga. It’s no surprise that he is such a dependable guy when he’s really very perceptive and wise.
But before we go any further in discussing his main relationship of the series and what it best represents about him let’s go over the less obvious but just as notably lovely traits of his. Mori is also an animal lover and he holds a uniquely comedic value in how his personality shifts depending on how tired he is. Say goodbye to his usually always stoic and short tone he has whenever he’s sleep deprived. And as far as his qualities goes when you take him for said face value, the fact that Mori is the hunkiest of the host club members will always be a plus depending on who you ask.
Why you will love him (tldr: because Honey says so!)
So we may have already established just how much of a good guy Mori is and that’s without having mentioned his most notable relationship yet. Mori and Honey, a dynamic that is somehow and in some way the OG Haru and Makoto from Free! in my mind plays as the one and only indicator to Mori’s silent but everlasting core kindness to his character. Honey is always besides him to perpetuate the gentle giant trope to Mori’s character. Mori always showcases certain endearing traits and qualities whenever we see him around Honey, which is more often than not. Protective, dependable, reassuring, you name it.
Their notable bond has quite the wholesome origin story in fact that results in a bond that transcends familial ties and instead represents just how loyal Mori is. It’s ridiculously adorable and wholesome, and that’s because Mori comes from a family who have been serving a clan for a lengthy period of time. That clan is none other than Honey’s very own family line. This effectively ties to how Mori has adopted this kind of brotherly dynamic with his very own cousin. But despite Honey actually being older than Mori, Mori takes a more big brother type of role when tending to Honey, a fact that extends outwardly with other characters with how Mori cares for and advices others.
I’d suggest to give the anime a go today via Crunchyroll if he takes your fancy. Let’s be honest now, it is well worth watching just for him.
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