These are my thoughts on the 28 episode anime not including the movie, as I have not seen the disappearance as of writing this review.

Haruhi is a series that feels like another early adaptation by kyoani, who are to their credit putting alot into it, that feels unfocused and without an identity largely due to the source material. What I mean in one sense is that you can clearly feel that this is a light novel adaptation by the way the plot progresses, and it overall feels like a story I would rather read about than watch. Additionally, I feel like the entire show is about Haruhi's insanse abilities and those of the people around her when this is only expanded upon in a satisfying way in like a few moments. One highlight for me that I could tell many other people latched onto was the episode where they battle the computer club in that space war game. It's a really fun little episode that plays up the drama of the situation with stunning visuals and gives even just a little life to Yuki who I feel like is never really fleshed out.

While I like Haruhi as a character for the most part, I can't say the same about most of the other characters and there were some problematic moments. I just can't imagine that Haruhi would deliberately drug Mikuru, her alleged friend, for her own pointless movie. Maybe its that I can imagine it but I'd rather not. Yuki is nice and I like her but ultimately she's just a blank expression set piece, Koizumi ended up coming off as smug oftentimes, kyon was almost likeable but just a little too gross here and there, and Mikuru was just hopeless. Don't get me wrong, there were great moments involving these characters here and there and I don't hate them or anything but I just feel like they never completely gel as a group for me. For a mostly slice of life setting with some science fiction and psychological elements, I need a cast of characters that I enjoy spending time with and I just don't fully get that here.

There were certainly some highlights, and when kyoani puts their characteristic flare on things it really elevates the material. The entire episode showing the movie they made with the grainy filter and shitty camera work and acting was honestly a treat and really funny. I loved when Haruhi got on stage and just started shredding with Yuki at the school festival, but I do have a soft spot for guitar girls. Even the last episode; I actually thought it was cool how it just showed Yuki sitting in the room reading for like at least 3 minutes. It really immersed me in the scene and felt like a moment from my life that I could relate to.

Ultimately, the show feels like a slice of life that decides to focus on the plot at the expense of character scenarios which I don't like. As an avid slice of life enjoyer, I have nothing against the genre but I feel like you need to establish a foundational cast of interesting characters that play off of each other in interesting or humorous ways. This is because in slice of life, you often don't have battles or dynamic setting and world due to it being a slice of life in (usually) our world. I feel like haruhi just barely doesn't have it for me. I can only watch Haruhi strip Mikuru and laugh maniacally to Mikuru's dismay so many times until it just feels cheap.

Just realized I haven't mentioned endless 8. Surprisingly these episodes weren't even a huge drawback for me. I thought it was interesting to see how the setups changed through the episodes. That being said, I absolutely understand the criticism and think the same effect could have been achieved in half the time; 4 episodes MAX. It absolutely dragged on after 8 episodes of the same shit and no one should be put through that weekly. Which reminds me of something else. I watched the series in chronological order, not airing order. Diehard fans might say that this could have taken enjoyment out of solving the mystery, but I think it's just another example of this show being a product of its time and hard to fully appreciate in the modern day. It feels like something that you had to "be there" for when it was airing. undeniably, Haruhi remains an icon of the medium and I don't deny that. But I feel there is something essential lacking and can't fully recommend it to someone looking for a cute slice of life or a trippy psychological. There are better examples of both in there own and even better shows that combine these two ideas better. I'd recommend rascal for people who want something like this.