Ranked #406

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

Yay, first reviewer for this anime! X D

Story (5/10): Unfortunately, this ONA suffers in not having a plot. While I do understand that this is more of those "one event per one episode" kind of anime, there are some glimpses of storyline riddled throughout, and I do believe that an anime should either have a good, well developed storyline, or none at all. The producers should be more consistent with what they input into this work, and not try to add anything out of the blue.
Art (9/10): The art is fantastic and clean, making the entire viewing experience that much more enjoyable. The characters all look adorable as chibi, and the art work is surprisingly pretty much consistent with its original.
Sound (3/10): Not much to say for the music as there really isn't any, excluding the beginning where Haruhi's face smashes into the screen (lol) or during any action sequence. I feel however, that the lack of music, although not nesassary, was a poor choice, as the music (and the dance) of the original has become iconic and known throughout the anime viewing world. The producers could have easily pulled off the same stunt, creating a "chibi chibi hare hare yukai" and creating a new chibi version dance for it (oh, I would give anything to see this come true).
Characters (10/10): Lucky, the producers kept true to the original character personalities! Well...mostly. Besides the fact that Kyon is now challenging Haruhi at any chance he gets, that Yuki is now a perverted videogame playing weirdo, that Asahina is now barely a foot tall, that Haruhi is being considerate, and Mikuru is now (for some reason) crying like a baby bird, no real changes (lol)! However, this is a comedy, and these "minor" changes do well to enchance the hilarity of this ONA overall.
Enjoyment (9/10): Highly enjoyment!
Overall (8/10): Good, recommendable!

Well, this ONA has kept me, my pitchfork, and my torch occupied while waiting for season 2 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and hopefully garderned back some once faithful Haruhi fans! And hopefully it will satisfy your craving of Haruhi for a while until the second one is released (which it better be, or else a certain "unnamed" animation studio will find themselves hunted down one by one by a certain doctor, and I don't mean House...he's busy).

Tip: For those of you who are just beginning this anime, please don't consider dropping it until after 5 episodes. The beginning is unfortunately slow, however, it gets much more exciting and funny around episode 3, and it starts growing on you. It's definitely worth the watch! ^^

Hasta La Vista read more