Aggro’s Top Five Anime Series: Number One

It was definitely a struggle to decide which series to include on this list.  And I also debated over the order of the previous four shows.  But there was never any doubt about including this show.  There was never any doubt it would be number one.  I bow to the sheer awesomeness that is:

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

I want to stay away from any spoilers, so I’ll be as brief as possible in my plot description.  This show revolves around a high school girl named Haruhi who forms a bizarre club called the SOS Brigade to seek out interesting things, such as time travelers, pyschics and aliens.  She loves the paranormal and is bored by anything normal.

The show succeeds because of the great ensemble cast of characters.  We start with Haruhi, who is truly different than any other anime character I’ve come across.  She’s beautiful and bossy, crazy and talented.  I thought I would hate her character because she is so pushy but I ended up rooting for her.  She is a force of nature that sweeps others up into the maelstrom of her existence.  And that includes us, as viewers.  The subsidiary characters like Mikuru, Yuki, and Koizumi are straight out of the anime stereotype handbook.  But yet they turn out to be incredibly appealing and interesting people. 

And then there’s Kyon.  If Haruhi is the irresistible force, Kyon is the immovable object.  Sarcastic and cynical, having long since given up on the fantastic, Kyon provides the perfect balance for Haruhi’s character.  Even though he is nothing more than a typical high school student, Kyon’s dry humor combined with his desire to do the right thing make him my favorite anime hero.  Kyon narrates the series so there is plenty of humor in seeing things from his point of view.  The whole ensemble is amazing together and displays great chemistry.

The animation is gorgeous.  Every scene is detailed and vibrant and the production values are as good as I’ve ever seen.  And as great as the animation is technically, as amazing the production values are, this series manages to also have the same artistic quality I spoke about in my post Azamanga Daioh.  There are moments in the series where things as simple as the background have a major artistic impact, an almost poetic quality that adds depth to the series.   The music is perfect for the series and complements it well.

The show does parody some anime cliches and tropes that require knowledge of other anime to really appreciate.  But this series can be appreciated by anyone.  It’s got truly hilarious comedy and a dramatic undercurrent.  The writing is fantastic and the dialogue never fell flat for me.

One of themes of the show really spoke to me.  In fact, it really is in line with the theme of this site.  We were geeks early on in life who were into fantasy, sci-fi, all that good stuff.  But we got caught up in the real word and kind of separated from it for a bit.  This site is really our quest to reclaim that geekhood and to embrace it.  Similarly, Kyon really loved aliens, espers, and other weird and strange things when he was young.  But he gave up on those fantasies and lives only in the “real world” at the start of the series.   

Okay, I need to get into the whole viewing order of the episodes thing.  The episodes were broadcast in non-chronological order.  The dvd’s are in chronological order except for the first episode, which follows broadcast order.  Now, I admit I initially thought - what’s the big deal?  I thought it was just crazy fans getting stressed about nothing.  But I did stick to the broadcast order and now that I’ve seen the series several times in both broadcast and chronological orders, I highly suggest you do the same.

The non-chronological order really does add something to the series that works perfectly and the execution of the concept is tremendous.  Now, there’s nothing wrong with watching things chronologically the second time.  And I see no reason why you have to buy the limited edition DVD’s that are in broadcast order.  Just get the regular ones, use the list on Wikipedia (without looking at spoilers - just look at the numbers!), and watch them in that order.  I admit it’s a little tougher if you have Netflix since there are four DVD’s.  But try to stick with it, I think it’s worth the trouble.  Look, sometimes it feels a little too much (like splitting up a two part island mystery), but the order really does complement the vibe and style of the series.  Alright, one final note to those who are going to watch in chronological or DVD order anyway.  Do me one favor, at least skip watching “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 6″ episode (7 on the DVD, 6 chronologically) until the end.  It’s the true conclusion of the series and should be viewed last. 

A very important note: Do not under any circumstances judge this series by the first episode on the DVD, ”The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00.”  When I put this on I almost immediately gave up on the whole thing.  Now that I’ve seen the whole series, I love this meta-episode.  But it only really makes sense after you have more information.  And more importantly, it’s just not representative at all of the actual series.  Definitely watch it, but just don’t make any decisions until you’ve seen the next few episodes.

Look, it kinda sucks that I’m hyping this up so much.  When I saw it the first time, I had zero expectations.  And it’s not the be all and end all of all human culture…it’s just an anime series.  But it’s a great example of how different and wonderful anime can be.