Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is quite a bit hard to describe and, to my knowledge, entirely unique. Attempts in any terms that seem ‘objective’ would almost seem to be missing the point that seems alluded to throughout the entire show. You won’t get a clear message, you won’t even get a clear story for different points (you will feel the broad strokes) I can’t affirm whatever it is talking about or trying to convey, but I can say how I started thinking and engaging with it. Certain media can incite that kind of power, and this for me is one of them. I can’t reallyput it on a ‘this is an objective masterpiece I will worship’ type of acclaim, which to me feels pointless, but I can say in all the manners I feel why this is enjoyable.

It uses a variety of means to provoke certain feelings and thoughts and it to me understands how a certain kind of person thinks. It’s very deliberate here. This makes it tricky to review as it’s also very easy to see it all as made up if one does not reciprocate this kind of response. But there are several series like this (Tatami Galaxy, yeah I have a whole lot to say there) that I’ve seen and had not incited such things despite this one being hmm ‘trashier’ in appearance. Haruhi to me fits up there with these ‘come back for analysis’ anime. I for sure find it one of the most interesting to think about and try to talk about. To me, there is something that feels endlessly enjoyable about it.

--Humor--

The main core is Kyon wants to live a normal high school life, but then encounters Haruhi’s eccentricities, and then a self-professed alien, time traveler, and espers which throws his life into a chaos. The underlying story appears rather simple but is portrayed abstractly when these powers arise.

So, the first part of enjoying this show is naturally the humor, where Kyon’s deadpan and exasperation as well as the other characters' absurdities and exaggerated situations contrast together. It very much acts in that parody style but this one feels particularly effective because of the quasi realness and exaggerated aspects of them. You can watch a lot of these in isolation and enjoy it because the comedy is quite funny, if save for some bit exaggerated female-on-female pervy humor in some bits. It just hit a kind of ‘misfits dysfunctionality’ comedy plus deadpan style that felt right.

--Themes, Characters (these have to be merged I feel to properly talk about this show)--

But, there’s another side to Haruhi, and that is all its conceptual details. As is probably well known, there is no set series order. But there is an order, there is a chronology alluded to. Because each episode is spliced events that themselves follow a past to future chronology, but not necessarily sequentially, not all parts of one episode will go before all parts of another. Each episode focuses on a timeline for some general event: it stands alone reasonably in its plot. As a result of these two things, our perception of what causes what general event changes. One episode's context gives an entirely different context to the next one and plays into its message. There’s almost an intoxicating aspect about it as a result, where you feel you gain a new insight into how it links.

Just an extra note, but as a result of the scrambled order, be sure to watch the actual 2006 version. Because different orderings exist, some reorder them based on a perception of the chronology, and the first 14 episodes include some from 2009. I know I made this mistake. The first episode in the 2006 broadcast order should look like a 90s anime. Which, happens to be I think one of the most effective first episodes in an anime.

But I digress.

All the characters besides Kyon (the alien, time traveler, esper) talk in a hard to understand, eccentric, philosophical manner, as if being something else. In these moments, it’s supportive of their character while probing new angles and themes of the story that become revealed and synergize together. Moreover, on a thematic level, its entirely cohesive with how the show portrays itself via the dialogue in humor as well as the art. Thus, their actions and depictions feel very natural and well blended, despite the clear obfuscation in how they talk.

Trust me, I’m extremely jaded when it comes to philosophy, especially when used as justification for a work as it seems superficial and shallow and not revealing of anything except muddied vague conceptualization. But The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has seemed to use these in a manner that seems to stem from a serious reflection of something that is real from experience, and apply these notions both in this metaphorical way, and the allusion of its literal meaning in the story.

It has used these aspects of their powers and philosophy to enpower the characters and indirectly telling their story. It's absolutely by no means 'relatable', but its insightful. The characters make one feel both that they exist with this distinctive stand out energy and specialness to them that makes them enjoyable.

--Art--

The show’s art isn’t flashy. It’s not artsy. But, good art is one that is cohesive and reinforces the themes of the story. Given this show's ultimate story is a simple one, and somewhat of a reflective parody of the typical one, its story is a simple high school slice of life kind (you know the one), with occasional sci-fi tinges. But, it uses a variety of cinematographic or pacing techniques to emphasize something. It has particularly memorable artistic moments where it deviates from this simple style in response to a new theme and angle produced by a character, where it goes all 2001 A Space Odyssey or Evangelion as the world becomes portrayed as data and perception. In essence, it matches the style to what is there. A sci-fi style for when sci-fi things are mentioned, which it is allowed to do because this literal portrayal of metaphorical things is one of the core things in those show. But, in those simple bits, it has that ‘Kyoto animation’ charm of being beautifully simplistic but notable. Its music ranges from rambunctious to cerebral and fits well given the situation.

As a result, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya feels simple, but very tight and entirely cohesive as a result, with all kinds of iconic flairs or moments.

--Personal note--

Some of the themes mentioned here have been done in other anime, but the ‘melancholy’ here is some of the best depicted I’ve seen because its the one most connected to how I felt, and particularly reflective of how I feel at this point in my life sometimes while watching. Even as I review right now, that emotion, that's one only this series has properly conveyed. This is why I know it succeeds better than the others even if for its objectively unclean, confusingly demonstrated plot. Its use of metaphors in the direction of this melancholy is beautiful, revealing, and realistic. It’s not played for a laugh, it’s authentic.

--Conclusion--

It’s really hard to say a lot on why I love this without spoiling some of its message or what different things mean to me, but the fact that it exists means it well worth a watch.

This series has gone out of its way to use a unique style of story telling to convey particular messages and themes through different angles. It is one that can be felt even if not as concretely grasped. It's an immensely enjoyable experience that, you may learn a life lesson from.