Suzumiya Haruhi and a question

[insaneneko]

I have noticed that some people on my flist have seen the anime The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi (Suzumiya Haruni no Yuutsu), but not many (or are people just not talking about it?). Is it not that popular or something? I mean, it's such a great parody of a huge anime genre and a fun story in and of itself. There's something extremely appealing about the idea that the person around whom the entire world revolves around is not aware of that fact, and that everyone else around her does. The dry, cynical voice of the narrator helps a lot, too.

It was a shock to find out recently that the voice actress of Haruhi in The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi can sing...and that she sang the opening and the songs the character sings in the school festival. So with that knowledge I downloaded her character single, and yes she can sing. I like the first and third tracks, because they are upbeat and fun. I uploaded the first three tracks (removing the karaoke tracks):

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi Character Song Vol. 1 - Suzumiya Haruhi (Hirano Aya)

And from the school festival: God Knows...

I keep meaning to rewatch the series in chronological order but haven't gotten around to it. I wonder how different the experience will be? I am very attached to linear storylines (yes, I'm boring), or at least storylines that don't jump around too much (far too jarring for my taste). I felt that while the order they broadcast in was interesting (and I do like the placement of the last broadcast episode as last) it was a bit frustrating to try to put each episode in context as I watched it. And oh man was the first episode difficult to get through.

BTW, would anyone be interested in a summary of the third Only the Ring Finger Knows CD drama similar to the summary I did for the second one? I figured I wouldn't bother because the third book is coming out in October, but if people want one I can do it.

Comments

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

She was well-cast as Haruhi AND Haruhi is the type of female character lots of fanboys just adore, which makes her appeal understandable.

"A face made for radio voice acting," indeed. Sometimes I wonder if there's some kind of perverse law that the more gorgeous the voice the uglier/weirder-looking/creepier-looking the actor is...

[modorenai.livejournal.com]

Haha, actually I think it makes sense that voice actors tend to be rather ugly. Since if they were good looking, they would most probably have gone on to be actual actors and/or singers where appearance is key (Talent? What talent? Is there such a thing?). But since they aren't, they settle for a job which has many of the same perks but which doesn't rely on appearance. I think that's probably why voice actors tend to be better actors as well then actual actors, since good looking actors can scrape by with horrible acting skills if they look good *coughcoughF4coughcough* whereas voice actors won't be popular if they just read off scripts emotionlessly.

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

In Asia especially actors (and singers) seem to manage well enough with looks and/or an image (or sadly enough a gimmick), which is why I often feel that voice actors are so much more versatile and able to emote than regular actors.

[modorenai.livejournal.com]

Agreed. As much as I love watching Asian dramas, sometimes I just have to cringe at how terrible some of the actors and actresses are. Not to mention the countless boy bands who don't seem to be able to carry a tune. Though to be fair, I think a lot of Western boy bands can't really sing either. ^_^;;