Support NeoGAF

[Defuser]

Haruhi is one of the few shows I truly despise. One of the most unfunny, unwatchable things I've ever tried to watch.

I never did see Haruhi as a comedy.

 

[firehawk12]

Lucky☆Star is alright.
It kept me entertained enough to watch the whole thing anyway.
Has some amusing "we've all been there" everyday-humor in it, like the Windows file copy bar. And I sympathize with Konata being annoyed at voice cast changes between drama CDs and anime. I hate it when they change eroge voice casts for anime, too.

It's a more cynical version of Community/Spaced. You make the same nerd references, but make the entire cast female so that guys are bound to like it.

 

[Kazzy]

I decided not to watch Lucky Star soley on its OP, because it looked fairly obnoxious in terms of aesthetic. That and the midget girl really irritated me. Forever basing my watching habits around snap decisions!

If we talk only about the first season then is Haruhi a top tier anime.

Does that even count as a second season?

 

[cajunator]

Because I admit most of my laughs and chuckles can from the characters just being adorable. Like, Tsukasa having trouble working out how to use her cellphone isn't a joke or a gag, per say. It's funny though because it's just cute and adorable watching her changing expression as she tries to figure out what she's doing.

I used a gif of it as an avatar on another forum.

 

[Envelope]

Because I admit most of my laughs and chuckles can from the characters just being adorable. Like, Tsukasa having trouble working out how to use her cellphone isn't a joke or a gag, per say. It's funny though because it's just cute and adorable watching her changing expression as she tries to figure out what she's doing.

 

[cajunator]

Yes that. OMG that.
fucking HNNNNNNG.

 

[Jintor]

I never did see Haruhi as a comedy.

It's not.

I don't know what it is. Kyon's monologue adventures perhaps.

 

[RurouniZel]

Yeeeees! . [redacted]

 

[Kazzy]

It's not.

I don't know what it is. Kyon's monologue adventures perhaps.

It starts off as something of a satire, and then pretty much inverts that after about 3 episodes.

 

[Jintor]

Whatever it is, I got Disappearance out of it, so it's alright in my books.

I have to say the absolute best thing I got out of it is actually a doujin work about Kyon-ko co-existing with Kyon and the nature of reality when you live with a reality-warper. It's really goddamn weird.

 

[Kazzy]

Whatever it is, I got Disappearance out of it, so it's alright in my books.

I enjoyed Haruhi, but then again I had no expectation of what it was supposed to be. All my previous knowledge had pretty much been gained through osmosis, sort of what it'd be like if I now decided to watch My Little Pony.

 

[cajunator]

Whatever it is, I got Disappearance out of it, so it's alright in my books.

I have to say the absolute best thing I got out of it is actually a doujin work about Kyon-ko co-existing with Kyon and the nature of reality when you live with a reality-warper. It's really goddamn weird.

Hmm. I recently bought Disappearance. I should probably watch it.
Does it take place before or after season 2 (which I havent watched)

 

[Jintor]

I enjoyed Haruhi, but then again I had no expectation of what it was supposed to be. All my previous knowledge had pretty much been gained through osmosis, sort of what it'd be like if I now decided to watch My Little Pony.

Speaking of which, you should check out MLP.

Hmm. I recently bought Disappearance. I should probably watch it.
Does it take place before or after season 2 (which I havent watched)

After. AFTER.

 

[firehawk12]

Hmm. I recently bought Disappearance. I should probably watch it.
Does it take place before or after season 2 (which I havent watched)

Yeah, I believe it is set after S2. I don't think it matters much either way.

 

[RurouniZel]

Whatever it is, I got Disappearance out of it, so it's alright in my books.

I have to say the absolute best thing I got out of it is actually a doujin work about Kyon-ko co-existing with Kyon and the nature of reality when you live with a reality-warper. It's really goddamn weird.

Kyon-ko is one of the weirdest things to come out of the Haruhi fanbase.

Though there's plenty of weird shit.

Hmm. I recently bought Disappearance. I should probably watch it.
Does it take place before or after season 2 (which I havent watched)

Yes. After S2.

 

[survivor]

I haven't watched Haruhi but looking at the episodes list on Wikipedia is hilarious. There is a broadcast order, chronological order, and DVD order.

Just why would they do that?

 

[cajunator]

I suppose the next question is whether Haruhi Season 2 is worth buying/watching.
I know about Endless 8 but I mean overall.

 

[Jintor]

Because it works better in broadcast order. The first season, at any rate. The second season doesn't make any sense whatever order you put it in.

 

[cajunator]

I just watched the first season as it is on DVD.
It seemed to work out ok.
Don't really see a point in watching it any other way.
Haruhi is a fucking weird show anyway.

 

[Basileus777]

I haven't watched Haruhi but looking at the episodes list on Wikipedia is hilarious. There is a broadcast order, chronological order, and DVD order.

Just why would they do that?

Isn't the DVD in chronological order?

Edit: Oh, they put the film episode first, so it's basically in chronological order.

 

[OceanBlue]

Isn't the DVD in chronological order?

Apparently, the only difference is that the fake movie was put first in the DVDs, like with broadcast order.

Part of it is Nozomi's rather boring character design.
Catgirls typically don't have boring designs. Her personality also doesn't seem to fit a catgirl at all.

I like stoic-ish characters, and I really enjoyed the whole adopted family theme overall so I liked it. To each his own, I guess.

 

[Kazzy]

I haven't watched Haruhi but looking at the episodes list on Wikipedia is hilarious. There is a broadcast order, chronological order, and DVD order.

Just why would they do that?

To make it seem more dense and intelligent than it actually is...

I watched it in the chronological order (I think), whichever one starts with the culture festival movie. I would suggest you don't go that route. Whatever order you watch it in, you are still going to get events that overlap and jump backwards and forwards in the overall scheme of things, seriously.

I suppose the next question is whether Haruhi Season 2 is worth buying/watching.
I know about Endless 8 but I mean overall.

It was certainly interesting, but more for the ways in which it spectacularly manages to implode in on itself. I still maintain that the concept of Endless Eight is interesting, and I'm curious as to how it was presented in the novels. The remaining episodes are good, but they don't broach anything new, and are basically pickups from previous Season 1 events.

 

[Jintor]

It's an artificial way of making the pacing work out, basically. If you don't watch it chronologically it kind of splutters to a halt (though you still get the music festival to liven things up)

I don't think anyone can answer that for you, at least without a guilty conscience. It was certainly interesting, but more for the ways in which it specatucarly manages to implode on itself. I still maintain that the concept is interesting, and I still wonder how they covered it in the novels.

E8 is a single fucking short story chapter.

 

[Basileus777]

Endless Eight isn't the only thing wrong with S2. Those episodes about filming that movie are tedious as hell, well except for that part where Kyon goes off on Haruhi.

 

[Theonik]

The Haruhi and Lucky Star hate here make me sad
I guess I am a KyoAni fanboy huh?
Edit: not talking S2, haven't seen that yet, it's in the works though.

 

[Jintor]

The cat's okay, but yeah, I largely agree.

I dunno. Watching all this other anime from lesser-known studios, the only thing even competing on the same level as KyoAni that I saw today was from Bones.

/edit lol, Kagami has a Fumoffu FMA doll in her room

 

[cajunator]

Endless Eight isn't the only thing wrong with S2. Those episodes about filming that movie are tedious as hell, well except for that part where Kyon goes off on Haruhi.

This happens? AWESOME.

 

[Kazzy]

It's an artificial way of making the pacing work out, basically. If you don't watch it chronologically it kind of splutters to a halt (though you still get the music festival to liven things up)

I have heard that the season finale is pretty much a non-event in the broadcast order, and in fairness the chronological order does eventually work out in that regard, but the movie is such a poor way to open the series. I could see it completely turning people away.

E8 is a single fucking short story chapter.

I mean how does it present that information? Does it repeatedly describe the events, or is it much more concise? I always got the impression that the series expanded on what was initially, a minor detail.

 

[Jintor]

The story only describes the final iteration of the loop. There's really no sense of triumph to it because there's no sense of effort, but still, KyoAni really went overboard with it.

 

[RurouniZel]

This happens? AWESOME.

Yes it does.

 

[Envelope]

The Haruhi and Lucky Star love here makes me sad

Speaking of Kyoani, I still need to watch Fullmetal Panic sometime.

 

[Basileus777]

This happens? AWESOME.

Yep.

Spoiler

Damn Koizumi from depriving us of that slap.

 

[Novid]

Lucky Star was a pedestrain show that reached superstardom because of horny businessmen.

Haruhi had a fantastic start for a first season, but what is that phrase - "dont touch a good thing" or something of that nature? Season two sucked and hurt the franchise - that and Aya's antics.

KyoAni gets a bad rap - there good animators who shows are blamed for the destruction of the genre - which turns out it was the fucking businessman fucking up everything. Ninchou proved it. Couldnt sell a lick, but the best work they have ever done by far. (Outside of Fullmetal Panic, which great in its own right)

 

[Kazzy]

The story only describes the final iteration of the loop. There's really no sense of triumph to it because there's no sense of effort, but still, KyoAni really went overboard with it.

Ah, I guessed as much. It could have worked if they had repeated it twice, and maybe with an episode apart, but the execution absolutely killed it.

Wasn't season 2 initially just dropped into the Japanese re-broadcast of season 1? It honestly reads like one big troll of its fan-base.

 

[/XX/]

Looking back, I wouldn't be surprised if you were right about the exploitation film angle. Sort of like those low-budget Italian crime movies, maybe?

Yep, that is the impression it gives me, and sometimes I wonder if that is one of the reasons why even today Lupin the Third is regarded as such a popular and iconic character in Italy.

Also I have to say that you can sometimes feel that Miyazaki Touch™ on the series. The bad one. That episode where Lupin

Spoiler

un-kidnaps that girl who is the daughter of one of his father's thief comrades

was just ugh. I can understand why some Lupin fans complain about how his Lupin is a corny white knight character because that episode is pretty bad in that aspect, it's just kinda obnoxious. I'll still defend Cagliostro for doing kinda but not really the same thing because in Cagliostro it feels a lot more like a natural development happening rather than a in-your-face Miyazakism.

Even if I prefer Mr. Ōsumi's episodes (as I said at other times, like here http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=33672787&postcount=3255 or here http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=36575428&postcount=5308), I respect the task that Mr. Miyazaki & Mr. Takahata made possible taking over the reigns of the production after all. I've thought that the difficult position in which they affronted such a work didn't leave them time to develop their ideas further and adapt them into each episode's time, and I always excused them because of that even if I think it was a very good work all things considered.

I think that the episode you mention would have benefited of a longer running time proper of a film like Lupin the Third: Castle of Cagliostro to expand on what it tried to achieve, because it is true certain episodes they made lacked the kind of refinement that afterwards Farewell, Beloved Lupin (for example) had, taking into account the little constraints Mr. Miyazaki suffered to work on making this self-homage from his position at Telecom Animation Film Co.,Ltd., as this studio collaborated with the occasional but finest contributions to the 2nd series.

 

[Jintor]

Ah, I guessed as much. It could have worked if they had repeated it twice, and maybe with an episode apart, but the execution absolutely killed it.

Wasn't season 2 initially just dropped into the Japanese re-broadcast of season 1? It honestly reads like one big troll of its fan-base.

I would have used the rule of three.

 

[Ryuukan]

Lucky Star was a pedestrain show that reached superstardom because of horny businessmen.

Haruhi had a fantastic start for a first season, but what is that phrase - "dont touch a good thing" or something of that nature? Season two sucked and hurt the franchise - that and Aya's antics.

KyoAni gets a bad rap - there good animators who shows are blamed for the destruction of the genre - which turns out it was the fucking businessman fucking up everything. Ninchou proved it. Couldnt sell a lick, but the best work they have ever done by far. (Outside of Fullmetal Panic, which great in its own right)

What businessmen?

 

[firehawk12]

Ah, I guessed as much. It could have worked if they had repeated it twice, and maybe with an episode apart, but the execution absolutely killed it.

Wasn't season 2 initially just dropped into the Japanese re-broadcast of season 1? It honestly reads like one big troll of its fan-base.

It was a grand broadcast TV experiment, which is why it was amazing. I don't think even Lost, at the height of its popularity, could have done something as wacky as that.

What businessmen?

The ones who watched the show, presumably.

---

Also, Kore wa Zombie is only 10 episodes this season? What happened? Is this some money saving trend, or just an aberration? What's supposed to fill the next two weeks in that time slot?

 

[Envelope]

The story only describes the final iteration of the loop. There's really no sense of triumph to it because there's no sense of effort, but still, KyoAni really went overboard with it.

The anime just does the opposite, and actually makes it worse than it was in the novel. No way to win with a plot that stupid, really.

 

[OceanBlue]

Yep.

Spoiler

Damn Koizumi from depriving us of that slap.

This just reminds me of how insufferable I found Haruhi. Seriously my least favorite character in the TV series, even compared to

Spoiler

herself

in Disappearance. At least in the novels, Tanigawa has one-upped Haruhi in the unlikable department.

 

[Kazzy]

It was a grand broadcast TV experiment, which is why it was amazing. I don't think even Lost, at the height of its popularity, could have done something as wacky as that.

It's part of the reason I can't outright hate it, as easy as that is. As its core, its remains a fascinating idea.

This just reminds me of how insufferable I found Haruhi. Seriously my least favorite character in the TV series, even compared to

Spoiler

herself

in Disappearance. At least in the novels, Tanigawa has one-upped Haruhi in the unlikable department.

Wasn't that kind of the point though? She was insufferable but had to pacified because of her abilities. It also served as some sort of obstacle for Kyon to have to run up against, otherwise the big love-hate dynamic that it all hinges upon would seem redundant.

 

[Dedication Through Light]

Also, Kore wa Zombie is only 10 episodes this season? What happened? Is this some money saving trend, or just an aberration? What's supposed to fill the next two weeks in that time slot?

Arent they doing a surprise announcement today or tomorrow?

 

[Envelope]

It's part of the reason I can't outright hate it, as easy as that is. As its core, its remains a fascinating idea.

Really, it was just Kyoani dicking around because they knew they could get away with it. It would impress me more if they actually took a risk with that idea.

 

[Jintor]

I still remember following the threads as E8 rolled out... especially the first episode which a lot of people who hadn't read the novels just thought was a traditional filler slice of life episode like Someday in the Rain. Man, that was entertaining.

 

[firehawk12]

Arent they doing a surprise announcement today or tomorrow?

No clue? The episode just ended with a

Spoiler

goodbye

, so I dunno.

It's part of the reason I can't outright hate it, as easy as that is. As its core, its remains a fascinating idea.

Yep. I mean, I have no reason to ever watch it again, especially since on home video it entirely loses any impact it might have had (like watching a sports match even a day after it happens, I suppose), but it really was an audacious television moment.

The best American TV can do now is "live" episodes or "musical" episodes. In the case of Amerime, it's down to Family Guy doing "hilarious" Star Wars episodes. It's kind of hard not to be impressed with what KyoAni did or tried to do.

Really, it was just Kyoani dicking around because they knew they could get away with it. It would impress me more if they actually took a risk with that idea.

Given the shit I assume they still get, don't you think they took a risk?

 

[jman2050]

This just reminds me of how insufferable I found Haruhi. Seriously my least favorite character in the TV series, even compared to

Spoiler

herself

in Disappearance. At least in the novels, Tanigawa has one-upped Haruhi in the unlikable department.

Haruhi is indeed pretty insufferable, but I always figured that was the point.

The show isn't about Haruhi, it's about Kyon dealing with her bullshit. Actually, the show is more The Monologuing of Kyon than anything else, and I'm totally okay with that because Kyon is awesome.

 

[chickdigger802]

Medaka box 10

This show is quite dumb. And did budget drop, or are they trying for crazy art? Shit just looks derp imo.

 

[Envelope]

No clue? The episode just ended with a

Spoiler

goodbye

, so I dunno.


Yep. I mean, I have no reason to ever watch it again, especially since on home video it entirely loses any impact it might have had (like watching a sports match even a day after it happens, I suppose), but it really was an audacious television moment.

The best American TV can do now is "live" episodes or "musical" episodes. In the case of Amerime, it's down to Family Guy doing "hilarious" Star Wars episodes. It's kind of hard not to be impressed with what KyoAni did or tried to do.


Given the shit I assume they still get, don't you think they took a risk?

Considering how ridiculously popular Haruhi still is, no.

 

[duckroll]

Some possibly good news for Medaka Box fans (all five of you!): apparently before the anime was officially announced, it was leaked that it would be a split-cour show with the first half in Spring, and the second half in Fall. Depending on how they handle the end of this season, there might be a high chance for it to continue in a few months after all.

 

[Jintor]

Haruhi is indeed pretty insufferable, but I always figured that was the point.

The show isn't about Haruhi, it's about Kyon dealing with her bullshit. Actually, the show is more The Monologuing of Kyon than anything else, and I'm totally okay with that because Kyon is awesome.

You're right. Kyon is awesome!