Difference between revisions of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya"

Revision as of 20:59, 4 March 2007

Genre

Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Short Outline

This series revolves around a High School girl by the name of Haruhi Suzumiya. She is determined to discover the paranormal and announces this to everyone. She does this while maintaining a cold demeanor and makes sure to point out that her interests remain only in the paranormal and nothing else. Kyon, the protagonist and narrator of the series, has recently given up his fantasies about anything paranormal knowing that they do not exist; however, he finds that all too quickly he is drawn into Haruhi's schemes to search for these nonexistent beings.

Main Description

It is important to note that this show was not aired in chronological order, so if you begin watching it and get confused, don't worry: that's normal. Do yourself a favor and keep watching it in broadcast order. One of the many things people love about this show is the way it was presented. The non-chronological progression of the story line builds to a bigger climax and is part of what makes it all so great. The chronological "end" of the story airs somewhere in the middle of the season and is not billed as the finale, so it will seem like a disappointing end. If you really, really must watch it in chronological order, do so after viewing it in broadcast order.

Characters

Haruhi Suzumiya

Haruhi Suzumiya is a beautiful, intelligent, energetic, quick-tempered, overconfident girl with a competitive streak as wide as her ego is large. When she wants something, she doesn't ask for it--she takes it, consequences be damned. She thinks "normal things" are terminally boring, and she openly declares her intentions to find and have fun with aliens, time travelers, and espers. After meeting Kyon, she is inspired to create the SOS Brigade, which is effectively her plaything and her only source of entertainment.

Yuki Nagato

Yuki Nagato is an unusual girl with an affinity for books and silence. She rarely shows any emotions or desires--except for a desire to read more books. She was the one remaining member of the high school's Literary Club, but when Haruhi formed the SOS Brigade, Haruhi took both the Literary Club's meeting room and member and made them her own. Nagato, ever unruffled, became a member of the SOS Brigade.

Mikuru Asahina

Mikuru Asahina is a meek girl with an extremely attractive body and absolutely no competence at anything except for brewing tea, wearing costumes, and looking painfully cute. After creating the SOS Brigade, Haruhi abducted her from the Calligraphy Club and made her the Brigade's "lolita mascot." Ever since then, Haruhi has continued to abuse Asahina's attractive qualities in an attempt to draw attention to the SOS Brigade.

Itsuki Koizumi

This smug looking fellow is Koizumi, an annoyingly congenial transfer student that Haruhi added to the SOS Brigade "because he is a mysterious transfer student." His personality could best be described as "sycophantic" and "unbearably easygoing." He always agrees with whatever Haruhi says, and he never objects when Haruhi misbehaves.

Kyon

The last and second most important character after Haruhi Suzumiya is Kyon. He is an archetypal "average guy," and he reacts to Haruhi and the rest of the SOS Brigade like you or I would. He narrates the story, constantly objects to Haruhi's misbehaviors, and does his best to do the right thing. He often speaks for reason and sanity when things get weird. He inspired Haruhi to create the SOS Brigade, and though he constantly complains about it, he consistently completes the menial tasks that keep everything running smoothly. Kyon's real name is unknown, so he's called Kyon, a nickname he's not fond of, throughout the series.

Most importantly, Kyon is Haruhi's best (and only?) friend. And maybe, just maybe, she's the reason that he puts up with so much crap.

So what? Why should I watch this show?

The show combines comedic light-hearted action with underlying dramatic tones and science-fiction themes. Let's just say Kyon and Haruhi go from one bizarre situation to the next. How the surreal interacts with the otherwise mundane struggles of a high school club is the meat of the series, and I leave the details to the watcher. Watch the first five episodes. I think you'll like it.

For fans of the technical aspects of anime, the show's animation, voice acting, music, and sound effects are of exceedingly high quality. Many times, viewers on these forums have remarked that the production company must have sold themselves to some dark force in order to routinely finish the episodes. Those dark forces must have gotten the short end of the deal, as the Japanese DVDs show corrections to glitches that even the most alert fans may have missed during broadcast. The episodes, and the DVDs, are that well done.

Why the first five episodes?

While the first two episodes will suffice to introduce the characters, hint at the strangeness, and entertain you thoroughly, the next three will give you a heavy dose of what makes this series a true classic, and when I say classic, I don't use the word lightly. Haruhi Suzumiya will be considered a classic.

If You Liked This, You Might Like...

• Azumanga Daioh
• School Rumble
• Kanon (2006)
• Full Metal Panic

Personal Opinions

Golden315

I personally found this show to be very well done. The first and most obvious thing that you notice about this show is the superb animation quality. I mean seriously whoever said that they sold their souls to a dark force to produce this thing every week was right. Of course we all know that being pretty isn't what makes a show. The method that they took in airing the shows was a masterful idea. Taking the chronological path of the novel and splicing up the parts to add mystery and an atmosphere. There is more I could say but really I'm just wasting your time here, just go watch it now. Nothing is perfect and everyone won't like this show but do yourself a favor and at least try this gem.

Nate RFB

Haruhi came out of nowhere took the world by storm, and perhaps that's one of the reasons I liked it so much. I had absolutely no expectations of it and the final result was outstanding. Its satire was genuinely funny and the character archetypes it poked fun at felt oddly real and meaningful. By all rights I should hate someone like Haruhi Suzumiya, who is bossy, bitchy, and (literally) makes the world revolve around her. Someone like Yuki, who is as much of a Rei Ayanami clone as they come, should have been another "ho-hum, another one of those characters." But Haruhi was someone I would have wanted to follow; her bossiness was like a flag or a rallying call that was hilarious to see others get caught up in. Yuki's deadpan, almost subtle portrayal would also work. And Kyon, who has no super powers and is just a normal guy, is somehow the most badass anime character ever almost entirely because of his sarcasm. Bizarre! And, this isn't getting into the airing order of the episodes, which was a great idea on the part of Kyoto Animation. The presentation enables the viewer to see events, enjoy them at face value, and then revisit them later when previous events elude to future ones already transpired. It gives further enjoyment and validity to episodes you've already seen; watching later episodes makes earlier ones better! It's not fair to say it's the Pulp Fiction or Memento of anime, but it's a concept that I haven't seen executed this well in an animated form. Top it all off with probably the best animation seen in anime television since they transitioned to digital, and a story that has nothing but enormous potential for growth, and you'll see why this show grew such a cult following. A lot of people fell into the trap into believing this was some sort of be-all end-all of anime, and honestly depsite the praise I lay on it here that really isn't the case. It's just a fun show that is most certainly worth watching for any anime fan, and nothing more.

Totalizator

Haruhi is certainly a one-of-a-kind show, with excellent animation, great music and rarely seen in anime sarcastic, non-hyperactive, intelligent humor. What I liked about it the most was the great attention to detail, whitch makes watching the show rewarding even if you see it for the third or fourth time (and if you like it you will probably want to see it at least twice, to see it in both chronological and aired order). Haruhi is an excellent show and I highly recommend it to any anime fan that hasn't seen it yet.

Links

• http://sos-dan.com
• SA thread