Many of the show\'s aspects, such as the supernatural characters and the irregular airing order (oh how avant garde!), may appear groundbreaking on the surface, but there is nothing especially extraordinary about Haruhi as a whole. Despite their strange origins, most of the cast is comprised of tired, one-dimensional caricatures; Haruhi is certainly not the first anime to feature a well-endowed ditz, a withdrawn bookworm, and a domineering foil to a reserved protagonist. The situations that these characters are placed in are somewhat unique, but their behavior during each episode is painfully predictable. The story wraps up nicely and some depth is added to each character when all is said and done, but the whole ride through is rather bland and at times downright boring.
Haruhi is not terrible. The plot is decent through and through. It is not, however, an artistic breakthrough in the genre of anime (as some would have you believe). It is for that reason that I give it a harsh \"4\" rating.
