Ranked #51

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Warning: This review contains some SPOILERS

I've read many reviews of this show, and they're varied - some people love it, some hate it. Personally, I love this show, and am almost surprised that some people don't. But then again, if you don't like the sheer randomness and wackiness that the show builds on, the anime won't appeal to you.

The setting is as following – a girl (Haruhi Suzumiya) has the power to change reality – a sort of God, in other words. She is unaware of this ability herself. Her wish of meeting espers, aliens and time travelers, combined with the aforementioned power, ends up in her making a club where said types of beings come together (she’s unaware of them being any more than normal humans, though) – along with a perfectly normal guy named Kyon; the first normal human to get along with her. Her club is called the SOS Brigade (Save the world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya Haruhi’s Bridage), and we follow them as they partake in various – and humorous – activities.


Story-wise, you can say the anime is episodic in that there's a new event every episode, but there's still ties between the individual episodes, which makes a true chronological order present. However, they were originally aired in a non-chronologic order, to make things even more confusing and random. Personally, I prefer the chronological order over the broadcast order, but I've heard people say otherwise. I'll try to list ups and down as good as possible:

Broadcast order:
+ You'll get some good character development
+ The end of the series actually come at the end
- References to episodes that you haven't watched yet
- First episode might scare you off (watch it till the end!)

Chronological order:
+ Linear story
- The ending is kinda in the middle of the series
- Character development may feel a bit reset after episodes

Decide for yourself =)

To me, the story was really great, and so was the setting. Each episode contained so much - you may feel that you've watched more than one episode's length at the end of an episode. This is partially due to the pacing - it varies from the slow, standard slice-of-life pacing to hyperactive and fast pacing which fits with Haruhi's character.


The animation style of the show is excellent. Kyoto Animation definitely lives up to their reputation - most of the series they've worked on has an excellent animation quality (note: excellent, not necessarily perfect). The characters move so fluidly, the coloring is great, and other details are good too. Haruhi's various hair styles are a plus too. Lighting effects are good too..Their faces lost detail too often, which drags it down.


The soundtrack is so-so. It's not the best, but it's good nevertheless. The OP/ED themes are catchy and good stand-alone songs, and the BGM is decent for this type of show. Voice acting is really good too; they manage to portray Haruhi's hyperactiveness and Kyon's laid-back, sarcastic character very well.


When it comes to the characters, many people drag the score down because of the near-absence of character development. But, hey, guess what folks? It's a 14-episode slice of life/comedy anime. You don't watch these if you want character development. Sometimes you've got to think about what you're rating before you rate it. I don't let low amounts of character development drag down the score for this kind of anime. Though, watching it in broadcast order presents you with some good character development towards the end.

Okay, the characters may be a little unoriginal - the laid-back guy and the hyperactive girl pair is definitely not something unseen. A quiet and shy girl and a moe/loli girl aren't unusual either. But what made the characters in TMoHS as good as they were was the unique way in which they were presented - it kinda made me forget that they're based on character types seen many times before in the world of anime.

The story is told from Kyon's point of view, and he tells the story in a style that just made me burst out in laughter from time to time. Haruhi's hyperactiveness and, as Nagato said, "absence of universally accepted personality traits", makes her really fun to watch, and she gives me a good laugh more than once per episode. What people may find repulsive about her behavior is her constant sexual harassments of poor Mikuru. But I've seen people who hate the show based on only that, which I find stupid. Anyway, you've got to be prepared for a little fanservice from Haruhi's and Mikuru's interactions, if that's the correct term.


All in all, TMoHS is a series which, to me, lived up to most of the hype. Good way of telling a 14-episode story, good animation, decent soundtrack, characters who were portrayed in a way that made them original, and of course, a unique setting. And not to mention, it's highly rewatchable, both for getting to watch it in both orders and because it's just pure fun to watch over and over again.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =) read more

It's not easy writing a review for such a well known and extremely successful anime. I'll do my best though.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is, I feel I can safely say, a milestone in Anime history. Much like Evangelion, Suzumiya brings new light and brilliance to something we didn't know could exist. It brings pure genius comedy and an excellent array of characters to keep you hooked.

What's so good about it you ask? Why's this anime good enough to be deemed a milestone. It's simple. Haruhiism. It's a religion named after Haruhi herself. Her character posses such a strong charisma that you can't help but feel attracted and entertained by her. Her comments throughout the show are comparable with no other characters in any series that I can think of. Kyon along side her completes the two so incredibly well that its near impossible to not want to watch the next episode to see how the two will interact.

Enough rambling, the story is awesome. It's presented to you out of chronological order. That means episode 4 comes after episode 6, and episode 8 comes before 5 (not the actual order of the show). Don't worry though, the episodes are out of order with purpose and intention, and it makes the anime all the more interesting.

The Animation is top notch. There's one episode where a particular character is singing and they have the lyrics/drummer/guitarist sinked perfectly. Beautiful fight scenes (though these are short and infrequent) too.

The sound/music is pretty decent, with the opening and ending pretty catchy. Nothing amazing though.

I only gave the characters a 9/10 because there isn't enough information given about everyone to really get to know the character. Sure each definitely has their own personality, but we don't "know" them by the time the show ends.

10/10 for enjoyment, without a doubt.

If you haven't picked this series up, do it now. It's one of those "must sees" and you will not regret it. read more