Haruhi is a character with more energy than any character in any television show I've ever seen.
Anyway, this show's great. I can't stop laughing, and I'm quite impressed with the wackiness. I had to pay extra to get the episodes in the original broadcast order, but it was worth it to see the episodes in the original random order!
At first I hated the main character. HATE. Sexual harrasment, coercion and blackmail, misanthropy, self-centeredness, insanity... I honsetly didn't like her. Everyone else was awesome. I had to force myself to continue watching after the first episode or so, if only to see how Kyon and Mikuru would escape from Haruhi's self-centered, world-breaking insanity.
The time-jumping order of the episodes were an interesting twist. The actual main plot, that of Haruhi-as-god, was only barely hinted at and never really answered. How did she get the powers, why, etc. I mean, it was sort of hinted that the organizations behind Mikuru, Nagato and the esper dude wanted to use Haruhi to an extent, but that gets nowhere fast. They just "keep her in check".
It was relatively short, which was good, because absurd (unfunny) hyperactivity of that scale I can only stomach in small doses. The ending wasn't that great. It felt like they were going for a second season or maybe more episodes, but they had to make a quick ending.
I don't consider it as anything more than light entertainment, and so, it's pretty darn good light entertainment.
Actually, it's rather normal for many animes to go with seasons of that size these days. I've heard they're going to do a second series of Haruhi, and the novels that the show is based on is still ongoing, so it'll continue I think.
I'm sure more plot will be next time.
Also... you said at first you hated the main character. How were you later, by the end?
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005
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Hmm. Well, I find myself enjoying her crazy antics. A little less after a bunch of episodes of her. Even so, I find her insane in a very enjoyable way. Egotistical, eccentric, domineering, yes, but fun to watch her crazy, desperate search for things right under her nose.
fugu, I hope the rumor turns out to be true. They need more episodes!
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I agree, Haruhi is a wonderful character, and the show does a particularly good job of keeping the romantic interactions subtle and confused (like one would expect of high school).
Posts: 15770 | Registered: Dec 2001
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I've watched several episodes, and there's so much META stuff going on.
Examples. Haruhi is listed as the "Ultra director" in the credits. That, along with the fights with Kyon after the credits about which episode should come next, says to me that Haruhi herself is "responsible" for the jumbled narrative. It's great. A character in the series is dictating which episode airs when.
Another example. Pay attention to Kyon's voiceovers. Plenty of times he'll say something to the audience in a soliquay - but Haruhi will respond as if she heard him. Kyon's lips clearly aren't moving. Haruhi sometimes hears Kyon speaking to the audience.
I especially liked the episode in which Kyon and and Haruhi went to closed space. Afterwards, it's not entirely clear if the world ended or not. Armagaddon might have taken place, and Haruhi might have re-created the world from scratch. We'll never know.
Niftiness all around.
Posts: 1515 | Registered: Feb 2002
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Yep. That's why this show is so nice. As a guy who likes taking television and movies apart piece by piece, narrative thread by narrative thread, Haruhi seems like a godsend.
"A character in the series is dictating which episode airs when."
For a show with the unique qualities this one has, this concept is perhaps the most awesome part. Actually, though, if I remember, it was Kyon who was pointing out the broadcast order, while Haruhi was saying which episode was next chronologically.
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There are a ton of books, apparently! Only the "first" six episode story arc is from that, the rest are portions of other books, with one exception, apparently. And yeah, second season has been confirmed, I read somewhere now!
But yes... what a way to start a show! And so very funny... once Kyon started losing it and getting very, very pissed off at the movie while narrating, it was even better.
And yeah, most impressive was how, within the world at least, it was a live action video... in an anime. Great stuff.
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