Review of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009)

I'll will try my utmost best to keep this spoiler free. Initial Thoughts. This show is phenomenal. This show also sucks. It stirs some weird conflicting emotions where i really enjoy it and as a critic think it's amazing and yet also it infuriates me at the same time. Like stubbing your toe in the dark going to a nice cold drink from fridge in the middle of the night, just to stab it again on the way back. it's like happy and frustrated at the same time. It has one of the best ideas explored in like a 4th wall or 5thwall story telling but also pushes those boundaries to the extreme. If you consider yourself an otaku, I dare say you've already seen this. It is a must watch for any die-hard Anime Fan and i would personally put this in the 'classics' for anime along with like the Godfather, Forest Gump and Pulp Fiction.

If you are a casual watcher and can't get through 5-10+ episodes a week, this is going to be a tough series to watch. Tough to watch blindly with no concept of what it's about or what experience you are about to face either as it was in my case.

Was it worth watching. IS it worth watching?
Yes. and I still believe it is worth the watch but there will be a specific order to watch it in, that will make it more enjoyable and still have a great understanding of the conversations that happen around this series and have it make sense.

The story:
The overall story arcs are reminiscent of Clannad they are all short stories, that have no major impact by the end of the series, and can fall flat but as there but the character building becomes important and is enjoyable.

The Characters:
Each of the characters are individually interesting and the show does a great way of fostering interest in each of the supporting characters to a point where the titular character almost becomes irrelevant.

Music and Art. the art style and animation and music are really really really good quality I'm not sure who the studio is but i think the show was executed great and the movie was even better.

The Movie:
For me this is what makes this series great the series itself kind felt anti-climactic at the end i felt somewhat dissatisfied by the end. However, knowing there was more to the story had me excited knowing it didn't leave me wanting. I was skeptical about how the movie was going to go as I heard my experience during the show was going to be worth it just for the movie. I can tell you know the movie did not make up for the experiences between a certain arc. The movie was absolutely sensational however.

Rating:
I was ready to give the show a 7.5/10 i could even give it an 8 or 9 just on how meta breaking the story telling concept was but for pure enjoyment I was sitting at a 7.5. After watching the movie, I am ready to give the whole series a 9.5/10. This is one of the first times I've held off from rating a series in order to see a movie as I generally rate them as separate things. But it is essential to watch Haruhi with watching the movie in mind. And essential to see the movie after the series.

The only thing stopping this getting a 10/10 is the pace. Not only is the show very slow a bit repetitive in some parts but the movie was just a tad too slow. considering it is a 2:45 hour long movie this could have cut maybe 15 minutes to 30 minutes from the start. I do get that it was slow on purpose to show how mundane it was with Suzumiya missing (this is not a spoiler, the movie is literally called the Disappearance of Suzumiya)

Would I watch it again:
I don't rewatch shows really as i have too many to watch that i haven't seen but i am actually really excited to re-watch this series, however i will do so and watch in a machete order. I have a feeling by the end of this rewatch this will be a 10/10. And I know there will be things like easter eggs I missed the first time.

Best Girl: Suzumiya, surprisingly tough actually.