The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Has anyone ever watched this show?

it´s only 14 episodes long and it´s supposed to be damn good.

I have to confess I only watched 4-5 minutes of the first episode and to be honest...........
.
.
.
.
.
....It could have been better.
And let´s leave it at that, mom always said that if you have nothing nice to say...

But now I keep hearing so many good things about it, I´m starting to wonder.... did I miss something, maybe?

[Alex L]

It is very hard to judge a series on the first episode or two, never mind the first four minutes of the first episode.

That particular episode is intentionally bad, by the way. (The main characters created their own short film for a cultural festival or some such thing).

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Thanks, I have to confess I am really curious about this show and starting to regret not having given it a chance.

It´s just that the whole thing with the girl dressed in the playmate suit....
I´ll be honest: like any other guy, I like cheesecake.
No, scratch that, I love cheesecake.
Tasteful cheesecake.

That one was executed in such a blatant in-your-face manner that it kinda irked me.

[MKTerra]

Feel free to skip ep.1 and return to it later. IMO ep.2 is a better starting point and more entertaining.

[The Real Nemo]

Thanks, I have to confess I am really curious about this show and starting to regret not having given it a chance.

It´s just that the whole thing with the girl dressed in the playmate suit....
I´ll be honest: like any other guy, I like cheesecake.
No, scratch that, I love cheesecake.
Tasteful cheesecake.

That one was executed in such a blatant in-your-face manner that it kinda irked me.
That's kind of part of the point of the first episode though, it becomes easier to understand once you've seen the next few ones.

[Kevinroc]

You didn't like the narrator pointing out how bad the first episode was? It's just an odd episode, although now that I think about it, the entire series is rather odd. But it's good. REALLY good.

[Cayman]

It's pretty good from what I've seen so far. Yuki is adorable, but Mikuru is annoying.

[OverMaster]

Thanks, I have to confess I am really curious about this show and starting to regret not having given it a chance.

It´s just that the whole thing with the girl dressed in the playmate suit....
I´ll be honest: like any other guy, I like cheesecake.
No, scratch that, I love cheesecake.
Tasteful cheesecake.

That one was executed in such a blatant in-your-face manner that it kinda irked me.

That was the point. The girl making the movie (Haruhi) wanted to make the girl in the bunny suit (Mikuru) to look as shamelessly appealing to men (public) as she could.

The cheesecake tones down a lot after that. You'll still see a couple of bunny suit scenes, and an almost blink-and-you'll-miss-it swimsuit scene, but no nudity or anything like that.

However, even so, Haruhi is not for everyone's liking. It all depends on how much can you stomach the lead's enthusiast but overbearing attitude, and the story's rather weird pace.

[Citizen V]

Ive heard this series is extremly overated.

[Sparda]

Ive heard this series is extremly overated.
I completely agree on that.

This series episodes are very mixed up....for example, episode 1 is suppose to be episode 11 (I think it was 11..) while the intro's was suppose to be episode 2 ehhh you get the point. Don't ask why the episodes are in so much disorder, the guys behind it probably thought it was cool I guess. That's probably why you could'nt stomach the first episode.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Melancholy_of_Haruhi_Suzumiya_episodes

That should show the proper listing's of the list.

On a personal level I did'nt like it much. I found it a bit boring and expected it to be one of those really funny echi type anime's that makes one laugh but barely the comedy. The story was weird but I guess you have to check it out your self.

I have yet to understand why this series is so popular. Can anyone post a link with a good review with reasons why this show is so liked? Is it the Kawaii ness?

[Alex L]

Ive heard this series is extremly overated.

+2

Overrated doesn't equal bad -- I enjoyed the series, but it doesn't quite deserve the hype it gets.

The series, at its best, is somewhat existential -- is Haruhi really God, who can remake reality at a whim?

Do the side characters exist because on some subconscious level, Haruhi created them to entertain herself? Does Kyon? Is he here for her, or is she here for him?

[Darth Joker]

My cousin got the Volume One DVD of this (four episodes including the first comedy episode, IIRC). I enjoyed the first four episodes, and found it rather zany and amusing.

I was a bit surprised by Haruhi's characterization given how immensely popular she is in Japan (suffice it to say she's not the typical protagonist, even for anime...), but the show does a good job of mixing a zany feel in with serious intellectualism, and that makes it somewhat unique.

It's definitely worth watching (you really don't get much of a feel for what the rest of the episodes are like from that first pure comedy/parody episode), but it would have to be scary good to match the hype... and it's not *that* good.

[SAMAS]

+2

Overrated doesn't equal bad -- I enjoyed the series, but it doesn't quite deserve the hype it gets.

The series, at its best, is somewhat existential -- is Haruhi really God, who can remake reality at a whim?

Do the side characters exist because on some subconscious level, Haruhi created them to entertain herself? Does Kyon? Is he here for her, or is she here for him?

Actually, I'm thinking that the true Godlike being is Kyon.

[Len Ikari145]

Actually, I'm thinking that the true Godlike being is Kyon.

Trust me, you're not the only one. There are several hints within the novels and anime that Kyon is either the true Omnipotent or he exists to polarize the existence of Haruhi.


Either way, there's no way he's considered "normal".

[EdContradictory]

The 00 episode is one of the funniest animes I've ever seen.

[Citizen V]

I completely agree on that.

I have yet to understand why this series is so popular. Can anyone post a link with a good review with reasons why this show is so liked? Is it the Kawaii ness?

I heard recently that its popular..because its the "in" anime.The current fad...there is no doubt its good.But not what everyone claims it to be.

The series, at its best, is somewhat existential -- is Haruhi really God, who can remake reality at a whim?

Most say the anime was great before they made Haruhi a godlike thing.

[Darth Joker]

I have yet to understand why this series is so popular. Can anyone post a link with a good review with reasons why this show is so liked? Is it the Kawaii ness?

I'm thinking that it's the character of Haruhi herself. Perhaps she's a wish-fullfilment-esque character for a lot of Japanese girls? She's certainly a very unique character, even by anime standards.

The show's premise is somewhat unique in that it involves extremely high power levels but is still largely school-based with little (if any) traditional hero/villain conflict.

Ghost once wrote to me that a lot of people who liked the X-Men movies were more into seeing the powerful protagonist mutants in the Mansion as students than in the conflict against Magneto.

Likewise, I think that the combination of Haruhi's wish-fulfillment-esque nature largely within a school setting makes her a character that a lot of female fans love to live vicariously through.

I, personally, tend to perfer real drama where the protagonist can lose, and a genuine protagonist/antagonist struggle of a somewhat heroic/villainous nature... but that's me, and I'm not in school any more. ;)

[The Real Nemo]

Most say the anime was great before they made Haruhi a godlike thing.
Eh? You mean before Kyon's conversation with Yuki? Who says that? The series wasn't much more than a somewhat quirky high school anime before that point, it was all the weird stuff that started happening that made it really interesting. At least to me...
I, personally, tend to perfer real drama where the protagonist can lose, and a genuine protagonist/antagonist struggle of a somewhat heroic/villainous nature... but that's me, and I'm not in school any more. ;)
Thing is, Kyon seems to be the actual main character of the series more so than Haruhi. Everything that happens is from his point of view, Haruhi just happens to be at the center of most of it.

[OverMaster]

I heard recently that its popular..because its the "in" anime.The current fad...there is no doubt its good.But not what everyone claims it to be.

I thought freakin' Naruto, King of the Overrated Series, was 'the current fad'. :p

[GoGo Yubari]

I thought freakin' Naruto, King of the Overrated Series, was 'the current fad'. :p

Then it's really been a rather long-lasting fad, hasn't it? Actually, it's slipped in popularity a little as of late (I think both Gintama and Reborn are more popular in Japan right now, actually).

[Darth Joker]

I thought freakin' Naruto, King of the Overrated Series, was 'the current fad'. :p

In North America it still is, but Japan has moved on to loving Haruhi a lot more, is the impression I get.

[Darth Joker]

Thing is, Kyon seems to be the actual main character of the series more so than Haruhi. Everything that happens is from his point of view, Haruhi just happens to be at the center of most of it.

That's true.

Oh well... maybe it's the Haruhi dance then. :D

[SAMAS]

Why do I like it so much? Simple.

It was the first comedic animes to make me laugh out loud without going over the top like, say, Excel Saga.

[OverMaster]

Why do I like it so much? Simple.

It was the first comedic animes to make me laugh out loud without going over the top like, say, Excel Saga.

Actually, I think Azumanga Daioh pulled that off before Haruhi came to be. :D

[The Xenos]

There's this crazy video from teh heart of Akihabara:
http://www.comics2film.com/b/index.php?blog=16&title=japanese_cops_bust_dancing_cosplay_flash&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

I've also seen random Haruhi dances break out at US cons now.

Also, it seems Lucky Star is the newest fad after Haruhi.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

I checked the 2nd chapter and I really liked what i saw.
Some hillarious situations thrown in, I had to go back and forth several times to "relive" some of those mements.

I´m definitely gonna have to order the DVD boxset from eBay/Amazon now. :p

[The Real Nemo]

I checked the 2nd chapter and I really liked what i saw.
Some hillarious situations thrown in, I had to go back and forth several times to "relive" some of those mements.

I´m definitely gonna have to order the DVD boxset from eBay/Amazon now. :p
Well only 2 out of 4 DVDs are out right now, so you'll have to wait a while for that...

[Young Avenger]

I just finished watching all 14 episodes (I had tons of time to kill) and I enjoyed it very much. Unfortunely, I saw the series in the correct order *shakes fit at anime tube*. I felt bad for Mikuru. She gets sexually assulted by Haruhi seemingly on a daily basis. I would just love to see her snap and tell Haruhi she's not going to wear the maid uniform anymore. That would be sweet.

[Young Avenger]

I just finished watching all 14 episodes (I had tons of time to kill) and I enjoyed it very much. Unfortunely, I saw the series in the correct order *shakes fit at anime tube*. I felt bad for Mikuru. She gets sexually assulted by Haruhi seemingly on a daily basis. I would just love to see her snap and tell Haruhi she's not going to wear the maid uniform anymore. That would be sweet.

[Young Avenger]

*edit triple post

[shanejayell]

I really like it, and am looking forward to watching in chronological order. *lol*

[Darth Joker]

Purely to see if I can get a post to come up...

[Kevinroc]

For the record, a second season of Haruhi was recently announced. No idea when it will air at this point.

[Young Avenger]

I heard that the second season might premier this fall. I'm not counting on it.

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Anyone knows if they used rotoscoping for the ending song Hare Hare Yukai (http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=DVY4ajb57os)?

The animation and choreography seems a bit more complex than what you usually get in regular anime (even for opening/ending themes).

[Cayman]

The second disc is a lot better than the first.