Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Self-Proclaimed: Normal High School Guy. Or that's how Kyon decided he'd ever realistically amount to, and, through his characteristically cynical monologues. Only idiots would believe in Santa Claus, and meeting aliens, time-travelers, and espers? Impossible. The rules of reality are law, and trying to change them would amount to nothing more but utter disappoint. And then an alien. And then a time-traveler. And then a mysterious, brown-haired, closed eyed bishonen... I mean esper. And the strangest of them all... god herself? Apparently she's into slave driving and bunny suits. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) was originally based off the light novel franchise by Nagaru Tanigawa.It was produced by Kyoto Animation, the same studio that animated the Full Metal Panic Series, the Key holy trinity, Hyouka, and K-On! Told through the narratives of our male protagonist, we follow the adventures of the SOS Brigade and its members' collective efforts to prevent the boredom, depression... melancholy of its hyper-eccentric leader, Ms. Haruhi Suzumiya. Why? Something to do with the end of the world as they know it. With script by Yutaka Yamamoto and Tatsuya Ishihara and direction solely by the latter, the show has two official airing different orders. I suspect by the end of production, the staff decided then and there to air everything in a format meant to distribute a good measure of comedic, relaxed, puzzle-bound, and action-oriented activity throughout. As a result, the new order, as opposed to a traditional airing, was chronologically tampered with. Somehow, they were able to arrange so that they able to transform what was obvious flaw in pacing into what was seen, heard, and felt by the masses as fresh. As innovative. As wildly successful, without being incredibly confusing. For example, for the last airing date of the anime, rather than showing what would otherwise be a whimper, the staff decided to end with an episode that is something on the lines of a bang. Naturally, I recommend watching in the order that the show was first broadcast in, though I caution viewers about the character development itself being all over the place. And whatever sequence one decides to go with, start with Episode 0.

The show boasts of a host of things that makes it already enjoyable as a comedy: parodies, homages, and strange, sudden, and enthralling developments galore, not to mention the laughs generated by Haruhi's bossy and outrageous antics and Kyon's sarcastic and libidinal observations and reactions. But far from the ear nips, facepalms, blackmail, and “beachballs,” the most rewarding experience, comes from how these two characters well each play off and subtly change the other's outlooks and, consequently, behaviors. Don't get me wrong, I like comedy. The comedy throughout was funny, sometimes to grandiose and hilarious scales, but I don't go out of my way to watch shows for laughs. I watch shows for insight. Not all comedy is just laughs, but much of it in this show was. Thankfully, I have something else to look forward to. Enter the relationship that fostered so naturally between Kyon and Haruhi. We get to see Haruhi as more than this boundless ball of headbanging activity. We get to follow Kyon as more than this passive complainer. And its more or less a product of their interactions. The rest of the main cast have been criticized for being more exaggerated caricatures than characters, of which I would say that there character development, however slight and seamless, with definite promises toward future progress. And even though they tread toward the former spectrum than the latter, I have to respond... so what? Yes, figuratively speaking, it would be nice if there was more meat under their skin to admire, but for all intents and purposes, what we have is fine. They establish the foundations for a richly imaginative setting while, through interaction, provide opportunity to flesh out Haruhi and Kyon during whatever adventures Haruhi gets them all into.

What this show has to complement the enthusiasm that exudes from every pore of our main female protagonist is the natural vibrancy of the visuals. Character designs by Shoko Ikeda, modified from original sketchings by Noizi Itou, channel a charming amount of dynamism on their own, encompassing broad ranges of stoic, teary, cool, exited, irritated, melancholic, and whatever that look Haruhi gave to Kyon was supposed to express in Episode 13. Couple that with fast, fluid, and crisp spurts of animation, one can't help but feel a smidgen of that same spunk. The backgrounds and lighting are also stunning in their own right.

Disregarding the OP for Episode 0 (it's something that can only be appreciated in the right context), the OP for the rest of the show, “Bōken Desho Desho?” or “It's an Adventure, Right? Right?” sung by Haruhi's Seiyū Aya Hirano and the ED “Hare Hare Yukai” or “Sunny Sunny Happiness,” sung by all the three Seiyūs that voice the main female cast, Yuko Goto and Minori Chihara as well as Hirano. By their names alone, both J-Pop titles would likely invite some hesitation (Kyon does a facepalm and headbutts a wall for crying out loud) but unbridled energy powers its audience, and that energy, coupled with robust, catchy vocals, makes for something rather enjoyable. The OP sequence is able to hint to the viewer, often through amusing means, a significant bit about each major cast member in a series of panels (save the other male main character aside from Kyon, who welcomes onlookers into a Big Bang-esque illustration later covered) and introduce just about everyone else in an explosion of stars, planets, rainbows, flowers, and SOS Brigade insignias. It looks better than it sounds. If the singing accompanying didn't make anyone a short-term addict, the ED's choreographed dancing will. The OST, in addition to providing for whatever tone the show decides it desires, has its standouts, notably the band numbers in Episode 12 of whatever order, where Hirano provided an amateurish touch to the concert to suit Haruhi's inexperience on stage while still sounding great. Wendi Lee's performance in the English Dub wasn't bad, but her voice wasn't as dynamic, nor was her pitch as consistent as her Japanese counterpart. One felt like a decent amateur job, while the other felt like an amateur on the rise to stardom. In addition, some of the facial expressions Hirano made while she sang provided the basis for Haruhi's facial expressions during her performance, bringing in intensity as well as demonstrating how much effort in animation was put into this scene, this episode, and, well, the whole series in general. High standards indeed.

Unfortunately, the relationship between our odd couple, my primary draw into this show, is incomplete. It lacks the fulfillment granted to it by conflict. By conflict, I don't mean where the protagonists were are forced into an uncomfortable situation, say, in the event of a shinjin attack in closed space. I mean conflict that arises between their polar opposite personalities, their values, their outlooks on life... where a nerve is finally struck and it's just them just them disagreeing with the other. Haruhi's allows whatever impulses she has to have their way, and Kyon, in spite of all his protests to the contrary, lets her will what she wants most of the time. Well, changes do occur between the two, but they are so slight I can't help but have that nagging feeling at times of grasping straws.

But straws aside, the pacing is wisely steady enough to make do. The situations the characters get themselves into are extremely fun, and the characters themselves, even more so. And there's always the promise that these characterization issues will be addressed next season.

I give The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) an 8 out of 10.