The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (light novel)
| The Haruhi anime has been absent for more than 7 years now, and it is nearly set in stone that it will never come back, though I don't happen to think that is the case. Instead of arguing for reasons why Haruhi might never come back, I wish to clear up the circumstances behind the anime, or rather the entire franchise not getting more adaptations. 1. The Source Material  As of this time, The Suzumiya Haruhi series is on hiatus, and it has been for a good 6 years. Not a hiatus in that the company publishing Haruhi has restricted it for some reason or another, but rather the author, Nagaru Tanigawa, hasn’t published any novels in that time span. I talk about this topic more in-depth in this forum, if you are interested. The source material ongoing still isn’t THAT much of a problem, considering that there is enough material to adapt a Season 3 and land at a VERY satisfying climax, and it’s not like anime hasn’t caught up to its original source before, just look at the anime for Oregairu. As this suggests, the problem lies in what form the adaptation will take. There is a common misconception that the anime only adapts 4 of the 11 light novels, leaving a whopping 7 to adapt. It’s true that the anime adapts these novels, but it also adapts (2/3) chapters from the 5th novel and (3/5) chapters from the 6th. (Now is a good time to pay attention in 6th grade algebra class, because) If we add these figures, we find out that the anime has actually adapted 5 (4/15) out of 11 novels, which is just shy of half the available source material. But if there’s only around half left to adapt, then what’s the problem? After all, the anime has been able to adapt that much properly before, right? Herein lies the dilemma of Haruhi Suzumiya: The anime has 28 episodes and a movie, for the sake of argument, let’s take out 5 episodes of the Endless Eight, the first episode, the middle episode, and the conclusion remaining. Which leaves the TV anime with 23 episodes and a movie; a movie with the runtime of 8 or 9 episodes. Giving us a grand total of 31 or 32 episodes in total. Do you understand the situation now? The anime is just shy of half the material, and it took 31 episodes to make it that far, after this, the arcs are more connected and have a more linear narrative, and the next climax is 5 (9/15) novels in the future. Which means that an adaptation of Haruhi Suzumiya is IMPOSSIBLE unless Kyoto Animation animates 2 or 3 cours worth of material. When was the last time Kyoto Ani made 2 cours in a row? (Actually, last time was Hyouka at 23 episodes.) At least 15 episodes has to go into adapting the latest 3 novels, the Dissociation and Surprise Arc, for which are very interdependent. And they can’t mix the episodes like they did 11 years ago, or split it into 2 seasons, because the story is too complex and confusing for a non-linear narrative, and the buildup wouldn’t feel right, respectively. (There's also the case that the novels are also linear after Volume 6, so it wouldn't make sense from an adaptatiion standpoint.) However, this is only one dilemma that Kyoto Animation needs to address. I DO think Kyoto Animation can adapt the remaining material of Haruhi in 2 cours, with solid pacing, while still giving the animation justice. That will be a pretty large investment with time and money, but I also think that return would be much greater. They can cut out a few chapters, then later adapt them as OVAs, and give a few episodes a longer runtime, such as the first and last; along with key episodes in certain arcs, like the prolougue to the Intrigues arc, and I think it would then fit neatly into a 26 episode adaptation, and make its way to MAL’s top 10 because the latest arc is legendary in every sense of the word. Fight me. 2. Kadokawa  Kyoto Animation isn’t the only ones paying out of their pockets, however, Kadokawa is a huge player in this, and if you researched enough articles on this topic, you know where I am going with this, so I’ll make it brief. Kadokawa’s main objective with the anime for Haruhi was to sell the light novels, and it isn’t anything new. We’ve all heard that “anime is just advertising for the manga/ light novel (etc.)”, but if you know Kadokawa, you also know that they are notorious for sticking to that rule. Giving us brilliant anime, both in story and animation, then leaving us off with a cliffhanger 2 seasons in, and leaving us wanting more for over a decade now. I am looking at you, Full Metal Panic. In the meantime, let’s celebrate the fact that Full Metal Panic is getting a sequel, because that means Kadokawa is trying break its curse of “if it doesn’t end in one season, it’s not going to end at all”, which is exciting in the grand scheme of things. If Tanigawa releases another novel, I can see Kadokawa jumping on the opportunity to fund another anime, and if Kadokawa also helps fund the next season, that is one big weight off Kyoto Ani trying to meticulously animate 26 episodes, the likes of Violet Evergarden. Hopefully they won’t split the cours in half, and ruin everything, and hopefully Crunchyroll and FUNimation both simulcast/dub, respectively, as it is airing, and Amazon and Netflix keep their hands off of it, but now I am getting way off track. The problem with Kadokawa has more to do with their relationship with Kyoto Animation, having to do with the fact that Kyoto Ani is more of a lone wolf that sometimes takes jobs from the outside, mostly focusing on their own properties. The last time they teamed up was with Hyouka in 2012, 5 years ago. I think it’s safe to say that they aren’t as close as they used to be. 3. Can Kadokawa fund anything else in the Haruhi franchise?  While I am sure a third season of Haruhi would definitely be preferred by the masses instead of any spin-off that takes its place, just look at the hate Nagato Yuki-chan gets just because it wasn’t that long-awaited sequel/ third season, there has to be something that satiates our hunger for more Haruhi during the wait. The first and most obvious choice would be The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan getting another season; and even though there is general hate and frustration for this spin-off, there are people such as myself that enjoy it. It’s not like the Blu-Rays sold poorly, and the content in the manga past where the anime covered increases in quality at a pretty steady pace, especially by the end, which proves it to be one of the most mature romances I’ve ever read (far beyond blushes and crushes, but not quite sexual; just plain mature), in my opinion. So why can’t Nagato Yuki-chan be adapted into another season? The same reason it has only 17 episodes. In the next chapter of the manga following where the anime left off, Nagato Yuki-chan already spoils future reveals in the Light Novels that weren’t yet covered by the main series' anime. You can probably infer that this isn’t good; it’s pretty important in the plot of Haruhi for the reveals to be surprising (see what I did there?), and for Nagato Yuki-chan, it is important that these references be kept in for the sake of its own plot, and for its own ironic humor. So, are there any alternatives?  What about The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan? That’s a spin-off series, and it’s not hard to animate! Unfortunately, not only will that be largely ignored unless a third season airs, but it also spoils future reveals in Haruhi. I can attest to this without really reading the series just by having the 8th volume of the manga in my room, and skimming through it. Furthermore, it really isn’t that entertaining, so it won’t really help at all. I don’t think it is possible to adapt stories in the Haruhi Comic Anthology, until they make a Season 3, either, and I equally don’t think that adapting some of the filler in the manga would be beneficial for the same reasons. Trust me, it’s really good filler, but it isn’t good enough to hold its own until the fans start flipping out. However, from my research, there is another eligible spin-off that can possibly be adapted into animation. The spin-off “Ore no Class ni Haruhi wa Inai”, or “There’s no Haruhi in My Classroom” is a fan-made light novel series, and is approved by Tanigawa himself. It placed 21 in the Kono Light Novel wa Sugoi! rankings in 2015, above Re:Zero, and Eromanga-sensei at the time, and Kino’s Journey and Black Bullet, both of which had anime to advertise it. There hasn’t been a release since the fourth novel on March 1, 2015, but judging from the rankings, there seems to be enough support overseas to get it at least an OVA/ ONA adaptation, and enough content for a one cour TV anime. Of course, this is going off the assumption that this spin-off doesn’t have direct Haruhi references that spoil future content, which it shouldn’t considering it’s a completely separate universe where Haruhi exists as an anime, but if it does, then this possibility is a bust as well.  I cannot speak in detail for the possible implications adapting this particular novel series would involve whether it be adapted before or after S3, or at all, but as long as it doesn’t have the same problems as Nagato Yuki-chan (which is relying too heavy on references to the Haruhi canon to tell its story, instead of expanding its borders to the entirety of anime, which doesn’t seem to be the case), it should be entertaining and sell well (maybe). This seems to be the one silver lining outside of actually getting a Haruhi Season 3 (in terms of keeping the fans occupied), but that doesn’t change the fact that there hasn’t been a release in 2 years, so who knows? Not to mention that this is a fan-made novel series, so it might not be as profitable as something by Tanigawa himself, and the art style is very unique, maybe too unique. (The art is something that gets Haruhi fans butthurt the most, especially in Japan, which is ironic because Haruhi never had a specific artsyle. Take this, for example.) It all comes down to where Kadokawa wants to spend their money, and there’s a better possibility that the main series of Haruhi would come first (rightfully so), but who knows how long that will take? 4. Should we keep hoping for another adaptation?  Yes. Absolutely positively yes. But while I want to say my theories on when it'll come back, along with my enthusiasm, I also wanted to share why this is such a problem to begin with, and even if we get a continuation, don’t expect it to be the same as how it was. There are some people here that watched the original series while it was airing, and others who just caught up and still feel the despair of waiting that long. Will Haruhi Suzumiya ever be as important as it used to be? God Knows. |
Draconix814Oct 2, 2017 11:56 AM
| twenty years later: why we should keep hoping |
| "I like young-girl sexual creations, Lolicon is just one hobby of my many hobbies," he says. I ask what his wife, standing nearby, thinks of his "hobby". "She probably thinks no problem," he replies. "Because she loves young boys sexually interacting with each other." |
| Not going to lie, this was a very well made post. Thank you very much for the information! |
| Maybe I'll just go for the light novels of I have the chance. I loved how Disappearance ended and I was left with this feeling that everything would take an epic turn |
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