Haruhi Suzumiya

Did You Know?

• A short story was published in a special one-time revival issue of The Sneaker on October 31, 2018.
• The 12th novel, The Intuition of Haruhi Suzumiya, was announced in August 2020 for release on November 25 after a 9-year break.

Plot

Kyon, a sardonic student at North High School in Nishinomiya, initially sought an extraordinary life but later desired normalcy. He befriends Haruhi Suzumiya, an eccentric classmate who constantly seeks supernatural phenomena. Haruhi recruits three additional members: Yuki Nagato, a laconic bibliophile; Mikuru Asahina, a shy and timid girl; and Itsuki Koizumi, an unflappable transfer student. These members later reveal to Kyon that they are extraordinary beings: Yuki is an alien interface from a hive mind, Mikuru is a time traveler from the future, and Itsuki is an esper working for a secret society.

Each was sent to observe Haruhi, who unknowingly possesses godlike powers to create or destroy reality at will, activated by her strong emotions or moods. The organizations believe that if Haruhi learns of her powers or becomes upset, the universe could be destroyed. The three club members, along with Kyon, work to keep Haruhi happy under the guise of the SOS Brigade, while combating external threats and forming bonds as misfits.

Media

Kadokawa Shoten published two manga adaptations in Shōnen Ace. The first, by Makoto Mizuno, ran from May to December 2004 and was compiled in one volume in August 2004, differing significantly from the light novels. The second, illustrated by Gaku Tsugano, ran from November 2005 to November 2013 across 20 volumes, targeting a younger audience and including 13 new one-chapter stories. Yen Press acquired the North American license for the first four volumes of the second manga series in April 2008, promising no censorship.

An official parody four-panel comic, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan by Puyo, serialized in Shōnen Ace and The Sneaker from July 2007 to December 2018, compiled in 12 volumes. Yen Press released the English version from October 2010 to May 2020. Another parody, Nyorōn Churuya-san by Eretto, began as a dōjinshi in three volumes before serialization in Comp Ace from November 2008 to October 2009, released in one bound volume.

Music

The 2006 anime uses two opening themes: 'The Mikuru Legend of Love' by Yuko Goto for episode one, and 'It's an Adventure, Right? Right?' by Aya Hirano for episodes two through fourteen. The main ending theme, performed by Aya Hirano, Minori Chihara, and Yuko Goto, spanned the first thirteen episodes, with episode fourteen using an extended version of the second opening. For the 2009 re-airing, the opening is 'Super Driver' by Hirano, and the ending is 'Stop!' by Hirano, Chihara, and Goto.

The film The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya uses 'It's an Adventure, Right? Right?' as its opening and a theme song by Chihara. Insert songs include 'God Knows...' and 'Lost My Music' performed by Haruhi Suzumiya (Aya Hirano / Wendee Lee) in episode twelve. Classical pieces by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Ravel, and Mahler appear in episodes eleven and fourteen.

A live concert, Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisō, was held on March 18, 2007, at Omiya Sonic City, with a DVD released on July 27, 2007. Another concert, Suzumiya Haruhi no Gensō, on April 29, 2009, featured the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, with a CD released on June 24, 2009. The spin-off ONA series uses 'Ima Made no Arasuji' as its main theme and 'Atogaki no Yō na Mono' as its ending, both performed by five voice actors, with a single released on April 20, 2009. Three singles for Nyoro-n Churuya-san feature songs by Yuki Matsuoka.

Reception

The first novel, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, won the Grand Prize at the eighth annual Sneaker Awards, only the third such prize given. The series sold over 4,300,000 copies in Japan by September 2007, surpassing 8,000,000 copies with the tenth and eleventh volumes in May 2011, whose limited editions set a record 513,000 first pressing. By 2017, 20 million copies of all versions were in print internationally. Newtype USA ranked the anime adaptation as the most popular in Japan in December 2006.

A TV Asahi online poll placed it fourth among Japan's top 100 favorite anime in 2006. The first two DVD volumes sold 70,000 and 90,000 units by August 2006, and the seventh installment sold 45,000 units by end of 2007. IGN ranked the anime fifth in its 'Top Ten Anime of 2007'. It won the Animation Kobe Award for TV Feature in 2006 and the 'Best TV Anime Series' award at the Sixth Annual Tokyo Anime Awards, where Aya Hirano also won the Voice Acting Award.

Spin-offs The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya and Nyorōn Churuya-san won the Network award at the 14th Animation Kobe Awards. At Anime Expo 2008, the series received multiple SPJA awards, including Best Voice Actor and Best Voice Actress (Japanese). The anime became an Internet phenomenon, with over 2,000 clips and parodies on YouTube and Nico Nico Douga.