Having never read the manga or watched the anime (I plan to watch it in the very near future!) I went into this show completely unaware of the story & characters, and I have to say: I loved every second of it! I thought the cast had great chemistry & were totally believable. I can't compare them to the manga & anime portrayals but I enjoyed them all individually. I fell in love with Yusuke Yamamoto as Tamaki, and didn't find his OTTness to be bad in the least! I loved the balance between his wackiness and his moments of sincerity. This show renewed my interest in 'girls dressed as boys' dramas by not directly focusing on the fact that Haruhi dressed as a boy the entire series - by that I mean it was central to the set up but not the main plot point. Such a welcomed change. I can't wait to watch the film!