posts tagged “Haruhi Suzumiya”
[Anime Reviews]
12 Jul 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: First Impressions and Retrospectives, Haruhi Suzumiya]
Well, I’ve done it. Never thought I’d manage it in such a short time but I’ve watched the entire series in chronological order! It actually gave me quite a different take on the series - some of my opinions on the show have changed while some haven’t. I’ll skip on the screenshots because I’m sure you’ve seen enough of those already…
In hindsight I can see why the episodes were ’shuffled’ but for me personally the approach didn’t work as well as it ought to have done. The series was clever in so many ways that it really didn’t need such gimmicks to make the viewer realise how special it is. What surprised me is that you notice so many details that you didn’t before when the events unfold as they should, such as the odd reference to a previous adventure that is now actually in context. With that in mind I started to appreciate the effort that went into the show, both in terms of plot and art. How the fanbase took to it so quickly I don’t know, because it’s taken a repeat viewing for me to take realise the things that make it worth shouting about.
The infamous opening episode for instance is actually funnier when you are familiar with those involved, and tiny nuances in other episodes take on more meaning. Notice how Haruhi puts Asahina’s hair in a ponytail, looks at Kyon, frowns and undoes it: I missed it completely but not after seeing episode #5. Damn, this series can actually be subtle when it wants to be! In addition ep #9, the episode that was the end of the story (as opposed to be the end of the series, i.e. ep #14) is an equally fitting ending to the series and in some ways is even more enjoyable as a conclusion.
While some of my earlier criticisms have been resolved by watching the series in the correct order others still stand. Most importantly there wasn’t as much character development as I would have liked - regardless of the episode order Haruhi’s temporary transformations from obnoxious to likeable still felt forced, sudden and out-of-place. I know it’s fundamentally a comedy so the laughs are important but empathy for the characters is always a good thing.
The overused Asahina-molesting wasn’t funny (to me at least) at any point and I still feel that the supporting cast were a little cliched. What I also found frustrating was that, as innovative and refreshing as Haruhi Suzumiya was in some respects, it was very formulaic in others. Sure, it parodies a lot but isn’t the ‘anime parody’ idea itself not original any more?
There was also the constant feeling of the show making a conscious effort to appeal to its fans, as if the writers were ticking boxes on notepads to make sure there wasn’t any popular theme or device that they’d missed. To its credit though, at least Haruhi Suzumiya does this in a different way - if I had to sum up the series in one word, it would be that of ‘refreshing’. Like the culture festival episode (my personal favourite actually), Haruhi Suzumiya may well be playing a cliched and popular tune, but she hits the right notes in the process.
Summary
Now would be the time to wrap up all these idle musings to give a coherant overall impression of the series. I refused to be swept along by either the enthusiastic fans or the equally enthusiastic critics but sat somewhat bewildered in the middle, mindful that whatever opinion I stated would bring about a backlash for one of the two sides (fortunately it hasn’t happened…yet). At the end of it all I enjoyed it and appreciated it more when I sat down and watched the events in the story happen in order, rather than the baffling broadcast order. Honestly, it made a real difference. In the same way as Kyon must have felt, I experienced frustration, confusion and a myriad of other negative emotions but at the end grudgingly admitted to myself that it had been a lot of fun after all.
In case you’re interested, here’s the order I watched the series in the second time around (it’s taken from ANN so if it’s wrong, complain to them, not me).
1. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I (episode #2)
2. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya II (episode #3)
3. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya III(episode #5)
4. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya IV(episode #10)
5. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya V(episode #13)
6. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI (episode #14)
7. The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya (episode #4)
8. Mysterique Sign (episode #7)
9. Remote Island Syndrome (part 1) (episode #6)
10. Remote Island Syndrome (part 2) (episode #8)
11. Mikuru Asahina’s Adventure (episode #1)
12. Live A Live (episode #12)
13. The Day of Sagittarius (episode #11)
14. Someday in the Rain (episode #9)
Here endeth my coverage for this series and what could well be my longest blog post yet. Phew.
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[Anime Reviews]
06 Jul 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
All good things must come to an end. So must bad things…and things in between. Okay, everything ends sooner or later. What worried me was that anime endings vary between the “hmm…” and the “wha…?” and given its patchy track record in entertaining me personally, Haruhi Suzumiya gave me quite serious cause for concern. Thankfully it was really quite good.
I didn’t so much as think along the lines of “is this the ending I wanted?” - rather, I was pleasantly surprised when things that could have gone wrong, didn’t. For one thing, it didn’t end with every member of the cast standing around cheering “Congratulations!”. It did however address the show’s underlying theme and even left things open enough for a second season. Weighing up the numerous ways in which the ending could have tried to be too clever or over-the-top, the writers seemed to have avoided the pitfalls and delivered a decent conclusion.
That’s all I have to say about this episode - I won’t go into any detail for fear of spoiling it. Instead I’ll waffle about my overall impressions on the show as a whole.
The Story
Apparently there’s a novel on which this is based; some generous individuals have translated it and put it online but I’ve been too busy to make use of their hard work. My only experience of the Haruhi Suzumiya story is that of the anime, which varied from the good to the mediocre. In retrospect the episode shuffling was a good idea but at the time it was quite offputting: I like complex sci-fi as much as the next geek but I’m less impressed with a simple story that pretends to be complex. If it had been a bit more ‘honest’ with its intentions, i.e. been a high school comedy with more originality I would have enjoyed it more: I loved the sharp dialogue and zany characters in the early episodes. Sadly the plot went off at numerous tangents, apparently to placate various types of people in its fanbase; good from a ratings/financial point of view but was just frustrating and the general experience a bit hit and miss.
The characters
While I can let the storyline side of things slide (more or less), the characterisation hampered my enjoyment of this series. I’m in a bit of a minority in that I value character interactions above the surroundings, even in a show such as this. How can you get drawn into a wild and surreal situation when you don’t care enough about the participants? My main problem is that I don’t like moe. Before you go reaching for the matches and brush the dust off the Sacrificial Alter of Fandom, I must stress that I’m aware of how many people were entertained by Mikuru-chan’s torture. I wasn’t, is all. It was predictable and overused.
If the show had made the SOS Brigade a more cohesive affair that made at least a pretence of friends enjoying their adventures, this series could have been truly great. As it was, it added to the unfocused, identity-crisis feel that the messy plot had already created. The warmth between the characters arrived too late for me.
Art, music and other bits
Art-wise, this series was a winner. I know the ‘animation was awesome’ thing has been said so many times, but it has been the most visually impressive series of its type since, well, ever. For once, I actually looked forward to getting screenshots for this series when writing these reviews! The music wasn’t bad I suppose but the concert episode and the song that went with it is my own personal highlight.
So, what to do now? Me, I’m going to start looking for new shows, read other blogs whose analysis of this series is infinitely better than mine and watch it in chronological rather than broadcast order. I’m hoping to discover some new details I didn’t notice before and, if I’m lucky, it will heighten my appreciation of the series in general. Until then, I’m going to reserve my final judgement on Haruhi Suzumiya. The best I can come up with for now is, having seen the whole series, I’m glad I took the time to watch it.
That will be all. For now at least.
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[Anime Reviews]
02 Jul 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
The series is almost at an end and perhaps because of the awesomeness of ep #12 this instalment, on the face of it at least, is a bit of a non-event. It’s one of those exposition, ‘infodump’ type of episode that delivers little action and comedy but the explanations it offers pretty much make up for all that.
The long-awaited explanation as to why Haruhi is the way she is finally is revealed to us, which finally gives the viewer a reason to try to understand her. It stems back to a cruel realisation in her childhood, presumably giving rise to the show’s title in the process. A typical enough realisation for a normal kid, but with the mindset and powers of Haruhi it’s quite a significant event.
This part of the episode is quite touching and offers some much-needed depth to her character - building on what we saw last time. We knew what she’s like before; last time we saw what she can be like; this time we find out why. For all this though, I can’t help but think it would have been better to show this side to her earlier: it would have prevented my bashing that aspect of the series earlier on, if nothing else.
Then an outing with Itsuki pushes the show back into technobabble territory. Kyon seems to be the voice of the viewer (not to mention that of reason and common sense): as Itsuki reels off the stuff about closed space and whatnot Kyon echoes my own thoughts of “You’re making no sense.” and the like. This includes a lot more long words and some giant creatures that look like the Nighwalker from Mononoke Hime. Even when Haruhi Suzumiya is being too clever for its own good (or when it is trying to project such an impression) the quality of the visuals is still most impressive.
I can see how many fans would be unimpressed with this episode (no action, no fanservice, few laughs) but it is a prime example why I’ve belatedly come to like this show, even though it’s on a bit of a subconscious level. Maybe I’ve grown to like it but don’t want to admit it to myself…*shrugs* At least I can’t stick my neck out and predict the ending, which is quite refreshing: wherever it goes in its last outing I think (hope) I’ll be surprised.
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[Anime Reviews]
23 Jun 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
Blimey! I’ve said it before but it really needs repeating: when Haruhi Suzumiya is good, it’s very, very good. When it’s not, it’s just plain mediocre. As the series nears the end of its run I’ve begun to find it interesting and engaging again, and it’s episodes like this one that make me glad I ignored the hype and backlash because this instalment, well, rocks.
The culture festival has arrived and the whole school are putting on different entertainment events and projects (some VERY different, such as the two fetching individuals above). The main focus of the scenes are pretty nondescript with the expected banter between Kyon and his friends as they wander around aimlessly. The real charm here is what’s going on in the background: few TV shows go to the trouble of animating colourful background characters getting up to all sorts of high jinks. In a way, this ep reminds me of Kyoto animation’s other recent high school comedy success story: Full Metal Panic? FUMOFFU.
The main event of this ep has been the talk of the town in the blogsphere in the past few days and no wonder. It goes without saying that with such a major social/entertainment thing going on, Haruhi will want her moment in the spotlight: in addition to the dire student film from episode 1 (or 0, take your pick) she truly steals the show with another of her ‘ideas’.
I’d heard a lot about this ep before seeing it so had some idea of what to expect, but still had my reservations. Haruhi Suzumiya in a rock band?! Isn’t ‘moe’ and anagram of ‘emo’? To be honest, the song performed was a little too poppy for my tastes but the way it was presented made the whole series, for a few minutes at least, live up to its reputation.
This is cult comedy anime done right. Thanks to the show’s superb production values the musicians really looked like they were playing, a hard thing to animate at the best of times. Even the instruments looked authentic - I actually recognised the make and models of the guitars (although I admit to being a bit of a geek as far as that’s concerned). The performance was good enough to be enjoyable, while still holding onto the ‘amateur student band’ vibe that prevented it from feeling out-of-place.
Interesingly, Haruhi is actually quite out of character here, even showing a bit of modesty and ability to relate to fellow human beings. This is what the series has been crying out for all along: an examination into the feelings and motives of the central character. Sure, we’ve been treated to Kyon’s inner monologue the whole time but now that Haruhi is shown to be a real, human character, I can allow myself to truly like this show at last.
Once again, blimey.
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[Anime Reviews]
18 Jun 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
Ah, the fog of war. Not unlike the fog created by the clash of fandom and the backlash of criticism that results. Write a review on a show like this and you end up sounding like you fall into one of the two camps. I’m trying to stay objective. Please, believe me!
Haruhi Suzumiya always seems to lurch between the mediocre and downright inspired, leaving little in between each time. Episode 11, The Day Of Sagittarius, is one of the good ones, especially if you’re into the genre it’s lampooning. That is, anyone who enjoys a send-up of the sci-fi shows inspired by wartime naval dramas will love this. I was half expecting a Buster Machine to appear in view and wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if it had. The outcome of the episode wasn’t 100% cut-and-dried either so this instalment held some degree of unpredictability, which was a bonus.
In the past I was disappointed with the lack of character interaction beyond the level at which the humourous situations could be set up, but the gaming sim theme showed the SOS Brigade as a club of people working and playing alongside each other. An obvious necessity for a series that’s a comedy about a high school society you would have thought, but only now is that aspect being properly exploited; it works really well too.
There’s no major plot development here but there is a moment of Kyon standing up to Haruhi (if only slightly) and Nagato gets some time in the spotlight. All in all a good episode, then.
Which returns me to my long-running problem I have with reviewing this show. I don’t know about you but to make an accurate assessment of whether its good or bad, I need to have a rough idea of what light it should be judged in: there’s no point in criticising the formulaic nature of a James Bond flick when it’s not intended to be viewed on the same level as a political satire, is there? So, how do I approach Haruhi Suzumiya? Should the underlying sci-fi themes and episode orders be viewed as clever or just silly? Maybe that’s why this series has divided opinion; my own guess is that I’ll see it to the end, watch the episodes in chronological rather than broadcast order and see what I make of it then.
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[Anime Reviews]
15 Jun 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
I’ve heard rumours that the reason why episode 9 was dull was that the studio were saving money for episode 10.
I feel inclined to believe them.
Where very little happened last time this episode makes up for it, and then some! It all begins with a day at school in which Haruhi is complaining about how nothing much is going on in the strange happenings department; after the series’ progress lately I can’t help but agree, except for the fact that this is the fourth ep chronologically. Anyway, true to form, weird stuff happens. A lot. Unfortunately, it’s poor old Kyon who’s at the reveiving end - I won’t give details because it will only spoil the fun for you, but quite honestly there is more fun to be had here than there has been in ages.
This episode has something for everyone. An action scene, techno-babble, a special visitor for the moe fans out there (I promise this time I won’t make fun of you…much) and Haruhi making Kyon’s life infinitely more complicated. It’s fan service in every sense - if you’ve followed the series so far you will absolutely love the manic charm that bounces gleefully out of the screen.
Fortunately it is an entertaining episode in its own right and, despite coming a tad earlier in the narrative than several other previously aired instalments, explains one or two things. Even better still, there are a few cryptic clues about what is to come later. No doubt the latter was a move on the writers’ part to keep less enthusiastic viewers watching out of curiosity but I’ll be the first to admit that it’s worked!
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[Anime Reviews]
13 Jun 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
In this episode not much happens. No, really. This episode is outstanding in its uneventfulness. Entitled Someday in the Rain, it makes a point of being uneventful. Maybe that’s the joke, but I wasn’t really laughing: quite honestly there was no humour I hadn’t seen in the show before and for the most part it was pretty weak.
During a day spent in the club room, Kyon is talked into picking up a portable heater by Haruhi, which involves a long walk to the electrical store. In his absence Haruhi decides to coerce Mikuru into doing some ‘promotional’ photography and various other acts of humiliation - cue forced changes of clothes, Yuki sitting oblivous to it all with her nose in a book and Itsuki actively encouraging Haruhi’s latest scheme. A rare thought provoking moment struck me at this point: is the encouraging of Haruhi in her Mikuru-tormenting part of Itsuki’s mission or does he really lack any sense of sympathy or moral fibre?
Meanwhile, Kyon finds out the deal that Haruhi struck to acquire the heater, but of course it’s just a ruse to get him out of the way so that Haruhi can molest Mikuru unchecked. By the way, any male who wears a pink scarf, for whatever reason, looks like a plonker. You can’t escape the cold, hard truth guys.
And that’s all folks. Nothing else is of note in this episode, which leaves me at a bit of a loss as to what to write next. Aw hell, here’s another pic of Haruhi and Mikuru. Don’t say I never give you anything. 
Oh yeah, the final scene actually left me quite impressed for some reason - I won’t elaborate any further but trust me, it’s worth seeing for yourself. The last couple of minutes were, like listening to a loud song and hearing the ringing in your ears afterwards, quite a shock. Still, it’s a moment of calm and ‘reality’ and a really nice scene. Not significant (or maybe it is…?) but pleasant and quite sweet.
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[Anime Reviews]
07 Jun 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
Opinion seems to be divided on this show at the moment. Most viewers either love it or hate it but me being the awkward old bugger that I am, I sit on the fence. As disappointing as the series has been of late, this was a good episode as it resolved and unfinished story arc so I’m happy with the way it’s going for the time being.
Thankfully it concludes the Remote Island Syndrome subplot, and does it really well. Playing out like a proper detective show (it looked like a comedy anime parody of a Jonathan Creek episode, in a good way), Haruhi and co went about the investigation and and discussion with a succession of theories as to how the master of the house had wound up dead in a locked room. Goodness knows why the studio messed around with the episode order but here it is anyway, so who am I to complain? Besides, Mikuru-chan was bedridden from shock during the whole thing - she needed a break from the stress of hanging around with Haruhi as much as I needed a break from the moe.
All in all this ep didn’t explain one hell of a lot though - it merely reinforced the idea that Haruhi’s will can affect physical events: she wanted a murder-mystery weekend, she got one. This has been explored in previous episodes but at least it’s done in an intelligent way and is all the more entertaining for it. As always it’s Yuki who delivers another bit of deadpan humour (the immortal line “but you told me to not let ANYONE in…” reminding me of a particular scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and the story having enough substance to make the explanation near the end genuinely surprising.
Despite all this I’m still of the opinion that Haruhi Suzumiya, for all its sci-fi mumbo-jumbo, is still a straightforward zany comedy. Sure, this ep actually made me think for a change but it’s still a mainstream comedy show to cater for the masses. The artwork and animation’s great, the music’s poppy and catchy and I couldn’t help but raise a smile on numerous occasions. Beyond that however, it’s a bit of quirky fun but nothing more: enough to keep me watching but unlikely to be remembered years down the line.
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[Anime Reviews]
31 May 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
After the cliffhanger that was the end of episode #6 I was looking forward to the continuation of the ‘closed circle’ story arc. Upon starting episode #7 however, I realised that the story jumps straight back into the high school setting with what appears to be a completely unrelated theme. Honestly, I had to check the episode title and compare it with the listings on ANN to make sure I was watching the right one. I know the show is out of the ordinary and zany but there doesn’t seem to be any justifiable reason for it.
So, this particular episode begins with Haruhi lamenting on the lack of hits that the SOS Brigade’s homepage is getting. Her solution? A new club emblem (below)! It’s all her own work, obviously, but Kyon is the one who winds up trying to get it set up. Not surprisingly this doesn’t quite go to plan and soon very strange things are happening to the homepage’s images and files. Hackers? Perhaps.
Their attention is soon diverted by a girl who accompanies Mikuru to the meeting room and, seemingly misunderstanding the Brigade’s purpose (which is a moot point even to its members), asks for their help in tracking down her missing boyfriend. As far as I’m concerned one moe character per scene is more than enough for anyone but now there are two (below): fortunately the girl doesn’t hang around long but just wants her boyfriend found. The complication? He’s the head of the computer club, the guy who Haruhi tormented a few episodes previously. And that’s not the strangest thing…
Right now I’m not sure what to make of Haruhi Suzumiya: it was a fun and offbeat comedy but after this episode it seems to be suffering some sort of identity crisis. I know viewing this series requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief but still…a giant insect in a confined parallel universe?! I’m guessing that the technobabble being thrown around is intended to be random and incomprehensible but it only gives the impression of a series that’s being made up as it goes along: it could be one of the cleverest shows around for all I know but it comes across as losing focus and beoming a jumbled mess of unordered episodes.
To summarise: from episode #8 onwards I’m hoping for not only a resolution to the ‘closed circle’ story arc but some more of the dry wit and coherent storyline that attracted me to the series in the first place. Haruhi Suzumiya doesn’t need shuffled episode orders and giant insects to be entertaining: I sincerely hope it hasn’t jumped the shark already.
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[Anime Reviews]
27 May 2006
Posted by Martin [Tags: Haruhi Suzumiya]
The title of this episode, Lone Island Syndrome (part 1), is enough to tell us that this is part of a longer story arc than the ‘weirdness of the week’ structure that the series has shown so far. It begins on a ferry on a summer’s day as Kyon and Itsuki discuss the theory of the ‘closed circle’: a murder-mystery plot device in which the characters involved are in a situation that cuts them off from the outside world, invariably resulting in strange occurances taking place. Not surprisingly Haruhi has wasted no time in calling up a meeting to announce an SOS Brigade trip in search of a Closed Circle situation. Hence a short holiday on a remote island that belongs to a relative of Itsuki’s.
Upon arrival Haruhi is disappointed to learn that the island’s residents are pretty normal people and nothing ‘weird’ by anyone’s standards is, or is likely to, happen. Cue a beach scene, some pretty humdrum holiday shenanigans and little else. The episode builds up an air of complete uninteresting normality that not even Haruhi’s eccentricity can upset. In fact, for the most part this is a pretty boring episode with only the lack of Mikuru torture to recommend it. That is, until the ep enters its second half.
Presumably a manifestation of Haruhi’s will for strangeness (if you don’t know what that’s about, you really should pay attention at the back there!), an unforecast typhoon appears on the second day of their holiday which cuts off the island from the mainland. Hey presto, Haruhi gets her closed circle scenario! The episode then turns several shades of strange and ends on a cliffhanger that redeems the intentional uneventfulness of the past twenty minutes. Needless to say it promises good things in the next instalment.
I’m starting to have a suspicion that Haruhi Suzumiya is more than a fan service comedy with exemplarary production values. Admittedly there were some moments that really made me chuckle (the sight of Yuki water-skiing, book in hand, sums up why I find her character hiarious) but the sci-fi background, with all its hints of much more intelligent themes, seemed like a mere gimmick to me. I’m still not at the same level of enthusiasm that most viewers seem to be about this show but I’m getting more impressed with the direction it’s taking.
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