After waiting… six months… I have finally seen the first four episodes of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. (If you can call the self-parody Episode “00″ an actual episode, but I’m not picky.)
The story is styled in such a way that it might be difficult to understand without reading the book… at least I believe so, because I have read the book. If you can avoid the book and view the movie and understand it, please alert me of htis.
The genre of the series is undefinable. Bandai puts it under Action, Comedy, Horror, Romance, Sports, fill in the blank, because Melancholy is the geek’s definition of anime. It is self-consciously anime and yet told from a first-person perspective with a dash of sarcasm that makes the entire story very refreshing.
The main character, Kyon (real name unknown), sees the world through the eyes of a bored highschooler. Santa does not exist, and neither do aliens, time travelesrs, et al. You see his reality, sometimes through his eyes, sometimes hearing the voice in his mind. In my personal opinion, Kyon should think what he says, and speak what he thinks, but it may not matter in the long run.
The animation was very above-par, such as the nearly realistic stylism in the “home-made” first episode and the water in the stream… a real work of art! And, of course, if you’re not satsfied with the DVD, look on the Net for more high-res pictures than a Haruhi fan can handle! (Or… ignore that last statement.)
