[Review] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star

Premiere

Wooohooo! This is the first review written exclusively for Anime Crunch! Let’s Rock! Haha, OK! Back down to Earth. I just finished up the short series, “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” and I’ve long since wanted to review “Lucky Star,” but for whatever reason I haven’t been able to get around to it. Well, consider this my way of killing two birds with one stone.

I’m really excited about this review because this will be the first one where I actually get to compare two very similar animes – the lead voice actress is the same and both series are developed by the same company – using pictures, videos, and old fashioned text. I would recommend you refrain from watching these videos if you want to save yourself from spoilers – not that you’ll fair better reading my review. In any case, I hope you enjoy the review!

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Introduction

OK, so I’ve been dying to watch this series because of the great things I heard from so many people. Everyone is just raving about it – and it’s no wonder! According to Wikipedia,

“The first novel of the series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was awarded the Grand Prize in the eighth annual Sneaker Awards—only the third Grand Prize given out in the Award’s history. The series went on to be a huge success in Japan, selling over 4,300,000 copies collectively”

Wikipedia furthers with,

“The anime series became somewhat of an Internet phenomenon in both Japan, Asia, and English-speaking countries. Over 2000 clips of the series and user-created parodies and homages were posted to video sharing websites such as YouTube. The popularity of these clips (and those of other popular Japanese series) led the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) to request that YouTube remove clips claimed to be under the copyright of their members.”

This doesn’t even mention how many other works of literature or shows have actually referenced material in this series. It’s so crazy because the series is only 14 episodes long and was aired in nonlinear order. What’s more is that the series is so popular that the creators have announced a second season – always a good thing ^^! As Wikipedia put it,

“A re-broadcast of the first series began in April 2009. Following a comment by Teletama, one of the broadcasting stations, that the 2009 broadcast would be 28 episodes long, there was speculation that re-broadcast will be followed by the second season, though this has not been confirmed by Kadokawa.”

Initial Impressions

To tell you the truth, I was so pumped about this series that I postponed Clannad in the prospect of being revitalized by what I thought would be a comedy. Don’t get me wrong, there were parts within the series I found absolutely hilarious, but the series is most definitely not a comedy – I’ll get into that during the “Type | Genre” section below.

Since this series was made, and even voiced, by the same people who did Lucky Star, I was really expecting the series to deliver gut-busting humor throughout. I mean, when you read the description of the series on Wikipedia, how can you not assume it’s a comedy?

“The story follows the titular character, Haruhi Suzumiya, a young high school girl who can unconsciously change reality, and her strange antics with her school club, the SOS Brigade.”

I mean, that just sounds ludicrous! I suppose the word “antics” is defined by Webster as,

1. an attention-drawing often wildly playful or funny act or action
2. a performer of a grotesque or ludicrous part : buffoon

So, how could you not assume the series would be a comedy? That’s not to say it was a bad thing though! I really enjoyed the series regardless of the assumed genre. It was actually quite thick and frothy with metaphysical mayhem and confusion. I went into the series with positive expectations and I wasn’t disappointed in the least when it was all said and done.

Enjoyment

The series was fairly gripping, but not in the sense of a horror movie. The series has a charm to it – a kind of mystery that surrounds each episode. For the most part, the entire series is linked together in some way, and there are definitely signposts laid out each episode, but for some reason the animators decided to show the series out of order. I can’t imagine how annoying the series would’ve been for the fans at the time. If you were to watch the episode in chronological order – the only order that makes sense, especially for this series – then you’ll find that the series actually concludes on episode 6 (chronologically), when it should conclude on episode 14. So when you watch episode 6, you get this sentimental feeling of conclusion when in fact you have 8 more episodes to go. This gives the series a run-on feel to it – much like if a movie ended and then continued to show footage after the ending – *cough* Lord of the Rings: Return of the King *cough*. It’s a sad and moving vibe. It nearly destroyed the enjoyment of the series.

Regardless, I felt the series was vibrant and witty – delivers on the fan-service as well!

Type | Genre

This series was completely different than what I had initially thought. It’s predominately a fantasy story with a drop of love and comedy. There’s only one or two action sequences that demonstrate spectacular choreography. For the most part, this is not a comedy. If you’re looking for a series that’s really uplifting, such as Lucky Star or Seto No Hanayome, then you’re looking in the wrong place. This series is actually a third-person limited view, with elements of first-person narration, of the protagonist’s high school life with Haruhi. Despite the fact that the title name has “Haruhi Suzumiya,” she isn’t actually the main protagonist – strictly speaking. She’s the main focus of the series but the main protagonist is Kyon, who befriends Haruhi sometime during the ninth grade. In fact, Kyon is usually in every scene shot during the series.

Plot [Minimum Spoilers]

Nothing would be more satisfying than diving really deep into the plot, but I have adopted a “minimum spoilers” policy for my reviews. It would only take a few paragraphs to summarize and criticize this particular story, but rather than just spoiling it for you I want to just briefly touch on the attributes of the plot. Rather than just giving away the whole plot itself, I want you to have the possibility to experience the same magic that I experienced watching this series whenever you decide to watch it for yourself.

The plot itself is completely serialized but the animators showed the anime out of order. The animators knew that the spine of the series was composed of 6 principle episodes with the other episodes narrating obscure and irrelevant events afterwards. In order to avoid that sentimental nostalgic feeling, a feeling of reconciliation, the producers of the show decided to show each episode out of order. I felt that this decision was absolutely detrimental to the flow of the plot, as you cannot and will not comprehend anything if you watch it in “aired order.” For anyone who watches this series, please look up the order of the episodes and watch them in chronological order. You might end up feeling like the series just drags on after episode 6 but it’s better than not even knowing what’s going on.

The plot itself is actually quite simple and linear – with only about 4 events separate from the principle plot that are actually depicted. I feel as if the series could’ve lasted a bit longer, running on the charm of Haruhi, but if we really look at the series as a whole, it’s actually quite lacking. I wonder if this series was really meant to be a “slice of life” anime. I know that there are several books out there for this series, but the anime is extremely short and sparse – especially for one that quickly dives deep into metaphysical themes. I wonder what the second season will be abou- if the animators make another. There aren’t really any serious conflicts that occur and the ending didn’t resolve anything – not that there was much to resolve. There just isn’t enough drama, despite Haruhi’s eccentric behavior.

Simply put, the material is weak at heart for something that takes itself very seriously. I can actually see why people try to mask it as a comedy – don’t get me wrong, it’s a really funny series; it lacks the substance to propel itself beyond the conflict of interests between the two main characters Kyon and Haruhi. This series falls right in the middle of the road plot-wise, which leads me to believe that the series is really about the characters and not the plot.

Characters

There are only a handful of characters featured in this anime, but I’m only going to briefly describe and talk about the two main characters.

1. Kyon: Kyon is the main protagonist in the series. He is first introduced and all of his thoughts and observations are made known to the audience. He is in fact the narrator of the series. As opposed to the other characters of the story, he is the only person without any type of special powers or special history. He isn’t a time-traveler, esper, or alien. He’s a completely normal high school student who just so happened to get involved with Haruhi. He tends to disagree with Haruhi’s methods and beliefs. Despite his appearance, he’s actually fairly keen and intelligent – able to quickly predict and observe his environment. Kyon represents a really down to Earth person who takes the time to consider his situation around him before acting. He tends to be sarcastic, employing the use of irony through his logic.
2. Haruhi Suzumiya: Haruhi is the complete opposite of Kyon. She’s brash, impulsive, and easily bored. She likes to indulge in unconventional ideas and prefers to lighten up her life by meeting only “aliens, espers, and time travelers.” She can’t stand anything “normal” and refuses to do anything she deems to be non-exciting. She’s the embodiment of the friction between social norms and individuality. In my honest opinion, she’s really the only thing that keeps the entire series going, yet the highlights of my video show that she’s not apart of any real memorable tokens.

Themes

The themes of this anime are really light and completely disjoint from the series. In fact, I feel as if I didn’t take away anything from the series. The topics it covers are all metaphysical; interesting at best, confusing at worst. Honestly, the series has a fairly weak love triangle – if you can even call it that – and never really explores the opinions of the characters on topics concerning themes that pertain to real life. It’s safe to say that this anime is fairly shallow and that it’s merely for pure entertainment in a mystical kind of way.

I guess the only theme I found, and this was pointed out to me by my friend Josh, was the theme of existence and change. It’s actually more of a question than a theme:

“If existence itself were to change, would you be afraid? How would you be able to tell?”

I feel as if this theme is a bit indeterminate, because what’s it matter if a tree falls in the woods and no one’s around to hear it? The sound is there, but if no one hears it, no one cares. And the anime seems to agree in the sense that no one would ever know if existence were to completely change – even if it were beknownst to us prior. It’s not like the universe leaves scars every time it changes. Notwithstanding, I’ll leave the deep thinking in your hands.

Final Thoughts and Impressions

After watching the whole series, I felt that I was completely mislead by the beginning and the people who hyped up the series. Don’t get me wrong, the series was a complete success and I was wholeheartedly satisfied with what I saw. I just felt that this piece was so short and sparse, not weak, plot-wise that it felt really incomplete and unsatisfying. I felt that there was so much more that the animators could explore about the characters in the series and the metaphysical issues that were rampant. I mean, there are several light novels out on this series that deal specifically with this and yet there were only 14 total episodes, 8 of which were just small little adventures that didn’t further the characters or the themes in any significant way. But I know that the animators are going to air a second season this fall, so I’ll definitely be pushing this series to the forefront when that happens. Like I said, the series is not bad, weak, or lacking; it’s short, unfulfilling and sparse – it’s like eating a dinner that tastes absolutely delicious but only eating 3 grams of it.

This anime is influential for a reason. That reason is due to the character of Haruhi and the voice actress behind her, Aya Hirano. Aya’s voice acting is absolutely stunning – flowing effortlessly into the situation depicted on screen. It’s no wonder she “won the “Voice Acting Award in the Sixth Annual Tokyo Anime Awards and a nomination for the “Best Actress in a leading role” category from the first Seiyū Awards”. No one’s even mentioned the character of Kyon. Honestly, when I first saw him I was like,

“Who the hell is this guy?”

yet he’s absolutely essential to the series. His grounded sense of reasoning, spiced with sarcasm, and sensitivity towards social norms is a great contrast to Haruhi’s egocentric attitude towards life – which is justified by the fact that she can subconsciously change the entire universe as she see’s fit.

Regardless of how influential the series has been, I would recommend you watch this series with mediocre expectations. It’s an entertaining anime. I’ll give it that. In fact, it brought smiles to my face many times, but it just never properly concluded itself and it just lacked the raw material to be treated as a complete series. Honestly, when I first saw that it only contained 14 episodes I had to double check that I got all of the episodes – turned out that my first inclinations about the brevity were correct. The series is just simply too short to be enjoyable.

Lucky Star

Introduction

This series was actually what really got me into the swing of anime for the past few months. I was first introduced to a clip, by Josh, that depicts the main character, Konata, saying “Good Job!” I know. Sounds weak. But it was hilarious! I immediately rushed to download the full season of Lucky Star and immediately fell in love with the series. Notwithstanding, the first episode was so weak and boring that I nearly gave up on the entire series upon first glance. It immediately redeemed itself on the second, and all subsequent, episode. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought the first episode was a dud – the director of the series was fired directly after the first episode and replaced with someone who could actually direct. With that said, you can imagine the dedication put forth to make this series one of the most influential and well-liked in animes history.

Initial Impressions

I actually had no initial thoughts going into the series, but after watching the intro to the series I immediately felt guilty – in a good way. I knew I was in for a really cute and adorable anime that was funny to top it off. I wasn’t sure what the anime would talk about, but the only thing Josh told me was,

“OMG! Lucky Star is crazy! You’ll love it.”

Well, that doesn’t really leave me with much, now does it? So with that, I dove headfirst and blind into what would become my most favored comedy series of all time.

Enjoyment

In terms of enjoyment and ease of understanding, this anime ranks the highest of all the animes I’ve seen. The series is primarily a situational comedy and slice of life, so even though the anime follows the lives of 4-6 Japanese school girls, you’ll be able to relate to them no matter what. They talk about very common and random things in life, ranging from food to saying, “ahhh” through the blades of a fan. The series’ greatest strength is in its dialogue – you’ll find yourself laughing your ass off on connotations alone. The smooth and rich flow of lines between Konata and her close friend, Kagami, are some of the most memorable moments in the anime – filled with hidden meaning in the said and the unsaid. There’s no other anime quite like it to be honest. This is probably one of the least intrusive animes – animation-wise – as most of the comedy is not conveyed through tags or slap-stick. The animators made a wise choice to keep the exaggerations horizontal; no deformations in the character’s shape for the most part, and very little physical (actions) expression of emotions.

Type | Genre

This is almost certainly a comedy and a slice of life anime. There aren’t any heavy themes and there isn’t a real solid plot. You could actually watch the episodes out of order and still get most of it – I wouldn’t recommend it, though. The anime’s chosen genre puts a lot of emphasis and weight on the characters themselves as well as the plot, effectively making a story out of what is seemingly a series of very small situational conflicts – hence the advent of the sit-com. Lucky Star does this very well mind you.

Plot [No Spoilers]

What’s to say about the plot? Well, other than the fact that there is no principle plot, then nothing. Think of it as Seinfeld, only with richer meanings and quotes. I guess the only plot device is the passage of time. Everything is chronological, as you would expect, but the series will usually fast-forward between two events very quickly, but will never actually flashback to a previous event (Correction: there is an instance where we see how Konata’s little cousin gets into high school). For example, in one scene you’ll see Konata talking about manga and then the next scene takes place 24 hours later, but you’ll see Konata, from the same point of view, in the same setting. It’s not as intrusive as you would initially expect. The scenes conclude one after another, so it’s not like the idea of the joke is lost somewhere in transition – not translation.

Characters

I don’t really want to go over the characters in detail, because half the humor is in their very nature. So, I’ll just briefly cover the four principle characters.

1. Konata: Konata is a carefree, hedonistic, high school student in Japan. All she really cares to do is play video games, read manga, watch anime, and talk about typical life experiences. How can you not relate to someone like her? Despite her lazy demeanor, she’s actually very keen and good at memorizing large amounts of data. She’s able to cram for exams and quickly memorize sequences or patterns. She also has very sharp senses and is actually quite physically fit – able to run the 100 meter dash faster than anyone in her grade. Konata also has an incredible amount of determination and precision when it comes to activities she enjoys, such as buying manga at conventions and the like. She appears to be unintelligent because of her lack of enthusiasm to do school work, yet we find that her skills have simply just been redirected towards other subjects.
2. Kagami: Kagami is nearly the opposite of Konata – hardworking, diligent, honest, and well-read. She’s the model student and it shows in her grades. She’s highly knowledgeable and finds that doing your work immediately is favorable to procrastination. She also tends to think very rationally, forgoing dreams for more reasonable goals in life. She is unlike Konata in every way. You’ll usually find Kagami deep into a light novel rather than a manga. She also tends to argue more literally, which makes her quite sarcastic. Regardless of her differences with Konata, the two are very close and care for each other very much. You could say that Kagami’s alignment is a prototypical example of someone who’s Lawful Good
3. Tsukasa: Tsukasa is Kagami’s little sister – not to much extent since they are fraternal twins – who’s very warm, kind, and considerate – often justifying someone else’s opinion in their presence in order to keep the mood afloat. She isn’t like her sister when it comes to academics, but doesn’t blatantly and deliberately disregard her work like Konata. Tsukasa is earnest in her dedication to academics, but her intellectual skills are subpar – even below Konata’s abilities. She doesn’t have the brute brain power to function at the level of the rest of her friends, thusly making her the least intelligent. On a side note, Tsukasa tends to go to bed long before Kagami – around 9:00 PM – and wakes up long after – usually around 12:15PM, raking in approximately 15 hours of sleep each day.
4. Miyuki: Is a beautiful, well mannered, diligent, and klutzy girl. She’s the sterotypical example of a rich and proper young woman – complete with a set of glasses. Her intelligence far exceeds that of Kagami and the rest of the school for that matter. She usually ranks in the top 10 of her class and effortlessly navigates questions that are related to schoolwork, as well as any miscellaneous topics. Her tact is of the highest degree – able to turn any conversation that might be somewhat offensive into a neutral and kind one. Her flaws tend to come off as incredibly cute and warm – much like a kitten’s – such as, being afraid to open her eyes underwater and bumping into objects when she’s walking due to her tendency to daydream. In fact, her intelligence is so sought out that Kuroi, the teacher of the class, tends to get distraught over the fact that no one asks her questions about the material she went over – rather most students go directly to Miyuki.

Themes

As mentioned before, there aren’t any persistent themes in this anime. Mayhap the theme of friendship, but that would be stretching it because there aren’t any very large conflicts between anyone in this series. So, I think it’s safe to say that this anime is completely devoid of any overarching messages that you can take away from it. That’s not to say that you’ll end up watching this and getting nothing out of it. On the contrary, there is so much humor embedded in this series that you’ll probably find yourself watching it several times over. What’s even more rewarding is watching another anime and then watching this again, because Lucky Star parodies and references so many other animes that new jokes surface all the time. I would be so bold as to say that this anime has so many cultural references that it actually outdoes Family Guy or at least rivals it. That’s not to say that if the Japanese culture is unbeknownst to you that you’ll find this series horribly dry. It’s a sit-com at heart that appeals to everyone.

Final Thoughts and Impressions

After finishing this series, I found myself wholly satisfied. In fact, there are so many jokes and skits in this series that every time I rewatch the series, I end up getting a new joke. It’s also fairly difficult to count all the elements within this series because there’s simply too many of them. It’s a positive series. I haven’t found one person that hates Lucky Star. I mean, it is one of the most influential series on the market and the whole reason for that is because of the material that it brings to the table. It’s very rich and dense with references to the current generation and even to the last generation. It isn’t too intrusive, yet it’s unbelievably moé – it keeps the exaggerations horizontal. There’s very little romantic drama, which keeps it very light-hearted. In fact, it’s because of this that I use it to decompress from other animes that are crammed full of themes. You could call this the water to meal that is anime itself. Even if you have the finest dinner, as filet mignon is to Code Geass, you’ll still need a glass of water to wash it down – like Lucky Star. Honestly, that is the best way I can put this. It might be devoid of theme and plot, but that is the very reason why this series is just as necessary to the anime industry as water is to human life.

Page Flip

Alright! Moving right along – back on track – into Clannad, which was postponed a week. It’ll be about two weeks or so before I finish this series due to the sheer volume – approximately 50 episodes total. Expect a review within a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean I won’t post random news, pictures, or videos in the mean time. STICK AROUND – FULL STEAM AHEAD! Clannad is NEXT!