Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu 2009

Title:Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu 2009
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 2009
Overall:Watch
Keywords: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Notables: Animation - KYOTO
A re-airing of the original Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu series with brand new episodes thrown into the mix, based on Tanigawa Nagaru's "Suzumiya Haruhi" series of novels, illustrated by Itou Noizi. (Source: ANDB)
This new season covers the novels 'Boredom and Sighs of Haruhi Suzumiya'

14 new eps or 28 total combined eps (~24 min)
[edit] The ↗Suzumiya Haruhi franchise:
OverallArtAnimationCharacter Design MusicSeries StoryEpisode StoryReviewer
Unevaluated Jan-Chan [series:1636#967]
I haven't watch this (yet) and I don't know if I want too....

This season includes something referred to as the Endless 8. It was a minor incident in the manga series (about 30 pages of story), but it blossomed into something significant in the 2nd season.

Kyon and the rest of the gang get caught up in time loop in which their August summer adventures repeat themselves. The first time was described as being cute and entertaining. When the episode repeated itself (with only minor changes), it was described as being innovative. Then the episode repeated itself again with only minor changes. And it was repeated again and again. No less than eight episodes were spent to tell a simple story arc that could have been told in two episodes.

Well, the fans said enough!! And they begin blogging and yelling against Kodakawa (the producer of this season) (Sample rant here). The director of the first season said he did not like what was done to the Haruhi story. And now the DVDs of the 2nd season have been released and sales are down by 50% (sample rant here).

I liked the first season, but now I have some hesitations at watching the 2nd season because of all bad hype. Sigh.

A very good Haruhi (Spoof)Trailer... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5DHMH7sUkE

Last updated Friday, July 09 2010. Created Friday, December 25 2009.
Watch 9 8 8 6 6 6 Ggultra2764 [series:1636#1552]
This second season of Haruhi Suzumiya proved to be much weaker than its first season. Plotwise, the series fills in the gaps of what took place in the first season, such as the filming of Haruhi's movie and Kyon learning of Haruhi's past. Episode 1 was the strongest episode of the series providing Kyon the opportunity to see a younger Haruhi and getting in some predicaments with Yuki and Mikuru along the way making him an integral part of Haruhi's past. But from that point, this new season starts going down hill quick. The biggest contributor of this mess being the infamous "Endless Eight" episodes. The whole time loop storyline stretched on for a whopping eight episodes and outside of alternate camera angles and different clothes wore by the characters in each of the show's scenes, just about every event in the episode was the same. As a matter of fact, you could skip episodes 4 through 8 and you wouldn't really be missing out on anything since no major plot developments really occur within these episodes as the plot progression in each one is the same as episode 3.

The arc with the movie being made was also a bit of a downer thanks to inconsistency with character development from Haruhi. Considering the developments Haruhi's character went through following the Melancholy episodes, I had thought there was some slight maturity of her character following these events as the Remote Island episodes shown she did care for the well-being of the SOS Brigade, while being too prideful to show it on the surface. But her abusive treatment of the group in the movie arc didn't match up to her playful treatment of them in the first season which made me question the direction of Haruhi's character development that the series followed. The saving grace to this arc was that Haruhi's fun with the movie got out-of-hand enough where it was creating some unusual things in reality.

Visuals were of above-average quality with plenty of rich detail and color in the scenery with fluid movement coming from characters and the environments they are in. Music was a bit average in quality not comparing with the upbeat rhythms and musical selections of the first season.

Haruhi Suzumiya's second season was highly anticipated by fans with enough rumors that circulated online regarding what the series would cover from the light novels. Unfortunately, this series only succeeded in filling in gaps that the first season lacked the time to cover and even pushed the viewing tolerance limits of its viewers with the Endless Eight episodes. If you have yet to see the series and liked the first season, then you won't be missing out much from this new season of the series. Just skip it and wait out on when the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie comes out next year.

Last updated Friday, October 30 2009. Created Friday, October 30 2009.
Rent 8 9 8 8 7 3 Devil Doll [series:1636#752]
[score for all 28 episodes: 74% = Rent-; a mixed bag with episodes of very different quality, with "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" and "Sigh III-V" being highlights of the new 2009 material; the complete version is more comprehensible than the first season that skipped important information]
  • Melancholy arc (1-6,8): Rent+ (slow start but "Melancholy IV" and "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" wowed me; Nagato is the star of this show)
  • Endless Eight arc (12-19): Watch- (nice idea but abysmal content/time ratio => downgrade for Episode Story; weak character performance & mediocre resolution)
  • Sigh/Movie arc (20-26): Rent (two embarrassing fillers, weaker than its equivalent in Ichigo 100% TV, followed by three strong episodes returning to the main scenario and explaining in detail how that Brigade movie was actually created, including Kyon's best scene of the series; the movie itself is crap though whereas the ENOZ concert had a reasonable Haruhi for once)
  • Standalone episodes (7,9-11,27-28): Rent- ("Boredom" can't match the Hanaukyo Maid Tai version of the baseball theme, "Mysterique Sign" features tech talk, "Remote Island Syndrome" presents whodunnit twists, "Sagittarius" has Nagato shine, "Someday in the Rain" is lacking in the content department)


Last updated Wednesday, September 30 2009. Created Sunday, August 30 2009.
Watch Stretch [series:1636#628]
(Watch+ or Rent-)

(All episodes watched):

The first episode of this second season of MoHS was startling in the sense that it reminded me of just what excellence an anime series can attain if it places a higher priority on quality than quantity. The averageness of the vast majority of the shows I watch had lulled me into expecting relatively little from them, then suddenly an example of just what is really possible came along and almost blew my mind. The sarcastic dialogue and clever time-travelling plot were great fun and reminded me that shows really do exist which I wish would extend beyond 23 minutes. I concluded that if the remaining episodes of MoHS2 were this good, it would have been more than worth the wait.

Unfortunately, they weren't. I soon began getting frustrated with the repetition in episodes 2-9. Some is OK, to demonstrate the time loop that the characters have become trapped in, but it seems that there's relatively little fresh material in each episode as scenes are replayed for a second or third time. After waiting several years for this second season of an outstanding show, I dreaded the possibility of precious airtime being lost in this manner. What's especially frustrating is that even though they've figured out what's going on, Kyon and the others are making no attempt to break out of the time loop--which means we viewers just keep seeing the same things over and over, with a new line or a faint difference here and there, but pretty much just the same stuff. They could drop hints to Haruhi about how not everything good happens during summertime; they could ask Nagato if they are making any progress; they could propose things they want to do next summer (but that might just extend the time loop to a year and two weeks); but they do pretty much nothing. Kyon must really not want to do his homework. It seems that the trick will be figuring out what Haruhi's "unfulfilled matter" is; if all else fails, Kyon really could suddenly tell her that he loves her. I finally staggered through the endlessly repetitive eight episodes. Only the last five minutes or so of episode nine includes anything seriously new, and it was most certainly not worth the high price that had to be paid for it. I would say that watching just episodes 2,3, and 9 would be adequate. Maybe Kyoto Anime felt it was risking something truly novel, like the mixed order of episodes during the first season; but if so, this risk didn't pay off. The feeling I was left with was of an inexplicable waste of time and effort; surely the light novels didn't expect someone to read the same story eight times, did they?

Next we get several episodes that explain how the absurd combat waitress short film was made. I don't know if it was a good idea to devote several more-or-less serious episodes to the making of a silly film which only took one episode itself; the "seriousness" kind of cancels out the "silliness". One thing that gives these episodes a serious tone is that Haruhi often seems distinctly angry and bitter here. In the original series she was fun because she simply ignored others people's opinions. She didn't put them down so much as she just considered herself to be infinitely superior and in a world of her own. This arc doesn't seem to mesh all that well with the first season film episode. It feels like during the first season there was no intention to commit more than one episode to the film, and it was decided to do it in a silly tone, but now an attempt has been made to redo the whole thing as a major plot arc regarding the serious risk of closed space or Haruhi losing her temper. It seems that watching these episodes before the film itself would spoil a lot of the jokes; and going into the film with the bad taste of anger in your mouth might have the same effect. I don't really get this arc; neither very frightening nor funny, more a matter of us having to listen to two good friends of ours argue--awkward.

And, in the end, what happened? Why did some of the things Haruhi wanted happen, but many others didn't? Has the problem been solved or will the same thing happen the next time Haruhi has a pet project? What was the deal with trying to instill distrust about the motives of Koizumi, Mikaru and Yuki? And why did Kyon decide to reveal a major secret at the end?

I can't help feeling disappointed with this second season; episode one seemed great, perhaps because it was the only self-contained silly/intriguing episode like the ones which comprised the bulk of the first season. But it was downhill after that. It's hard to imagine myself rewatching this one numerous times like I did the original. I had heard that this second season was delayed because at one point the director was dissatisfied with the quality; it seems that the problems were never completely solved.

My favorite line: "Sleep. And only sleep" --Nagato

Last updated Wednesday, November 11 2009. Created Sunday, June 07 2009.
Rent 8 8 9 8 6 7 Silence [series:1636#2939]
rent cos i really liked its prequel. And because you can skip 6 out of 8 of endless eight.

This series is actually not bad, aside from the hideous joke of endless eight. Basically, we have Haruhi once again wrecking havoc on the world. In Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody, we have time travelling action back to 3 years ago, and we see the old Yuki playing some tricks on space time (reaffirming my love for her. Go Yuki!) Totally awesome first episode, but following this is the very very tedious 8 episodes of recurring events. Basically they are trapped in a time loop of the last 2 weeks of summer holidays. We are lucky enough to witness 8 of the 15000+ recurrences. The resolution was not impactful. Had this taken 2 episodes instead (hence i recommend you watching the first and last episode of endless 8), it would be fine and decently good. But no, substance was forgone at the expense of a cruel joke. That's why this is almost a watch (something i rarely give out). The last few episdes are decent in their own right, explaining the funny occurances behind the very funny Adventures of Asahina Mikuru Episde 00 that confounded many viewers from last season. But once again, though the story was decent, it lack punch. There are many more good Haruhi stories that are off-the-charts awesome. But sadly, only bamboo leaf was used. Hence, a disappointing season overall.

Last updated Sunday, September 13 2009. Created Sunday, May 31 2009.
Watch 7 7 7 6 6 5 Xenoknight [series:1636#2967]
The legacy of Haruhi Suzumiya continues with a new project to shed further light on the Haruhi universe...

  • A note to the reader: Due to my dissatisfaction with these new episodes, I've decided not to review this title in it’s entirety (28 eps) as I feel that would degrade the blockbuster first season from three years ago. This review is written in regards to this title as a stand-alone series.
With that being said...

I've always said that I love continuation attempts (C.A.), but this one deserves no mercy. The idea to bring the manga chapters to life and give the fans more content was a good one (giving more backing to my "any story can have a continuation" rant). I would love to see some of my favorite titles get more air time, but how this title got a chance and still dropped the ball is amazing to me. I'm sure most fans will now think twice about the name "Haruhi Suzumiya" before getting all hot and bothered after having their hopes/dreams smashed by this addition to the series. The whole idea is pretty funny to me the more I think about it.

The first episode was powerful with seeing all of the SOS gang again after all these years as well as hearing Kyon’s critically acclaimed soliloquies again. What followed suit, however, was an unspeakable horror – the "Endless Eight" arc. I thought of the arc as a double-edged sword. On one hand, no title (that I know of) has ever tried to represent itself to such an extent like this before. On the other hand, it was mundane and full of repeating content that made the people I know just up and quit the series or mainly just skipped the arc altogether. Quitting and skipping are both something I couldn't see myself ever doing, so I was one of those suckers who sat through all eight repeating episodes. Of course, there were certain tweaks with every ep, but it was, in essence, the same 24 minutes over and over again. With only 14 eps in total, how could those in charge throw more than half the series away like that and think it wouldn't translate negatively to the fans? For a while there, the main purpose of this title was to find out when and how Kyon would be able to finally break the on-going loop which consisted of 15, 532 cycles. I felt like I was right there with him for every one of those loops. I'll admit they were able to successfully convey the cycles which lasted for more than half a millennium! It's a shame nothing improved over that time span for the viewers though. For lack of better words, the arc was a ridiculous concept and only served to damage this title's credibility overall.

After the endless eight arc, there seemed to be hope at the end of the tunnel with the light of five new eps finally able to proceed with no interruptions. Did this title find a small safe haven to redeem itself, you ask? The answer is how you perceive it to be. Long story short - Haruhi has plans for a movie in the school festival. It consisted with her getting the materials together (which was funny as hell in its own right), making the brigade follow her vision for the movie (that came to her on the fly), and win the festival (which may have destroyed the entire world in the process). The rest of the series was filled trying to figure out if she was a God or not with conspiracy-type theories, different interpretations from each brigade member, and Kyon being the only one she would listen to as the only restriction to her ever-growing powers of reality. He was later faced with the question to either defend or destroy the world and the answer wasn't as clear cut as one would think it to be due to all the different understandings of Haruhi's abilities. There were a couple of times where she gave in to her childish impulses, unbeknownst to her, with the fate of the planet at stake. Definitely, episode 13 was the best in the series with a multitude of different story elements to slowly bring this title up to its original standards. As interesting as all that may by, the problem for me is that it all came too late to save this title as it was ruined many episodes ago. It goes without saying that the ending eps should be good for any anime, but that doesn't make this title a good one with only four of the 14 episodes that were worth their own weight.

As for this title's specs, they’re all of fair quality. The art/animation/design is a rank above normal and the music is the typical upbeat Haruhi style. Nothing stood out to me as a brand new 2009 title like the rest of its peers from this anime season.

As I mentioned during my episode summaries, this series started out as "rumor central"! The higher-ups made sure to make their supporters, namely us, work for this series. The internet was a nightmare just before this project began airing with rumors, unconfirmed stories, and tons of different articles that were all worded differently to further add to the confusion. I suffered my own melancholy as I found myself chin-deep in articles from all over the web. Even before this series began, the powers that be were messing with us with the ONA. For those who didn't know, this series was thought to be canceled for a while before all the rumors reached their peak. The whole thing overall wasn't worth the trouble and the fact that the series turned out poorly anyway further defines my reasons for looking down on this title.

In summation, avoid this addition if need be or watch it to say you've completed another anime and seen all the Haruhi universe has to offer. There are some people that will tell you to stick with the manga anyway, so I don’t know what else could be said for this atrocity. The only way to remedy this series is to just watch the original season again to try to wash out any bad taste that still lingers.

This title could've easily been a huge success, but not every story has a happy ending now does it?

Check out my award list to see some of the best anime titles in the world!

Never forget Xenosaga.

Last updated Tuesday, February 09 2010. Created Monday, September 08 2008.
Unevaluated Forbin [series:1636#1573]
First Look

OMG It's Haruhi! Mikuru takes Kyon on a little trip in time. And we FINALLY know why his name is KYON

Last updated Sunday, May 24 2009. Created Saturday, July 07 2007.

Other Sites
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Kyoto Animation's Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu Website (Japanese) http://www.kyotoanimation.co.jp/haruhi/katsudou/index.html

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