Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Having now seen this series 3 times: once on my own, once with friends, and once with my girlfriend, I feel I almost have to give this show a review. So without further ado here we go. Story 8/10 This is probably one of the more unique takes on anime I've seen. In case you somehow didn't know the premise, a girl named Haruhi Suzimiya has a set of godlike powers that allows her to bend the world to her will, without her even knowing her. This creates situations ranging from comedic to very serious potentially world ending scenarios. Because ofher powers, an alien, timetraveller, and esper need to keep her in check and basically have to make sure she is happy so nothing goes wrong.

I like this premise because it is something I have not seen in another anime. While the characters may be somewhat of stereotypes (more on that later) they keep them interesting by giving them a unique set of abilities that are fun to see play out throughout the series. The series also offers some interesting concepts and theories, but it never becomes overly symbolic or psychological in nature, rather this is more of a comedy, that parodies on lots of common tropes in anime.

Art 9/10

I never had a problem with the artwork in this series. It is very impressive for when this show was made, and the character designs are all colorful, charming and memorable. For a tv series it was very good, and while it's art is not as impressive as the movie, that's to be expected. Very little complaints here. Many impressive shots and the art style was pleasant and enjoyable.

Sound 8/10

Besides the first opening and ending and of course God knows, none of the music in this series is that memorable. The ending of them dancing is legendary and alone deserves praise for the dance that has been spread from everywhere to big conventions to random school anime clubs. It has been loved by anime fans for years and is to this day still well known. However, beyond that the main soundtrack is not very memorable or worth mentioning

Character 7/10

For me the characters in this series are very hit or miss. I'll go through all the main ones and what I think of them.

Haruhi: The big one and the one the show is named after. Some absolutely love her, others hate her. Whatever your opinion is, she's a huge part of this show's plot and you can't avoid her. She is a very headstrong character who usually only focuses on what she wants, despite what others want. She is bored of the real world, and wants to make it an interesting place. This is possible mostly due to her powers, and the other characters have no choice but to follow her will. To be honest she got on my nerves a few points during the series (which I'm pretty sure is the point sometimes) but overall I think she was a good character who made the show funny and interesting to watch. Her philosophies on the world were interesting, and I like how she tried to make her life more exciting and interesting. Her lines were pretty legendary at times, and it was fun to see how everyone around her reacted to some of the outlandish thigns she said or did. Overall, a fun character who made this show the bright and interesting show that it is.

Kyon: Not too much to note on him being our generic male protagonist, but his little one liners and zingers make the show more entertaining. I found myself laughing at quite a few of his lines. Other than that, not much to note.

Nagito: The quiet girl stereotype is largely at play here. She is an adorable alien girl, and I loved her powers. However, when she is not using her powers she shows very little emotion and isn't all that interesting as a character. She gets developed a bit later in the series, but not overwhelmingly. She's important to the plot, but there a lot of characters like her in anime.

Koizumi: Typical hot guy/romantic here. Koizumi again has interesting powers, but ultimately doesn't add too much to the show when he doesn't use them other then the occasional funny scenes where he gets a bit too close to Kyon. Oher than that not much.

Mikuru: My least favorite character by far. Mikuru is the typical cute shy girl who is practically only thrown in there for fanservice. She complains a lot and seems to be upset by the littlest things that would not bother the normal person. I groaned everytime she started her whining, and while I felt a little bad for her every time Haruhi forced her to change outfits in a rather sexual and fanservicey way, Mikuru was still way too annoying for me to find any of her scenes cute or moe. I suppose there is a demand for characters like this, and she does play importance to the plot, but overall not my preference I really disliked this character.

Enjoyment 8/10

I really enjoyed watching the antics of Haruhi and friends multiple times. Even on a third watch the episodes kept my attention, and I did not get bored while watching this series. It still feels fresh and enjoyable, and it has that charm that older anime had that a lot don't seem to have today.

Overall 8/10

I'd recommend this series to any anime fan. Just because it's old does not mean that you should not give the series a watch at least once. This show had a huge impact on anime culture worldwide, and it is impressive just how much it spread. If you're looking for a fun show that combines humor, unique adventures, and a touch of sci-fi, romantic elements, and action than look no further than this series. It has enough of many genres in it for a whole range of audience to enjoy. Overall, I'd say definitely watch it.