Customer Reviews

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

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Almost every single review here is about volume one of the manga. This is NOT the manga, but a translated light novel, which means there's no pictures other than a few pages of colored illustrations which I believe is by Noizi Ito (who designed the Haruhi characters, as well as Shana characters), and the manga preview. The light novel is what started it all, so this novel is the reason the anime and manga versions even existed.

Do not base the reviews on all the reviews talking about the manga, because this is not the manga. The quality of this translated light novel is very good, and the hardcover makes it look very nice.

This light novel has a fascinating style of narration that feeds the action to the reader in a descriptive and comical way. The first-person perspective lends to the narration in a texturally exciting fashion.

This book is a must have for both Haruhi fans and those who have been recently introduced to this wonderful series. It is very well translated and doesn't leave those who are not accustomed to Japanese culture completely confused. Also, the art work and colored pages are extremely beautiful. A must buy!

Just to start this off here for people who may be confused: This is NOT a manga. This book is a LIGHT NOVEL. Light novel is a Japanese term used to describe a small novel primarily targeted at teens and young adults. There are FEW PICTURES in this book and it is MOSTLY WORDS. If you are looking for the first volume of the manga of the same name, it can be found here: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Vol. 1

After watching the hit anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as it was coming out in Japan back in 2006, I proceeded to read fan-translated versions of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels, which is where the story originally got its start. The story goes far beyond what the anime covers and it's very well-written and entertaining. The series alternates between serious adventure and sidestory hijinks with small mysteries that the SOS Brigade indulges in. For any adolescent anime fan, this is a fun and interesting read, especially with nine more volumes coming down the line.

The first volume on its own, however, may not be quite as appealing to fans of the anime who aren't die-hard Haruhi fans. The anime is pretty closely cut from the original story, so the most extra content fans who have seen the whole anime will find are a few extra thoughts from Kyon (he's the sole narrator of the entire story) and the ever-so-slight variation in detail now and then. The real volume Haruhi anime fans would want to wait for is the forthcoming The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya (Bk. 1), due out in October of this year. It covers a large event that is yet to be shown in the anime and is a very good read.

Anyway, If you're looking to get this book (especially this collector's hardcover edition with the original Japanese cover), look no further than Amazon; they gave me the best price. This book is usually $14.99 + tax and shipping everywhere else; here it's $10.19 with only shipping! Thanks, Amazon!

by Matt Reeves

Few YA books could match the success story that this particular novel has experienced and even fewer could ever hope to try. First published in Japan in 2003, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya became an almost overnight instant success upon release. Selling over 4,500,000 books as a series, it has remained one of the top bestselling YA titles in recent memory. With nine novels released since its initial publication, two television series, a theatrical movie and a number of Manga adaptations, it has subsequently grown into one of the fastest selling Japanese YA franchises of the decade.

So of course when I heard that the novel was coming out in English, I had already decided to buy it. I was extremely curious. Would the hype match the book? Would I too become a fan? It wasn't long before I discovered the answer.

There are two main characters in this story. The first is Kyon, the sarcastic, levelheaded young man who wants nothing but to live a normal life. The second is his classmate Haruhi Suzumiya, the bored, forceful girl who wants nothing but to search out the abnormal. They say that opposites attract, so then perhaps it's because of this that she shows an interest in Kyon, recruiting him one day into her newly founded after-school club whose goal it is to seek out the paranormal. Less than thrilled, he is introduced to three other recently inducted members, who each reveal a secret to Kyon as he slowly gets to know them. They are anything but random students. The book worm claims to be an alien, the klutz says she is a time traveller, while the charming young man purports he is an esper. When he learns the reason why these three have allowed themselves to be brought together by Haruhi, the answer changes his life forever. A new goal is soon added in secret to the club by its four members: to keep Haruhi happy, because even if she doesn't realize it, she possesses the ability to destroy the entire universe with a single thought.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is what good YA should be: fun, light, comical, dramatic, and surprising. Filled with laughter, mystery, and interesting character development, author Nagaru Tanigawa weaves an entertaining story that won't soon be forgotten.

The plot paces itself quite well, introducing key events at just the appropriate time, creating a gripping read that doesn't loosen its hold on the reader easily. Though the novel has its fair share of action and suspense, its main attraction is its unique cast of characters that never fail to capture readers' attentions.

The ending for any novel is a huge factor for me and this novel in particular had a solid ending that didn't fail to deliver. If you're a fan of Disney, you'll additionally enjoy the multiple references Tanigawa includes in the story to several famous works. While I can't say based on this first book that the tremendous hype generated by the series is deserved, I can certainly attest to the gravitational pull of Haruhi that has my hand reaching for the sequel. With a flowing English translation that leads from one page to the next, this is not a book to be missed.

If you're looking for a new spin on some common YA themes or a quirky read that will leave you chuckling on the last page then this is definitely worth your time.

I'd initially been introduced to this series via the fan translations of this volume & the anime, but I'm glad to say that I got the chance to read the official translation. It's an entirely different thing to read the book with the illustrations.

If you're not familiar with the series then you're in for a treat. This is one of the better light novels available on the market, being both lighthearted & serious at the same time. It's rather hard to dislike the titular character, to be honest. Haruhi is pretty much the epitome of a selfish & obnoxious average girl (minus the whole factor of her *not* being an average girl, of course) but Tanigawa manages to make her entertaining & endearing. You can't help but want to keep reading in order to see what she does next.

The illustrations in this volume are fantastic. You have not only the occasional picture for each chapter but you also have a few pages of color illustrations in the back of the book to flip through at your convenience. I also enjoyed that the version I bought (the hardcover) had the original Japanese covers rather than the plain blue cover of the paperbacks. (Plus the hardbacks will last longer!)

This really was a blast to read & I'm already diving into the second volume. This really is a great read for those who want a nice quick or leisurely read that they can finish in one sitting.

I used to watch the anime that was inspired by the book. The anime was very hyper and energetic, so I decided to take a try. I'm glad that I did because I loved this book so much.

Despite being the title character, Haruhi is not the character who is narrating the novels, but her "friend" Kyon is the main character. Haruhi is an ordinary high school girl who is quite bossy, but she has a power in her that she doesn't even know about. Kyon and the others are gathered to Haruhi due to her powers, and they try to keep her happy or elso the world maybe in trouble.

Kyon's narrations are quite funny to be honest. If he wasn't the the narrator, I wouldn't have kept reading the series if Haruhi narratored. Haruhi is almost like a bully and a jerk for most of the novel, but she does get her friends in a lot of weird and funny situations.

The writing style was very fast paced and suspenseful, but it almost makes it hard for rest of the series to continuely be excellent in comparison. There were a few grammar mistakes from the translation, but it still was a good read.

I picked up this light novel because I enjoyed the series as produced by Kyoto Animation (KyoAni). If you have never read or watched The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, starting off with either the book or the anime series will leave you equally wanting for the other. After reading the book, you'd want to see the happenings illustrated and after watching the anime series, you'd want to see more into Kyon's mind.

Let me start off by saying that this edition was reproduced in the same format as its Japanese counterpart. Yes, you will get the color inserts and the black-and-white illustrations. There's a preview of its manga adaptation at the end as well. The effort that Little, Brown put into reproducing it much like the original publication is a plus for me.

The translation was well done, I must say. However, I found some grammar errors but you'd have to be really look for it to find it. It may be purely purposely done since the narrator is a 15-year old boy after all. You may also find yourself reading ridiculously long sentences. Other than that, the translation is fairly easy to follow.

Haruhi Suzumiya is a pretty Japanese high school girl stuck in some city in Japan. Hating the normalcy of her life, she searches for the fun to remedy this. And what could be more 'not normal' than looking for aliens, time travelers and espers, and having fun with them? This is Haruhi Suzumiya's definition of fun. Unsatisfied with the normal clubs of her high school, she decides to drag the sarcastic Kyon, stoic Yuki, sweet Mikuru and suave Itsuki into the literary club's room and create the SOS Brigade. Naturally, their club's activities would be "to find aliens, time travelers and espers, and have fun with them!" However, the rest of her club members have a hidden agenda: to keep Haruhi happy. Since apparently the fate of the universe is in her hands. That's the basic story of this series. Kyon, the narrator, would story-tell their daily 'adventures' in a memorable way. You get almost twice his sarcasm from the anime series which makes the read so much more fun. It has even elicited a few laughs from myself.

The light novel seems to convey much more of Kyon's thought process and his personal views on the matter than anything else, since the anime series has faithfully followed the light novel. But I assure you, it is worth every cent and the time to read.

Haruhi Suzumiya seems like a normal Japanese school girl. Smart, good at sports, likes to tie her hair up in ribbons. Wants to meet aliens, time travelers, and espers. Oops, well, maybe not that normal. Kyon, the poor school boy who sits in front of her, and seems to believe in nothing, ends up becoming her second in command of her new club. A club which was formed, you guessed it, to search for aliens, time travelers, so-on, so-forth.

Comedy, science-fiction, aliens, time travelers, espers, and maybe the end of the world. As we know it.

This is the light novel which I believe the anime and manga is based on. If you have seen the anime, this novel covers from when she stands up in class and introduces herself to when she is on her first date with Kyon. And when I say date I mean when they search for aliens, time travelers, espers by themselves. So the first half of the series.

There are other novels and I assume they continue the story, and maybe the material was also used in the latter episodes. I don't know, I have to get the other novels.

Do NOT confuse this with the manga. Novel. With text. Few pictures.

This review is for the English translated light novel version of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

While there were some points of the novel where I questioned the quality of the translation, I did enjoy the humor and narration style-- which is saying something since I haven't enjoyed many recent YA books from English authors.

I would recommend the light novel to anyone.