Everyone's been busy lately. Here's some filler. I debated between putting this on PFort or Npone, but PFort should attract hipper visitors. So.
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I gotta admit my list of anime isn't much. The recent ones were Shakugan no Shana and Elfen Lied, which was terribly disappointing and terribly shit respectively. I do my best not to be biased against genres, but the truth is that anime does have specific characteristics that define and guide it, and those characteristics make anime like the Danger Zone to me. You have the fan following, showering abject praise upon their chosen worship, baiting you into the series only to ambush you from behind with a bucket of FAIL and retarded excuses for why the show is so RETARDED and formulaic 90% of the time.
The other thing is just what I've said: formulaic. Since anime and its associated conventions still sell, a lot of animes just copy off their predecessors and use the same techniques, the same cock teases, same boob fanservice, same stock characters, same general plot lines, and sometimes like in Shakugan no Shana, when the creators actually hit something interesting/original/awesomely profound, they go NOWHERE with it and fill it up with all that stock nonsense to reel in the safe, usual, ferociously dedicated enthusiasts.
Pictured: God.
And this is where the anime-bashing ends (for today) because I liked The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Being popular, they raised alarm bells in my head. Also the fact that they broadcast episodes out of chronological order, even separating two-part stories, sounded like a gimmick that would crash and burn. In the end I liked it for being able to keep me off-balance, staying in with the show's tune of "weird stuff happens, lol". And they still manage to give the show some sort of conclusion.
The story's there. It's about a bunch of exceedingly out-of-this-world high school students who are all supernaturally special in their own way, except for the narrator. Many character archetypes are used here though surprisingly things are continually kept interesting by little twists and turns here and there, and praise also goes to the pacing of the unhurried exposition of the SciFi/Fantasy lore(which you don't have to be a fan to jump in and "get"). They weave all these bits of interesting stuff in alongside all these mundane real world events. A commonly quoted example is the fate of the world teetering over the outcome of a baseball match - and yes, they pull it off.
Romance is handled pretty well, which surprised me (fanservice isn't dovetailed into romance, thank god). The action/fight scenes are good too; but most episodes focus on the school-based crazy capers of the group of friends and how they try to get Haruhi to be entertained so she won't destroy the world. It's executed better than it sounds, honest.
Speaking of fanservice, Melancholy definitely has it's bits, but a fair amount of these sequences are either just humourous or interesting enough so for the most part it isn't an issue. I get the feeling they are partially parodying anime and general storytelling conventions, and the nice thing is that they go just far enough with it to amuse, but don't abuse it too much.
Characterization is balanced. The lead is Haruhi, hyperactive, slightly sociopathic, ambitious, and loud. She also shows an underlying despair with being normal, though this and other character traits of not just her but other characters are hinted at subtly enough to keep things interesting. I do however have frustrations for Koizumi and Kyon's mostly one-sided personalities - they stay too passive sometimes and rub off on the viewer with lackluster results. Otherwise, Kyon, as the normal, uninterested guy, is a fitting and entertaining counterpoint to Haruhi's explosive madness.
Animation is beautiful. The art division for Haruhi's world definitely had a vision when they went and drew life into the script. Certain sequences, like Haruhi's monologue about her past, echo with feeling. Plenty of scenery porn too; plenty of very pretty shots of the landscape. The only real downer in this department was the gay CG at times - low-quality and at odds with the anime background.
Overall, this feels more like a genuine work of art and less a cash cow or entertainment cow. A nice arty example is the episode "Someday in the Rain", melancholic slice-of-life. Regardless of wacky subject matter, there are cerebral things to reflect on, and keeps you fairly well entertained to boot (an average of a couple of laughs per episode). It does fall a bit short at some bits, when you wish a line of thought had gone just a bit further, but in the end, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is well balanced, well played, well done. Not particularly deep but worthwhile. yeahhh!!
I come from an older breed of anime. I remember when anime series did not have to be marketable. I remember when anime series could develop characters I could relate to even though I could not change into some black pig when splashed with cold water. I remember when anime could bring up philosophical topics like reality and identity amid the worldwide plague known as the Internet. I remember when anime did not have to be cute and could feature a guy who turned into a gelatinous blob that inadvertently crushed his girlfriend into red goo...
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