Review by Jong Chung
The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya, the third book in the Haruhi Suzumiya series by Nagaru Tanigawa does something slightly different than what may have been expected. Unlike the previous novels, (or what's expected of typical novel conventions) there isn't just one “arc” to follow in this installment, as this third novel is actually more of a collection of several short stories.
The reading, though light it may be, is characteristically witty as always, (to be expected of the sarcastic narrator we've come to be familiar with in Kyon), and the stories are varied enough so that there is a good range of “flavor” of reading to be found all packed into this one book. If the fans of the anime series may recall, the titled “mini-arcs” are “The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya,” “Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody,” “Mysterique Sign,” and “Remote Island Syndrome.”
While those who have seen the first season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime might find themselves averse to read over something they've already watched animated beautifully, source material is always a welcome addition to any fan's collection. As I come from that camp of the series' fans, it was a bit hard for me to re-read this without bias. I felt as such during the “Mysterique Sign” and the “Remote Island Syndrome” chapters, for example.
The major twists in those chapters suffer from previous exposure and lose much of their effect that I would've felt had I not watched the series beforehand. Alas, that couldn't be avoided and I believe that to be the case for the majority of the fanbase. If you are the type to simply love a refresher, however, the story telling is still quite enjoyable as there aren't any series that can compare to it simply due to it being so unique as a story. I hesitate to say it was a fully enjoyable experience the second time through, (especially as the “Remote Island Syndrome” has no effect on the knowing reader whatsoever, being a murder mystery arc and all...) as I've mentioned, it should be more than worth it for your collection.
For the less enthused, there are definitely better light novel reads out there. Being that it doesn't cover one arc throughout the book, the story telling might feel random between the arcs, and I can imagine that hardly makes it palatable for anyone who isn't dedicated to the series. This is a volume I would rather recommend those with any interest to pick up the book at their local bookstores and sift through the first few pages.
© 2011 Linda Thai
No comments:
Post a Comment