Ouran High School Host Club (Collector’s Edition Blu-ray) Unboxing Redux

Back in October 2017, Zavvi offered a one-day deal for this particular series and I finally picked it up. Here’s an unboxing redux look at Anime Limited & Funimation UK’s now out of print release of Ouran High School Host Club.

Ouran High School Host Club (Ouran Koukou Host Club) is a 2006 television anime series from studio Bones and directed by Takuya Igarashi. The anime is based on the manga of the same name written by Bisco Hatori.

This show is among one of the classic gems in anime history and also a gateway title. While the source material finished many years ago, fans still support the anime and manga.

Ouran High School Host Club is one of the many titles Manga Entertainment used to distribute as part of their sub-licensing partnership with Funimation. When Funimation decided to team up with Anime Limited the partnership with Manga eventually concluded and a majority of the titles went out of print including Ouran High School Host Club. Anime Limited rescued the series and released it as a Blu-ray only title. This is also one of the few Funimation titles to be upscaled in-house rather than handled by Japan and the results are doable but not the greatest.

Before the UK & Ireland license had expired (again), Anime Limited offered a really nice collector’s edition set for the whole series. Funimation released the series in its classic two slim Blu-ray cases in a cardboard box and a booklet before it moved into the Classics Blu-ray range. While the license is technically filed under Funimation UK, the packaging is with Anime Limited so you could argue it’s more of an Anime Limited title than Funimation UK.

Ouran High School Host Club from Anime Limited contains episodes 1-26 across 3 Blu-ray discs using the Funimation master in this collector’s edition set. The audio options include both the Funimation English dub (with English covers for opening & closing songs) and the original Japanese with English subtitles. The disc is region compatible for A & B and the white subtitles are unlockable during playback.

The collector’s edition Blu-ray is out of print, but the Region A & B Funimation release is available to order through Amazon US.

Blu-ray Specs:

Languages: English, Japanese
Audio: English Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0
Video: 1080p Standard Definition Remaster/Upscaled format with 4:3 black bars anamorphic ratio
Region: A B
Subtitles: English
Locked Subtitles: No
Discs: 3

Plot Synopsis (via Anime Limited & Funimation UK):

“Ouran Academy: An institution of extravagance and prestige where learning comes secondary to luxury. Only those of the highest pedigrees and the wealthiest families are lucky enough to attend, and the truly elite are the members of the Ouran Host Club. A group of the handsomest boys on campus with far too much time on their hands, the Host Club dedicates every afternoon to entertaining the lovely young ladies. Just think of is as the academys elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful

But for studious Haruhi Fujioka, education is a privilege that must be earned, being on scholarship and out of place among the moneyed. That is until the day Haruhi stumbles upon the Host Club, a stumble which leaves the freshman indebted for millions of yen. And the only way to pay for the damages? Well, Haruhi will work as a Host. Theres only one problem: Haru-he is actually a Haru-she!”

Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:

English Dub Commentary for Episodes 1, 4, 5, 18, 22 & 24
Ouran High School Host Club Manga Pages Presented by Viz Media
English Dub Outtakes Parts 1 & 2
Textless Opening Song “Sakura Kiss”
Textless Closing Song “Shissou”
Funimation Trailers

Collector’s Edition Extras:

Rigid Box with Clean artwork, Title on Spine, Digipack for Discs, Info on Paper Sheet
32-page Booklet
2 Stickers

Ouran High School Host Club was licensed for home video by Anime Limited & Funimation UK. As of 2019, the license has reverted back to Funimation with no word on a re-release in the UK & Ireland.