Blissful Tears An anime-related blog containing opinions and occassionally some news.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has a concept that suggests that it will not be as awesome as it actually is. You’d be making a mistake if you merely avoid this anime for the sheer randomness or just plain weirdness of the plot. Its a story fuelled by the characters and a concept of which we may all be able to relate to, if we come from the right direction.

Art 7 / 10

I’m trying to be objective here. I rarely come across anime art I completely dislike, and this is no exception. The art direction is nice, the characters are clearly defined and the backgrounds detailed, as we have come to expect from Anime over the years. The designs fit the characters nicely, especially once they are combined with their respective voice actors. Haruhi, for example, has the appearance of the beautiful but controlling girl she is. However, I feel the art falls short in a few cases where some characters look a bit to similar for my liking, although this may hint at their true nature and be intentional. I don’t know. For the most part, and luckily for us, the original animation seems to be intact without modification to fit a English audience.

Plot 8 / 10

The world revolves around Haruhi, quite literally. And she has absolutely no knowledge of this. Its the first day of the new school year, and Haruhi gives her introduction with the statement that she is uninterested in normal humans but if you are an Alien, a Time Traveller or an Esper, to come see her. Kyon, who is the narrator, and Haruhi’s eventual friend, takes an interest in her. Haruhi is usually anti-social, but eventually throughout the first episode, begins to talk to Kyon and by the end of the episode, has dragged him into the Literature clubs room, to form a club - The SOS Brigade. None of the others were interesting enough for Haruhi. Eventually they are joined by Mikeru, the cute moekko character (as described by Haruhi), Yuki, who comes with the room and Itsuki, the mysterious transfer student. Unknown to Haruhi, these members are actually a time traveller, an alien, and an Esper respectively - exactly what she wished for. Kyon on the other hand is for all accounts, an ordinary human. The series chronicles the adventures of Haruhi and her friends, as they attempt to keep Haruhi entertained, and maintain the illusion of a normal life.

Voice Acting 8 / 10

I watched the dub and was quite content with the voices. They fit the characters well. Haruhi’s voice for example, sounds like that of your typical pushy teenager in spirit, and certainly carries the energy that Haruhi radiates. Yuki, on the other hand, sounds quiet and is rarely heard with any emotion to speak of, which considering the character, is not unexpected. Mikeru, sounds timid and seems to have little confidence which while fitting her character, I wasn’t as fond with her voice as the others. Itsuki, seems cheerful but not without sophistication. Again, fitting the character or perhaps I just love the voice. Kyon, the voice we almost always hear is easy on the ears thankfully. All is not pleasant however, I’m not to fond of hearing the class president’s, Ryōko’s voice but thankfully she is removed from the line-up early on in the series. Overall, one of the better dubs voice-wise.

Complaints and Questions

• What is Kyon’s real name?
• Why is Haruhi unaware of her powers to begin with?
• I know I said I loved how they didn’t dub the Japanese text, but some subtitles would have been nice.
• How can Haruhi respond to Kyon’s narration?

Other Notes

• I absolutely love the Hare Hare Yukai dance the characters perform during the ending theme and it seems I’m not alone.
• Haruhi literally has the world revolving around her, a feeling that I’m sure many of us have felt at some point and are likely to know someone who seems to act that way.
• I watched the dub.

Final Verdict - 4.5 / 5

This is a show that every anime fan should see at least once, a weird but ever too familiar concept combined with a likeable cast and Kyon’s often sarcastic narration, make for a wonderful series. Definitely worth purchasing or going out of your way to see.

I award it 4.5 of 5 stars.

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