I'm reading the first book right now. Yes, Haruhi is unlikable. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, though. I thought I'd be outraged at the whole computer-stealing this, but the club president was so pathetic that I couldn't really care. Still, first impressions count for getting someone hooked on a series. Some people (like me) would say that if it takes five 200-page books to reach the point of sympathy for the character, that's a pretty glaring problem in itself, unless her later actions somehow make the earlier stuff more bearable to get through. Also, you don't need to shout, we know character development exists.
"What's out there? What's waiting for me?"
You know, I haven't seen this series and all but certainly never will, but both of those criticisms really strike me as advocating warped attitudes. I don't think I've ever seen anyone argue for restrictive genre definitions before, and while it's certainly more common, I'm not sure I care for the rejection of slower-building stories that the comment seems to be advocating either. Both of those seem more like viewer's flaws than problems with a work.
I dunno, nrjxll. I haven't seen Haruhi either, but I've definitely seen movies and TV series that didn't specialize in a particular genre, and they suffered for it because they felt more schizophrenic or unfocused - not enough to make them bad, but enough to weaken the work as a whole.
I have also seen movies and TV series that didn't specialize and were BETTER for it, though, so maybe it's more a question of how the particular genres are implemented.
Well, there's a difference between being good and being appealing. It sounds like the OP is arguing that the series has less of a well-defined appeal because it straddles the lines between these genres; it lacks a base audience of people that would automatically give it a chance if it fit one of those definitions exclusively. Is that what's trying to be said here, or not?
Author of The Second Coming (NGE) and The Coin (Haruhi).Leave a Comment:
The Series That Was Almost Perfect.
Don't get me wrong, I love this series. I love the characters, the plot, the art, and of course, the amazing soundtrack. However, I can see why people would dislike it. Fans usually look for a specific genre or aura about a show. Haruhi had the potential to be three different series. If they took away the whole, "Haruhi is God" Plot, it would be a decent Slice of Life series. Change the character interaction, and focus more on the fact that Haruhi is a supernatural being, you'd have an amazing Sci-Fi series. Focus more on Haruhi and Kyon's relationship, add a few more female characters, you'd have a potential Harem series. However, they don't. This series is best described as something that was 5ยบ off perfect. Any of the above would push this series in the right way.
Tanigawa didn't anticipate the massive fan, and hate base this show and series would have, so no wonder it is subject to lots and lots of Fan Dumb. But the people that hate the show because Haruhi is a jerk is what really pisses me off. Yes, she's crazy, with enough energy and hard-headedness to piss off Tomo, but she gets better. By book five, she has developed into energetic, but truly cares about her friends and will do anything to protect them. Of course, Kyoto Animation decided not to adapt Rampage, which also makes me upset.
So, in short, the series is best if you don't mind being thrown for a loop. I would definitely recommend reading the books first however. IT HELPS.