Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (2009)

In "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," the Endless Eight Arc has generated a lot of dissatisfaction among the fans. It was an eight-episode show that revolved around the same events with different animation, clothes, and backgrounds. For many viewers, it was boring and repetitive.

Such repetition, however, was not a result of budget constraints but instead a deliberate narrative choice on the part of the show's director. It was also a way to build up the hype for the next movie "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" by using the same frustration felt by the main character, Kyon.

Yet, amidst the repetitive loop, the true star of the ... arc emerges: The protagonist of the story is not a space wanderer but rather Yuki, an alien viewer. In order to understand who she is, one must immerse oneself in the world of artificial intelligence and its potential to develop emotions. Yuki's way through the endless eight, which involves more than 15,000 repetitions, mirrors the emotional struggles of an entity that has just discovered love.

From the standpoint of storytelling this arc turned out to be a bold move that in the end did pay off. Its repetition built a visceral reaction among the viewers that paved the way for the storyline. So, we can say that although the Endless Eight has tried the patience of the viewers, we can never underestimate its narrative impact.

'Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?'


The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is most definitely a good series, but in some aspects, it is flawed, especially when it comes to a certain part of the story, that people do not seem to enjoy at all. However, if you can look past that, I'm sure you will find something quite special.

Before reading this review, keep in mind that this is a review of the whole series, excluding the movie, because a certain loop has given me enough of this series, for now, at least.


Animation:
The animation in this show is stellar, especially since ... it was made in 2009, it is very well done in most aspects, and it has not disappointed me for the whole run. While yes, it is in the old art style of anime, you might not even notice it because of how smooth it is at most times, especially in action scenes.

Visuals:
Since it was made in 2009-2010, the visuals are indeed a bit dated, but that doesn't mean they are bad. The effects move cleanly, and the action scenes this anime has are filled with very nice visuals throughout. Outside of that, it is your run of the mill slice of life in terms of visuals, nothing to write home about, but certainly not something that will hurt your retinas.

Soundtrack:
Just like the animation, the soundtrack is amazing, because even if this show is very strange most of the time, the soundtrack manages to fit all of those strange or unexplained moments perfectly. It is snappy, cheery, mysterious, and everything in between, when it needs to be, that is. I haven't really listened to the OP and outro's just yet, but judging by the songs in the shows, I'm sure they are well made.

Story:
It is about time we start with the story, and why I used that certain quote at the start of the review. In the first season, the show has a very nice pacing, and the story is easy enough to follow, even though it is sometimes very strange in its explanations. However, this all changes with the second season, and with a very specific arc, that lasts 8 entire episodes, rather fittingly. If you know anything about the show, it is probably this, as it is very infamous among fans, but if you do not I will not spoil it here, as even though I don't think its good, I do not wish to spoil it. That said, I am on the 'this arc is bad' side, solely because at one point, I had to skip to the ending of the episodes, and you will understand why when you get there. But, even if I do not like it, the show is still manages to be entertaining afterwards, however, if I had to wait for these episodes to come out, and I got to watch the same thing again, expecting things to change, the overall rating would have been much lower, so I can understand why some fans are that annoyed by it.

Closing statement:
The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a strange and sometimes hilarious journey, but if you are not the patient type, I suggest you steer well away from it. That said, if you want a show that has a very unique idea, or a slice of life combined with different other genres, then I suggest you give it a go, as you might not find something like this anywhere else!

The writing for this season is honestly abysmal. The first two episodes and the first three episodes of the third arc were great. The rest, however, was just ass. Endless eight, while an interesting concept, was executed terribly. Nearly all the episodes, except the first two, were identical. I would say the same for the last, but the only difference was the ending really. And part four of The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya...It was a total mess. Kyon confronts Haruhi for her bullshit, yet he ends up dismissing her actions as if nothing terrible occurred... What a way to ruin an almost redeeming arc. The ... Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya remains to be one of my favorite franchises, but this season in particular is just unfiltered garbage.