La Mélancolie de Haruhi Suzumiya

I first came across Haruhi Suzumiya in late 2008 or early 2009. I was basically starting over with watching anime series, had a few of the more well-known shonen under my belt, and I occasionally watched something from the then-upcoming season (unexpectedly seeking out other shonen). I then started actively participating in the webcommunity on Anime Crazy. That is when it came up that a new Haruhi Suzumiya show would be released soon. I had to admit that I had not seen the original Haruhi Suzumiya and, therefore, could not understand what the big deal was. Consequently, I decided to watch the original (2006) before the new version (2009) started. This Haruhi Suzumiya was the first anime series I had seen that delivered a narrative in a non-linear way. For the first time, I had to try to pick up what was going on and piece together a picture of the whole story as it actually went along. While I found it terribly original and entertaining (again, I would like to remind you, I was only familiar with the most popular shonen I was into at the time), part of it was not so much to my liking. After all, asking a twenty-two-year-old to think big and use his imagination when he just wanted to enjoy life was probably a bit much at the time. Fortunately, I binge-watched the anime series within a couple of days, so I did not forget what happened in it. I observed and remembered most of the details, and therefore I was able to piece together the narrative in a good and satisfying way. It was also the first anime series where I encountered a main female protagonist with such intense inner monologues. I found that I really liked that because it helped me to understand the character and the plot easily. Also, I enjoyed her point of view better. Also, with Haruhi Suzumiya, I have realized that I like crazy and strange female characters that others perhaps find irritating. However, I find that I do not actually get bored with such girls; on the contrary, I admire and enjoy their energy. It also had an interesting atmosphere, which was accentuated by the narrative as mentioned earlier and especially by the fact that everything was mixed up in quite an endearing way. In short, I liked Haruhi Suzumiya at the time; it was something new; it opened my horizons, even though I was not completely in love with it. Anyway, my impression then, and my impression today after a slight recall of the whole world of Haruhi Suzumiya, is a strong 8/10. However, today it is mostly because I have discovered similar anime series that I found more enjoyable, like the first Monogatari. Still, Haruhi Suzumiya 2006 was a powerful experience, and I was surprised at how well I remembered it after all those years as well as all around Haruhi Suzumiya from 2009... (11/12/2021)

I guess it's because I'm a girl, but I "devoured" Kyon's casual style, while Haruhi didn't charm me that much. Or maybe it's because he's a lot like me, at times it's like seeing myself ;-) With its non-chronological ordering the series confused me for a while, but I digested it, and it connected everything beautifully, you simply have to pay attention while watching this. All the participants from the SOS Brigade were great and I wouldn't mind meeting them again. Yes, it was great, yet I was bored at times, which is why I can't give a full rating. Pity, eh? P.S.: I really liked the feeling I got when I understood Mikuru and Yuki's hints :-) (04/04/2009)