Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009)

The Haruhi Suzumiya franchise has always been one of my favorites, with the Disappearance movie in particular being one of the best things I've seen to date. The second season, however, has spawned a great deal of controversy even amongst avid fans of the show. While I can entirely understand where the frustration is coming from, I personally find the first and second seasons to be equally compelling, though for very different reasons. The Haruhi Suzumiya franchise has always been one of my favorites, with... Yeah. I'm here to talk about Haruhi's second season, but I'm primarily here to talk about the endless eight. Episodes 1and 10-14 of the second season are effective continuations of the first season's adventures: if you enjoyed the first season, you will enjoy them. They possess the same uniqueness, charm and subtle character growth that is ever-present in the Haruhi Suzumiya series (damn it is so annoying having the name of the series be the name of one of the characters, I keep having to come up with ways to clarify which one I'm talking about.) That's about all on that, since I obviously wouldn't recommend the second season to anyone who hasn't seen the first already.

Now, on to the hot topic of the hour.

If you consider yourself to be an anime fan then you've probably at least heard of the infamous endless eight by now. The majority of the second season of Haruhi is known as the 'endless eight' and is devoted to repeating the same scenario over and over again, with only slight differences existing between episodes 2-9. At first, this probably sounds like an entirely grinding experience and more ordeal than entertainment. You wouldn't be wrong, either: it's honestly pretty tough to get through, especially if you're like me and you go into it not knowing what you're getting into. It quickly turns from excitement to see what the next episode will bring to a plea that the next time the credits roll there will have been some sort of goddamn resolution.

But in truth, this has been most of my experience with Haruhi: the way I see it, the series has never primarily sought to entertain but rather to emulate the inherent monotony of life and the constant ordeal of trying to overcome it. Haruhi herself is forced to ceaselessly put effort into living an "interesting life" and oftentimes finds that her explosive energy and ambition are not enough to stave off the, well, melancholy. It's in the title: the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise portrays the battle against repetition, boredom and routine that plagues so many lives. Many of the series's flashy or enlivening moments are contrasted by ones that seem to be made intentionally dull or slow. Even when it's being bombastic it feels as though the show is holding back, as though it is willingly choosing to be less entertaining than it could be.

In the endless eight, Haruhi steps it up. No longer content to cut corners in order to satiate the audience, it digs right in. It makes you feel the grind full-blast. It's not trying to appease the fans: it's trying to make them think and reflect on their own lives. Why is it that you're watching this in the first place? Is it because you seek to escape the monotony of your own endless eights, your own meaningless repetition? People become frustrated with Kyon's lack of action whilst they throw themselves into more anime in order to bury their own lack of action. If the endless eight is boring to you, turn it off! Go make better use of your time! Defy your routine! Otherwise, aren't you just doing the exact same thing? I admire the endless eight, I really do: it manages to function as part of the larger narrative whilst driving in its own message at the same time, and it was created at great expense: each episode is animated slightly differently, each line of dialogue delivered with slight variation. This was not a case of laziness. It was a painstakingly-crafted thing, probably created with the knowledge that it would be received quite harshly but created nevertheless for the benefit of those for whom it resonated with.

As far as I'm concerned, the second season of Haruhi is an excellent contribution to the franchise's dedicated themes and an utterly unique experience. However, it's not going to be for everyone. I won't deny that anyone watching Haruhi solely for mindless entertainment value is probably going to want to skip this part of the series. I would also say that the second season of Haruhi is the only one of my all-time favorites I would not be easily willing to re-watch. I highly appreciate it and will happily sing of its merits, but I acknowledge its strengths and weaknesses and am not a glutton for punishment. The choice is up to you, but know that here stands one man that at the end of the day is extremely glad he made the journey.