As much as I would like to go on a rampage right now, I need to relax. Yeah, I should relax and read a good book that will get me to smile, laugh, and become intrigued from time to time. As long as I read something about a certain brigade led by a certain goddess with the story being narrated by a certain snarky someone, I'm sure I can calm myself down.
Ladies, gentlemen, aliens, time travelers, and espers, welcome to my review for the fifth book in the Haruhi Suzumiya series, The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya!
For those unfamiliar with this series, I shall now explain what it's all about. Kyon (that's his nickname; his real name is withheld) is just your average guy who just entered high school. He has never believed in Santa Claus and has long given up on his belief in the supernatural, and he hopes to live a normal, peaceful life. That is, until Haruhi Suzumiya comes into his life by just so happening to sit behind him in class. During the class introductions, she reveals that she has no interest in ordinary humans and would rather encounter an alien, a time traveler, a slider, or an esper. Intrigued, Kyon manages to start talking to her. One day, Kyon accidentally gives Haruhi the idea to form her own after-school club, and of course, Kyon is forced to join.
In order for Haruhi to form said club, she starts occupying the club room for the literary club, getting this club's only member, the silent bookworm Yuki Nagato, to join in the process. She then kidnaps - er, I mean, recruits the shy upperclassman Mikuru Asahina and the eternally-smiling transfer student Itsuki Koizumi. What does Haruhi decide to name this club, you may be wondering?
The Save the World by Overloading it with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade, or more simply known as the SOS Brigade!
The SOS Brigade's mission is to find aliens, time travelers, and espers and have fun with them!
However, little does Haruhi know that behind the scenes, Yuki, Mikuru, and Itsuki actually are an alien, a time traveler, and an esper, respectively. Haruhi also doesn't know that she herself is basically a goddess with the power to destroy the world if she gets bored with it. Thus, the SOS Brigade's second mission is to keep Haruhi happy, or it's bye-bye universe. Of course, this whole mess is giving poor Kyon a massive headache.
Yeah, that's basically the premise.
I've been such a huge fan of Haruhi Suzumiya ever since I watched the anime adaptation, "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" (named after the first novel). To this day, I still think of TMoHS as my all-time favorite anime. Thus, why wouldn't I want to read the original material, which happened to be in the form of a Japanese light novel series that was luckily translated into English? Before yesterday, I had only read the first four novels, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya, The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya, and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Yesterday, I started reading the fifth novel, The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya, and as you can probably tell, it only took me two days to read it all of the way through. This has never happened before, not even to a speed-reader like me, but I guess it's just because I loved this addition to the Haruhi Suzumiya series so much.
Like The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya. this novel was divided into three story stories that were published in the Japanese magazine, The Sneaker. The first one was "Endless Eight", where Kyon and all of the other SOS Brigade members (sans Haruhi) are going through their last two weeks of summer break when they realize that those two weeks have been repeated over and over and over again in an infinite time loop. When this chapter came into anime form, it received tons upon tons upon tons of backlash, as it was done not once, not twice, but eight times! Yeah, you can see where those haters are coming from. I was one of the few that was not really frustrated, though. I have a belief that Kyoto Animation, the studio behind the anime adaptation, did this on purpose to clearly get the point that it was a time loop across, and I plan to stand by this belief. I will not let anyone change my mind. Okay? Okay.
Next, we've got the second short story featured in this novel, "Day of the Sagittarius". Basically, the Computer Research Club President challenges the SOS Brigade to a match on a game created by the Computer Research Club. Why? Well, they were forced to give up a computer due to Haruhi's blackmailing. (Read the first novel for more details.) What is this game called? Well, isn't it obvious from the picture on the left and the name of the chapter itself? The Day of Sagittarius 3! Anyway, I remember especially enjoying this one when this chapter was in anime form, and reading it in novel form definitely retained those happy memories, so of course, I loved it!
Finally, we've got Snowy Mountain Syndrome, the only short story in this novel that was never a part of the anime (although as far as I know, it's supposedly being fan-animated by welcomehomemaster). It is where the SOS Brigade, while on an innocent skiing trip, gets caught in a blizzard and finds shelter in an abandoned mansion that is.... well, not normal. Because I didn't know exactly what was going to happen this time around, I found myself genuinely surprised at times. There was also a part of this short story that involved a math equation, so it should be interesting for those who like Math or those who are just good at it.
Now that the individual reviews are out of the way, let's talk about what ties them all together. Let's start with..... the characters!
Kyon, the one who narrates the entire story, is probably one of the most relatable characters you will ever find in probably any novel ever. I mean, if you had to put up with Haruhi's antics, I'm sure that you, too, would be thinking, "Good grief." Then, we've got our title character, Haruhi Suzumiya. She is an extremely lovable character in every sense of the word; she's crazy, there's never a dull moment with her around, and deep down, she cares about her fellow brigade members. The last statement I mentioned about her is especially highlighted in Snowy Mountain Syndrome. Yuki Nagato is also a great character and has her moments where she truly shines, especially in Day of the Sagittarius. I absolutely adore Mikuru Asahina, but then again, I always have had a soft spot for characters like her. Itsuki Koizumi is also a great character in his own way. This novel also has supporting characters who are probably just as interesting as the main!
Then, we've got the artwork. Wait a second, artwork in a novel?!
That's right, The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya, along with its predecessors, is one of those novels that actually has illustrations included here and there. Let me give you a warning, though; don't even think about just looking at the pictures without reading the actual story first. Otherwise, chances are that you won't understand exactly what's going on. Thus, I advise you to read the story first and pay more attention to the illustrations later. Still, the illustrations, drawn by Noizi Ito (also responsible for illustrating another light novel series called Shakugan no Shana), are very well-drawn. Noizi Ito, I congratulate you for being able to draw these amazing characters as well as you did.
Overall, The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya, like its four predecessors, is an enjoyable novel through and through, with very few flaws if any at all. I recommend it, the other books, and the anime adaptation to anyone who's in for some fun with sci-fi mixed in. I'm also looking forward to the day I inevitably read (and review, if I feel like it) the sixth novel in this series, The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya!
Okay, I feel a lot calmer now.
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