One Wacky Gal

Bandai will be releasing volume one of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" on May 29. I highly recommend this 14-episode series which is based on a series of novels. It's very funny.

The heroine, Haruhi Suzumiya, is smart, athletic but easily bored. She introduces herself in her high school class as someone who only wants to deal with aliens, time travelers and folks with ESP. She forms a club at school, the SOS Brigade, and recruits - actually strong-arms - others into joining. The members include Haruhi's sensible classmate Kyon who gets dragged into her hare-brained adventures, placid Yuki Nagato the lone member of another club whose club room Haruhi takes over and the bosomy Mikuru Asahina who becomes their mascot gal much to her distress. Itsuki Koizumi is the only one who willingly joins. Haruhi zeroes in on him because he fits the bill of "the mysterious transfer student."

I won't spoil the series by revealing why Yuki, Mikuru and Itsuki stay in this club whose goal is to "bring more excitement to the world." Actually the club exists to keep Haruhi from being bored. Let me put it this way. The world is a much better place if Haruhi is kept entertained. That's how special she is.

She's relentless in getting her own way. Watch how she uses Mikuru to snag a computer from the computer club next door. Haruhi also believes in action hence the swift kick to the head she gives the computer club president when he later issues the club a challenge.

The SOS Brigade's contribution to the school culture fest is a movie featuring the adventures of Mikuru as a girl with super powers. Narrated and later edited by poor overworked Kyon, the film makes no sense and looks murky to boot. It's actually a very funny send up of those anime shows about magical girls with mysterious origins.

"The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" aired last year in Japan and soon became a fan favorite. I like the show because it's hilarious, doesn't drag and Haruhi is such a colorful character. My favorite character is Kyon whose real name is never mentioned in the show. Kyon is the nickname his little sister gave him which everybody now uses. He often gets exasperated with Haruhi and his side comments and inner thoughts make a perfect counterpart to her energetic declarations and crazy plans.

Bandai's Web site on the show is http://asosbrigade.com