Ranked #403

The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya

In the never-ending wait for a real second season of Haruhi, Kadokawa decided to present us with this short web series called the Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya. And to be fair and honest, these series of short mini-episodes was more enjoyable that I would have ever expected. Here is a short and fast review with its ups and downs

Story:
+ Nice and funny situations ensured in every episode
+ Many overused themes in animes but taken to the extreme for extra lols

- Could have been a little longer in length per episode but thats just me wanting more
- Those wanting actual substance should go look somewhere else

Art:
+ Rich in color
+ Nice blend of chibi and normal character animations, making some scenes even funnier
+ Chibi forms look very cute

- Obvious ploy to save animation budget (lol)
- The first couple of episode look downright bad

Sound:
+ All the original voice cast is present
+ Some nice selection of background music

- Haruhi sounds like Konata 80% of the time (although its obvious because of the chibi)

Character:
+ All the characters that made the original series a hit return with their quirks turned up to MAXIMUM
+ A lot of forgotten side characters are given many great moments to shine

- Haruhi is WAAAAY more docile and calm than her original version (good for those who didn't like that about her original version)

Enjoyment: For a small series that runs for approx 5 minutes per episode. I have greatly enjoyed watching this. It really was a great way to kill time when I had nothing else to watch.

Overall: If you were a fan of the original series then I would highly recommend you check this out. They are short in length so its something simple to watch and they are a perfect watch when you want to just flat out kill some time and have a nice and light anime break. In the wait for a real second season, this will surely be a great way to kill some of the anxiety. read more

Okay, the only reason that I'm still a Haruhi fan is for two reasons: 1) the original Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2006 and 2) this ONA. ^^

The original idea of The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya came from a parody comic series that pretty much subtly made fun of the original anime. And, I'm not usually one for these kinds of parodies, but I just couldn't resist~! ^^ Also, I love how evil Yuki is shown to be in the series... *devious grin* Not to mention that random lion that was thrown into the mix as well... ^^;;;;

The art... Well, let's just say that it's very rare to see chibis still keep their proper anatomy and such in tact. This, is a good thing. Haruhi-chan Suzumiya has managed to pull this off quite well. But, then again, we are talking about Kyoto Animation. Also, the first couple of episodes were done with 3D generated cell-shaded characters. After the first four or five episodes (give or take), though, they resumed to 2D traditional cell-shaded characters.

The sound was, unbelievably, astounding. Usually, I'd get annoyed with Mikuru's voice, but the situations that the story showed made it so that it was actually quite enjoyable~!

Characters seemed to be put on a more comedic spin. But, you do have to realize that this is a parody series that focuses on some points on the original series and pretty much spends about 2-5 minutes making fun of it. But, because they focused so much on the comedic side of things, there wasn't any real development in character. But, that's a given when you're watching a series of parodizing shorts on one of the Anime Industry's largest franchises.

The enjoyment was DEFINATELY 10/10~! Not only did it have the element of satiric comedy, but it also had some... risque-ness into it as well. (is that even a word??) Such as the "wall between hearts." (Or, something like that.) Also, there was some awesome ass-kicking in a few episodes. ^^

Overall, it's not a story and plot-driven anime. It's not exactly focused on character development, either. No, it's merely a satire that makes fun of the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise, and personally, I think that they've done a swell job~!

I give "The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya" a grand total score of 9/10! read more