The Novel and Manga of Haruhi Suzumiya

[typhonsentra]

Originally Posted by Kogetsu Shirogane

... I'm going to laugh if Vol10 is another collection of short stories, and Vol11 is the continuation... no, really. I'd find that amusing, and completely in line with what's been happening with the franchise lately.

I wouldn't necessarily mind that as I'm not all that engaged after Volume 9 actually. However the short stories always come from published magazine articles, correct? He hasn't done any new ones that I know of.

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

I kinda like it... wonder what they're gonna use for Boredom...

[Triple_R]

I'm with Kaisos on a lot of what he said. Especially about what he said concerning how the magic is gone.

Haruhi, when it comes to overall impact on the anime world, is just another anime now. You just don't see her and her anime and her franchise talked about the same way any more, outside of dedicated Haruhi fan communities like the one at this subforum.

Now, is this the end of the world? No... this franchise/anime still has potential, and people can still take enjoyment from it, as I do myself.

But... the feeling of being a Haruhi fan is different now. When I first became a part of Haruhi fan base, I felt like I was a fan of something absolutely huge... I had more or less the same feeling from being a Haruhi fan as I felt from being a Superman and Batman fan; I was part of something truly massive and magical. But... that's gone now, and this fandom probably should come to terms with that. Now I feel like I'm part of maybe a few hundred guys and gals that truly care about this anime/franchise, but that's about it. And there's nothing wrong with a niche fan community like that... but we shouldn't pretend that what we love is the driving force of anime any more, because it no longer is.

Haruhi will almost certainly never be as big as it once could have been. And I would caution anyone to not be overly optimistic about getting new content beyond the next two episodes: either animated, or novel. It would be nice if those optimistic about that are right, but I have strong doubts.

Enjoy the next two episodes while you can, but be prepared for that to be it for a long time.

[Akka]

Blame the three-years hiatus and the E8 fiasco

[Daniel Lind]

Haruhi would have become "just another anime" either way, be it with delays and E8, or without.
Haruhi is still huge and unique in my eyes. Truth be told, I don't care about how big its fanbase is, only about its own traits as a media work.

As to new content...
I believe that if it can be done for money, it will be done.
If it doesn't bring enough money, it will not be done.
Simple as that.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Akka

Blame the three-years hiatus and the E8 fiasco

I have to agree... that, and maybe the art style changes as well. It's driven the casual anime fan away from this anime.

Sighs has been great, but it hasn't really been able to draw many people back. Not yet, anyway.

The problem with the Haruhi franchise is that it's top-heavy with ultra-hardcore fans that would buy anything and everything that it puts out... pretty much for the rest of their lives. Even with out any new content to speak of. Kaisos is right there.

So it becomes very easy for the people driving the franchise to shift into a shell and not keep moving the story forward.

When merchandise demand trumps content demand... you're on a dangerous road. It lessens motivation for the pros to keep making new content. I've seen more than a few animated shows killed this way.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Rice_slayer

Haha I just found the cover, and they are keeping the same theme. but this one looks nicer to me for some reason .

Spoiler for space:

I love these covers. Can't wait for this one.

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

Now... wonder if/when people are going to stop using "Sighs" instead of "Sigh."

[spawnofthejudge]

Originally Posted by Kogetsu Shirogane

Now... wonder if/when people are going to stop using "Sighs" instead of "Sigh."

Interesting. I've never seen "The Sighs of Haruhi Suzumiya", but simply "Sigh" is almost as rare.

[TMSIDR]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I have to agree... that, and maybe the art style changes as well. It's driven the casual anime fan away from this anime.

3 years are long time in the anime world and the whole surprise element is now gone and at least E8 recovered a little bit of this but suddenly it became cool to hate the Haruhi franchise. That's normally the problem in the internet: people love to hate something.

I think the only other "otaku" show that became a big success in the last years was Gurren Lagann and since then I don't think anything had a large impact. K-On! is known by a lot of people but it's too much slice-of-life moe to reach a larger international audience. K-On! is also another show that lot of people love to hate^^.

[Roger Rambo]

Originally Posted by Akka

Blame the three-years hiatus and the E8 fiasco

3 year hiatus, Endless 8...some parts of those E8 episodes having questionable production values. Subtract any of those factors and the majority of people would have had nothing but praise for the new episodes.




But yeah, they'll probably write this down as a very distinguished marketing fuck up.

[baltakatei]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

3 year hiatus, Endless 8...some parts of those E8 episodes having questionable production values. Subtract any of those factors and the majority of people would have had nothing but praise for the new episodes.




But yeah, they'll probably write this down as a very distinguished marketing fuck up.

I for one have to say that I have less free time and disposable income than 3 years ago when Haruhi was first coming out. Tough economy just doesn't let me waste that much time anymore.

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

I love these covers. Can't wait for this one.

How can you pass up the Ito-sensei masterwork that is "gravity-defying battle waitress Mikuru" on the hardcover? *drools*

Hell, that's why the new eps look like somebody just dragged them out of the shitter. After going through two redesigns (novel-->first series-->K-on clone) so very little of Ito's original design remains besides what differentiates the characters. You didn't see JC Staff pulling that crap with Shana...

God, did I just defend JC Staff...?

Originally Posted by TMSIDR

3 years are long time in the anime world and the whole surprise element is now gone and at least E8 recovered a little bit of this but suddenly it became cool to hate the Haruhi franchise. That's normally the problem in the internet: people love to hate something.

You must be a relatively new member of the fandom. Haruhi hatred has been there since day one. Whether it was complaints over the Key-ification of the character designs or (almost universally among the haters) the cries of "overrated", there was never any love lost among some animephiles. It's just after the dearth of new product for 3 years, the E8 debacle, and the inexplicable foray into even more derivative character design (now with less animation quality), the haters now actually have something legitimate to point to.

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

And the general response to Disappearance at this point, even if it aired right after Someday in the Rain, would be "meh". No one cares anymore.

Couldn't (dis)agree with you more. If they dropped an episode of Disappearance on us, with first-season production values, pacing, and character design, I guarantee the only ones that wouldn't be cheering from the rooftops would be SanCon's Artefact and his ilk (people like him, they always have "ilk"). You personally would be so up about it we wouldn't be able to bring you down with a quart of elephant tranquilizer. ^_^

Of course if we end up with The Disappearance of Yui Whateverhernameis (And Her Malformed Hands), it'll be time to phone it in...

[wittyusername]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Couldn't (dis)agree with you more. If they dropped an episode of Disappearance on us, with first-season production values, pacing, and character design, I guarantee the only ones that wouldn't be cheering from the rooftops would be SanCon's Artefact and his ilk (people like him, they always have "ilk"). You personally would be so up about it we wouldn't be able to bring you down with a quart of elephant tranquilizer. ^_^

Of course if we end up with The Disappearance of Yui Whateverhernameis (And Her Malformed Hands), it'll be time to phone it in...

If Disappearance did end up being animated horribly or if it was screwed up in general...I don't even know. I don't want to think about that possibility.

Spoiler for TOO LONG ; DON'T EVEN BOTHER but seriously even I wouldn't bother:

I'd watch The Disappearance of Yui W. (And Her Malformed Hands) if it was only fifteen minutes long and it involved Ritsu bludgeoning the other members of the music club until they were unconscious. Then she'd drag them out behind the school and wait for them to wake up. She'd strangle all but Mio with guitar strings and she'd stab that damned bassist in the eye sockets with drum sticks -- before she's shot by the police (who were called by whoever the teacher advising the club was), that is.

And then everyone goes crazy and thinks there are maggots crawling out of holes in their throat. Or it turns out that since Ritsu is a dumbass, she decided to trust a witch. Or Senjougahara showed up in the show, and everything was instantly 120% better.

If there was a sequel to TDoYWAHMH, it would involve some revelation about how the whole incident was an elaborate plot by the teacher. She's actually insane. She's caught in an attempt to steal and destroy the records showing the results of whatever test-thing she took to determine whether or not she's batshit, and she ends up being forced to quit. She figures that since she only has a little bit of time left at the school, she might as well try to kidnap Mio. (She liked to costume rape Mio, right? I think? I kind of forget.) But for whatever reason, she doesn't want to be the one to get Mio unconscious in the trunk of her car. All plotholes can be blamed on the fact that she's crazy. She knows that Ritsu is getting depressed over how Mio is popular and cute and loved by everyone. The teacher starts off comforting Ritsu, but gradually she convinces Ritsu that everything will be better if Mio is gone. The teacher tells her that she can take Mio away, because she's leaving the school anyway. But Ritsu goes overboard and figures the teacher wouldn't mind having to use Mio's corpse. It's just like a doll!. The teacher, leaving the school with a box filled with her possessions and the contents of her desk, sees Ritsu dragging the bodies. She thinks that she can call the cops and pretend to be innocent. But while Ritsu is being carted off to the hospital, she tells a doctor or paramedic or House or someone about the whole thing, and promptly croaks. Sawako ends up in prison, but her only complaint is that she can't dress anyone up.

Because she's crazy.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by wittyusername

If Disappearance did end up being animated horribly or if it was screwed up in general...I don't even know. I don't want to think about that possibility.

I'd watch The Disappearance of Yui W. (And Her Malformed Hands) if it was only fifteen minutes long and it involved Ritsu bludgeoning the other members of the music club until they were unconscious. Then she'd drag them out behind the school and wait for them to wake up. She'd strangle all but Mio with guitar strings and she'd stab that damned bassist in the eye sockets with drum sticks -- before she's shot by the police (who were called by whoever the teacher advising the club was), that is.

And then everyone goes crazy and thinks there are maggots crawling out of holes in their throat. Or it turns out that since Ritsu is a dumbass, she decided to trust a witch. Or Senjougahara showed up in the show, and everything was instantly 120% better.

If there was a sequel to TDoYWAHMH, it would involve some revelation about how the whole incident was an elaborate plot by the teacher. She's actually insane. She's caught in an attempt to steal and destroy the records showing the results of whatever test-thing she took to determine whether or not she's batshit, and she ends up being forced to quit. She figures that since she only has a little bit of time left at the school, she might as well try to kidnap Mio. (She liked to costume rape Mio, right? I think? I kind of forget.) But for whatever reason, she doesn't want to be the one to get Mio unconscious in the trunk of her car. All plotholes can be blamed on the fact that she's crazy. She knows that Ritsu is getting depressed over how Mio is popular and cute and loved by everyone. The teacher starts off comforting Ritsu, but gradually she convinces Ritsu that everything will be better if Mio is gone. The teacher tells her that she can take Mio away, because she's leaving the school anyway. But Ritsu goes overboard and figures the teacher wouldn't mind having to use Mio's corpse. It's just like a doll!. The teacher, leaving the school with a box filled with her possessions and the contents of her desk, sees Ritsu dragging the bodies. She thinks that she can call the cops and pretend to be innocent. But while Ritsu is being carted off to the hospital, she tells a doctor or paramedic or House or someone about the whole thing, and promptly croaks. Sawako ends up in prison, but her only complaint is that she can't dress anyone up.

Because she's crazy.

Yay cliches!

Spoiler for well:

cool story, bro

adding a tl;dr is common courtesy

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

... I'd watch it.

[Daniel Lind]

After going through two redesigns (novel-->first series-->K-on clone) so very little of Ito's original design remains

What? No! New designs look closer to Noizi Ito than 2006 designs.

And no one besides Haruhi was even changed to the extent of being completely different
And what's wrong with JC Staff?!

No one cares anymore.

Torrent sites, fansub sites, broadcast @ Justin simply BEG. TO. DIFFER.
Sure, it's not unique widespread popularity, but "no one"?
Tomare right here.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Couldn't (dis)agree with you more. If they dropped an episode of Disappearance on us, with first-season production values, pacing, and character design.

Watch the Sigh(s) adaptation. Honestly, it has everything except the last one, but I've given up on seeing the 2006 style again.

And it's making me like Sigh(s). Which I used to hate.

And as an above poster said, it really is more like Itou's more recent art...

[Heatth]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Watch the Sigh(s) adaptation. Honestly, it has everything except the last one, but I've given up on seeing the 2006 style again.

And it's making me like Sigh(s). Which I used to hate.

Then you agree they can make a awesome Disappearance? I also never really liked Sigh(save for 2 or 3 scenes) but I am really enjoying it animated.

I agree with quigonkenny when he say people would love a well done Disappearance that wouldn't even mention EE again (at last until arc be finishes).

I think I understand better what you mean by 'magic is gone'. Haruhi would neve be again the explosion it was when it was first realesed. However, I really believe part of the reason of that explosion was few knew Haruhi back three years ago. It was a unknow anime that took people by surprise by it quality and uniqueness. Then no really matter if the delay or the EE, the magic would be gone no matter when/how they animated these episodes.

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

And as an above poster said, it really is more like Itou's more recent art...

... So even Itou's art is being K-ONed?

[Solachinx]

So, novel 10 is 'officially being worked on' now?

While Kaisos continues to be the emo kid of the board, and Ithekro and Kogetsu continue to be the undying optimistic preppy band, I shall be the delerious one of the bunch being slowly driven insane by false hopes while clutching my woobie and an assault rifle.

There will be blood.