The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has some of the best animation and character designs I have ever seen in anime. The animation style in Haruhi is very colorful and has fluid motions that make the show easily enjoyable to watch. If you don’t like the animation, then you’re crazy.

The story revolves around Haruhi and Kyon. Haruhi comes off as being the center of attention, but the story is told from the point of view of Kyon. Most of the time Kyon speaks in a sarcastic inner monologue, which makes for some of the funniest parts in the anime. At first Haruhi is quiet (despite her usually hyper activeness) and doesn’t want to speak to anyone who is not an alien or anything mysterious. Haruhi also has distaste in all of the school clubs because she finds them boring. However, Kyon starts talking to Haruhi in their class one day and it eventually leads to Haruhi creating her school club, the SOS Brigade, and drags Kyon and a few other colorful characters in the mess.

The sound in this show was good. The music really seemed to set the mood depending on what was going on. The intro and endings were also pretty good. The ending would probably have to be the best part of the soundtrack, that and the animation that goes with

Melancholy is like many of the humorous romantic comedies in that the female characters are round and dimwitted looking and the males are more realistic and boring looking. The animation is clean and well defined, reminding me of Chobits. Both are sleazy under a veil of innocence. The tired film within a film motif with the droning narrator makes this cheesy attempt at humor fall flat.

The annoying narrator, Kyon, wraps up the entire series in a few short sentences: “incomphrensible words,“ and “leaving various mysteries and inconsistencies completely unaddressed.“

While I must admit it is a seriously funny concept, the humor doesn’t translate well and often seems high-brow in comparison to the ridiculous bunny costume worn by one of the club members.

The first episode’s opening theme, “Mikuru Legend of Love,“ was so painful I had to mute the rest as I waited for it to load. Actress Yuko Goto, who voices the role of Mikuru and sings the song, set the tone for loathing that character before the theme song ended.

The sound effects were effective for the poor quality of the film the students within the Anime are making.

This isn’t the worst Anime series out there, but why waste your time on such incredible mediocrity?

Wow, this show gave me chills. A pretty standard anime style at first glance, it’s quite remarkable that there are moments in the show that just blow you out of the water. Gestures that normally come off as unnatural in most shows are executed flawlessly here, and the ending animation sequence is insanely awesome. Character design is typical (even though for once the guys actually look Asian, it’s a first), but that’s a part of the show’s charm, and it would be upsetting to see the animation become overwhelming. Let’s give these guys a standing ovation; they sure as hell deserve it.

Well, if I were rating Haruhi on originality, its score would be off the chart. I should probably start off by mentioning that, before you see this show, know that almost every episode is out of chronological order. The result is equally irritating and impressive. I would’ve stopped watching five minutes into the first episode (that first song is terrible). They really should’ve started the series on something a little more intriguing.

Voiceovers are good, Kyon’s and Haruhi’s voices standing out to me as some of the more distinctive and best acting-wise. But no one ever said that Haruhi’s voice wasn’t going to be annoying... but then again, that’s her character type. It’d be idiotic for me to complain about Haruhi’s voice if she’s just acting like herself.

When I started watching the show I was bored, but I’m pleased with how it came together. Don’t judge this book by its cover: this show is unique enough to please the veterans of anime fans and to draw in newcomers.