The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Review

In a world of so many long-running series (Shonen Jump adaptations and otherwise), it’s very rare for a shorter show to make a long-lasting impression on the anime world. There are a few examples obviously, like Fooly Cooly and the original Tenchi Muyo! OVAs (though this one defaults a little bit due to having longer-running spin-off titles), but essentially most, no matter how big the fan base, just don’t seem to have lasting power over the years when compared to the ‘big boys’ of Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto.

That’s where Haruhi Suzumiya comes in. Few fan-bases for a show are so rabid and so powerful than this one, so much so that you’ll hear about this little gem just as much as you will Naruto. It’s that big.

Also known to just about everyone is that Haruhi Suzumiya started off not as a manga like most anime adaptations, but as a light novel, written by Nagaru Tanigawa with illustrations by Noizi Ito. There’s a total of nine books so far, with a tenth due out this year or the next.

Like with most huge titles though, I’m late into it. After hearing about it from just about all of my friends and reading about it online, I finally picked up the first book about a year or so ago, and I really enjoyed it. Only recently was I able to get a copy of the first ‘season’ as released here by Bandai however, which is what I’m reviewing now.

TMHS, as it’s abbreviated, is the story of Kyon as he enters his high school years, with a cynical mind-set. As a kid, he apparently found the normal world boring, and was much more inclined to read or watch stories involving secret organizations, alien conspiracies, and people with super-powers than he was to enjoy the real world. Growing up though, he’s realized that none of that stuff is possible in the real world, and is ready to slog his way through the mundane journey that is life - much like the rest of us.

That’s where things take a turn for the ‘worse’ for our hero. In the seat just behind him in homeroom, sit’s a girl who is about to change his entire world - Haruhi Suzumiya. Hyper, demanding, self-centered, and incredibly eccentric, she stuns Kyon and the rest of the class by her opening statement that if there are any time travelers, aliens, or ESPers (think psychics), they should come to her. That’s where the entire story begins, as an off-hand comment made by Kyon soon after causes her to make the S.O.S. Brigade (Saving the World by Overloading it with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade), bringing in three other people who are soon revealed to be more than they seem. Yuki Nagato, a quiet girl who loves to read, who is also an alien (of sorts); Mikuru Asahina, a timid, well-endowed beauty, who is also a time traveler from the future; and Itsuki Koizumi, a mysterious and seemingly always smiling boy, who is also an ESPer.

And thus, as they say, chaos and hilarity ensues. From saving the world from the ‘Godly’ side-effects of Haruhi’s temper, to playing baseball, to ocean cruises, to even normal things like a school festival, and all the way back, Haruhi is one surreal experience of a show. It’s that surreal feeling that makes this show so good I think. I mean, let’s face it - the entire concept, maybe not exactly like this, has sort-of been done before. The idea itself is nothing revolutionary. Any other author could have come up with this and it would have been an okay story, but at an episode count of 14 (speaking only of the first ‘season’ of course as that’s all I’ve seen), it would have been quickly forgotten in the realm of other, newer titles. No, what saves Haruhi from falling to the way-side is incredibly good writing as well as some of the most interesting characters ever seen in this kind of a story.

Speaking of the characters, this is definitely a character-driven story, so let’s talk about the individual members of the S.O.S. Brigade a bit. Starting with Haruhi herself, I have mixed feelings on her. At first, I (much like my girlfriend) absolutely hated the character. She’s bossy, downright female-dog like more often than not, and she pretty much shows no concern for her friends who are forced to put up with her in the hopes that the end of the world doesn’t reign down upon them. As the series goes on, she does become a lot more bearable, as she does learn to care a bit more about her friends, and her eccentricity becomes more funny than annoying. In the end though, she is definitely my least-favorite character in the series.

Moving onto Kyon, there’s not a whole heck of a lot to say. He’s the real main character of the story, as everything is told directly from his narrative, so you’re supposed to like him a little bit. Still, I find his cynicism a bit much at times, given that he’s now living exactly the things he once wished for. Would it kill him to crack a smile sometimes?

Yuki Nagato is another one that I’m not really sure how to feel about. A friend of mine is a huge fan of her, but to me she’s kind of just there in the background. She’s a lot like Mori from Ouran to me, a ‘couch’ of a character - they don’t say a whole heck of a lot, but the show just wouldn’t be right without them. Truth be told, Yuki does have one of the most badass moments in the show though, when she bare-handily takes down one of her own kind after Kyon’s life, but in the end I just can’t say I like her or dislike her really.

Now Mikuru…ahh…there’s my favorite character. In fact, I’ll admit it right now - I have a huge fan-boy crush on the character. I mean, look at her!










Can you blame me? Didn’t think so.

She’s absolutely adorable, full of cute little charms, and I’m sure a lot of people hate her on principle as pretty much a human incarnation of all that is ‘moe’, but you know what? If it’s done well, I think moe can be an endearing trait. Chalk me in with Haruhi and Konata in that regard!

The final member of the brigade, Itsuki, I think almost would have made a better lead than Kyon, personality wise. He’s a lot more my speed for a lead character, cracking little jokes from time to time, generally happy, and he seems to be an all-around nice guy. Well, with the exception of annoxing Kyon for fun anyway. When I think about it now, it wouldn’t work with him as the lead since Kyon’s anti-Haruhi nature is needed to make her character bearable at all, whereas Itsuki thinks she’s a God and also finds all those annoying traits of hers ‘charming.’

The animation won’t disappoint either. I’m not lying when I say this is one of the most beautifully animated TV anime I’ve ever seen. Maybe it was because of the popularity of the novels, maybe it was due to how short the original episode count was, or perhaps a mixture of both - either way, this show is absolutely gorgeous.

So in closing, Haruhi Suzumiya is one hell of an anime ride, unlike any other. Is it a must-see title? I wouldn’t go so far as to put it up there with some others I consider must-see (like the first Fullmetal Alchemist, Air, and Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart), but it’s certainly a show that I think everyone should at least check into. It’s definitely one that you have to see to believe. So with that in mind, I bring this review to a close. It was a long one, but hey, it’s been a while.

I give The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a 4 out of 5. It's not 'best ever' level for me, but it is one of the best shows I've seen a long, long while. Check it out!

- Gyt Kaliba

P.S. - Look, more pretty Mikuru!

A update on Hiroyuki Yamashita.

I wrote a bit before about Hiroyuki Yamashita and his distintive style in the Naruto Shippuuden series. However, Yamashita has been risen a bit more within the ranks on this project since then. He was credited with doing some Puppet Designs for Naruto Shippuden: The Lost Tower-- which is directed by Masahiko Murata who's done quite a bit of notable episodes on the series himself. And now it's been confirmed that he's going to actually be an animation director on the actual show.

Episode 178 preview:



The traits from Yamashita sans the triangle swords are all here to marvel at. Look at the mouths of Iruka and those three ninja. The shape and snappy timing of their lips flapping seems like they're drawn by Yamashita himself (perhaps he did or maybe he corrected a great deal of this scene). Naruto's arm while he's resting on Iruka is more squarish and flatter. In the same shot you can see that Kakashi's face is more slimmer than usual and the timing to his mouth movement is very similar to the previous scene I mentioned.

The only shots that can contain animation in this preview that don't look like the were corrected by Yamashita is the shot of Choji and Shikamauru and the latter one of the candle and Jugo talking. Yasuhiko Kanezuka is the co-animation director along with Yamashita--he's not too shabby himself, just not exactly doing exciting animation like Yamashita seems destined to do. Once the episode comes out it'll be interesting to see just how much of an influence Yamashita will have in his debut as an animation director.

Panty and Stocking Promotional Video.

Well, the PV is out and everybody has their thoughts made up already. The funny thing I'm hearing is how it looks too American. Kinda funny how it points out how fans are so allergic to anything new or different from the typical anime tropes in animation. The mixture of different animation styles from other countries that results in new styles is something that should be celebrated and not be the victim of knee-jerk vilifications.

People might be familiar with the staff since they worked on Gurren Lagann, but here's a hastily-put-together refresher for the main parts.

Director: Hiroyuki Imaishi- Needs no formal introduction. A great animator before he decided to direct and still is. However, he's brought his kinetic vision that's inspired in most part by Yoshinori Kanada as a director too. Panty & Stocking marks a return to the crude humor of Dead Leaves with more overt American influences that makes it stand out even more among the mass number of boring art styles currently being offered.

Character Design: Atsushi Nishigori- character designer for TTGL. I honestly haven't dedicated myself to knowing much about his career aside that he seems to have started at Gainax as an in-betweener on FLCL. Good place to start if I ever saw one with the myriad of talented animators they got on there (Tetsuya Nishio, Keisuke Watabe, Hideaki Anno, Masayuki, etc.)

Co-Director: Masahiko Ohtsuka- while he's been at Gainax for over 15 years, he's only been a series director once (Petite Princess Yucie). Started out at Ghibli as an assistant director for Pom Poko and Yoshifumi Kondô's Whisper of the Heart, along with being an episode director on Eva.

Concept Art: Yoh Yoshinari- Brother of animator Kou Yoshinari. It would take way too long to list every one of his memorable works, but on Gurren Lagann (spoilers ahead) he animated the sequence in the 1st OP where Gurren Lagann pins down the gunmen with its drills and the subsequent zoom-out and explosion. The opening scene in episode 1 where we see the future Simon and the zoom-out revealing the entire ship. And the last fight sequence in ep. 27 where Viral throws Lagann. Again, those are just a few of his memorable works.

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt will air on October 1st. Any R1 company with a brain and the money to do it has to pick this one up ASAP.

Casshern Sins.

My first experiences with Shigeyasu Yamauchi’s work were the two DBZ Broly movies that he directed. Considering my later experiences with his work, these two movies stand out as being nothing like the pensive, angst filled themes that are typical of Yamauchi (even when it comes to Street Fighter). Instead, if you’re a DBZ fan, all you get out of that movie is some nice action. Either way you’ll come out wondering exactly why Broly is so revered in some segments of Z fandom.

That note aside, Casshern Sins is made in the true vein of Yamauchi despite my wildly different expectations for the show. Not being aware of who the director was, I was expecting a grandiose, bombastic slugfest full of hot-blooded heroes and villains when I first saw the designs. It is quite the opposite. Having watched 10 episodes, most are formulaic stories focused on Casshern encountering a person with a story to tell and it usually ends with him being frustrated and full of guilt of what he's done in the past-- a past he cannot remember in the first place. At the point where I am in the story, he looks like about to find a way to cope with his past, which is encouraging in terms of looking towards future episodes.

Essentially, Casshern Sins is an old-school take on apocalyptic story using today's animation. The character designs hark back to the 70s and 80s and the entire script has a kind of melodrama permeated throughout that gives off the impression that this is something that would be made back in that era. The most striking thing about the production is the coloring, designed here by Kunio Tsujita. This is the best example that I can think of where the color design actually adds another important layer to the visuals and is vital to setting up the atmosphere of the story instead of just being there. Not that I want to diminish the hard work of anybody who's involved in making animation presentable, but the work done here really left an impression on me. Tsujita also worked on The Tatami Galaxy , a show where you see a plethora of color designs (though, Yuasa's works are always interesting in that respect).

Overall the animation has been nice when it comes to the fights, but there have been two fights that stand out. The first was the fight in episode 6, which is handled by Norio Matsumoto, a master at this kind of material. The other was Naoki Tate in episode 10, the prolific animator on One Piece. He handles the first section of the main fight in this episode (a character starts fighting like Sanji, so it stands even if you're not familiar with animators). The opening is a solo effort in terms of animation, all done by Yoshihiko Umakoshi, who's also the character designer and the chief animation director for more than a dozen episodes. Episode 8 is also a solo effort in terms of 1st Key Animation by Tatsufumi Itō. This particular episode reminded me of a plot that would be more at home in a Macross series (singing in order to save the world), but maybe there's something in the culture barrier that makes me miss out on something here.

Despite my different expectations of the series and the fact that I haven't been a huge fan of the director's previous work, Casshern Sins has actually turned out to my liking so far. Recommended to those who want old-school melodrama in new packaging.

Animorphs Re-Printing in Spring/Summer 2011

I'm sure I'm among the few who still remember this series, but in the interest of spreading the word in case I'm not (and in the hopes of gaining new fans), I wanted to post about this.

http://animorphsforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=5362.0

K.A. Applegate's Animorphs is a great little series from the late 90's, early 2000's, and it's honestly my favorite book series of all time, even if that's due to nostalgia goggles a little bit. I'm not going to lie, it's no Harry Potter in terms of epic-ness and it's no Jurassic Park in terms of good writing, but it's a great long-running series to get kids to start reading, and a great sci-fi romp for those of us who already read.

For anyone who doesn't remember or the new fans, here's a short synopsis of book 1, The Invasion, taken from the official Scholastic Anibase.


Quote:

There are days when one small decision can change the rest of your life. Jake, Rachel, CAssie, Marco, and Tobias never expected to find anything in the old abandoned construction site except crumbling buildings, trash, and the occasional homeless person - but that was before they were given the power to morph into any animal they touched. Now, these five kids - the Animorphs - are Earth's only hope against a secret invasion by a race of parasitic alien slugs called the Yeerks. Can they face all the surprises that will come - and still have time to be normal kids?

I'm not sure on the exact release date yet (I don't think it's even been set yet), but sometime next year, the first of hopefully many omnibus books for this series is set to be released, collecting books 1 and 2, and with new cover art, and possibly updated references and text (though I'm kind-of wary on that part myself). I urge any old fans to buy these to support the entire series being re-released, and anyone just looking for a good new young book series to read to give them a look as well. If things go well, we'll get the entire series re-printed so they're easier to find, and even possibly a new series out of the deal.

I leave you with the wise words of Jake, as adorning the top of every book -


Quote:

We can't tell you who we are. Or where we live. It's too risky, and we've got to be careful. Really careful. So we don't trust anyone. Because if they find us... well, we just won't let them find us...The thing you should know is that everyone is in really big trouble. Yeah. Even you.