Customer Reviews

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Vol. 1

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Amazon has mized up the Light Novel hardback, paperback, and manga product listings and reviews. Please double check the ISBN #s before ordering so you know what product page you are on. The ISBNs and matching books are as follows:

The Manga ISBNs are:
ISBN-10: 0-7595-2944-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-7595-2944-1

The Light Novel Paperback ISBNs are:
ISBN-10: 0-316-03902-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-03902-4

The Light Novel Hardback ISBNs are:
ISBN-10: 0-316-03901-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-03901-7

Also that being said the Light Novels are excellent! The manga... not so much. Disappointing to say the least but that is the topic for another review and sadly Amazon will only let me post one since these product pages are merged.

Awful. Just horribly, horribly, mind-numbingly awful. That's basically how I'd describe volume 1 of the 'Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya' manga adaptation [NB: what everyone else has been saying - the hardcover option here is the light novel, which is amazing].

Basically, I came into Haruhi Suzumiya pretty fresh. I picked up the light novel on a whim, knowing next to nothing about it, and loved it. Afterwards I decided to read the manga as well, intending to watch the anime after that. Let me tell you, the manga nearly killed that idea. Everything about it is terrible. It's like a textbook on how not to make something classified as 'entertainment'.

Let's see: the illustrations are awful, and look nothing like Noizi Ito's light novel illustrations, nor the anime (which I eventually decided to watch anyway... thank god, because it's awesome). Not only are the characters way off, especially Kyon, but the panels do not flow at all. Absolutely zero narrative is conveyed pictorially. I had to use my prior knowledge of the storyline to fill in like 80% of the storyline.

Picking apart an English translation of a manga is always risky, because obviously a lot is lost in translation. Still, the text we have here is just... basically like somebody auto-summarized the light novel, and picked out random half-sentences that sometimes (... sometimes) correspond with the illustrations. 1% of the individual depth of the characters is communicated. The story you get is a sort of Haruhi-lite edition... as if somebody had recounted the light novel/anime's basic plot to a friend, and that friend told another friend, and then that friend told another friend, and that friend opened up an IM window with you and spewed out a vague semblance of the plot he remembered.

So, yeah, in summary. Light novels (I've read the first 3): GREAT. Anime (I've watched the first season): GREAT. Manga (I also read volume two): SPITEFUL. Almost a crime against humanity. I'm only giving it two stars because, as it contains hints of the original storyline, it can't be considered a total, absolute loss. Because I'm a sucker idiot, I went out and purchased the next 4 volumes of the manga. The covers look nice, at least (yes, that's the manga cover on this amazon item page). I'm hoping it might get better. Hmm...

Being neither particularly good nor bad probably the only thing I can say about this manga is that it is merely "acceptable" or "mediocre". The art is decent through not particularly detailed it has its own charm reminiscent of the Japanese "superflat" style of art. The biggest problem with this manga is the pacing which is simply way too fast. It relies on the reader's previous knowledge of the novels or the anime and without it many of the characters may come off as shallow.

The problem with the manga probably has something to do with the medium itself. The novels and anime relied a lot on the main character Kyon's narrations and introspections to develop the supporting cast and narration is hard to do in a manga as a medium I would think because huge blocks to text and internal monologues just don't work well in that format.

Though the format has its limitations I believe another major issue is the pacing which is almost frantic throughout the manga again leaving little room for character development. It feels almost like they didn't approach the manga with the intent of making a new manga but rather transcribing all the events of the series into manga format and in doing so it chugs along like a train through plot giving barely a glance to each event before moving on. The pages are packed, the text is heavy, and things move by just way too fast.

Maybe I am being too harsh because not only have I seen the anime but read the light novels as well. In the end for a fan of the series I am left somewhat disappointed with the end result of the manga.

At the end of the day the manga is a preview of the light novel. The novels are excellent so be sure to check them out if you haven't already. This manga doesn't do them justice, though the anime is a great adaptation!

Conclusion:
Forgetting all my own previous notions and for someone without previous knowledge of the series this really doesn't stand out. Neither good, nor bad, It ends up with passable, but charming art, somewhat shallow characters, and a really fast paced plot.

I dont know what everybody else is talking about! "bad translation" "strays from the storyline of the anime". I disagree.
The translation worked for me and I didn't notice anything unusual. But it does stray from the story line of the anime a little but not drastically. I actually like that they changed it up. Makes it more interesting!
Anyway i recommend to any haruhi fan! Long live SOS brigade!

This review is from the point of view of someone who has seen the anime and has previous knowledge of this series.
Fans of Haruhi rejoice. The manga is here and is in fact everything you expect and more! For those who dont know, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a great fan favorite and I highly recommend the anime. Read the amazon description for more info.

First off, the manga story follows pretty closely to the anime. It has a few differences but they're fine. even a few things added. Like Mikuru's pink maid outfit comes in already. But what you'd want is included. The fight with Ryoko, the bunny girls scene, and Kyon's internal monologues. the art and story are easy to keep up with too so even if you know whats going on, you wont get lost. Volume one finishes with the brigade's saturday date search for mysteries where Mikuru reveals herself....basically. (Itsuki reveals himself too, one of the differences in the manga)

The art, not as good as the anime. Its nice, sort of mediocre. Kyon's look sort of changes often. The artist doesn't find a standard look for him. Haruhi's just as beautiful and Mikuru's just as cute. Itsuki kind of looks like a different person, but you can tell its still him.
The action scenes make up for the inconsistency. Another plus is there's chibi and comedic disfigured cuteness for comedy. Which is nice actually because there wasn't any of that in the anime.

There's also preview of the first light novel at the back. Might I add is amazing! Anyway. If you're a fan of this franchise, I suggest the manga. It's different from the anime and a gem in it's own.

Recommended for older teen readers due to some innuendo, Volume 1 of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya kicks off a new black-and-white manga (Japanese comic) series brimming with over-the-top enthusiasm and comedy! Ordinary high school freshman Kyon has his life turned upside down when he meets Haruhi Suzumiya, a young woman whose passion to discover exotic mysteries cannot be stopped by any human force - or even her own inability to see actual evidence those mysteries right under her nose. Suzumiya forms the S.O.S. Brigade, a school club dedicated to finding such amazing supernatural phenomena as aliens, time travelers, and espers. Aside from Kyon, the first three members to join are (gasp!) an alien, a time traveler, and an esper - all sent on a special mission to observe Suzumiya, who has the hidden powers of time and causality unbeknownst to herself! A rollicking ride starring a forceful, unapologetic, unstoppable whirlwind of a title heroine, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a blast from cover to cover. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is printed right-to-left, to keep the integrity of its original artwork.

The First volume of the series is great. the Preview of the Translation from the Light Novel is beautifully Translated. Recommend for any fan of the Series... or just someone who is interested on how the world was created by god...

This is a review of Volume One of manga series "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" published by Yen Press. Remember, this is a comic book, so if you are looking for the same thing as the animated version - same colors, same designs, same artworks - sorry, but you won't get them. If you have seen the animation, you may think Haruhi's face looks different and her facial expressions exaggerated (in a comic book fashion though); Nagato's hair is white and Ryoko Asakura's black (of course, they should be purple and blue); and the background drawings are disappointingly sparse, unlike Kyoto Animation's nice mixture of real-life locations and fictional characters.

[STORY] Perhaps you already know the story. It is about a beautiful, eccentric high school girl Haruhi Suzumiya, who declares on her first day in the class: "If anyone here is an alien, time traveler, slider, or esper, come see me!" It is a clever blend of romantic comedy and science fiction with the humorous narrative of Kyon, an ordinary high school boy who is attracted to her in spite of his better judgment.

The comic (illustrated by Gaku Tsugano) is not bad as some fans in Japan claim. Though some character art is at best average (especially Kyon), Tsugano's drawings and layout are acceptable and he keeps a good pace throughout. It seems he is trying to find his own style without changing the basic character designs by Noizi Ito, one of the biggest reasons for the success of the series. This is no easy job as he has to create something new and different out of her wonderful designs.

[THE BOOK] Yen Press's English translation has the same front/back cover designs as the Japanese original. The beautifully printed book also contains four color pages at the opening (same as the Japanese counterpart) and a page of translation notes. One good news is the inclusion of the 12-page "sneak preview" of Tanigawa's original novel (translated in English), a bonus the original manga doesn't have. The novel's translation is superb, retaining the humor of the narrator Kyon found in the original.

[TRULY TRIVIAL] Things are often confusing even for Japanese manga/anime fans. Haruhi Suzumiya series started as novels by Nagaru Tanigawa in 2003, and was later turned into a hit animation series that started in April, 2006. Volume One of the tankoubon (manga book) by Gaku Tsugano was published in April, 2006, but before that there was another official manga version drawn by Makoto Mizuno published in 2004, long out of print, which is considered much inferior to the Tsugano version. The manga's complicated history suggests the difficulty of turning this series into comic.

I don't want to be a nitpicker, but I have to add several things about translation. Words are appropriately chosen not to change the meanings of the original sentences and the publisher didn't forget to translate FX. Still I must say (and I am Japanese) some parts need to be changed. For example, "volunteering creation" on page 19 should be "self-directed recreation."

Also, I think Haruhi's rather irresponsible remark "It's not like they wear out" on page 153 has nothing to do with the "myth." (See Translation notes.) Haruhi's words (in original Japanese "Herumonjanai" or more precisely "Sawattemo Herumonjanai," which literally means "Just touching (them) wouldn't wear them out." The phrase, usually uttered by males, is regarded as vulgar and insensitive in a sexual contest. Haruhi uses the phrase as a joke - clearly not a funny joke and no wonder Kyon is not impressed-showing certain aspect of Haruhi, who is not a perfect girl.

The manga version of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" is not as great as the animation, but maybe we shouldn't compare them because they are two different things after all. I enjoyed reading the book for what it was and I hope you will too, but I confess while reading it, I was thinking that there was room for improvement.

Though it is a good format, this version of the manga is somewhat lacking. It is difficult to tell exactly where it is lacking, but anyone who has watched the series and/or read the light novels it is based off of will feel that something is missing. Perhaps it's because the series covered parts of the first two books that something feels off. But overall, I think that this was a good attempt, but it didn't quite make it.

The problem with this manga is that it is lacking in many parts. Like the other review said, you can't tell which parts are lacking. It's true, and a bit dissapointing because The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was a hyper, funny anime, but the manga lacks some of that. But don't get me wrong, the manga dosen't take away all of that, just a bit.

Also, what bugged me is that they change the looks of the characters. I wish they didn't, because it just takes away from what the anime had. Notice that the eyes are different. (Take Haruhi's eyes on the cover for example). They have completely changed the style.

What I'm saying is that you should buy the anime, not the manga. But if you are new to this series and have not watched the anime, then it would probably work for you. Read the manga for plesure, but I can't be sure you will like it as much as the anime.