Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu

- - - [ Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu // Eps: 14 // Overall: 9 ] - - -

I'l say it right here. Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (SH) is no ordinary anime. You will see lots of weirdness and strangeness and unexplainable things and.. well it's basically weird. Just see Ep. 1 and you will see what I mean. Suzumiya Haruhi introduces herself as "I am not interested in ordinary humans. If you are an alien, time traveller, or esper, then contact me". After that, you will know what awaits.

However, SH is definitely worth seeing. It's got a strange sense of humour that will keep you ... laughing at some occasions (and that will be some hard laughs, trust me. True LMAO's), while at others, you will just go "Eh?" then make a strange face. SH is well made, good animation, good characters, and a nice plot. The background music is cheezy and entertaining. Oh yeah, there is a fair bit of ecchiness too! :D Therefore, there is nothing much to complain about in SH... but it was really worth my time!
(Side note: Bunny Girl Suzumiya FTW!!)

- [ Animation = Nothing really amazing = 8 ] -

The animation in SH is nothing to be amazed of. There are no real special effects, save for the last few episodes. The overall quality was good. The scenes were well detailed, and so were the backgrounds. It also applies to characters, but in a lesser amount. The characters were well made, but some things about them were unrealistic, like Haruhi's wide smile. I know it's anime, but still.. It's not much to complain about, but just to point out. I do not say that it was bad, but it was unconventional. The whole of SH is unconventional, so I cannot complain.

There is not much to say about animation. There is nothing bad, but there are certainly good things. Like I said, the characters were well-designed and some of them definitely cute. The action scenes had no glitches and were smooth enough. There are not many, but they are good. The special effects too are here, scattered through the series. Here too a good job was done.

Overall, it's a 8. Because personally I was not impressed, but it deserved at least an 8.

- [ Sound = No comments = 7 ] -

I do not pay attention to sound usually. Nothing caught my attention here. The background music was satisfactory. The OP and ED were alright, a bit strange in terms of content, but ok. The effects too were ok.

The voice actors did their job well, and did specially well in demonstrating the violent emotional outbursts of Haruhi, or the shyness of Mikuru. Not much to say about Yuki since she barely talks.

Overall, it was alright. Nothing bad.

- [ Story = Great! Just what I needed = 9 ] -

Now comes one of the strengths of SH! Now, mind you. The plot is really strange and quite difficult to understand. It's very unconventional for an anime. It doesn't fall in any category I know. It's a great blend of romance, ecchiness, adventure, philosophy, mystery and friendship, together with lots of eccentricity! Not your common anime, ain't it?

Well, I can guarantee you that you will not get bored with SH. The stories are really amazing. However, don't be surprised if you do not understand everything at one go. Sometimes, you will have the impression that you missed out some episodes. It's normal, trust me. In fact, if you check Wikipedia, you will see that the episodes were aired in a disorderly manner!

Nevertheless, it does make sense! Well, the story revolves about Suzumiya Haruhi who is the main female character, Kyon the main male character, Yuki, Koizumi, Mikuru. As the story proceeds, you will get the opportunity to know the other students of the college. Now, Haruhi is what you will call strange. As introduction to her class, she gave the weird line I said above! Haruhi thinks the world is a boring place without aliens and stuff. As a result, she would do anything to investigate anything strange she comes through.

SH has a subtle scent of romance that is nice. It doesn't really jump out before the last episode, but you will definitely feel it there. And that is why you will want a second season! Added with its weird philosophy and jumpy action, you've got a real nice mix in the form of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu!

This may sound boring here, but it's actually quite interesting. What will keep you sticked is the strange things in the story, and there are lots of them. If you don't believe me, just check SH's marks! SH is really an unbelievable anime. It is interesting in a strange way. Many of the episodes do not make much sense, but you will still watch them and still go on with the remaining episodes. And when it ends, you will want a second season. It is that kind of anime, and a very good one at that. Strange yes, but good! SH's plot cannot be described without actually spoiling things, but I will surely recommend it!

I hated just one thing. They condensed too much in 14 episodes. SH, for all its greatness, merited at least 20 episodes! I get the impression that the producers kinda rushed it off. But that's just my opinion. Regardless, the ending was extremely good nevertheless. I must admit that the romance part was a bit too short for my liking. And at the end, we do not know what really happens to the characters, that's why I'd like a sequel or an OVA...

I gave it a 9 because some of the things were too strange for my understanding.. Like what? Like a baseball match that will determine the fate of the world, whether it is destroyed or preserved! Like a baseball bat that has homing mode! And that's only for one episode!

- [ Characters = The most varied blend I've ever seen = 9 ] -

I saw Eureka Seven, and I can say there was a fair mix of characters in there. But I really think that SH has set a new record. There are just 5 main characters, but each are radically different from each other. Haruhi is ultra-active, Kyon is quiet, Koizumi agrees too easily to everything, Yuki is too quiet and Mikuru is too shy. As you see, every one of them is an extreme! That is something that kept me engrossed till the end.

Each of the chracters is fun to discover since they have such distinct personalities. And when you take all of them, stuff them in one room and create a club called SOS DAN, then some serious laughs and fun (and ecchiness) awaits you! And the most interesting thing! Each of the characters (except one) have their own little (big) secret and intents! It may not be evident at first, but each one of them has a role or many roles to play. Just be ready for some serious complexities for Yuki, lots of philosophical stuff for Koizumi, lots of "iyaaaa" for Mikuru and lots of raw strangeness for Haruhi!

- [ Value and Enjoyment = In a strange way, I really enjoyed it = 9+ ]

SH is not a conventional anime, and it is really refreshing to see some of its kind from time to time. You just sit and watch, without having to use much of your brain. Personally, I really enjoyed it. I knew it was strange and this attracted me more, just to see of what SH was made of. I can say it was worth it!

The value and enjoyment lies in the diversity of the characters and the strange things that Haruhi comes up with. Quite an eccentric girl! But so much fun, specially the parodies and the film about Mikuru!

It does have a rewatch value, since it is short and since you will want to understand its plot better and discover more of the characters. But do it in order this time. It will make things easier to understand. Check Sentress' review.

- [ Conclusion ] -

SH is great! Go watch it and you will surely enjoy it. There is not much to say apart from this. If you are ready to bear with some weirdness, then go for SH. Weird is not really a correct word. "Unconventional" is better. This is what makes SH interesting. Just go and watch. It's incredibly difficult to describe SH in words but I say it is worth it. It is extremely successful, so check it out! It's just 14 episodes so it cannot go wrong. It's really a wild roller-coaster ride from the start to the end!

I keep seeing the people who like it making reviews here. Now let me speak my side (the side that totally hates it)
I'm not a person that can like a series just because of the main character looks/personality. Personally i don't care if Haruhi is this or is that. For me a good anime series needs to have a solid story where everything fits and good character interaction.
This series are a set of events pointing to haruhi's ability to fulfill her wishes without noticing, each episode gives a hint of the story but thats it, only a hint nothing else.
Mostly is like saying: "this is ... how our story is supposed to be, now watch all this side-story eps somehow related to it"
Now to make things worst eps are not even in the correct order? Man you just lost 50% of your audience right here no matter how popular it is.

I dont know about the 2nd season but for me 1st season was a major disaster and a colossal disappointment. I just watched because it read nothing but good reviews about it. I really was expecting a great series that keep me wanting to see next episode, i watched it all trying to see where the greatness were but believe me, my mind dropped it in the very first eps.

There goes another anime for merchandising purposes only...how many haruhi dolls/t-shirts are they selling? :)

Honestly, i compare this to Clannad, just that in Clannad they didnt play dumb and made it "normal" :)
Haruhi sure has a great potential but please in the future make it less surrealist XD

(l to r, clockwise) The SOS Brigade: Kyon, Koizumi, Mikuru, Yuki, Haruhi (center)

Title: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Novel, Manga, Radio Dramas/Drama CD, Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (henceforth refered to as TMoHS) began as a light novel series in Japan, where it is known by the title Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu. The novels are authored by Nagaru Tanigawa, and illustrated by Noizi Ito. The first volume was released on June 6th, 2003, and is serialized in the novel magazine The Sneaker, by Kadokawa Shonen, and is currently ongoing, with nine volumes released to date, and a tenth volume due out on ... June 1st, 2007. The TMoHS novels have also been released in Taiwan and Hong Kong by Kadokawa Media, and in South Korea by Daiwon CI. The first novel in the TMoHS series was awarded the grand prize in the 8th annual Sneaker Awards, a prize only awarded two other times.

TMoHS also has two manga incarnations, based off of the novels. The first manga adaptation ran from May to December of 2004, and was illustrated by Mizuno Makoto. This adaptation was canceled and its existence was denied after the first volume, mainly because it diverged wildly from the source material (the novel), the original author had very little input in it, and it was found that the illustrator was producing an H-rated doujinshi related to the material, which unsettled Kadokawa Shonen, the publisher. The second manga adaptation, illustrated by Gaku Tsugano, and aimed at a younger audience, began running in November of 2005, and is ongoing, with three volumes released to date, and a fourth volume planned for release on June 10th, 2007. Both adaptations have run in Shounen Ace.

Three radio dramas based on the anime have also been released by Lantis, with the latest volume released on December 21st, 2006. A drama CD was also released on January 24th, 2007.

The anime adaptation of TMoHS was done by Kyoto Animation, (famous for the Full Metal Panic companion series Full Metal Panic?: Fumoffu and Full Metal Panic!: The Second Raid, along with the 2006 remake of Kanon) and directed by Tatsuya Ishihara (famous for directing Air and Fushigi Yuugi). TMoHS ran from April 2nd, 2006 to July 2nd, 2006, and consisted of fourteen episodes. TMoHS has been licensed Stateside by Kadokawa Pictures USA, and sublicensed production and distribution to Bandai Entertainment. The first volume is due out May 29th, 2007.

Story: TMoHS focuses around the title character of Haruhi Suzumiya, an oddball who stands up and declares on the first day of high school that if you're not an alien, time traveler, or esper, don't waste her time, and if you are, come join her. Among other odd quirks of hers, she checked out every club in the school, but never joined any of them, and this is finally what gets her and Kyon (our snarky narrator and the character from whose pov we view most of the series' events from) talking. From these conversations, she gets the idea to start the Save our world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya Haruhi Brigade (or SOS Brigade for short), and Kyon is roped into helping her, whether he really wants to or not. Besides her and Kyon, Haruhi ropes in Yuki (a quiet female member of the now-defunct Literary Club who doesn't care what they do so long as she can read), and Mikuru (a small, timid second-year girl with a cute face and big breasts (Haruhi even encourages Kyon to grope them! o.O; ), and, as described by Haruhi, "a lolita"), and Koizumi (a mysterious transfer student).

I want to say more, but doing so would spoil a good part of the series for you. You'll just have to watch and find out what happens. ^^

Story Critique: TMoHS' story rawqs my socks. Kyon's snarky narration makes each episode priceless. The mix of normal school life and paranormal makes for quite the episodes, especially given our quirky characters. The series does have a sci-fi twist to it, but, given our title character, this doesn't seem out of the ordinary at all, and the surreal situations that are found in this series simply become par for the course.

An oddity about this series is that it wasn't broadcast in chronological order. If you do like your stories told in chronological order, the order to watch the episodes in is: 2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 14, 4, 7, 6, 8, 1, 12, 11, 9.

Given the choice between the two ways to watch the series, I would stick with the way I watched it: broadcast order. Yes, watching it in broadcast order does mean that there will be frequent jumps in the episodes that will leave you confused and wondering just what the hell is going on. But that's part of the fun of this series. And, comparing the two episodes that the series can end on, given these orders, I find the broadcast order gives you the more satisfying ending.

Art: Kyoto Animation is known for their dedication to quality in animation, and it really shows here. The characters have several different outfits that they can be seen in, so there's plenty of variety, and the designs for characters and backgrounds themselves are amazingly detailed. The anime tends to use very rich colors, which gives that series that much more of a paranormal or normal feel, depending on the situation.

Music: I couldn't care less about the OP for this series. But the ED rawqs my socks, and then some. I am actually going out of my way to learn the dance it showcases. And the background music for the series is the first that I've actively noticed and liked for quite some time. And the insert songs for the twelfth episode... God.

If anyone knows where I can find the soundtrack for the series, link me up NOW.

Seiyuu: I don't have any issues with the seiyuu, as normal. Every voice choice matches their character perfectly.

Dub: N/A

Length: This is the only area where TMoHS has issues.

At first, I was perfectly fine with fourteen episodes. Though I wanted more, I was thoroughly satisfied with the end to the series. And then I found out that the source material is ongoing. Like Kino no Tabi, the anime itself only covered a fraction of the original story, and it's insanely popular, so they don't have too much of an excuse for not continuing it. There are rumors of a second season, however.

The other issue that I have is that there's a single episode that takes up half the series.

Overall: An excellent series, with quirky characters, beautiful art, addictive music that deserves the second season that's been rumored.

Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
Music: 7/10
Seiyuu: 8/10
Length: 8/10

Overall: 40/50; 80% (B)


The SOS Brigade (from the ED), The SOS Brigade's symbol

Overview:

A completely unlikeable bitch torments an obnoxious "moe" blob of a character while a chalkboard proudly displays Fermat's last theorem or Schrodinger's equation in the background as if declaring: "look how bloody clever I am! This is truly a show for intellectuals!"

(insert math formula here)

Yeah, I can copy/paste too you bastards!

Haruhi director be not proud, though some have called you brilliant and visionary, for thou art not so!

... Spoilers!

Story: 4/10

The story is that God, the creator of the universe, is an awful high school brat that must be kept entertained or else she will destroy the universe. Many people come from across time and space to entertain this most grating of protagonists in order to save existence. It is possible to have an absurdist, nihilistic plot and make it entertaining and clever. For better examples look at Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hell, look at any of the Disgaea games, those are WAY better than Haruhi! The plot isn't that clever, entertaining, or rewarding for the viewer. It is self indulgent trash that wishes to join the ranks of the titans of absurdism. It is like something Samuel Beckett would write after having a lobotomy!

Characters: 2/10

I HATE the characters in this show. I hate Haruhi! I hate Kyon! I hate them all! The characters don't really amount to anything besides tired anime cliches and at no point do they allow the viewer to empathize with them or care about them. The show does attempt some character development, but I really don't think it does very well in that regard. The worst part about the characters is how unbelievably obnoxious they all are! I have seen a lot of annoying anime characters, but this was a complete overload that left me so angry I couldn't see straight.

Art: 8/10

The art is actually quite good. That is the best part of the show honestly. Of course, the show did have a huge budget, so you would expect the production value to be decent.

Sound: 2/10

Haruhi has my least favorite opening in all of anime! Even the Love Hina opening isn't as infuriatingly stupid and sickening as this one. The rest of the soundtrack is also rage inducingly awful. The composer once wrote the Rocket Knight Adventures OST for the Sega Genesis! What the HELL happened! Did she sell her musical talent to the devil in order to pay off her student loans?! The Devil paid the loans, but replaced her talent with a new type of musical talent that could only make music to please him and praise the name of Lucifer!

Enjoyment: 1/10

Watching this series is enjoyable in the way that repeatedly punching yourself in the scrotum is enjoyable.

Overall: 4/10

As much as I absolutely HATE this series, it would be unfair to give it below a 4. Why? The art is actually quite good, and the director at least tried to create an absurdist masterpiece and had ambition, even though it failed horribly in my opinion. The show is deeply flawed, but at least it represented one man's vision and not a team of marketers trying to cash in on the latest craze. At least it wasn't about a bishounen hero that slays zombies in an MMORPG world while dating a harem of G cup women! I also gave it an extra point from the fact that I am no doubt bias against the series due to my strong hatred of its fandom. In other words, my feelings towards zealous fans should not color my review of the work itself, and therefore to protect objectivity I felt an extra point was warranted.

After the rise of Full Metal Panic! 2nd & Air, Kyoto Animation create something different but effective that makes the anime world order into a shimmy like an earthquake. Yes, this is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya !. In the era of 2006, this series became a big hit in Japan and became one of the most popular anime in the history of anime. Haruhi also has a very huge fanbase, lovers might very highly praised the series, while haters may think the show is rubbish.

That was a little glimpse of the series, but what about the story itself? The series told us about a ... high school boy known as Kyon who encounters Haruhi Suzumiya, an eccentric school girl who somehow possesses unconscious abilities that can alter or rewrite the universe. One of the good things contained in this anime is the unique premise, a bizarre yet genius idea for an anime which makes the audience interested in what was happening in the story. If you remember Baccano! & Ergo Proxy, the same narrative technique is contained in this anime. The anime present their plot in nonlinear order, some of you may think the plot is mess up or bad, but it’s not. A non-linear narrative is a narrative technique that often used in novels, film, & other media, some people may think “It’s confusing” or “What is happening?!!”. Actually, this is not a mistake, but rather a narrative technique, and if you pay attention and understand the story correctly, you certainly know what really happens. Many blamed the filler in this 14 episodes. Of course, with that short episodes, the director should be more focused the story to a better path, instead of exacerbating the situation by putting in place fan service.

For the 2006 era, the animation of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu really exceeded the given standard. The character is not rigid in their movement, light and shading effect is quite good, although sometimes the character became less detail if the screen were zoom out. But for 2006, the animation is very good.

Sound settings are fairly good, OP / ED its very easy to remember also the voice actor is very good, with good design and sound matching, the character becomes rigid and easy to remember.

The character in this anime is often tagged as “unoriginal” and “typical stereotype”, we have a certainly simple character division. We have the Eccentric & Bossy Heroine, the Lackey Male Lead, the Genius Stoic, the Clumsy Crybaby (she is the fan service doll), and the Charismatic Transfer Student. Despite of that, Haruhi Suzumiya actually became a symbolic character that even becoming a byword in her triumphed era, the charismatic of Haruhi Suzumiya is beyond the boundary. There is some minor character development we got from our main character (Haruhi). Other main characters do their roles pretty well, but one-dimensional. Some supporting characters appear just for plot devices. Nevertheless, the main characters is pretty memorable and unforgettable.

Well, if you into Sci-Fi and prefer a unique setting in Slice of Life, this anime might be recommended. But if you seek for character development & other things, seek another door. Anyway the show really put a lot of enjoyment that can even make you addicted if you love all of the aspects. It is a fairly good series indeed.

No consistant storyline in the anime except for the "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" ark and "Remote Island Sindrome" ark, work outs well though, great revolutionary artwork that inspired many other anime, the music is so outstandingly chosen that it has become a blood part of the series with the ending song and video becoming trademark and a fan favorite, characters are some of the most popular and memorable characters that have ever grazed anime territory, extremely high enjoyment, overall 10.

BEST...ANIME...EVER

Controversial. The only word that can accurately describe The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. When the show first aired, it took the entire world by storm. Spawning many shows that tried to replicate its success and quality, Haruhi is simply a show that cannot be replicated.


Story(9/10)- The first thing I noticed when I first watched this show was, I had no idea what the hell was going on. The episodes seems scattered because the episodes were not in chronological order. I had a hard time keeping track of what would happened and generally complained about it. It wasn't until I finished the show that I ... truly appreciated the broadcast order. The show doesn't give a damn about the viewer, they are just dragged along for the ride, similarly to how Haruhi takes Kyon on adventures against his will.

Although Haruhi is marketed as the star of the show, it is Kyon, the narrator, arguably runs the entire show.The story is told from the point of view. He narrates sarcastically, usually mocking the various absurdities that arise due to Haruhi and The "SOS Brigade." shenanigans. Comedy is the strongest point in this show. When it comes to the wit, cleverness, and consistancy of the jokes, you will find no anime that can rival Haruhi. The 'Falcon Kick,' and the Phoenix Wright references are the funniest moments in the show. The show has unlimited replay value. I enjoyed watching the show the second time, as much as I did the first.

Art(9/10)- The animation in this show is some of the greatest out there, bar none. There is not one person, not even people who hate this show, who can deny how beautiful it is. All the scenes are fluid, lavish, and vibrant. There is never a dip in quality. The directing of the show is a bit wonky, but so is the show itself. A lot of of unusual camera angles and design choices catch the eye of the viewer. This cements KyoAni as one of the greatest studios out of there production wise.

Sound(7/10)- The soundtrack did not really stick out aside from a few tracks. You have the addicting ed "Hare Hare Yukai," that spawned thousands of internet videos. Then you have the OP "Bouken Desho Desho?" which gives you the feeling of adventure. Other than those tracks, I can't remember anything else that resonated with me.

Character(9/10)- Although Kyon is the star of the show, one cannot deny Haruhi's insurmountable presence on screen. She dominates every scene she is in, with her controlling, eccentric presence. The best thing is she never changes. There is no overly dramatic backstory, or twist that changes her entire personality, she maintains her personality. The rest of the cast, Yuki(an Alien), Mikuru(A Time traveller) and Koizumi(An Esper) are not slacks either. Their behaviors often make Kyon's remarks more funnier.

The best part of this show has to be Kyon and Haruhi's love/hate relationship. When Haruhi's plans go too far, Kyon is there to return balance, both literally and figuratively to the world. Although Kyon disagrees with almost everything she does, he is drawn to her. They both have a strong bond of loyalty, one that can never be broken. It is their complex relationship that can set this show apart from others.

We people look back at how anime was 10 years ago, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya will undoubtedly be mentioned as one of the pioneers of modern anime. Beautiful visuals, hilarious dialogue and eccentric characters propels Haruhi to the honor of being one of the best anime ever released. I give Haruhi a 9/10.

When analysing art, perhaps the most interesting aspect of it to me is in its ability to communicate and inspire people on a very raw, personal level. Art is certainly a very powerful thing and I’m sure everybody at some point in their lives has been touched by a piece of art before. Perhaps it was a movie that inspired you to peruse filmmaking, as the original King Kong did for me. Perhaps a novel that enchanted you to pick up a pen and ensue writing your own stories. Or maybe it was a song that gave you the motivation to finally pick up an ... instrument and learn to play. The pieces of art that mean to the most to us play an important role in shaping who we are as individuals, as well as our sensibilities, especially if that piece communicated with you at an early enough age. I myself have many pieces of art that have been able to profoundly connect with me before, as I’ve already talked about in previous reviews, but perhaps the most prolific, or, to use a more accurate term, important pieces in defining who I am now as a person, was a series from 2006 produced by one of the most infamous anime studios, KyotoAni, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was the first anime I ever watched way back in late 2012, knowing full well that what I was watching was indeed anime, and it affected me at the time in ways I can’t even properly articulate. For 13-year-old LIQ, it opened up a brand-new world; a world in which I could freely explore and learn about; a world full of inspiration and creativity; a world that I could escape into from my perceived concurrent boring, everyday life. While I would still consider myself quite an aimless guy, even nearing 20 years of age, my early exposure to anime opened up my imagination as I was exposed to media that I never thought could ever be created, and anime became deeply entrenched in who I was growing into adolescence, and profoundly changed my sensibilities and taste in what I wanted to peruse in terms of narrative and aesthetic when it comes to my passion for filmmaking. For as much as I make fun of anime for all its troupes and clichés, it’s ultimately a medium I care very deeply for, as it is so intrinsically linked to my coming-of-age and Haruhi was the series that started it all, so much so that whenever I think back to it, or re-watch the show, I’m transported back to that time in my life.

While I don’t mean to delve too much into my personal life in my reviews, nor do I usually preface them with this much background information, I believe it is important when discussing Haruhi, as to me it’s an important series in defining who I am today. However, trying my best to squeeze out the immense bias I feel for this show, allow me to elaborate on why Haruhi, disregarding my personal history with it, is still a show worth your time!

Before diving into the various elements that make up the narrative, it’s worth pointing out that there exists two different ways in which you could possibly consume this series: the chronological order (which I will be referring to for the sake of this review) and the broadcast order. Perhaps only unique to Haruhi, during its original broadcasting over in Japan, the episodes were all aired in a non-linear fashion, intermixing the six-episode Melancholy Arc with the other stand-alone episodes, while the chronological order places the aforementioned Melancholy Arc in succession at the beginning of the series, with the standalones at the end. During my annual re-watches of Haruhi I’ve experimented with both modes of watching the series, both of which have their own pros and cons. If you are planning on seeing this show for the first time, then I’d strongly recommend checking out the chronological order first, as it won’t leave you in confusion, and as the Melancholy Arc is presented in succession, it will be easier to follow the events of said arc. However, you may feel that the show suddenly loses its narrative grip half way through the series and just devolves into a series of “filler” episodes (although I’d argue these still hold up on their own which I’ll get into a little later) and indeed the chronological order ends on the weakest episode in which Kyon gets a heater (I’ll be getting to that blasted episode a little later too!) Watching the broadcast order is certainly a unique ride, as the show seemingly seems to jump from random episode back to the more narrative driven Melancholy Arc, and intermixing both during its duration does help in creating better flow, but the first episode would definitely be a confusing one to start off with, if you were to have no context of the show at all. The reason for that is because the very first episode of the broadcast order is of a terrible short film Haruhi makes in episode eleven of the chronological order, and watching this film, with no framework for what is happening or who these people are will certainly be a strange experience indeed. However one may argue that this is indeed a good episode to begin with, as it conveys Haruhi’s meta humour rather well, and as this episode is followed by the first episode of the chronological order by introducing Haruhi’s character as she was absent in the previous one, could be a fine way to start. Additionally, beginning the series in such a way firsthand with no context is an experience I will never have as I watched the series in the chronological order to begin with, so perhaps for those who viewed the show in the manner opposite to mine will be able to properly articulate why the non-linear mode of consuming the show is the one in which people should try.


Ultimately, having two different ways in which one could experience the show just adds onto its overall charm, as well as its potential rewatchability (considering you didn’t dislike it by the time you watched one way of consuming the show) and, if anything, the eccentric nature of Haruhi’s narrative structure falls in line with the eccentricities of Haruhi (and by large the show itself). Regardless of which structure you chose, both are definitely ones that will (hopefully) engage with you.

Before diving into the show, first we must establish a basic plot overview: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya revolves around, well, Haruhi Suzumiya, who is known throughout her High School as being a little less than ordinary to say the least. Having spent her previous school years in search of the supernatural or of aliens through means of moving every chair in the classroom into the hallway, or painting large symbols on the ground, or some other variant thereof, Haruhi is helplessly bored of everyday life. That is, until Kyon, our sarcastic protagonist for this tale, begins conversing with her, providing Haruhi with the idea to start the SOS brigade! A brigade that is devoted for locating and finding the supernatural or mysterious and for making life more interesting!

Haruhi’s narrative is largely dependent on meta humour, poking fun at the abundance of anime and manga that feature characters with supernatural abilities while being that kind of show in of itself, with later additions to the cast who just so happen to harbour these characteristics. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say that Haruhi is a deconstruction of these types of shows or anything, it does play around with its meta elements in rather interesting and fun ways, even extending so much as to parody other genres of anime, such as the space opera in episode thirteen, or the detective genre in episodes nine and ten, all the while being able to carry the weight of these episodes just as a result of how strong the character interactions are and how much energy the show seems to permeate from itself. There’s a nice sense of variety to the episodes thanks to the unique powers each character retains to put interesting spins on otherwise mundane activities. Take episode seven, for example, “The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya” in which the SOS brigade plays baseball against an actual team of college students, whereupon Nagato uses her alien technology to manipulate data, in other words, to control the bat and the trajectory of the ball in her team’s favour. And, again, likewise in episode thirteen, to deactivate the computer club’s cheating system when the brigade challenges them to a video game. The sci-fi elements not only extend to making otherwise dull high school activities interesting, but in creating new scenarios entirely, from the characters travelling between different fabrics of reality, or having them encounter strange entities, keeping the show consistently engaging. There also seems to be a level of self-irony and awareness too, as our narrator, Kyon, constantly pokes fun at how ridiculous the show can get sometimes, and often breaks the fourth wall, bringing attention to the fact that we are indeed watching an anime, which to me always came off as wonderfully charming and tongue in cheek, but most importantly, rather humorous.

As I already alluded to, the series can be fundamentally split into two halves: the Melancholy Arc and the stand-alone episodes that follow straight afterwards. The former has a greater focus on more of an overarching narrative, mainly centred around resolving the melancholy Haruhi is faced with, while the second sees her trying to curb her boredom by entering her brigade in various competitions, such as baseball as I already discussed, or going on retreats. While it would seem that the latter half would be weaker than the former as it follows less of an overarching narrative, I’d argue that it still holds up, not only for the energy and character interactions that I mentioned in the previous paragraph, but because the latter half still develops Haruhis and Kyon’s relationship while subtly providing introspection into the other characters, all the while building upon established characterisation. One such example of this would be in the thirteenth episode, in which, Nagato, a character who had been thought of as having no interest in anything aside from books, has fun playing a video game, and by the end of the episode actually admits that she would want to go back next door to play from time to time, adding a new layer onto her character, and making her feel more human (well, as human as possible considering that she is essentially an incredibly sophisticated stream of information, or, in other words an alien!)

While I feel that the latter episodes have enough vigour in them to remain enjoyable, I couldn’t make the argument that they’re all as strong as each other, as is the case of the final episode in the series, in that it is an entire episode of Kyon travelling to a shop to obtain a heater. That’s it! Aside from being incredibly dull anyway, the episode is padded with about three whole minutes of just Nagato sitting on a chair and reading, while the sound of a nearby club, assumingly the drama club, rehearse their play. Occasionally, she turns a page. Sometimes she doesn’t. Riveting! For the final episode of the series, it doesn’t particularly leave a good final impression and is the reason many advocate for people to watch the show in the broadcast order, to avoid leaving the show on such a low note. Funnily enough, it seems KyoAni were even aware of this themselves, and of the reaction this episode must have igarnered from the Japanese fans at the time, as, a year later in their next series, Lucky Star, the protagonist, Konata, upon watching said episode, remarks that, “they really cut corners on this one. Nagato just sat there the entire time!”, before turning to her computer screen and baring witness to the flame war initiated as a result of that enthralling episode.

However, even this weaker episode was still able to contain a wonderful final moment between Kyon and Haruhi, cementing their relationship and bond, and this relationship is the crux of both Haruhi’s development and the entire narrative weight of the show. Haruhi’s internal conflicts and her need for escaping monotony is the cornerstone of her character, and while the other members of the brigade exist solely for her desires (Nagato as the accessory, Koizumi as the man who doesn’t refuse any of her requests and agrees with her on everything and Mikiru as her plaything) it’s ultimately Kyon, the human of the group, who she reflects her personal hang-ups onto, and who has the greatest influence on her actions, making her realise that indeed she is truly human. Haruhi’s desire for an interesting world filled with interesting things is completely viable, as is evident in her short monologue to Kyon in which she talks about the time in which the cold truth was finally thrust upon her. As a child, she came to the realisation that ultimately she is not all that special and is just one person in a sea of millions of people in all of Japan, which not only justifies why she acts the way she does, but it also aids in crafting a more emotionally dense character, and is a definitive point in their relationship as this was the first time she had probably ever revealed such personal information to anybody in her life.

Moreover. in the latter half of the series, Haruhi changes in subtle yet meaningful ways in her relationship with Kyon. Such an example is when she gets irritated when Kyon and Mikiru get along with each other indicating personal feelings for him, or when Kyon’s words have influence over her actions and she thinks twice, as is the case when she offered Nagato or Mikiru as a prize to the Computer club if they won the aforementioned video game challenge.

Perhaps the most interesting moment in the series in which Haruhi’s character grows is in episode twelve, in which Haruhi steps in to cover for a band whose lead guitarist and singer had accidentally sprained her ankle. After doing so, she is thanked for her efforts, in which Haruhi, instead of acting arrogant or boastful at her achievement like one would expect from her character up until that point, doesn’t know quite how to respond and ends up being bashful as a result. Haruhi is not used to people appreciating her, but what’s most significant about this is how she drags Kyon along with her when the girls from the band come to thank her in person. Haruhi needs Kyon for emotional support, going to show just how strong Haruhi truly depends on Kyon even though she would never admit it herself. As much as Kyon would hate to admit it himself too, Haruhi truly does add colour to his life, quite literally in fact, as in the opening sequence for the first episode in which Kyon narrates about his boring everyday life free from espers, ghosts or time-travellers, everything the cinematography is of a washed out dull grey. However, when he meets Haruhi colour returns back into his life. It’s an interesting and creative way to show the affect that Haruhi has had on Kyon’s life, and is one that certainly cements their strong bond.

While Haruhi is indeed a strong female protagonist, and her eccentric, loud and egotistical personality, contrasted with that of Kyon’s sarcastic and cynical comments, is enough to hold the show together, there are some elements of her character that come across as trite. Most notoriously are the scenes in which she forcibly changes Mikiru into different outfits, be it either a maid or into a bunny girl, just to work in some forced fanservice and to market figures and other lewd merchandise that you would expect from a scantily clad anime chick. These scenes are easily the weakest of the entire show, and it’s a similar problem I had with a later KyoAni show, K-on, in which the teacher of that respective series would dress the girls up in innumerable outfits. Mikiru as a character anyway serves very little purpose in the narrative, other than to just drop a hint to Kyon which comes in handy when he finds himself in a helpless situation with Haruhi in episode six, and is more so of the mascot character, as quoted by Haruhi herself.

Nagato, aside from being my first anime crush (I have a serious thing for smart girls with glasses and short hair) commands a lot more presence in the narrative than that of Mikiru, and even has a pretty entertaining fight sequence in the forth episode. Nagato’s deadpan, serious face and mannerisms always put a smile on my face, and she even has a few moments at trying to replicate comedy, such as when she refuses to open the door for Haruhi in episode ten due to her following Haruhi’s orders to an absolute. Much of Nagato’s character gets developed in the move tie-in, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya in 2010, which was actually my favourite movie of all time back when I had watched it those many years ago and comes highly recommended too.

One piece of criticism I’ve seen regarding Nagato, and the show at large, is how she is essentially a dispenser for exposition, such as in the case of the beginning of the third episode, but I believe this can be generally excused if we take into account Nagato’s character, and how it makes sense for her within the context of the narrative to talk on in long unbroken takes about complicated and intricate systems due to her essentially being a stream of conscious information. Besides that, the few exposition scenes in the series were fine for me, either because they were pretty short to begin with so they didn’t feel overwhelming or they were intermixed with Kyon’s sarcastic comments making them enjoyable to watch, so I’d argue that to make the case of exposition being a problem in the show would be a pedantic one to make. The final character worth mentioning is Koizumi, the somewhat pretentious Esper who, as noticed by Kyon, seems to be putting up an artificial personality of who he truly is in front of Haruhi in order to keep her mental state stable. Kyon and Koizumi’s interactions throughout the series are perhaps some of the most entertaining to watch for me, as the long drawn out pretentiousness of Koizumi creates an interesting contrast with that of Kyon, but there’s also an air of playfulness about Koizumi as well which permeates itself many a time in the various activities the SOS brigade finds themselves in too; he is a character whom we can never really truly figure out and understand, and much about him is wrapped in mystery, much like the origins of the organisation he works for, playing in the meta elements once more of the secret black organisation or any variant of that kind of cliché.

The animation as a whole is pretty consistent and strong, and it really does shine in a couple of areas, such as in the aforesaid fight Nagato is involved with for all the crazy backgrounds and effects, but also during the performance of the show’s most infamous track, "God Knows!" The scene is pretty well damn animated, and the close-up shots and attention to detail in Haruhi’s face as the sweat pours down her face while she sings to the heavens are some great pieces of animation. However, there also a few moments of poor animation too, such as in the case of the already mentioned final episode, in which Nagato just sits there and occasionally moves a page, and in the case where everyone excluding Harhui face off against a giant CGI cricket. While this CGI doesn’t look too bad for mid-2000s standards (and could be argued that, as this is the only moment of CGI integration, it makes the monster seem all the more alien as it doesn’t resemble anything from the established world), there’s a shot in which the backs of the characters move up and down awkwardly like cardboard cut-outs to simulate movement and talking; it looks rather silly.

The music is also of a pretty great standard, and the track, God Knows, is a song that I have listened to so often that I don’t think I could ever forget it; it’s just so damn great! And that greatness also extends to the voice actors too, all of which do an amazing job, featuring two of my favourite voice actors for Kyon and Haruhi: Sugita Tomokazu and Hirano Aya respectively. Speaking of voice actors, Haruhi has probably my favourite English dub ever! Each member of the cast does a wonderful job at portraying their characters, with Freeman, Crispin's role as Kyon I believe outshining that of the original dub!

Additionally, every piece of music the show has to offer is so intrinsically ingrained in my mind, that every time I hear it, I am transported back to the time in which I first watched the show those many years ago, which also means I remember the embarrassing video I made of me dancing to the ending track of Hare Hare Yukai. Every time I revisit that old video, and I remember how much of a weeb I was back then in my outwards love for the medium, I want to dig a dark hole and stay there forever…

To conclude, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is still one of the most popular anime ever made, and its legacy is still being felt today, with frequent references and call-backs in even recent seasonal shows! Haruhi was a real game changer, and the fanbase exploded when it first came out in 2006, and even though I was six years late to the party, it still had a profound affect on me. Haruhi is a series that I can’t talk about without incorporating my personal history with this community and fanbase, but, even trying to push that aside, Haruhi still has a lot to offer, through its charm, characters and meta elements, even if those meta elements could, frankly, be developed somewhat more and not just used mainly for irony. Haruhi is, at the end of the day, a series I wholeheartedly care for. Perhaps I have been biased. Perhaps I have overpraised the series and looked over its problems too much. But, I believe the relationship between the viewer and how a work connects with them is important, and hopefully I have been effective in communicating that today. With that all said and done, thanks for taking the time to read the stuff that I write, and I’ll leave you with my favourite quote from the show:

“I don’t know how I know I just know that I know you know?”
-Itsuki Koizumi

Let Get one think straight. I have to be one of the few people in this planet who DONT like Melancholy of HZ. People blame it on that i watched in Chronologically order but how the hell was i suppose to know that i need to watch it on release order? If the people who made this anime where smart they make the chronologically order the release order or something like that. I also had a hard time liking the character is this anime. Yuki is just a rip off of Rey from NGE but stronger. Haruhi is all bossy. Mikuru has no spine but ... her cuteness forgives that. Cant really say anything bad about Kyon. The one i kind of liked was Itsuki. The story if this anime has something too do with a young girl having the power of God and that is also the problem is this anime. I sounds cool when you hear it but the problem is they dont use to that much. If they did i might have liked this anime more. Another think i noticed around the world and website is that people like the dance and music of this anime where much. Fore me Hare Hare Yuki is boring to watch and too listen( i enjoy the Lucky Star dance more and the music to the opening). And fore some strange reason when i listen to God Knows i just have to listen to Master of Puppets to get it out of my system. And the visuals kind of fell a little "standard".

Now that i told what i think about this anime there is a chance you will hate me and want to kill me. If so take a seat and wait in line

What to say, what to say? When I finished watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, nothing immediately came to mind. Nothing about the anime spoke out to me, telling me "what you just saw was profound". Nothing about it bore an indistinguishable mark of excellence that you expect when you see something, well, excellent. Yet, when all's said and done, Melancholy leaves behind a feeling of calming enjoyability, something to assure us all that, while the world out there can be big and scary, our own worlds will always be there as a relief.

Characterization. It's the strongest part of Melancholy, ... yet having said that, the story is filled with endless caricatures, of individuals without depth. In fact, the only two real characters in the story are Kyon and Haruhi herself - everyone else is a reflection of a particular trait or aspect of the world around them. I suppose that makes sense plot-wise - after all, everyone else was essentially conjured up by the sheer boredom of Haruhi. Instead, Melancholy replaces quantity with quality, sharing with us two pristine examples of how characterization should be done, not only in anime, but in all stories in general.

We learn of the events of the story from Kyon, a sarcastic, wise-cracking high-schooler, much like you or I might have been at that age. He's cynical, yet a hopeless romantic, blasé, yet still deeply caring when he wants to be. In essence, he's imperfection personified: a true, down-to-earth human being who is already struggling with just living out his own life (you can just hear the pressure in the tone of his voice) without having to deal with some crazy psycho-lady who believes in the existence of aliens, espers, and all that jazz. His interactions with Haruhi are akin to an older brother playing along with the facile fantasies of an overimaginative younger sister. Yet, within his nonchalant annoyedness during the escapades of the SOS Brigade, his side of caring shines through. You could imagine Kyon to be one of those guys who gets dragged along by his overbearing girlfriend to a bunch of things he doesn't really care about. While you can tell that they really don't want to be there, day after day they're still by their lady's side.

Kyon's lady is not your average lady though. Take the most out-of-touch, fantasy-dwelling, "I'm a superhero" five year-old you know, and then square that, and you might have someone who can come close to comparing with the eccentricities of Haruhi. We shouldn't blame her though, she's just vocalizing everything that we each have wondered or questioned ourselves at some point in our lives. She is frank, if nothing else, yet at the same time, much like Kyon, an image of imperfection. Haruhi is exceedingly selfish (or, more correctly, self-absorbed). At the beginning, she can't seem to fathom when anyone would not think of the world in her terms, and places all those who can't (i.e. the rest of the human race) in a category that is below her associating with. Perhaps part of that is because we normal humans cannot identify with the candor of Haruhi in our conscious state, but whatever it is, Haruhi begins the tale obsessed with only finding out who in her high school is a time traveler, or esper, or alien. Haruhi's evolution throughout is really the subject of this anime, and the way that the world is truly opened up to her by Kyon suggests the cure to all of our melancholies. By the end, she's softened up considerably, and while she still has her unique quirks of searching the universe for strange beings, she is also more responsive to the people around her in the "real world".

Unfortunately, the perfection reached by Melancholy in the characterization process is marred by the faults made elsewhere. Most notably is the anachronistic presentation of the episodes. Many fans of the Haruhi series have stated that by presenting the series out of order, it opened up avenues of creative freedom for the writers to fully flesh out the characters in a plot-limited environment. While that is true, and the development of the characters progress mostly linearly throughout the series, the time gaps and discontinuities created by the at times haphazard ordering of episodes tends to present a distraction to the viewer, rather than supporting the overarching development of the plot and characters. The most glaring fault in the continuity is dialogue - too often characters refer to events that have already happened, but have not yet been shown. And these aren't just casual references, you're actually supposed to figure out what's going on in a given episode by the back references to events that you (as the viewer) know absolutely nothing about. I still think that the series could have been presented in the way that it was, but some rewriting of the references are definitely in order, so that there is some linearity in dialogue at least, if not in plot.

My recommendation though is still to watch the series in broadcast order. Having watched it in chronological ordering, the series loses the charms of the character development. Give the wacky, loopy plot presentation a chance, and you will be rewarded by the anime with the greatest character development since, well, forever.

I'm generally not particular about character or plot development; either I like a series or character or I don't. I enjoyed most of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya except one thing: Haruhi.

I enjoyed the visuals, the other characters, even the Hare Hare Yukai dance but Haruhi Suzumiya is just so annoying. The only scene which she was in that I liked was the first part of the 6th episode of the main arc: she shed her disgustedness for the world.

Perhaps I suspend my belief too much and react to Haruhi as I would in real life.

For those of you who are still confused as to how to watch it in chronological order, it is as thus:

2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 14, 4, 7, 6, 8, 1, 12, 11, 9

---

I don't know why I didn't pick this series up sooner. Well, actually, I kinda do. I guess I got the impression that this show's popularity was more internet bandwagoning than anything of any real merit, so the hype just flew right past me. After finally watching it from beginning to end, though, I completely fell in love with it.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu feels in many ways like an experiment. For example, ... the first episode drops you straight into a shockingly bad amateur video made by the main characters. D: The episodes are deliberately aired out of chronological order, with no explanation given.

Aaanyway, the layered-ness of the series is outstanding. It's fairly episodic, and yet, you start to find a rhyme and reason to the things that are happening, and it just clicks.

It's hard to describe the setting and concept without giving away spoilers, so I won't. Suffice to say nothing is quite what it seems at first, and you'll get to see sci-fi fantasies parodied until the world's dignity has been shredded.

There are some things I'm less keen on though; notably the excessive fan service from Mikuru, whose sole purpose seems to be getting groped, forced into humiliating and/or sleazy costumes, found in various states of undress, etc. D: It's about as subtle as a boot to the head. Still, it's played for laughs and I guess this was added to further expand popularity.

I'm giving this series a thumbs up for the comedy, original ideas, weirdness and great production. The opening and ending songs are great too. ESPECIALLY THE DANCE. HARUHI FTW! :D

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, a.k.a the worst show I've ever seen.

To be honest, I didn't want to give it a chance after episode 5, mainly because I hate the main female character. I've seen reviews about her, saying she's quite interesting and different than any other character in any other anime, and that she's quite likable. Then with the place this show is in of the Top Anime, I decided to try it.
I got RickRolled. Haruhi has become my number 1 most hated character in all of anime history. She bosses people around, forcing them to join their ... club. If I was Kyon, I'd smack the sh-.... anyways... -OUT OF HER. Yea I said it! She's the only reason I didn't wanna watch anymore, and the whole story bored me. I felt sort of sad for that orange haired girl when she got forced to join her SOS club.
I just wanted to say my opinion about this -BS- show. I've got no clue how it's rated so high. Even if it did become a better show if I kept watching, I wouldn't because of Haruhi.
If you like a girl who's stupid, an ass, hates humans other than herself for some effing reason, and just regular school life, you'll like this show. As for me, back to Fairy Tail/Bleach/Beelzebub I go.

I was very skeptical going into the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya especially after watching Gigguk's review on the series but I still watched it even with all the skepticism. Therefore I'm glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

The Story-6

To be honest there is not a whole load of story within this series due to its rather episodic nature. However having said that there are certain arcs that were very interesting and fun to watch such as the first arc. Even then there are individual episodes that are very good such as the gaming episode, the baseball episode and the concert episodes but these ... are far and few in between. Also the pacing of the episodes and series in general is very strange and can be off putting as it moves from being very slow to very fast at a drop of the hat similar to the titular character.

The Art-8

As per usual with Kyoto Animation the quality of the animation is very high for most of the series. The character movements are fluid and crisp and the overall art style of the anime is pleasant on the eye. However there are certain parts of the anime where the quality drops and the detail of the facial feature and the faces themselves do drop at certain points.

Sound-7

The sound was nothing to boast about but at the same time not bad. Throughout the anime the music is appropriate for the setting and the mood but not very memorable. The only two tracks worth of any mention are the OP and the ED which are very catch, fits the anime to a T and brilliantly choreographed. As I've only watched the dub I can't comment on the quality of the original voice acting but as for the English Dub I can say that the show is stolen (yet again) by Crispin Freeman who voices Kyon portrays his laid back attitude perfectly.

Character-6.5

Now this is the section of this anime which comes under the most flak as people see the characters as just certain stereotypes and I can see where they are coming from. This is because all the characters do fit into stereotypes but they way in which they are portrayed is unique, especially Kyon, the narrator and the main character within the anime. His personality is laid back, skeptical and sarcastic which make him a likeable character amongst a hyperactive girl, an emotionless doll, a cutesy moe fan-service girl and a goody-two-shoes. However none of the characters really develop through the series which is a gripe that I have with but on the whole the characters are enjoyable to watch but nothing spectacular.

Enjoyment-9.5

Now this is the pleasant surprise that I mentioned at the start, that is if you made it this far, is that I really enjoyed the show and I felt guilty for doing so. I don't understand why but this show brought a smile to my face and kept it there for almost the entirety of the show and even with its many flaws.

Overall the show is 7.4 out of 10 and I would recommend this to anyone who can turn off their perceptive sense and just smile throughout most of its entirety. Also the first episode can be off putting but trust me watch till the end of the episode and you should be fine.

I hope you enjoyed the review or found it helpful. This is my first review so any feedback would be much appreciated =D

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF SEASON ONE ONLY**

While I consider myself a person with a very broad taste in anime who can watch and enjoy most genres of the medium, there is one genre that I've simply never been able to get into: the "slice of life" genre. It simply has never been able to hold my attention for more then a few episodes. Most entries are simply a collection of repetitive humor with a generic and uninteresting plot topped off with archetypical characters that I've seen a thousand times before. It was only after dozens of people assured me that "The Melancholy of ... Haruhi Suzumiya" would change my stance on the genre that I finally caved in and decided to watch it, and wow am I happy that I did.

Watching the three installments of the Haruhi series (season 1, season 2, and "The Disappearance of Harui Suzumiya" movie) can only be described as a journey; an emotional roller-coaster complete with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. But I'm getting ahead of myself; this review will focus only on the first season of the show which is, for the most part, a high.

Plot: 8/10
Where do I even begin describing the plot of Haruhi? The show is about Kyon, a snarky/sarcastic high school student, who is cynical to the point that he refuses to believe in anything supernatural. But then, he meets a very, VERY eccentric girl named Haruhi Suzumiya, and the supernatural is the only thing that she IS interested in—aliens, time travelers, and espers among other things. When Haruhi laments about the lack of intriguing clubs around school, Kyon inspires Haruhi to form her own club. As a result, the SOS Brigade (Spreading excitement all Over the world with Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade) is formed; a club which specializes in all that is supernatural, and Kyon is dragged (literally) right into the middle of it.

Based on that description, it's hard to see what's so special about Haruhi. What makes this anime's plot so different isn't just the content, it's how the content is presented. You see, there are two orders in which you can watch the episodes of this anime in: one is in the order that the show was aired in and the other is in chronological order. This, of course, means that watching this anime the way it was intended to be watched, broadcast order, is not chronological. The downside of watching Haruhi in this order is that you will likely get very confused. In fact, if you start from the VERY beginning, at episode 0, you will likely think that this anime is complete and utter garbage. There will be several references to episodes you haven't seen yet and certain plot events won't make sense. However, watching it in this order is better in my opinion because the character development and plot events are structured much, much more appropriately. The climax of the series actually comes at the end of the show, for one.

Watching the series in chronological order means that the events of the show will make a lot more sense to you; you are less likely to be confused and you will always understand what is happening for the most part. The downside is that the plot structure will make no sense what-so-ever. The climax of the show will happen in the middle of the series and the character development will be sporadic.

I would recommend watching the episodes in broadcast order, but it's entirely a matter of preference. You get more of a unique flair from the show if you watch it out of order and as it was intended to be watched; it's more fun.

Now that the confusing format of the episodes is out of the way, let's talk about why Haruhi has such a unique plot. While it may not be apparent at first, season 1 lays the ground work for what eventually develops into a masterfully written plot that is fun, emotionally investing, and unlike anything you've seen before by the end of "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" movie, which concludes the series. While the plot eventually becomes something much more significant and meaningful, season 1 is something with a much lighter tone; it's just plain fun. The antics of the SOS Brigade hilarious, over the top, and just downright amusing at all times. I can't elaborate without spoilers, but Haruhi is a groundbreaking installment into the slice of life genre because it demonstrated that you don't have rely entirely on stereotypes and tropes; it's okay to come up with your own unique plot, it's okay to air your episodes out of order, it's okay to write characters that don't adhere to any stereotypes, but it's also okay to use characters that do adhere to stereotypes. I won't go into much detail about what is so different about Haruhi's plot for the sake of spoilers, but let's just say that it's impossible to not have fun with it.

Art: 9/10
Haruhi's first season was released almost a decade ago and it STILL looks like it could be airing today. Enough said.

Sound: 9/10
I'm an enormous fan of the choice of music throughout the Haruhi series. It's largely indescribable, but all you have to do is watch the first episode (as in part 1, not episode 0) to see what I mean. I creates an energetic, outstanding, and unparalleled tone that no other series has. And lets not forget the ED which became a cultural sensation and remains one to this very day. It was so popular that countless other anime have tried to copy it, but to no avail. A simply amazing overall use of sound.

Characters:7/10
While the characters in Haruhi eventually become extremely strongly developed and distinctive by the end of the series, we really don't get to see much of that in season 1, hence the 7/10 rating. What we do get, however, is a heavy dose of a legendary and one-of-a-kind character; Haruhi Suzumiya.

What can I say about Haruhi Suzumiya that hasn't already been said? I absolutely fell in love with her after about the first 10 minutes of episode 1(again, not episode 0), and that love only got stronger as the show went on! Haruhi is eccentric, but she is more then just that. She doesn't let anyone or anything stop her from having fun and enjoying her life. She couldn't care less what other people think of her, which is an admirable trait. But perhaps most enticingly, Haruhi is a very caring person on the inside. Again, we don't get to see much of this in season 1, but you will. Some people say that Haruhi can come across as annoying or arrogant, but I couldn't disagree more. She is just a bright, uplifting, and downright lovable character who really makes the entire show.

Haruhi is not the only awesome character in the show though, because now I have to talk about the protagonist: Kyon. Kyon is incredibly sarcastic and cynical throughout the anime and his hilarious narrations add quite a bit of flavor to the show. His snarkiness and sense of humor make him a very unique and likeable character, and he only gets more likeable as the series goes on.

The rest of the SOS Brigade are intentionally designed to be stereotypes. Yuki Nagata is the quiet bookworm, Mikuru Asahina is the moe fanservice girl, and Itsuki Koisumi is just an average highschooler. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: all of these characters become extremely well developed later on, but we don't get to see that in season 1. For now, they are just cogs in the Haruhi Suzumiya machine. Of course, all of them are still comedic and fun to watch, but they are largely undeveloped at this point.

Overall: 8/10
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a revolutionary milestone that changed what a slice of life comedy could be, but that doesn't explain why you should watch it. You should watch it because

a.) You will never see another show that is similar to it
b.) You should get the chance to view Haruhi Suzumiya in all her glory
c.) You will need to see it in order watch "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya"; one of the greatest anime films of all time

So, what are you waiting for? Watch it! Even if you don't like it, you will probably like the movie that follows it seeing as the series begins to go in a very different direction.

This review spoils the entirety of the first season of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and is advised only for those who have completed it.

Haruhi Suzumiya struggles to cope with the realization that she is as insignificant as anyone else. Haruhi's longing to be special prompts her to act eccentric and stray from normalcy as much as possible. These actions, however, merely isolate her from her classmates. After Kyon inquires about Haruhi's hair ritual, she gives it up as she finally received the attention she sought. This demonstrates that her eccentricities are indeed a facade, and this is made more apparent when in her ... closed space world, Haruhi poetically behaves ordinary in an extraordinary world. As Kyon becomes the one person to genuinely talk to Haruhi, she is able to break away from her need to stand out. Haruhi's eccentricies do still exist past this point, but they stem from her sense of passion and ambition to act rather than to invoke a reaction from others. In "Live Alive", in order to get over the melancholy she feels when people appreciate her for the first time, Haruhi turns towards her future prospects, planning for the next culture festival, to find her meaning amidst melancholy.

Haruhi wishes that reality were extraordinary but believes that the world is in fact grounded. In truth, her dreams of the extraordinary such as aliens, time travellers, and espers exist within the SOS brigade because she willed them to, yet she is unaware of them precisely because she doesn't need these fantasies. The SOS brigade provides her with a sense of significance by asserting control over others, but this is merely a pitfall in her attempts to find satisfaction. Despite her eccentric tendencies such as her belief that love is merely a disease, Haruhi herself admits that she cannot escape her human impulses. She still has feelings for Kyon and therefore is driven to a state of distress upon seeing Kyon and Mikuru being close to each other. When Haruhi's at the breaking point of her dissatisfaction, she subconsciously creates a new world where only she and Kyon exist. This is telling of Kyon's role as Haruhi's central tie to humanity amidst her escapist desires. Kyon’s kiss prompts Haruhi to forsake this new world and subconsciously act on her desire for connection. The final scene in Melancholy part 6, where Haruhi and Kyon are finally together at the bar constrasts with the previous meetings when it was apparant Haruhi wanted to pair up with Kyon but always ended up being in a different group with his random straw picking. Considering Haruhi's powers alter reality, the early cafe scenes show that she wasn't able to accept her love for Kyon until she returned from the new world. The episode "Someday in the Rain" emphasizes that Haruhi is now able to find value in the most mundane of scenarios such as a rainy day, in contrast to her absolute dissatisfaction with normal occurrences. "Remote Island Syndrome" displays how her behaviors eventually extend past Kyon, as she shows concern for Kyon's sister and is unable to accept the possibility that someone in her brigade was responsible for the murder. It's Haruhi's human side, her desire for connection, that enables her to break from her escapism. Poetically, Haruhi does not need to be god; to be human is enough.

Telling the story through Kyon's perspective is an effective means to demonstrate how Haruhi and her world are perceived in contrast to her own beliefs about herself and the reality of her world. Kyon's reactions to the supernatural are characteristically normal, but his monologues are noteworthy because of their identity. His “Haruhi is Haruhi and nothing but Haruhi” monologue is a prime example of this, as it's not notable for the conclusion he reaches but for the tangents and self-questioning he goes through. Despite Kyon’s awareness of the tropes and absurdities of the show, he’s overwhelmed by the mysterious supernatural world he's brought into. Once he can no longer deny this world, he denies his place in it, believing that he has no role in resolving Haruhi’s conflict and its repercussions on reality. This is a sensible conclusion for someone as ordianary as Kyon, but his necessity lies in his perception of Haruhi herself. Whereas Koizumi, Mikuru, and Nagato believe that Haruhi is a god, distortion in space-time, and the next step in evolution respectively, Kyon is the only one to perceive Haruhi as a person rather than some entity or force. This grants him the place as the one ordinary person in Haruhi's brigade to signify that he is the one most human to Haruhi, whereas Haruhi's absurd world provides color to the gray world of monotony he had accepted.

Both Kyon and Haruhi are overwhelmed during their arcs, coming to conflict with uncertainties they can't come to terms with. Fittingly, the show effectively captures the sense of being overwhelmed and lost in the world. Through Haruhi’s pointing out of the very cliches and tropes that govern the type of show she’s part of and Kyon’s pointing out of all the absurdities that take place, the series establishes a sense of awareness that the characters possess. Haruhi internally believes that the very fantastic elements she wishes existed don’t reasonably exist, which would, under normal circumstances, suggest an awareness of reality. But throughout the show, there’s a layer of unawareness above this awareness. Both the characters and the audience know very little about the truths of the series’ world. Only the bare-bones of the factions of aliens, time travellers, and espers are known, and there’s no clear answer as to what exactly Haruhi is. Haruhi’s subconscious “awareness” of the world’s grounded nature is proven wrong by her unawareness that her fantasies are indeed the reality. She believes in her insigfinicance despite wishing to be significant, without knowing that she is the most significant individual. There’s melancholy in these ironies; the power of significance she seeks is literally within her, yet she’s unable to grasp it. Kyon is lost through the overwhelming information he comes across that challenges his notions of reality whereas Haruhi is lost through being unsure of her place in the world. Amidst these uncertainties, everything feels all over the place. When reflecting upon the show, it is easy to lose oneself in the sheer looseness of the show’s ideas and concepts: its meta-aspects, sci-fi concepts, focus on the mundane, “filler” mystery subplots, playing with cliches and tropes, theories on how the world works, and perspectives on what Haruhi is. The content of the show is thus scattered, and the jumbled broadcasting order mirrors this in order to convey the sense of everything feeling all over the place. This viewing experience aptly parallels the void Haruhi and Kyon experience when contemplating the real world. They feel out of place within it and are overwhelmed by that which is beyond their knowledge.

In addition to the show's thematic focus, it utilizes its narrative and structual elements well. Despite the supernatural focus of the show, the school setting is justified as the setting because Haruhi's mundane environment is what fuels her melancholy. By contextualizing the place for supernatural and sci-fi aspects into the narrative, the show adds a more engaging spin to a school story, enabling moments of spectacle such as Nagato’s fight with Asakura. The moments of exposition are made engaging by spacing nfodumping with directing cuts, back and forth character interactions, and splitting expository moments between episodes for breathing room. Since the show thematically justifies its looseness of concepts, it is able to feature a variety of scenarios and interactions to enhance the entertainment value. The out-of-order broadcasting is an effective means of including Haruhi's character growth after the Melancholy arc while maintaining a strong climax. Furthermore, this broadcasting order fosters variety between episodes and strengthens the weight of the climax as the viewers are better aware of the importance of the climax for Haruhi's arc. There’s a certain charm to the way the show plays with the tropes and cliches of anime. It points out how ludicrous they can be, yet chooses to have fun while embracing them. Even over a decade after its release, the show still functions as a celebration of the tropes that constitute anime. Kyon’s interactions with Haruhi and Koizumi are both engaging, the former with how he ridicules Haruhi’s absurd eccentricities and the latter with how his sarcasm works well with Koizumi’s pretentiousness. Kyon’s way of presenting his monologues is often engaging, using analogies, hyperboles, and references to enhance his descriptive style. Introducing the show with his story of not believing in Santa Claus, and introducing the climax episode with “self Proclaimed— Time Traveller; self-proclaimed—Esper; self-proclaimed—Alien,” are both effective for presenting what he monologues. Furthermore, the show understands how to keep each of the tropes and scenarios it presents entertaining by nailing the character interactions in each episode, featuring the right music for whatever tone the show is going for, and effectively capturing the atmosphere of every situation. As examples, it’s able to evoke the mundane feeling of “Someday in the rain,” the stern mystery tone of “Remote Island Syndrome,” the playfulness of “The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya,” and the cryptic nature of Nagato’s exposition.

The greatest issue with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is the cast's characterization, aside from Haruhi and Kyon. Koizumi, Mikuru, and Nagato can almost entirely be defined by the traits common to their archetypes they represent. Since the series plays with irony in many instances, it would have been beneficial if these characters while assuming the cliche roles Haruhi sought, in reality defied the roles they play. At the very least, Nagato does show some instances of defying her role as the stoic alien. There’s an emphasis on Haruhi’s negligence towards Yuki throughout the show. From the beginning, Haruhi considered her a mere accessory for the club room rather than an actual person and never paid any attention to her at all. In this regard, Yuki fits her role as the alien, not only a detached character but the one most alien to Haruhi. Despite her programming, Nagato can’t escape her desire to be human. Although emphasized more in the second season and the movie, this season features a few of her human moments: her setting up the events of "Mysterique Sign" due to loneliness, her enjoyment during the game against the computer club, and her semantic “joke” in "Remote Island Syndrome" by denying Haruhi access to the room she was assigned to guard. Nagato could have benefitted from further characterization, but Mikuru and Koizumi have even less. Even Haruhi Suzumiya wasn't free from characterization faults. Her tendency to use Mikuru as a play-thing comes off as a forced means to incorporate fan service throughout the show, under the excuse of Haruhi’s awareness of tropes such as moe. This can challenge the viewer's suspension of disbelief as Haruhi’s seclusion from human connection doesn’t justify moral apathy towards harassing Mikuru for her selfish desire to maintain control. Haruhi's growth in accepting others could also have been emphasized further in the filler episodes.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a wonderful work of art that effectively captures the sense of melancholy it strives for. It’s a nice take on the question of meaning, utilizing its intriguing premise to reach a beautiful conclusion. It’s a show both thematically ripe and engaging with a well done character arc, a strong dynamic between the two main characters, and an apt utilization of meta and irony to evoke the emotions it attempts to convey. It’s a show that utilizes its peculiar structure well and is unique in the way to uses Haruhi's powers to explore the question of how individuals find meaning in a world seemingly devoid of inherent meaning. Although it could have handled its cast better, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a wonderful show that holds up to this very day.

I was really expecting a lot coming in to this show. It was one of the most hyped shows around '04 - '05. There was even people building a religion around the main character Haruhi Suzumiya. However, as I got into it, the whole thing was a mess.

STORY:

As for the story it's really pretty horrible, not confusing, but not something that make you think either. Pretty much the only thing that it makes you think of is whether they mislabeled the episode numbers. I'm not sure why they made the episodes jumbled and not linear because it wasn't clever ... at all, it was confusing and a real turn off for anyone watching it.

The story is also pretty slow paced, for the amount of actual development in story, the 14 episodes they had could've been shortened to a short 3 episode OAV, or 4 if they want to include the first episode which is unrelated to the story at all.

This type of format I believe also introduced the world to the moeblob show.

ART:

The animation was alright, it was average at times, and horrible sometimes. It wasn't nearly as fluid as high budget disney shows and the character designs are not that great either, but it can do the trick. I really hate the computer ink that they use now as it really gives the colors a dull look, but they created one of the most iconic color combination in animes.

Also the dancing in the opening also fathered those types of dance routines in the pening.

SOUND:

The only thing I really enjoyed in this series is the sound. It launched the career of the big forheaded Aya Hirano. They had a pretty catchy song, op, ed and the song God Knows is pretty badass. The only thing I hated regarding the sound was the super high, forced, tryin to hard to be cute voice of Mikuru. Seriously, stop straining yourself.

CHARACTER:

Not really very much to say here as there is little to no character growth at all in the supporting cast. The only growth we see is between the two main characters which is hindered by the non-linear storyline. It also created the archetype characters for moe blob shows.

ENJOYMENT:

I liked the sound, but not so much everything else. My enjoyment is also hindered by the fact someone messed up the episode labeling on the studio side.

OVERALL:

Overall haruhi was a precursor to the shows we are getting now. The moe blob shows in my opinion really has it's roots to the haruhi series. It launched the career of Aya Hirano, this was the show that really got her out there. I have to give credit for all haruhi has done for Aya hirano and moe lovers but it was also the killer of the anime industry. Why are we getting shows like
K-ON and Mayoi Neko? blame Haruhi.

~PZ

I'm being serious when I say this is the best anime ever.
Everybody hates on this show, but they don't know how great it is.
I'm here to praise Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu to its fullest.

Story-
It's very unique and intriguing.
What's not awesome about a high school student
who has god-like powers and she doesn't know this at all?
[Rate-10]

... Characters-
This show has a wonderful cast of characters.
Kyon is a wonderful male lead.
He's snarky, sarcastic and gives great narrations.
Haruhi is crazy and a whole lot of fun!
She's also selfish, arrogant, and does what she wants.
I've always loved Haruhi because of her eccentric personality.
Mikuru is a moe blob time traveler who does a great job of parodying her stereotype.
I really like Mikuru but I wish she developed more in character.
Yuki is a kuudere alien who is very important to the story.
She has great character development in the movie with Kyon, but not in the show.
Itsuki is a bishounen esper who is important to the story as well.
He explains to Kyon everything that's happening around him.
I really love how Itsuki always agrees with everything Haruhi does.
I wish he developed more in character like Mikuru.
Ryoko Asakura should've appeared more because she is a great side character.
Tsuruya was so much fun and I wish she appeared more as well!
Taniguchi was hysterical because WA-WA-WA-WASUREMONO.
[Rate-9.5]

Animation-
Flawless. Outstanding for 2006 standards.
[Rate-10]

Sound-
The English dub is superb.
Crispin Freeman and Wendell Lee for the win!
The Japanese dub is wonderful as well.
The soundtrack should be in a museum.
It's so happy, upbeat, and memorable.
I'll never forget God Knows or Hare Hare Yukai ever.
[Rate-10]

Enjoyment-
I've watched this entire series
7 times in a row and never got bored of it EVER.
It's a lot of fun and always made me laugh.
It's the only show I've ever watched
where I have a smile on the entire time watching it.
[Rate-10]

Pros-
-unique story
-great characters
-outstanding animation
-dub/sub is superb
-soundtrack is memorable
-a lot of fun to watch
-many comedic moments

Cons-
-lack of character development for Mikuru/Itsuki/Yuki
-side characters need more screen time

Overall-
Best show I've ever seen.
You must watch it.
It's masterful.

Overall Grade- 9.9/10

ATTENTION: MINOR SPOILERS - Don't waste your time with this one.

I don't usually rate anime, but this one forced me. It was that terrible. Everything up to episode 13 was mind blowingly good. It had everything I liked in anime, intrigue, mystery, sci fi, good story and characters.

Then I got to the Endless Eight story arc ... if you could call it a story arc.

It was an eight episode arc which wasted about 2 hours of my life when I realized that it would be eight episodes long, hence the name Endless Eight. This is just gawd awful lazy story telling. They spent eight episodes ... repeating the same junk when they could have done something good like develop the characters more. You could just tell that the writer had nothing to write about so he did the same episode eight times when he could have got his point across with just a few.

The worst part was when I finally got to the end of the story arc, I thought something poignantly profound was going to happen to make it all worth it and it turns out to be something just ridiculously trivial. I got very mad and irritated, I could no longer find enjoyment in this anime and all the "slice of life" events of the characters.

Seriously, don't bother with this one.

As counterintuitive as it sounds for a show about time-travellers and espers and God-being-an-ordinary-high-school-student, I think the word I'd use to describe Haruhi Suzumiya is 'understated'.

It's understated. It comes across as a weirdly smart anime for its genre and aesthetic, revelling in subtleties, never trying too hard to please, travelling along at its own pace and being its own likeable self in a way which paints the creators as 'totally chill, cool people' in my mind.

But perhaps that's because 'Haruhi' never belonged in the 'moe-moe' genre it resembles at face value. I've heard 'parody' being used to describe the show but I'm actually more tempted ... to reach for the fancier 'deconstruction', although that makes it sound too serious, so perhaps Haruhi is more like 'deconstructive parody'?

At any rate, I wouldn't call Haruhi Suzumiya 'moe', and that's coming from someone who despises the concept of 'moe'. Big- and sparkly-eyed as they are, the fanservice in Haruhi is more in the vein of 80's and 90's anime - sort of innocent, and never gratuitous enough to be off-putting. This light touch applies to the rest of the show - it dabbles and dances between mundane and supernatural and absurd with admirable nonchalance and yet never allows itself to overindulge in the more explosive moments.

Because that isn't what Haruhi is about! At its core, underneath all those layers of quiet, self-reflexive wryness, 'melancholy' does seem to be what it's about. Or a very mild variety of melancholy, at least. Haruhi Suzumiya has a dissatisfation that's easily related to: she's bored and frustrated with the trappings of ordinary life, and wants adventure, except this isn't one of those fantasy shounen animes where that gets to happen - at least, not for her. The events that follow are Haruhi's efforts to ease that boredom, and her methodology is less than ideal, causing either extreme humiliation or long periods of the characters sitting around doing nothing, but at least she's trying.

I think I've made it clear how much respect and affection I have for this anime, so I won't reveal too much more or say things that don't need saying. The supporting characters - while rooted in parody - are prominent and vivid; the atmosphere created by the art and music is warm and dreamy. Above all, you know an anime has done something special when you begin to have muscle-memory for an SOS clubroom that doesn't exist.