The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 1
DVD Review of Kadokawa's Anime Series and Bandai's English Dub
Sep 26, 2009
When fans refer to a franchise as a religion, something must be going right. Based off a series of light novels, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was adapted into an anime in 2006 and became one of Japan's most successful series. However, viewers can enjoy its eccentric-but-well-developed characters, interesting concepts and high energy without having to convert to "Haruhiism."
The Plot of Haruhi Suzumiya
Kyon is a high-school freshman who has absolved himself of his fantasys about aliens, time travelers and espers. Unfortunately, he becomes involved with the Haruhi Suzumiya, a hyper-moody girl who believes in said phenomena and creates a club dedicated to finding them. The resulting "SOS Brigade" expands to include the robotic Yuki, the demure "mascot" Mikuru, and the unnaturally cheerful Itsuki.
In reality, all three are observing Haruhi for the benefit of aliens, time travelers and espers respectfully, believing that Haruhi has the ability to alter reality. Haruhi is unaware of her powers, and as Kyon gets wrapped up in the uncanny her unremarkable life feeds her depression. Does the universe really revolve around Haruhi, and can Kyon prevent it from falling apart?
The series is divided into two parts. One is an adaptation of the first novel that introduces the characters and setting, though the long bouts of exposition makes it hard to re-watch. The other episodes are a series of one shots that take the cast through student movies, murder mysteries and clashes with the Computer Club.
The SOS Brigade
At first Haruhi Suzumiya looks like another wacky anime that uses its characters to push bunny-girl-themed merchandise, but the characters are more than cliches. Kyon serves as a narrator of the series, remarking on events with deadpan humor. His constant commentary also sets up some gags too, such as how the other characters seem to hear and respond to his asides.
Haruhi drives the series with her force-of-nature personality. In a sense she's a wish-fulfillment character since she does anything she wants with little repercussion. However, there is a disconnect between her actions and her feelings and between who she is and what she thinks she is, which makes her compelling. The other SOS Brigade members get by on their quirks and how Haruhi and Kyon react to them, and outside the club the supporting cast ranges from perplexed bystanders to an adorable psychopath.
Science Fiction, Humor And Bunny Girls
While the supernatural elements are understated, the series goes to great lengths to explain them. The exposition can get long-winded the ways the Brigade members use their abilities, particularly Yuki's ability to screw with physics, are very clever.
Aside from a few action scenes though, the series' main focus is humor, which relies on character relationships and pop-culture references. Some of the jokes might not hit due to cultural differences, but they're usually explainable in context.
Fanservice also pops up at least once an episode. Scenes where the girls go out of their way to wear fetish outfits and leery camera angles only happen for a few moments and don't show anything explicit, but they appear to the point that people who don’t think big-eyed girls are attractive can get turned off. The fanservice isn't completely off-topic though: Haruhi's objectification of Mikuru is a parody of this exploitation and Kyon himself is ashamed of yet attracted to it - he is a teenager after all.
English Dub And Special Features
While the Japanese voices headed by Aya Hirano's award-winning preformance are a tough act to follow, the English dub holds its own. Wendee Lee and Crispin Freeman’s voice acting bring Haruhi and Kyon to life, while the other characters are more or less sound the same as their Japanese counterparts. This isn’t always a good thing: Even if Mikuru’s dub voice is authentic, its high-pitch is still annoying for English listeners.
Bandai handles this series in the U.S. and has released the episodes as four separate volumes and as a complete collection for the best value. Each version comes with special features, the highlight being “The Adventures of the ASOS Brigade,” a collection of campy live-action shorts promoting the English DVDs. Where else can an English-speaking Haruhi and her Japanese-speaking sidekicks exasperate Bandai employees?
Haruhi Suzumiya balances low-key science fiction and absurb humor with the characterization needed to make it more than the sum of its parts. With clean, detailed animation and a servicable English dub, this is a good series for casual fans looking for a break from the action staples that make it to broadcast networks.
