Haruhi has some of the best overall animation I’ve ever seen in an anime, it’s fluidity is off the charts (see ending dance for that). The design is very cutesy (moe) for almost all the girls and it really worked for this show, however it’s not innovative since they look almost exactly the same as the character designs from Kanon or Air, just extremely fluid.

Now for the story, this show’s story is crazy. You can view it as too out there or genius, either way you’re correct. “A girl figures out that life is the same everywhere you go, so her subconscious mind develops so that she can mend the world into what she wants, allowing her to meet aliens, time travelers and espers which is the only thing she cares about, yet she doesn’t know what they are and that they are her best friends. The only one to stop her from deleting this world for another is Kyon, whom she’s chosen as the one she loves.” Just reading that makes this an interesting concept that most would just want to see.

The performance in this show was definitely good enough to fit this show, the voice seriously sounded as if the character was speaking, not someone else being them, but occasionally the voice kind of sounded off pitch or like they may have had a cold or something.

Some of the songs are catchy and incredibly addicting however, which makes you think highly of the music when it’s not all that great. But IN the show the music is great, especially for episode 12 when Haruhi had to substitute in the band, and the animation was some of the best ever, that song was great.

The character designs have a unique feel. This series doesn’t have your stereotypical anim-ish style character design. The most unique is the main character Suzumiya. The animation is very well done, more up to date and state of the art.

To some this may seem like a slow paced storyline but it takes time and gradually it picks up. This is certainly a weird anime but don’t expect it to be like Excel Saga or Pumi Pumi Poemi.

BUT BE WARNED when I started watching this series the episodes were played out of order. There are a few good jokes here and there but I believe this series will attract a lot of anime fans. This series to me was kinda slow but a ton of people are really liking this series... A LOT!

The sound track is FANTASTIC! the opening and closing credit songs are very catchy and I personally like the dance animation at the end of the credits.

The quality of the animation is like something people would expect of a movie or an OVA series, but certainly not of a TV series. For example, one of my favorite moments of the series involves a “Battle of the Bands” type of competition where Haruhi straps on a guitar and sings the song God Knows. While the song itself was awesome, what really made this scene memorable was the attention paid to Haruhi’s facial expressions, lip synching, the string picking on the guitars, the way the drums and cymbals vibrate after being hit, and the way Haruhi actually starts to sweat as the song goes on.

I initially felt that I liked the jumbled up episode order because it was so unique and so different from everything else out there. But what happens is that many of the episodes end on cliffhangers and then you don’t come back to them until two or three episodes later. Also I found that the quality of the episodes just wasn’t that consistent. Don’t get me wrong, some of the episodes were downright hilarious and made my stomach hurt due to laughing so much. But others just felt boring and pointless.

I’m extremely optimistic thanks to the fantastic casting of Crispin Freeman as Kyon, Wendee Lee as Haruhi, Johnny Yong Bosch as Itsuki, Stephanie Sheh as Mikuru, and Michelle Ruff as Yuki. Dub casts just don’t get much better than that.

While much of the background music in Haruhi isn’t all that memorable, it all fits wonderfully well and of course there are the insert songs like God Knows and Lost My Music that are played during the aforementioned battle of the bands scene. Both the opening and ending animations are fantastic and you definitely do not want to skip them. They sport some amazing animation, two great songs, and of course you just can’t miss out on the Hare Hare Yukai dance.

I really like the school uniform thing. It’s just something I really like. The animation was very smooth. The characters were great. I really love Haruhi Suzumiya and Kyon. They’re just like polar opposites. Haruhi is a complete nut. While Kyon is some what more in control. The others are pretty good as well. So overall the animation and the characters were done very well.

This story has some really nice things thrown in it. I like how it’s all... well I’m not really sure how to explain it. But I like it a lot. The first episode is kinda weird and doesn’t make sense but the rest, from what I’ve seen, becomes more coherent and seemed to flow nicely.

Some of the characters had voices that didn’t match them all that great. So they got kind of annoying. But in general they did a fine job. So it’s worth checking it out.

In general the music was fine. I didn’t hate it. But also I didn’t like it all that much. So I would say they did just the bare minimum for it.

Character... designs are all in stereotypical anime style, and the animation flows well enough. This is no visual tour de force here, and after seeing the unique looks of current anime series like Samurai Champloo, and One Piece, the art in Melancholy left me feeling, well, melancholy.

Grk--...! Okay, okay, could someone please explain to me the appeal that these “head trip comedies” seem to have?! I mean, the general anime fandom loves these things, and I have no idea why...! Watching Melancholy made me feel like I was watching FLCL all over again... It’s supposed to be funny, but here I am, head in my hands, not laughing, and at times, even growing irritated. Really, the only time I laughed was when the witch-looking kid jumped the maid girl in the first episode, and all that could get out of me was a “heh”...

The characters are decent. I hate to admit that, but it’s true. The characters play off each other well, the male lead is a likable guy, and the dialogue is better than most anime. Still, good script writing can’t save a premise that feels like it came as the result of heavy drug use, and an exhausted Barrel-O-Premises. The first episode will leave you confused, and wondering what the eff is going on.

Admittedly, the soundtrack is infectious. Even the first OP, although I don’t like it, it stays with you. The tunes are jazzy, and set the upbeat mood of the show. If you like this show, by all means, snag the soundtrack.

This anime has it’s own uniqueness to its animation. The weird effects used in the first episode, for example, is something. Even though it was a teen movie project, not many animators would make that way. The character design is great, the guys aren’t drawn in the typical pretty boy way, but they still have their handsome features and the girls have their own individuality towards their beauty. The only problem is, it sometimes looks like other than the main characters in the scene, there’s about 100 people in the entire town.

The story is cool. What I thought was a bad choice in this anime, was making the random episode that had nothing to do with the rest of the series, the first episode. Before one can actually get into the anime, they have to stick through bad acting, weird emotions and an odd narrator. At first I thought it was supposed to be the person filming, but it never stopped. I wanted to stop watching right then. The second episode was much better, which is what saved it. The first episode was not a good way to open up an anime.

The voices were well suited for their parts, and I think I heard some familiar ones in there too. They fit the characters well, there were a few kinks in the movements of the mouth to the talking, but nothing major. The emotions and the characters were well portrayed by this cast.

The sound track to this anime is good. It fits the scene and the emotions portrayed and it has a catchy opening like every anime needs. There aren’t many cons to this soundtrack.

The animation for Haruhi is very fresh and modern, and keeps close to the original designs from the novels. The style is pretty typical of the newer anime series nowadays, but it looks great all the same. The colors are bright and cheerful, which matches the series’ wacky antics and quirky cast.

Interesting? Yes. Overrated? While the main plot centers around Haruhi and her club, some of the episodes were a bit unclear, especially due to the fact that were aired in non-chronological order. However, the characters are all unique and likable, especially the strong-willed Haruhi and cynical Kyon. What makes Haruhi so entertaining is that the story is just so different, even from similar shows like FLCL and Excel Saga; you just want to see what happens next.

The opening and ending themes from Haruhi were hugely popular in Japan, both reaching the top 10 on the OriCon charts, a popular Japanese music chart. The ending is especially fun and energetic, with vocals by the Japanese voice actresses. Background music is largely reminiscent of that of Chobits, with the same sort of catchy synth tunes. It?s not meant to be just passive background music, and stands out quite noticeably.

This reviewer admits: At first, she did not think The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was going to be a good anime. Not generally a fan of randomness and wacky situations, she thought that Haruhi would be simply too confusing to follow. But, as it turned out, the storyline is generally quite understandable, and Kyon’s narration is as helpful as it is amusing. However, there is some kind of charm about all the wackiness in Haruhi, that just draws you in. A cult hit in Japan, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a good bet for unique characters and humorous situations.

One of the most beautiful anime I’ve seen. Most anime are average and look good, but this anime is so beautiful. They make every character look great. They use their colors perfect, also.

The story is great. Someone told me the basic outline of the anime and it sounded great. So I decided to watch it. I watched it the out of order way, so I don’t know if I got the same effect as if I watched it the Chronological way.

I love the voice acting. I’ve only seen it in Japanese with subtitles. I still think it sounds great. I can’t wait to hear the English version.

I loved all the music in this show. Even the Koi no Mikuru Densetsu (Mikuru’s theme song). My favorite song of all is God knows... (The first song played at the festival.) I listen to the music still.

I was quite pleased with the animation in the first episode. Especially, in the closing credits, with the characters dancing.

The character designs were alright. To me they looked like generic anime designs. Nothing special about them. Sometimes you can tell who the character designer is. For example, in Last Exile you could tell the characters were Range Murata designs, but in this show it was... meh.

Since this is the first episode and the first time I’ve ever seen this series... I can’t really comment on the story. So far it seems like an ok comedy.

I thought the Japanese performances were good. I really enjoyed listening to Aya Hirano(Haruhi) and Tomokazu Sugita(Kyon).

The soundtrack was meh. I really can’t see myself buying the soundtrack.

The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya’s animation flows incredibly smoothly from scene to scene with great pacing and precision. When it needs to be fast-paced action, it’ll be lightning-quick, but it slows down when it needs to explain things or it’s just downtime for the characters. Bright, vivid, and skillfully detailed, you can actually picture Haruhi’s world out there in our own world.

As far as character design goes, it doesn’t get much better than this. While one member of Haruhi’s ragtag SOS Brigade, the quiet yet tactical Yuki Nagato, does resemble Evangelion icon Rei Ayanami, the majority of the characters are skillfully and subtly different than most others. Oh, and I just have to say I LOVE their eyes!

The first time I sat down to watch this, I wasn’t even sure I was watching the right show. I mean, the first episode is a low-budget movie made by Haruhi’s ragtag club, the SOS Brigade, about the adventures (or should I say misadventures) of the club’s “mascot“, Mikuru Asahina?! This is where the series barges right onto the scene as an anime that’s not afraid to do what it wants, just like its title character. And if you think the first episode is a bit of a head-scratcher, it’s just getting started!

With voice acting veterans like Crispin Freeman as Kyon, Wendee Lee as Haruhi, Johnny Yong Bosch as Itsuki, Stephanie Sheh as Mikuru, and Michelle Ruff as Yuki, I am more than stoked to hear this dub! It’s too early to tell, but it may just be better than the Japanese. Now that would be awesome!

The ending theme “Hare Hare Yukai“ is one of the most addictive songs you’ll ever hear. Complete with a little para-para dance by the SOS Brigade at the end of every episode, you may even find yourself dancing along with them in no time flat.