sdach - 2017-07-06 15:41:40

This anime is basically the most massive waste of time you could ever hope to achieve in your lifetime. The series seemed to have an interesting premise and seemed like it was going to be pretty funny, but all the cool stuff and cliffhangers all amounted to NOTHING and the comedy was dull. Then after you get past the first boring 11 episodes you get eight episodes that are all exactly the same and add up to NOTHING. Then the SOS Brigade makes a 15 minute movie that becomes a huge NOTHING. I thought maybe the final episode would be nice and sweet and wrap it all up but nope. I guess the producers realized they didn’t have to enough content to work with to make one last measly episode so they made it by filling it with scenes of NOTHING! (Literally a third of episode 28 is just shots of people sitting down doing NOTHING). I despise myself for ever believing this anime would be worth it, and I despise everyone who thinks that it is.

dante19 - 2016-03-20 09:07:21

Critic’s Log - Earthdate: February 14, 2014. Review #80: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2009)

It is February and widely considered to be the Month of Love. I honestly can’t relate to that at this time since I am actually single. If I look at a certain point of view that involves either my family or my faith. I guess I don’t have a problem with it. If we are talking about Valentine’s Day, I guess I could celebrate somehow. Come to think of it, what does Valentine’s Day have anything to do with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya? Nothing.

On the first day of high school, a beautiful girl named Haruhi Suzumiya introduces herself as having "no interest in ordinary humans". She asks for any aliens, time travelers, or espers to join her. Watching her weird behavior is Kyon who sits in front of Haruhi and is the only person who talks to her. When Kyon comments about Haruhi's joining every club in school and then quitting he unwittingly gives Haruhi an idea to start her own club. Thereafter Kyon and several others find themselves dragged, literally, into the Spreading excitement all Over the world with Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade (the S.O.S. Brigade for short).

 To be technical, this is a Kyoto Animation production and this 2009 renewal is considered by some to be a controversial move by Kyoto Animation. All the 14 episodes you’ve seen before were re-broadcasted along the new episodes that would eventually air. This means the out of order experience and chronological order are overwritten with a new chronological order that includes the old and new episodes. This re-broadcasting is a lazy way to air the new material. But I can honestly say is that the animation is just as good since 2006. The newer episodes do look slightly newer than the older episodes but it’s not really something to get all twisted over. The show is animated nicely and still looks great and that’s pretty much it.

The music by Satoru Kousaki is pretty much the same since 2006 but there are no classical pieces from the newer episode. The soundtrack still compliments the show well and it still stands out as a modern anime soundtrack. Too bad I don’t have much to say because I already covered all that in my previous Haruhi Suzumiya review. However, the newer episodes do have a new opening and closing theme. Super Driver is a catchy theme but may not hold out for those that loved the first opening. Tomare! is catchy to some extent but it is nowhere in the same level as Hare Hare Yukai. The music is still pretty good.

In regards to voice acting, it feels the same as the older episodes back in 2006. Both the Subtitled Version and The English Dub are great.

Another thing that feels the same… Haruhi is still eccentric, Kyon is still his good old self, Mikuru Asahina is still a Time Lord, Yuki Nagato is quiet as always and reading. and Koizumi is just Koizumi. All the other characters are just their usual selves. Development is still a slight issue but since this series is fun, I am not going to go too much into that...That is until the new episodes come in.

In order to get into the first “new” episode, people had to wait till the six part story “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” and the episode “The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya” was over with...That means people waited 7 episodes to get into a new one. Then of course another run of old episodes come in, those being Mysterique Sign and the 2-part story Remote Island Syndrome, then we get a batch of “new episodes” which is the most infamous story arc of the entire franchise… ENDLESS EIGHT. If you have not seen the newer episodes, you have no idea how bad Endless Eight was… The first episode is a bit boring and supposedly would be the one setting things up for later, but that was until the episodes repeated all these events 7 TIMES. That means half of the new episodes and a quarter of the entire TV series as a whole ARE A REPEAT. THAT IS NEVER OKAY. Endless Eight can be skipped and you seriously would not miss much. Many people hated this story arc and I sure as hell didn’t like it either. After 7 straight repeat episodes of that Endless Eight bullshit, we get a 5-part story arc called The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya and there is a little nice little direction technique I actually liked in the Sigh episodes. Just skip the closing credits of these episodes on the DVD/Blu-Ray disc and you’ll see what I mean. It does lead up to Mikuru Asahina Episode 00 episode and it was a nice little prequel to it. Then comes Live Alive, Day of Sagittarius, and sadly “Someday in the Rain” which was not fun at all. Before I give out my personal rating to this anime, I must point out that I am counting all 28 episodes and not just solely based on the newer episodes. So, be on your guard when I actually share my final thoughts on Haruhi Suzumiya in all 28 episodes.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (both the old and new episodes) were available by Bandai Entertainment. The older episodes were already released while the newer episodes were released separately where Bandai Entertainment called it “Season Two”. Both “Seasons” are out of print.

With all that said, the 2009 renewal of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya may be a mixed bag to some. But if no one saw it back in 2006 and jumped into the 2009 renewal. I don’t think their experience would be such a big problem. But I would probably be referring to a few. As a whole, the 28 episode chronology is still watchable. The old episodes are still great, the newer episodes are hit and miss. The Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody and Sigh episodes are the only good ones, the infamous Endless Eight episodes aren’t. A quarter of the show may be a repeat, but most of the show as a whole is still fun to watch. If you haven't saw the show yet, the 2009 renewal is most likely your best bet to really enjoy this fun series.

I give the 2009 renewal of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya an 8 out of 10, it is VERY GOOD!

koelpin.annabel - 2014-12-10 01:57:40

This show is okay. It has great characters, average setting, and enough mystery to make you want more. There is only one problem with this anime: Endless Eight. Endless Eight is basically 8 episodes played in a row of the exact same thing with minor differences for each one. It is annoying and a waste of time. But the anime is still good as long as you watch at least two out of the eight endless eight episodes.

stokes.retha - 2014-10-15 00:16:28

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is subjectively one of my favorite Anime of all time and objectively a damn good watch. We the audience are shown a cast of lovable and enjoyable characters who go about their day to day lives under the leadership of Haruhi Suzumiya who is an eccentric strange girl who would rather be surrounded by strange and abnormal things then live a semi-normal life like our narrator Kyon. Haruhi decides one day that she's done waiting around for the strange things to come to her and decides to form the SOS Brigade, an organization/school club dedicated to finding the strange and unknown. Unbeknownst to Haruhi she is surrounded by these things already. These "things" would be the members of the SOS brigade (and Kyon) comprising of an alien, esper (psychic), and a time traveler. Our snarky narrator Kyon is the only one who is per se "Normal" in the story and ends up getting dragged into Haruhi's schemes. I would highly suggest watching this, it's really a great watch no matter what mood your in. 

fredrick46 - 2014-09-19 19:31:50

Lets make this short and sweet, this was and absolutely pathetic waste of time, it blows me that actually there are people that like this!. 
Do you like to watch the same thing over and over and over and over and over again?. Endless Eight my ass.  But you know.. it is Haruhi.. soo people better love it.. or else..  

14 episodes, 10 of them are absolutely crap.

Your choice kid.

noemy.nader - 2014-09-15 01:53:58

Story
The story continues with the adventures of the SOS Brigade as they try to keep Haruhi from getting bored. The second season is divided up into three story arcs. One where Kyon goes back in time with Mikuru, the Infamous Endless Eight, and the production of Haruhi's movie. The first and third story arcs are amusing enough and are nice you were missing the SOS Brigade. However, if you were not a fan of the first season this season will do little to change that. The Endless Eight however, may be one of the most frustrating story arcs in any T.V show ever. The Endless Eight's story consists of the SOS Brigade reliving the same thing over and over again. There is no variation in the story until the very end. People hate the Endless Eight and for good reason. It's annoying to watch the same thing over and over again. After awhile the joy in finding where the episodes are different wears off and you just want it to end already. 7/10

Animation

The animation to the second season is colorful and vibrant. There are no scenes that are REALLY good in this season, though which is a bit disappointing. However, I have to give the animators credit, for not short cutting on the Endless Eight. The story may repeat but the animation doesn't. They could have played the same animation for all episodes with slight difference. This is not the case, and all of the episodes look very different. The opening and ending's animation is very good. The opening's animation works very well with the show. The ending's animation is also very nice. 8/10

Sound

The soundtrack for this season is pretty much the same as the first season which is a bit disappointing. The opening works well with the season's bubbly story. The ending doesn't really fit as well though, even though it is a pretty good song. The English dub is really solid. The voice of Kyon captures his sarcastic nature really well. The voice of Haruhi also does a good job. The voice actor's voice annoys me which I think is intentional because of how Haruhi's character really is. Nagato, Koizumi, and Asahina's voice actors also do a great job with their respective characters. 8/10

Character

In the second season, Kyon, Haruhi, Asahina, and Nagato receive further development. You don't expect development from Nagato and Asahina seeing as they are supporting characters, but it is nice to see them see their chance in the spotlight. Koizumi does not receive this treatment, which is very disappointing seeing as the other characters receive more development. 9/10

Enjoyment: 6/10

Overall

Collectively, the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is pretty good. This would be a great second season if the Endless Eight was shorter, however it isn't which will drag down the entertainment value for a lot of viewers. As of now, the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is licensed by Funimation. There is no Funimation release yet. The series used to be licensed by Bandai before they went to the crapper. So it may be hard to find the DVD. The second season along with the first are available on Crunchyroll in subs. 7/10

emely03 - 2014-06-27 00:13:55

Don't watch this version, go grave the original (unsorted!) 2006 version, then watch the movie and finally, if you want, try to see this one. But be advise, the Endless Eight Arc will be a big pain in the neck ...

bartell.erin - 2013-12-30 04:10:59

I wish to preface this by stating will be a review for the entire series since I viewed this series in chronological order as opposed to release order.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is definitely a unique anime. It isn't just a comedy or a sci-fi series or even a supernatural anime, but rather it is all of the above and so much more. This series goes from having a problem of the week feel to an over-arching plot and back again. While there is a lot going on in this anime it really shows really what anime is all about. But, the real question for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is that even though the story, themes, and almost everything else lacks focus is it still good?

Story

In a nutshell, Haruhi is about a freshman girl in high school named Haruhi Suzumiya who essentially has the power to bend and alter reality at her will. The only catch however, Haruhi has no idea she has these powers. Therefore, it is up to our lead character, Kyon, along with Yuki Nagato, an alien, Itsuki Koizumi, an esper, and Mikuru Asahina, a time traveller, to keep Haruhi in the dark about her powers otherwise she might rewrite the entire universe to her will, which will cause everyone and everything to be destroyed. The way they have to prevent this from happening is by doing whatever Haruhi wants to do. And since she gets bored more often than a porn star gets laid, well let's just say they end up doing a lot of different things.

I understand that this anime is meant to be a slice of life but what I found the most annoying was that this series tricks you into thinking there's going to be an over-arching plot when there really isn't one. The show sets itself up in that regard but quickly dismisses it rather quickly in favour of another tone. I feel that when an anime chooses a tone it should stick with it instead of doing a 180 on it. Despite that however, I really found myself enjoying each of the little stories, be they 6 episodes long or 1. This show does a great job of not taking itself too seriously which further adds to the comedy, thereby making the stories more enjoyable to watch. It felt like there was still a purpose to what they were doing instead of most problem-of-the-week shows where you know it doesn't matter what happens in this episode because they'll resolve the issue at hand in time for a new problem to arise next week.

While there is no over-aching plot for the entire series, all of the smaller plots are very enjoyable to watch and it's a kind of sweet spot between problem-of-the-week and a series-long plot.

Animation

The animation for this series is pretty decent overall and never drops in quality. The moe-stylized characters fit for this show [despite the fact that one one character is moe] because it further adds the light-hearted and comedic tones of the show as a whole.

One episode in particular where the animation stands out is the concert episode. In comparison to the average movements of the characters throughout the series, the movements of the characters as they play their instruments is a few steps above the rest of the anime, to say the least.

Animation is decent considering the time it was released and the concert episode stood out compared to the rest of the series.

Sound

Music is Haruhi's weakness. The only song of note in the entire series would be the song which accompanies the infamous "Haruhi Dance", the rest of the soundtrack of the show is easily forgettable and not worth mentioning.

However, the english dub for the series something worth mentioning. The supporting actors do a fairly average job, hitting the character archetypes right on the head [perhaps too well]. The actors of note here are Crispin Freeman voicing Kyon and Wendee Lee voicing Haruhi. Like a great anime reviewer once said, "When you have a series like Haruhi that is just filled with narration from one character, you damn well better get that one character right." And it is no understatement in saying that Freeman nails the narration role perfectly, even better than the sub if I dare say. With Wendee Lee, the job she does voicing Haruhi is although above average she does an amazing job with maintaining the same energy levels throughout the entire series. Even during the Endless Eight Lee is still as hyper as if it was still the first loop. That is no easy task when the character you are playing acts like she's constantly on speed when she's happy. Overall I would recommend you watch the dub over the sub.

Music's kind of meh but the lead dub actors make the show worth watching dubbed 100%.

Characters

Let's get this ball rolling. First, we have our lead protagonist, Kyon, a very average, dull, sarcastic, high schooler, whose life is incredibly boring and normal until he meets Haruhi Suzumiya. A girl who is quite different from everyone else. You see, Haruhi only wants to make friends with time travellers, epsers, and aliens. Couple that with the fact that nothing can keep her attention for more than 5 minutes you have yourselves one eccentric lead female character.

Moving right along we have Yuki Nagato, the emotionless doll character who is an alien with magic powers, to put it simply. Next there's Itsuki Koizumi, the passive-aggressive supporting male character who always has a smile on his face. The final secondary character is Mikuru Asahina, a time traveller from the future who also fills the role of the large-breasted, cute, moe fanservice girl of the series. These three characters are what they are. Meaning they're pretty much the basic archetype they represent with very little character development, however, they do serve a purpose in the series.

The ways the supporting characters interacts with Kyon and Haruhi are what put the supporting characters much above average. The ways all the characters interacts is always funny, whether it creates a situation so ridiculous you can't help but laugh or a situation so obviously aimed to appease male viewers it gets a laugh out of you. In short, the character interactions between the secondary characters and the main characters leads to lot of clever humour and interesting situations. What those situations are exactly, I'll leave for you to discover.

Although the secondary characters are very cliche in their roles, their interactions with the main characters make everyone on screen very enjoyable to watch.

Enjoyment

I was thoroughly enjoyed while watching this series. The only time I was ever bored watching it was during the Endless Eight.

Now for those of you who don't know the Endless Eight are a series of 8 episodes in the middle of the series which are essentially the exact same episode repeated 8 times with slight variances in dialogue and camera angles. If it weren't for the Endless Eight this would be one of the most enjoyable anime series out there to watch.

Overall

I would definitely recommend everyone watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya at some point. This is a "turn off your brain" kind of anime for sure, but if you do that you'll have a good time with this show.

I give The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya an 8 out of 10.

zrodriguez - 2013-06-23 17:52:32

Quick reviewStory:The story is reptive. Why because the endless eight. What does that mean? It means it keep showing the same scenes over and over again exepct diffrent camrea angles diffrent clothes etc. So don't waste your time watching those. Another problem is how they sort each episodes. The first twelve episodes in first season and the second twelve in the second season. It is terrible how the writers does this just plain awful. The last four episodes they just doing the movie.Rating 2/10Art:The art looks good. Looks detailed. Nonthing to say bad on the art.Rating 9/10Sound:Sound is cool. Rating 7/10Character:Very great cast characters. Loved thier personatiles.Rating 9/10Enjoyment:I don't enjoy this at all. If it wasn't for the same episodes from season one and endless eight, then this anime would be good.Rating 2/10Overall:This season was waste of time. Skip this one and watch the movie instead of this.Rating 1/10