9 years after it originally aired I have finally caught up to this pop-culture hit of an anime show. It's well worth the hype thus far. I remember seeing Haruhi being mascotted everywhere in memes, video games, hearesay etc. back in the day and I tried to watch a few clips and stuff but I didn't quite get what it was at the time. Figuring out the right order to watch the episodes in is a real bitch I have to say but I came across a guide on how the episodes correlated to the original books, so I stuck to that and then I'll top it off with the movie if I can find that somewhere.
It's a really... interesting show and I still don't know what to make of the plot yet because I have a feeling it's not the primary concern of fans given how bizarrely ambiguous it is about its own canon but it doesn't really matter because I feel like I get this show and its characters. I have a feeling about what the idea behind the story is but I'm reserving judgement for my after-the-fact reflections.
I have to say, I'm not much of an anime-guy myself so maybe I've simply been missing out, but I think there's an undeniable quality to just the direction, the casting and all things production-related for this show. The characters shine very bright. They're full of personality even the all-but-mute mystery girl Nagato Yuki, but there's so many subtle touches that makes the show stand out from other anime I've seen. Quirks of animation and suprisingly human gestures, fun remarks -- the show just feels like it was produced with care and respect for whatever it's based on.
I'll hold off on more thoughts but I'd like to know CR's reflections on this anime as well as its other offspring and I invite all opinions good or bad
