Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

---The review contains spoilers--- Story: Very original concept. We have this so called god that gathers together an alien, time traveler, esper, and a "normal human" to form a club. But this "god" doesn't know that she has gathered all these strange people. And ironically enough, the purpose of the club is to find aliens, time travelers, and espers and have fun with them. The purpose of the club members is to keep this god entertained so that she won't destroy the world. What I like about this concept is that not only is it unique, it allow many possibilities in how the story istold. The author makes full use of everyones special abilities.

Animation: All credit goes to Kyoto Animation for really using this concept to its potential. What so great about the animation is all the detail it has. Each story is uniquely portrayed and really shows what the author had intended. KyoAni also cleverly implanted all these subtle actions that reflects the actions in other episodes so when you rewatch this you will be like "oh I see why she had this reaction" in case you missed it the first time.

Sound: Two words: Hirano Aya. She sings the opening, ending, the two insert song, and is the heroine in the anime. Each song is very catchy and fun to listen to. You wouldn't believe all these songs were sang by the same person, but Hirano Aya has a huge vocal range. Voice acting is also really well done. Each voice really fits their character.

Character: Probably the best thing about this show the very unique cast of characters. It is really very rare for me to be able to like all the characters (even Itsuki). Each character appeals to you in its own way. But the biggest factor is the subtle change and growth of the characters. I had a great time evaluating the characters at the beginning of the series with them at the end. KyoAni really know how to do their stuff.

Replay Value: Moderately High. With such details, you would need to watch it over to catch all the details. Furthermore, the way KyoAni set up the episode order, at least one more watch is in order.

Overall: This was a great experience. It rare these days for a show to really overwhelm you. I have never enjoyed an anime this much and I look forward to the second season.