[completed] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Overall, I loved it.

See this reference list of the order of episodes I was watching, from the DVD, not the original broadcast order:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Melancholy_of_Haruhi_Suzumiya_episodes


My viewing experience of this show benefits a lot from having seen Fooly Cooly (FLCL) before hand. The two series have strong similarities, and at moments this feels like a sequel to that series in spirit. It has many of the same elements, and reaches similar conclusions. I don't want to get into a long discussion which one is better (FLCL), but rather appreciate both for being smart satires on the tropes of anime/manga, using space aliens, magic, and absurdity as metaphors for adolescence. A direct character to character comparison wouldn't be appropriate, since both Haruhi and Kyon, separately, embody different elements of Naota and different elements of Haruko. Haruhi is both Naota (creating wrinkles) and Haruka (smoothing out the wrinkles). Kyon is both Naota (dealing with an insane new life) and Haruko (being the adult to Haruhi.) Although Melancholy is slower and smoother than FLCL, I think it's better to see FLCL first, and experience the insanity of that for the wonderful experience it is, thent to watch this show, which takes the same idea of meta but uses it in a slower, more mundane way. The kids are older so their reactions to events (and the problems Haruhi creates) are of a different nature than the 12 year old boy in FLCL.

Basically, I loved this show and I want a second season. I liked the dialogue best-- it seems anime series based on novels always excel in certain ways, and I feel like the anime writers lifted whole speeches and extended discussions straight from a book, because most anime doesn't give this much time and attention to regular discussion. The conversations are smooth and sound natural; I also have to applaud the dub writers/translators for that as well. I have to say, I feel like this show (again, like FLCL) is one that makes a lot more sense and is a lot funnier if you're already used to anime, if you know the cliches and the narrative conventions. I wouldn't recommend this to a newbie; I'd go for something like Trigun or Cowboy Bebop or FMA.

I wouldn't say this show is perfect or flawless: the Mikiru stuff was never funny and I could have done without that entirely, or at least with half as much, since exploitation was never a part of my anime fan experience like it apparently is for most fanboys. And if you wanted you could probably pick apart all the ways the pacing or plot go belly-up or break out of structure. All that being said, I completely understand why it's so popular, and I'm not at all immune to the appeal. I love meta, it's why I adored FLCL and Princess Tutu, and it's why I loved this series too.


( detailed thoughts, spoilers )

a few more minor thought stragglers for Melancholy of Haruhi

1. I was totally right about ( spoiler )

2. There are a few scenes in the opening that I don't remmber ever seeing in the actual episodes: Haruhi at the piano, Haruhi behind Kyon on the bicycle. I'm sure there's others as well.

3. The natural movement and visual "feel" of the animation really took this series to another level. I don't know if I'd've loved it nearly as much if it didn't look and move so well. The facial expressions and gestures are more detailed and expressive than most anime series havea budget for.

4. I got a laugh out of the homoerotic vibe with every scene between Itsuko and Kyon; Kyon also noticed and his minor freakouts whenever it became awkward (which lessened over time, haha) amused me, as did Itsuko's blase reaction.