Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Story So, what the hell is the plot?! Well, to describe it here would be a huge spoiler, so instead, think of it like this: it's much like the human race trying to keep God entertained with interesting events. It makes you think either stupid or brilliant, you decide because I'm still trying to. Is the plot really something original and grand, or is it just a random pebble in a random pond sitting in a random hole in the ground? I can't even begin to understand which. The whole show had me watching, somehow and someway, but I didn't actually like anything I watched until thelast episode. It also doesn't help that the episodes are shown out of order to confuse matters, and if there wasn't enough confusion already with data, closed space, and bunny-waitresses! Was the propose of the show to make me ponder in delightful wonder or was it to make me pound my head into my desk until my brain’s oozed out?!

Character(s) & Their Development
Actually, this one is a lot harder to place for this series. The cause of this is because the episodes are out of the order, so that means the development is as well. When you watch, the people you see seem to remain as they are, somehow growing in front of you without the audience even taking notice. It's as if a sneak attack tries to occur while you're sitting there listening to the attackers get in position.

Anyway, enough comparisons. First off, the characters are weird. You won't find many of them at your school besides a group of Kyons'. Everyone else is meant to be funny, hyper-active, and completely anti-typical. This isn't a bad thing because it fits the shows wacky style; regardless, it takes away any realism that they are attempting to display. Or so I thought…

The real secret here is that, by placing the episodes in a jumbled mix, we are treated with getting to know the characters. Thus, making us ready for the supposed ending (aka episode six instead of fourteen). This makes us much more comfortable with the change witnessed. I'm sure you could watch the show in order, but it might appear rushed in some form or manner. The characters do grow, and this is painstakingly apparent once you get use to their mannerisms.

What overall surprised me, but fit just right in the puzzle that is this series, was the bonds the characters make. I didn't really notice how close they all turned out to be until truly thinking about it. The real gold to this though is if the center of it all is Haruhi or Kyon? On first thought, you might think it would indeed be Haruhi because that is the reason everyone is there; however, the one everyone tells everything to is Kyon. So which is the center of this drizzled mess? That's another theory that only really the audience can decide.

Animation
This was the bombshell for me. Usually, I don't pay much attention to the looks of a show; regardless, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya had such a fluid and lifelike style that it couldn't be denied even with eyes closed. I was truly surprised to find simple movements exaggerated for the viewers pleasure. Not many shows out there could get away with this without being called overly cute, but this one does with flying colors.

How odd it seemed in the beginning, but turned into one of it's strongest points. Then again, everything about this show is odd. Very odd. Anyway, it's colorful and has a cheerful display of complex movements in one bundle. If you're all into how good a show looks, then watch Haruhi for that. However, I wouldn't recommend doing that with any show, but whatever you enjoy best.

Music
Once again, another subject I don't pay much attention to; however, as soon as I can I'm planning on finding the soundtrack to this anime. It is, very bluntly, funky fresh. The opening is poppy, entertaining, and worldly (along with a psychedelic, colorful, banza during the opening theme). The ending has the same feel along with dance moves from your favorite characters to make you listen and watch. Not only that, I was a bit surprised to find interesting music inside the show as well. The battle scenes really shine with their techno twists.

Dubbing/Subbing
There was truly nothing special with the subbing in my opinion. The translations, I thought, were pretty nice, and some of my favorite parts of the show have an added oomph. Yet, besides that, the subtitles were… nice. I never really saw anything particular that stood out.

Overall
This was all around interest. Was it enjoyable? I think. Was it bad? I'm not sure. I was left with a lot of questions on how I felt about the show. It's popularity told me to stay clear, but because of that same popularity I opted to watch it anyway. I recall though, in the first episode, I shouted WTF seventeen times in a twenty-three minute timeframe. I assume since the beginning was nothing of what I expected, no plot of any kind introduced, I decided to stick with the rest to see what would become of bunny-girl-waitress-time-traveler-something-or-another.

The next few episodes actually bored me. In all reality, only the last two or three episodes got me entertained again. The ride to the end wasn't enjoyable for me, it was a trek I didn't feel up to taking unless it was to force myself. Maybe it's because I couldn't immerse myself into the strange rules this show threw at me. I might have been thinking far too much to actually sit and have fun with what was being shown to me. If that's the case, then my judgment was misplaced. Or maybe I just truly couldn't get into it. Maybe it just didn't interest me as much as others.

The plot seemed random, shuffled, and tacky to me. There were times I laughed quite a bit, but mostly it was nothing I could truly sink my teeth into. I can't say I know who to recommend this type of show to. I'm also not really sure why it's so ungodly popular (then again, I'm still asking that question about Neon Genesis Evangelion). So, if you like sci-fi you might like this anime. If you like bunny-girls with big boobs, well, this might be right up your alley, too. This show is a mixture of a lot of unsure things that will either make you scream out, "WHAT WAS THAT?!" or "Master-piece, I loved it!"