Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

When I first heard of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, I was utterly confused. I was introduced to the series by it's God-like popularity dance and Lucky Star. By the time I was halfway done with Lucky Star, curiosity got the best of me and I went to look it up, I found how the story went. (Will save for Story section later) At first glance, the series just looked like a slice of life comedy anime. I do enjoy those a lot, so I was willing to give it a shot. But the turn of events was startling at best. Let's begin. Story: Like I said before,The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya just looked like to be your average High School life show. When I watched the first episode, I was confused. Who's this girl wearing the bunny costume? Who's the guy just walking by? Who's the witch? Who's the narrator? Who's that other girl? One would think that they would at least introduce all these characters properly instead of just throwing them at you. Thankfully, as I watched the next episode. The characters are given a real introduction and the setting is set. A High school club going on merry adventures. Sounds fine so far. Next episodes. Well... that's were things got freaky. Apparently, things are not as normal as they appear to be. Yuki Nagato, the silent bookworm, is an artificial human? Mikuru Asahina, the moeblolb, is a time traveler? Itsuki Koizumi, the handsome character, is an esper? And most of all, Haruhi Suzumiya, eccentric freak, is... God? Where does that come from? Why?! Still confused, I continued on to the rest of the episodes, and then I just got used to the identities of the characters. Merry adventures with some paranormal activity thrown in. So, overall, while the plot seems a little out of hand, one just gets used to it and continues watching anyway. Besides, everything just seems much more interesting, anyway.

Art/Sound:

I have nothing much to say about the art and sound other than it's absolutely fabulous. The art seems to fit well with the series and doesn't distract from the episodes. The sound is superb with tracks such as "God Knows...","Bouken Desho Desho?", and my personal favorite, "Hare Hare Yukai". I'd also like to throw a bone at the animation studio for doing such a marvelous job with the series. Vibrant colors and fluent animation! Big part of the delicious cake that is the Haruhi Suzumiya series.

Characters:

In this section I will only talk about the SOS Brigade. Starting with the snarky character, Kyon.

Kyon to me is the quintessence of the normal high school student. Over his childhood dream of the paranormal, moving on with his life only with a small circle friends to keep him company. As a narrator, he can get quite tiring to hear, since all he does is complain about Haruhi and praise Mikuru. However, he does serve to be a memorable character, as he seems to be the voice of reason, opposing to Haruhi's bizarre antics. Without him, the series would be much less interesting. It is entertaining to see his and Haruhi's views clash. When needed, he does serve by either persuading Haruhi to use her God-like powers (which happens most of the time) or helping any way he can, like the sidekick he always dreamed to be as a child.

Haruhi Suzumiya is a very strange character. Not much can describe her other than "Genki Girl". She is just like loose cannon, ready to fire whenever. For some, it may be strange for the series to be called "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" when said character is happy. Most of the time. The series title does have a meaning. Later on in the series, she reveals why she is the way she is. This means that all Haruhi wants is an interesting life. That is why she goes searching for the paranormal. It's just too bad the she is completly clueless that they are right under her nose. Unlike the other characters, her plot device doesn't overshadow her traits. Overall, Haruhi is like a child in need. But we love her anyway.

Mikuru Asahina is probably the weakest character in the series. Whenever she gets harrased by Haruhi, she always let's herself be fondled. The poor girl doesn't do much except be cute. Later on, in the light novels, she does serve a purpose. However, since this review is about the anime, I can't say much about Mikuru Asahina. She just seems to have a lot of unused potential.

Yuki Nagato is my favorite character of the bunch. In the brigade clubroom, she appears to be on the same level as furniture. Outside it, however, she is an artificial human observing over Haruhi Suzumiya. Even if it doesn't sound like much, Yuki proves herself to be a very likeable character. She's there whenever anybody needs her (Mostly Kyon) and is just so... kickass. She shows this mostly in episode 5, but that is for you, the reader, to watch! Overall, Yuki Nagato seems silent, but she is just misunderstood.

While Kyon may be the voice of reason, Itsuki Koizumi is the information giver. Without him, I would still be completely dumbfounded on the plot. He comes in as a mysterious transfer student and sure enough, he does have a few secrets hidden under his smile. He is the caretaker of Haruhi's emotions. While he isn't exactly calming her down in person, he destroys creatures called Celestails in an area called Closed Space (or Sealed Dimension). However, inside the clubroom, he serves as Haruhi's Yes man just so she won't be upset. While this does seem very bland and annoying, Itsuki serves himself a valuable character in the series.

Enjoyment:

This series gave me much enjoyment while watching!

Overall:

Watch this series. I don't care if you don't like moeblobs, plot twists, or cliches. This anime is a beautiful gem in the anime world. No wonder it is cherished by many.