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.
