(FINALLY, I FOUND IT! This review was actually written on January 5th; my reason for remembering the exact date is for me to know and for anyone who cares to try to find out. However, I lost it, but I finally found it; thus, I'm posting it before I lose it again. Enjoy~! Oh, and this review may contain spoilers. Just though I'd let you know~!)
Yep, I'm doing it again; I'm writing another review for another light novel in the Haruhi Suzumiya series. Let me just ask you this, though; why hasn't most of this novel been adapted into an anime?! I mean, in the fifth book, The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya, there were three short stories, only one of them not being in the actual anime. This time, in the sixth book, there are five short stories, and only two of them are in the anime! It's really a shame, as I enjoyed reading not only the short stories that were adapted into the anime, but I also enjoyed the ones that were not.
Enough chit-chat. Let's get started with my review of the sixth light novel in the Haruhi Suzumiya series, The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya, shall we?
In case you're not familiar with "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", I'll explain to you what it's about. A boy, nicknamed Kyon, starts his first year of high school at North High, and he ends up meeting an eccentric girl named Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi isn't interested in ordinary humans; what she desires is to meet aliens, time travelers, and espers. After talking with her for a while, Kyon accidentally gives Haruhi the idea to form a club called the SOS (Save the World by Overloading it with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya) Brigade. The club's purpose? "Find aliens, time travelers, and espers, and hang out with them!"
Of course, Kyon is forced into joining the SOS Brigade, and so are the stoic bookworm Yuki Nagato, the timid upperclassman Mikuru Asahina, and the eternally-smiling, "mysterious" transfer student Itsuki Koizumi. As it turns out, however, there is more to these three than what meets the eye; Yuki, Mikuru, and Koizumi are respectively the alien, time traveler, and esper Haruhi has been looking for. Of course, Haruhi herself doesn't know this, and she also doesn't know that she is basically a goddess with the power to destroy the world if she gets fed up with it. Thus, Kyon and the rest of the SOS Brigade must go along with whatever Haruhi is plotting to do next, or they can kiss the world goodbye.
If you've read my review for The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya (read it here), you should know how I feel about the characters and the art; since I wrote that review, my feelings haven't changed. Thus, I'm just going to cut to the chase and review the five short stories in this novel.
First, we've got "Live Alive", one of the two short stories that was in the anime. This chapter covers the school festival, and in the anime, it's well-known for insert songs like "God Knows"(I'm actually listening to it as I write this part of the review). Don't get me wrong, because I enjoyed it in novel form; it's just that I felt that the anime expressed it better. You know how Haruhi and Yuki fill in for two members of the band ENOZ because their vocalist has tonsillitis and their guitarist sprained her wrist? Well, the vocalist and the guitarist are two different people in the anime, but in the light novel, they're the same person. The causes for those two members of ENOZ to be absent in the anime also applied to the girl in the novel; apparently, she had tonsillitis and a sprained wrist at the same time! (That girl really needed some medical attention, am I right?) I'm not saying that this is a major issue, but without revealing what my overall score is for this novel quite yet, it bugged me enough to not make it a 10.
Oh, speaking of the school festival, in the second novel (adapted into five episodes of the second season, giving a reason for people not to hate that season just because of Endless Eight, because THAT SEASON WASN'T JUST ENDLESS EIGHT), the SOS Brigade filmed a movie for it! It's very rare to actually see the finished project that was done in any kind of medium; I'm pretty sure that was Nagaru Tanigawa's reason for writing the actual story for the film that the SOS Brigade filmed, which eventually went on to become the pilot episode of the anime, "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00". In this movie/short story/anime pilot, Mikuru Asahina is a battle waitress from the future who was sent to protect an esper boy named Itsuki Koizumi (who, of course, isn't aware of his powers quite yet) from the evil alien witch, Yuki Nagato. (Insert claim that the fact that they all have the same names and faces as certain people is just a coincidence here.) I really enjoyed this short story, and what made it even better was Kyon's narration. If Kyon's narration in the story wasn't already amusing, it's even more so in this one!
Alright, now that we're done with the short stories that were in the anime, let's start talking about the ones that weren't, starting with the third short story in this novel, "Love at First Sight". In this story, Kyon gets a phone call from a classmate in junior high named Nakagawa. Nakagawa seems to have fallen for Yuki at first sight, and he wants Kyon to.... tell her to wait for 10 years for him to become successful and then propose to her. Yeah, Nakagawa is one crazy dude; even if it's Yuki we're talking about, would a girl really want to wait for a guy she doesn't even know to propose to her in 10 years? (Well, there is Bakuman.... but Mashiro and Azuki knew each other when they made that promise! If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up, because I refuse to change the subject.) Anyway, Yuki rejects this offer, instead saying that she must see him immediately. Thus, Nakagawa invites Kyon and Yuki (although the rest of the SOS Brigade ends up coming, as well) to an American football game that he is playing in. I'm going to be honest; I would have loved it if this chapter were in the anime, because I really got a kick out of it! Nakagawa going on and on about his future plans had especially amused me. I'm going to be honest about another thing in this chapter, too; I did not know they played football in Japan. Anyone who knows me would know I'm not a football fan (although the opposite could be said about my mother), but that was interesting to know!
"Where Did the Cat Go?" That question just so happens to be the title for the next short story. It takes place pretty much immediately after "Snowy Mountain Syndrome" (which was the short story in The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya that wasn't in the anime) and follows the "winter version" of the murder mystery from "Remote Island Syndrome" (a short story in The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya that was in the anime). This time, everyone knows that the murder was fake.... oh, and it also involves Kyon's cat, Shamisen (or Shami, as his unnamed younger sister likes to call him). It takes a while for the actual "murder" to take place, but the fact that it took some place does serve a purpose in the end. I was genuinely stumped as I read on, but when the two who ended up figuring it out laid out the hints, it was also an "Aha!" moment for me. (I won't tell you their names to avoid anymore spoilers, but I think you can correctly guess who one of them was.) Now that I think about it, the identity of the "killer" was obvious from the start, yet I was still as stumped as everyone else. Props to you, Nagaru Tanigawa! Well done!
Finally, we've got the fifth and final short story in this volume, "The Melancholy of Mikuru Asahina". In this one, Mikuru asks Kyon to accompany her to buy some tea leaves. To Kyon, this seems like a date, but in reality, there was an order from Mikuru's superiors that could have affected whether or not Mikuru would be able to stay in the past. (No, I'm not talking about Haruhi, although this particular reason happens to know her.) I absolutely loved this chapter! If there is anyone out there who thinks Mikuru is useless (she's absolutely not useless; she's been helpful at times other than this), this chapter throws that statement back at you like a boomerang, especially with something Kyon says to Mikuru! I also found the ending quite humorous.
Overall, The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya was a great addition to the Haruhi Suzumiya series. It's definitely a not-miss for any Haruhi fan! Of course, season 3 would be a not-miss, too, if there was one.... Well, I believe it'll get one one day, even if I have to wait forever, and this belief shall not waver!
Yep, I'm doing it again; I'm writing another review for another light novel in the Haruhi Suzumiya series. Let me just ask you this, though; why hasn't most of this novel been adapted into an anime?! I mean, in the fifth book, The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya, there were three short stories, only one of them not being in the actual anime. This time, in the sixth book, there are five short stories, and only two of them are in the anime! It's really a shame, as I enjoyed reading not only the short stories that were adapted into the anime, but I also enjoyed the ones that were not.
Enough chit-chat. Let's get started with my review of the sixth light novel in the Haruhi Suzumiya series, The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya, shall we?
In case you're not familiar with "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", I'll explain to you what it's about. A boy, nicknamed Kyon, starts his first year of high school at North High, and he ends up meeting an eccentric girl named Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi isn't interested in ordinary humans; what she desires is to meet aliens, time travelers, and espers. After talking with her for a while, Kyon accidentally gives Haruhi the idea to form a club called the SOS (Save the World by Overloading it with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya) Brigade. The club's purpose? "Find aliens, time travelers, and espers, and hang out with them!"
Of course, Kyon is forced into joining the SOS Brigade, and so are the stoic bookworm Yuki Nagato, the timid upperclassman Mikuru Asahina, and the eternally-smiling, "mysterious" transfer student Itsuki Koizumi. As it turns out, however, there is more to these three than what meets the eye; Yuki, Mikuru, and Koizumi are respectively the alien, time traveler, and esper Haruhi has been looking for. Of course, Haruhi herself doesn't know this, and she also doesn't know that she is basically a goddess with the power to destroy the world if she gets fed up with it. Thus, Kyon and the rest of the SOS Brigade must go along with whatever Haruhi is plotting to do next, or they can kiss the world goodbye.
If you've read my review for The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya (read it here), you should know how I feel about the characters and the art; since I wrote that review, my feelings haven't changed. Thus, I'm just going to cut to the chase and review the five short stories in this novel.
Alright, now that we're done with the short stories that were in the anime, let's start talking about the ones that weren't, starting with the third short story in this novel, "Love at First Sight". In this story, Kyon gets a phone call from a classmate in junior high named Nakagawa. Nakagawa seems to have fallen for Yuki at first sight, and he wants Kyon to.... tell her to wait for 10 years for him to become successful and then propose to her. Yeah, Nakagawa is one crazy dude; even if it's Yuki we're talking about, would a girl really want to wait for a guy she doesn't even know to propose to her in 10 years? (Well, there is Bakuman.... but Mashiro and Azuki knew each other when they made that promise! If you don't know what I'm talking about, look it up, because I refuse to change the subject.) Anyway, Yuki rejects this offer, instead saying that she must see him immediately. Thus, Nakagawa invites Kyon and Yuki (although the rest of the SOS Brigade ends up coming, as well) to an American football game that he is playing in. I'm going to be honest; I would have loved it if this chapter were in the anime, because I really got a kick out of it! Nakagawa going on and on about his future plans had especially amused me. I'm going to be honest about another thing in this chapter, too; I did not know they played football in Japan. Anyone who knows me would know I'm not a football fan (although the opposite could be said about my mother), but that was interesting to know!
"Where Did the Cat Go?" That question just so happens to be the title for the next short story. It takes place pretty much immediately after "Snowy Mountain Syndrome" (which was the short story in The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya that wasn't in the anime) and follows the "winter version" of the murder mystery from "Remote Island Syndrome" (a short story in The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya that was in the anime). This time, everyone knows that the murder was fake.... oh, and it also involves Kyon's cat, Shamisen (or Shami, as his unnamed younger sister likes to call him). It takes a while for the actual "murder" to take place, but the fact that it took some place does serve a purpose in the end. I was genuinely stumped as I read on, but when the two who ended up figuring it out laid out the hints, it was also an "Aha!" moment for me. (I won't tell you their names to avoid anymore spoilers, but I think you can correctly guess who one of them was.) Now that I think about it, the identity of the "killer" was obvious from the start, yet I was still as stumped as everyone else. Props to you, Nagaru Tanigawa! Well done!
Finally, we've got the fifth and final short story in this volume, "The Melancholy of Mikuru Asahina". In this one, Mikuru asks Kyon to accompany her to buy some tea leaves. To Kyon, this seems like a date, but in reality, there was an order from Mikuru's superiors that could have affected whether or not Mikuru would be able to stay in the past. (No, I'm not talking about Haruhi, although this particular reason happens to know her.) I absolutely loved this chapter! If there is anyone out there who thinks Mikuru is useless (she's absolutely not useless; she's been helpful at times other than this), this chapter throws that statement back at you like a boomerang, especially with something Kyon says to Mikuru! I also found the ending quite humorous.
Overall, The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya was a great addition to the Haruhi Suzumiya series. It's definitely a not-miss for any Haruhi fan! Of course, season 3 would be a not-miss, too, if there was one.... Well, I believe it'll get one one day, even if I have to wait forever, and this belief shall not waver!
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