The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Review This review covers the first eight episodes of the anime.
Since my review of Loveless I haven't been moved to write another article with such a harsh criticism. However The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is another title which inspires me to write aggressively.
As the title suggests the series revolves around Haruhi Suzumiya, though the protagonist is Kyon, a male classmate of Haruhi who watches her from the start and narrates the events. Not only is Haruhi the star of the series but the plot places her right in the centre of the universe; as a being who can apparently unconsciously alter reality. A cast of other characters, each embodying different sci-fi conventions (a Time-traveller, a A.I. and a Esper) all have theories as to the reason for Haruhi's power, the most significant being that she is actually a Deity; a creator and destroyer of universes and realities. The main characters must therefore keep Haruhi's emotional equiblerium in check, keeping her happy and entertained at all times, to ensure the safety of the entire world from her destructive subconscious.
Although this is a bizarre plot when read point-blank as it were, as a detached summary, it seems to be a remarkable and engaging one. Indeed just hearing such an unusual and interesting set-up might make you practically salivate at the thought of an incredible, ground-breaking anime. And all the Haruhi Suzumiya fans, with their eyes glittering, will try to convince you of that fact before twirling about in their sailor fukus and playing with their bunny-ears.
The problem is that when you actually sit down to watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, eager for something very special indeed, all you find is something that really grates on the nerves. The fact is that this is not a groundbreaking, original and unusual anime but actually an anime that is simply trying to be one.
When I say that I am referring to the state of a series as contrived. It starts with Kyon commenting on his first impressions of Haruhi and how she wears her hair in a different style every day of the week. It is meant to be presented as a quirk, or more accurately, a gimmick but it is obvious and so very pointless that it only irritates. And when you peel back these devices you are left with nothing; Haruhi Suzumiya was created only as a gimmick, she has no depth and no personality.
Haruhi is not actually interesting or endearing to the viewer, in fact she is one of the most ridiculous, unrealistic, two-dimensional and annoying characters ever created. Other than shouting a great deal and being forcedly random Haruhi dedicates her time to creating the S.O.S brigade, a society bent on discovering paranormal activity...or something like that. The reasons and purposes are decidedly vague. So are the actual activities.
Kyon comments how, after a confused and vague introduction of the club, they are not getting any business, and offers the explanation that no one knows what they do. Neither does the creator, its just another gimmick. What do they do? Sit about wondering what they should be doing, coming up with a dozen zany concepts though that's all they are; concepts. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is decidedly thin on the matter of action.
I cannot stress this enough. There is one episode where Kyon, running a very dull errand, leaves the club to do so and Yuki sits and reads there. The scenes switch between Kyon walking around shopping and Yuki sitting reading. The camera watches Yuki from the same angle while she reads; in the background there can be heard noise from another class. It continues. Nothing happens, no angles change, the pages turn, the books are moved from pile to pile. This is the series trying to be artsy but what is it achieving? The scene is meaningless, it only stands testament to the series trying to be artsy. That is what I mean when I say that this series is contrived.
Another example is that the episodes were not aired in the correct chronological order but jumbled about. Once again the viewer may be prompted to ask, why? There is simply no answer - other than - to make the series seem more cryptic and complex and unusual. It is nothing more than the most pathetic and contrived stunt that has ever been performed with anime.
The idea behind The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is undeniably engaging however the fact remains that, quite simply, that's not what The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya actually is. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is annoying, confusing and ultimately frustrating. It is not that the series is bad, or at least any more than a simple cheap and cheerful anime, but it is so poorly constructed that an appeal it might have had is ultimately ruined.
Rating: 3/10