Series Differences

When a successful franchise has a variety of formats, it's next to impossible for there to be complete harmony between how each medium relates the story.  In the case of Ouran High School Host Club, there are multiple differences: some found in the scripts, the translations, the scanlations, the physical depictions of the characters, the characters themselves and a number of other areas.  The list below is by no means all-inclusive.

Anime vs Manga

The differences cited below are based upon the English translated version of the anime (noted as A:) as compared to the English translated version of the manga (noted as M:).

GENERAL DIFFERENCESl

A:  Covers one school year from April - March.  M: Characters neither advance nor graduate until Volume 15 and the seasons recycle several times during Haruhi's 1st-year at Ouran. 

A: The twins have spiky coifs.  M:  The twins have simpler hairstyles which evolve into their spikier versions.

A: Honey is significantly smaller than Haruhi.  M: He's only slightly shorter than Haruhi and it is revealed that his height was suppressed by supplements given to him by Kyoya.

A:  Simple decor and outfits.  Manga:  Patterns galore and the hosts casualwear varies greatly.

A: Haruhi refers to Kotoko as "Mom."  M:  Haruhi typically refers to Kotoko as "Mother" or "Mother in Heaven."

A:  Honey's stuffed rabbit is named Usa-chan.  M:  The rabbit's name is "Bun-bun."

The last two episodes of the anime do not exist in the manga.

Ep 01 - Starting Today, You are a Host!

A: Tamaki discovers that Haruhi is a girl when he brings towels unannounced into the changing room and sees her in Her camisole.  M: Haruhi drops her ID which Tamaki picks up and reads "female" along with a Middle School photo.

A: Tamaki rolls up his pants and blazer sleeves to help Haruhi find her wallet in the pond.  M: Tamaki takes his blazer, shirt and tie off completely before doing the same thing.

A: Tamaki increases Haruhi's necessary guest count to 1,000 because she caused them to lose a "regular."  M: He adds that it's also because his exquisite body was reduced to menial labor.

A: Kyoya rings up Tamaki's stylist.  M: Kyoya rings up the school tailor.

A: Ayanokoji throws Haruhi's books into the pond.  M: She also places a sewing needle in the collar of Haruhi's jacket and a razor blade between the pages of her textbook which causes Haruhi injury.

Ep 02 - The Job of a High School Host!

A: Haruhi kisses Kanako.  M: Haruhi kisses the top point-getter, Miyako.

A: Spring Dance Party  M: Christmas Party.

A: Kanako suffers from the the Host-Hopping disease.  M: Kanako suffers from the Fickle Female Disease.

Ep 03 - Beware the Physical Exam!

A:  Episode 03 is Chapter 04 of the manga.  M: Chapter 03 is Episode 04 of the anime.

A: Tamaki quips that the other hosts are "homosexual supporting cast."  M: He quips that they are "sexless."

Ep 04 - Attack of the Lady Manager!

A: Renge appears as a semi-regular guest/cast member.  M: Renge appears in only a few chapters.

A: Ukidoki Memorial is visualized.  M: The game is only mentioned.

Ep 05 - The Twins Fight!

Ep 06 - The Grade School Host is the Naughty Type!

Ep 07 - Jungle Pool SOS!

Ep 08 - The Sun, the Sea, and the Host Club!

Ep 09 - A Challenge from Lobelia Girls' Academy!

A: All hosts but Mori dress as girls to compete with the Zuka Club.  M: Only Hikaru, Kaoru, and Honey cross-dress.

Ep 10 - A Day in the Life of the Fujioka Family!

Ep 11 - Big Brother is a Prince!

Ep 12 - Honey's Three Bitter Days!

Ep 13 - Haruhi in Wonderland!

A: Haruhi is the only "Alice" character and each host plays a specific part.  M: The twins are also "Alices" and the hosts play different roles.

Ep 14 - Covering the Famous Host Club!

Ep 15 - The Refreshing Battle in Karuizawa!

A: The twins wake up in their shared bed.  M: The twins have separate beds, pushed together.

Ep 16 - Operation Haruhi and Hikaru’s First Date!

Ep 17 - Kyoya’s Reluctant Day Out!

A: Tamaki purchases a golden retriever from a mall pet shop and names it Antoinette.  M: Antoinette is a puppy born of Anne-Sophie's dog and given to Tamaki when he first arrives in Japan.

Ep 18 - Chika’s “Down with Honey” Declaration!

Ep 19 - Lobelia Girls’ Academy Strikes Back!

A: The premise is Benio wanting to kiss Haruhi.  M: The premise is Benio's giving a demonstration to her acting class about how NOT to act their male roles by using the antics of the Host Club as examples.

Ep 20 - The Door the Twins Opened!

Ep 21 - Until the Day it Becomes a Pumpkin!

A: The premise is a single Halloween event.  M: The premise includes two separate Halloween chapters. In Chapter 11, the Hitachiins take turns dressing up as the Belltower Witch to scare Haruhi and in Chapter 32, Class 1-A holds a Scare Fest.

Ep 22 - Mori-senpai Has an Apprentice Candidate!

Ep 23 - Tamaki’s Unwitting Depression!

Ep 24 - And so Kyoya Met Him!

Ep 25 - The Host Club Declares Dissolution!

A: Yoshio Ootori slaps Kyoya at the Ouran Fair and criticizes his Host Club activities.  Manga: Yoshio does not slap Kyoya and is fully aware of his son's involvement in the Host Club.

A: Éclair Tonnerre arrives and becomes engaged to Tamaki.  M: Éclair Tonnerre doesn't exist; however, Michelle of Monale, Zennosuke Kazama and Satoshi Morinozuka, who actually appear in the volumes that the anime covers, do.

A: Tamaki's mother, Anne-Sophie, works as a housekeeper for the Tonnerre household.  M: Anne-Sophie is a piano instructor in her community.

Ep 26 - This is Our Ouran Fair!

A: Yoshio expresses interest in a marriage between Haruhi and Kyoya.  M: Kyoya explicitly states that he is uninterested in Haruhi because it would not profit the Ootori name.

A: Haruhi addresses both Yoshio Ootori and Yuzuru Suoh.  M:  Haruhi also meets the twins' parents and hears mentions of Mori and Honey's families.

Anime/Manga vs Dorama

• In the anime, the Ouran Academy blazers are light blue; in the dorama, they're navy blue.  The manga shows the blazers as light blue as seen on the cover of Volume 18.
• Likewise, during the twins' fake fight, the manga shows the twins' differing hair colors as light brown and dark brown as seen, again, on the cover of Volume 18.  In the anime, Hikaru and Kaoru dye their hair pink and blue, respectively; while in the dorama, Hikaru dyes his hair blonde and Kaoru does not dye his hair at all.
• One final color difference defined by the cover of Volume 18 is Tamaki's blue eyes in the manga; violet in the anime and light brown in the dorama.
• In the manga, Michelle is a princess of a fictional European country named Monale, while in the movie, Monale is the name of her family business in Singapore. She is also in Class 2-A with Tamaki instead of Class 1-A like the manga.
• Haruhi accidently kisses neither Kanako nor Miyako in the dorama, but Ayame.
• Similar to Renge's increased significance in the anime, Nekozawa is a much more significant character in the dorama than the manga and appears in every episode.
• During the beach episode, when Haruhi falls off a cliff while defending the girls, Tamaki jumps in after her in the manga, anime, and dorama. However, in the dorama, Kyoya also jumps in to save her.
• Instead of a notebook, Kyoya uses a tablet in the dorama.
• The cause of Kotoko's death is unspecified in both the manga and anime. In the first episode of the dorama, it is mentioned that she died of illness and in a backflash during the movie, Haruhi sees her mother collapse on the way to work.
• The Black Magic Club competes in Ouran Battle in the dorama, but neither in the manga nor the anime.
• Reiko does not associate with the Host Club in the manga until she develops a crush on Honey. However, in the dorama, she has no lines or significant interaction with Honey, yet frequently intrudes on the Host Club with Nekozawa.