The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya [Paperback]

Considering that the second novel in the Haruhi series was my first review, it's only appropriate that I go ahead and review the latest addition to English translation of the series.

The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya, unlike the first two books, is not actually a novel, rather it is a collection of short stories taking place between the first two books. Fans of the anime will not find much new here as all four stories were adapted either during the first or second season, but they will probably be interested in finding out what scenes didn't make it onto the show.

The four stories contained in the book are the following:

1. The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya
The title story of the book follows the group's attempt at playing a baseball game. The story has a few minor differences from the anime version, but pretty much nothing new here.

2. Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody
By far my favorite story in the collection. Kyon and Mikuru travel back in time to witness (and assist) in an event mentioned in a previous book. I don't know if there were any events different from the anime version as I have not seen the second season of the series, but the story stands out as one of my favorites.

3. Mysterique Sign
The computer club president goes missing and the SOS Brigade is hired by his girlfriend to look for him. I'll admit, this was my least favorite episode of the anime and the short story does nothing to improve on it. Fortunately it's also the shortest story in the book.

4. Remote Island Syndrome
The group goes on an island vacation to find themselves in a classic mystery scenario. My second favorite story in the collection and also the longest, taking up almost half of the book. Fans of the anime will notice many differences in this one. Probably due to length, the anime cut out several of the scenes, and curiously they also added a few that were not in the story.

The book stands as a testament to how well done the anime was. As already pointed out, while reading the book, I counted only a few scenes that were not shown in the anime, most of which were in the final story. While this was somewhat disappointing because that meant I knew everything that was going to happen, it still made me even more impressed with the anime. Assuming the translation is accurate, one can't help but be a little impressed.

While I would certainly suggest this for fans of the Haruhi Suzumiya series, this is far from the best book in the series. I'm going to have to go with 3 and a half stars, even though my review is listed as 4. Enjoyable book, but far from the best.

The Haruhi Suzumiya series is one that seems to fluctuate wildly from incredible to mediocre depending on the volume. The first book, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, is a brilliant work that combines fascinating sci-fi concepts with outlandish humor, captivating characters, mysterious revelations, and even a little romance. Unfortunately, the second book, The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya, lacks much of its predecessor's intrigue and feels a bit flat and uninspired by comparison. Many wondered whether the upcoming third book, The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya, would recapture the magic of the first installment. Well, the novel is finally available, but the question is not an easy one to answer.

In short, the most recent addition to the Suzumiya franchise both impresses and disappoints. This is due largely to its format--instead of being one long story, it's actually a collection of four short stories of various quality. For instance, the first tale chronicles Haruhi dragging the SOS Brigade into a baseball tournament. Naturally, things start to go wrong. And that's the plot. Sure, some of the events are amusing, but the story smacks of being akin to a "filler" anime episode rather than offering readers anything truly insightful or significant. Conversely, the second story depicts Kyon traveling back in time and inadvertently playing a pivotal role in certain future events. It's short, but this story is both a worthwhile and interesting read. The final two stories don't add much to the Suzumiya mythos, but do at least provide some insights into the supporting cast and are mildly entertaining.

Story quality aside, however, where this book really suffers compared to its predecessors is its readability. Sentences don't always flow well from one to the next, and, occasionally, even entire paragraphs are awkward to read. Most problematic is trying to follow Kyon's internal monologue; it sometimes appears that he's thinking/narrating when he's in fact speaking aloud to the other characters, despite there being no quotation marks to indicate as much. Characters will simply respond to what seemed to be his private thoughts, which can be very disorienting for the reader.

Overall, The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya is a rather lopsided effort comprised of both good and mediocre stories and writing/translation work that is generally decent but sometimes feels rushed or lazy. Major fans of the series should check this book out, but casual followers of the franchise will probably not be impressed.

Once again, in this third installment of the "Haruhi Suzumiya" series, Tanigawa-san has given us the stories about Kyon's long-suffering with a crazy classmate who may or not be the goddess of earth, a sexy and sweet time traveler, a monotone & bookaholic alien, and a shrewd and somewhat mysterious Esper. I'm speaking of course of Haruhi, Mikuru, Yuki, and Itsuki respectively. Out of all the stories in this light novel, I enjoyed "Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody" and "Remote Island Syndrome" the best. "Rhapsody" explains why Haruhi thought she'd met Kyon before, and that's all I will say about the plot itself. I thought that this story was one of the more interesting ones out of all the light novels so far. "Syndrome" is one of my favorites because of the setting. A secluded island with only a few people on it...sounds heavenly. However, a sudden hurricane flares up and the SOS Brigade finds themselves in the midst of a murder-mystery! In all honesty, the reason I love reading these books is because of Kyon. His sense of humor and his observations about his world are hysterical and yet right on the money. He's my favorite character in the anime series and the light novels. I also like Yuki, just because I think there's a lot more going on with her than she lets on. Anyway, I highly reccomend this and the other light novels!