The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) IMDb
Categorization |
Transcendent bishoujo sharing its core concept with Oshii’s “Labyrinth Objects: File 538” (1987). |
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Subject |
The contemporary universe was secretly remade to permit the existence of time travellers, aliens and similar oddities, which have yet to be discovered. You see, the creator is an easily bored misanthrope. |
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Commentary |
A win for commercial eclecticism. The massive SF exposition barely explains a gigantic genre stereotype: A fairly normal, inert, nameless guy is gradually surrounded by pretty girls with radically different personalities. They are all well disposed towards him for vague reasons, and there’s one male sidekick/mentor who poses no threat of romantic competition. This typical sexist situation is crossbred with an action adventure on cosmic scales and every crack filled with some eerily appropriate wedge. The episodes air out of order. The first is a vibrant pastiche of atrocious indie tokusatsu. Several scenes are much more realistic than the mainstream average; for instance the main character sits half asleep through some crappy but not comically bad musical performances at the annual cultural festival, an excellent slice of life. The characters dance realistically (para-para style) to the end credits. So much stylish trouble for such absolutely unoriginal core content! |
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References here: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (2017), SSSS.Gridman (2018). |
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Spin-off: Nyoro~n Churuya-san (2009)
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Sequel: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010) IMDb
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