Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009)
The second season of Haruhi Suzumiya was defiantly interesting. I watched this series in the broadcasting order just because it was the way it first aired and I'm defiantly not doing that again for future re-viewings. It was rather off putting when the seasons changed from episode to episode. However let's get into the real deal for this series. The Endless Eight. Naturally this is the arc that most people think of when they hear the shows name. Since I did not watch this show when it was airing I can not share the frustration that must of been felt to have seen the same story repeated8 times. However I can say how I felt when I watched it myself.
Skipping episodes is generally something I don't like to do when watching anime unless it really sucks like the Garlic Jr. Saga of Dragon Ball Z so I watched all 8 episodes. I thought it was very interesting to see how a show can present the same events 8 times but make it different each time. However after the third episode of the arc it got dull. Regardless when it was done it didn't leave me with feelings of anger or boredom. I just found it to be something interesting I haven't done seen before.
Everything after the Endless Eight is AWESOME however. I love making movies with my friends so I could relate to the creation of the movie in the anime. It was so enjoyable to see them create this bad film. I also liked how we got to see the finished product in episode 0. I really felt a connection to the series because of this since I have made some of the mistakes found in the finished product of their movie. Like the jerky tripod movements and wind in the background.
Because of this connection to the anime I defiantly enjoyed it more. Besides this the animation for the show is top notch. The framing of the shots and just the detail in some of the scenes is down right amazing. Maybe I haven't watched enough anime but I can easily say it was the best animation I have seen so far.
For me character designs kinda make or break an anime so I was very pleased with the designs in this show. However appearance isn't everything. The characters where all well done and very likable. Kyon and Tsuruya being my favorites. The voice acting was also amazing (I watched the English dub by the way).
Overall the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was immensely enjoyable and is something I plan to re-watch in the future. Any show that has re-watch value is a good show in my book. While The Endless Eight keeps my rating down the rest of the show is a 10 to me. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a fun anime.