The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.
I bought The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya at Dragon Con. It’s taken me this long to get around to talking about it simple because it’s taken me this long to wrap my head around it. I’ve seen weird anime, but this is a bit different. Narrated by Kyon a normal person in every way, the anime seems much stranger than it really is.
Don’t get me wrong, it is bizarre. Kyon’s almost realistic reactions to the insane situations make it seem more real, and that makes it surreal. Confused yet? So was I. Let me explain it in relation to a known entity, The X-Files.
- Haruhi = Mulder
- Kyon = Scully
- Everybody else = Wacked out aliens or shady secret agents
Make sense yet? No? Ok, let me give you an example from the show.
Harui decides to start a club, the S.O.S. Brigade. This club finds itself in need of a computer. Haruhi has the solution.
“Can you say extortion?” — Kyon.
Haruhi blackmails the computer club. She threatens to post compromising pictures around the school campus unless they give her the best computer they have. When they tell her there are witnesses, well, it gets worse.
A normal person would be shocked by such behavior. Kyon reacts appropriately. Everyone else just seems to be along for the ride. As the story progresses, even Kyon starts to accept Haruhi’s outrageous actions. I can’t really blame him though, it’s not like he could stop her. She seems to be certifiably insane. Plus, she’s kinda cute.
Is it any good?
If you’re not offended by Haruhi’s antics, you’ll probably have fun watching it. I did. After I got over the shock.
The art is good. Very clean and polished. The colors are bright and well used. I’m not going to say it’s amazing, simply because the character design isn’t really what I find interesting. The backgrounds are great though.
I thought the English dub was pretty good. The voices seemed to fit the characters. Kyon was dead on.
I’d say this is an anime you should check out. If you’re not into weird anime, rent it. You might be surprised.
Anime, Reviews, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Bizarre, Strange, Weird, Bunny Girl, Boobs, Extortion, X-Files
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