Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
The impact of Kyoto Animations 2006 off the wall slice-of-sci-fi-life on the anime medium as we know it today cannot be overstated. It’s vibrant animation, sound, sharp & snappy comedic pacing with a wide cast of some of the most colorful characters, put it head and shoulders above just about everything else that came before it. TMOHS set a new bar for slice-of-life comedies much in the same way Evangelion had set the new bar for dark sci-fi the decade prior. TMOHS, through an average student Kyon’s perspective, follows an eccentric young woman named Haruhi who is captivated with wonder at the mysteries of the universeand the creative potential it has to harbor aliens, time-travelers & ESPers. Her backstory that motivates her is as believable as it is thoughtful.
The comedy & enormity of daily life with Haruhi is introduced to us through our main male observer (Kyon) who has found himself inescapably wrapped up in Haruhi’s antics. His cynicism draws a sharp comedic contrast in worldviews between Haruhi and himself, and ultimately makes the world in TMOHS that much more rich & grounded.
The remaining cast of the SOS Brigade is made up of deadpan bookworm Nagato Yuki, queen of all moe-types Mikuru Asahina and suave stereotypically mysterious transfer student Itsuki Koizumi. On a surface level these are tropey characters that contribute to the parody element of the show but they prove to be much more than they seem. Cooperation between the members is mandatory on an existential level and how each party understands Haruhi defines how they choose to manage her and respond to her antics with Kyon standing reluctantly at the helm determining how best to corral the unstoppable cosmic entity that is Haruhi.
The show has some of the smoothest pacing around. Exposition is limited, until you get to some of the incredibly heady conversations Kyon has with SOS Brigade members delving into their scientific, theological, ontological & philosophical theories about Haruhi’s nature. Some might think of this as a weak point, but I see it as a strength since it displays both the wide ranging capabilities KyoAni possesses to communicate some dizzying concepts in such a fascinating way as well as the depth of the world Har-- I mean the writer has crafted.
The show goes on to impress or disappoint in some pretty gut-wrenching ways in its second season and reaches its phenomenal peak in the utterly cataclysmic masterpiece that is the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Despite the ways new anime fans have terribly neglected & underrated this pivotal work, TMOHS is a foundational work that has defined where anime is at today in some big ways making it an absolute must watch for all anime viewers.
On a personal level it’s another one of those shows that I didn’t entirely get when I first picked up, but gave it another shot and continue to return, often humming the soundtrack, to the SOS Brigade to this day.
100% Seinen Jump approval.