The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan: Volume 12 manga review

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan Volume 12 cover image

Written and drawn by Puyo, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan is a parody manga based on the Haruhi Suzumiya light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito.  In The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, Kyon is an ordinary high school freshman who has long given up on his childhood dreams of encountering the fantastic and supernatural... or so he thought.

He meets his new classmate, the beautiful and eccentric Haruhi Suzumiya.  From the first day of class, Haruhi makes it very clear that her only desire is to meet aliens, time travelers, and psychics.  Kyon and Haruhi form the “SOS Brigade,” a school club created for the sole purpose of gathering together fantastic and supernatural beings.  However, Kyon learns that the initial members of their club are actually members of secret futuristic and alien organizations that have the single aim of keeping watch over Haruhi Suzumiya, as she is the pinnacle of some major calamity on the horizon!

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan, Vol. 12 declares that the series is over.  Because she is unbound by the laws of reality, however, Haruhi-chan's antics will never be over.  The gang gets cozy under the “kotatsu” to work out their problems.  There is a trip to a hot springs resort, and summer means the obligatory swimsuit chapter.  Plus, Haruhi-chan is a superhero, but she turns out to be a rather odd one.  This all leads up to the final chapter... or make that final chapters!

[This volume includes bonus art, a short story, “The Reciprocity” by Nagaru Tanigawa, and a color illustration gallery, featuring one illustration each by Noizi Ito and Gaku Tsugano.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan manga is new to me, as is the entire media franchise, including its original source, the light novel series.  Still, the concept sounds like loads of fun... and it is yet another Yen Press title that reminds me of the manga, Hayate the Combat Butler.

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan Graphic Novel Volume 12 brings the series to a close.  This is the volume that will mean the most to fans of Haruhi Suzumiya, especially those that like the franchise enough to want a parody of it.  Writer-artist Puyo, who also produced a non-parody manga adaptation of the franchise, is obviously quite familiar with the series.  Puyo manages to make these humorous vignettes funny even to a newcomer like me.

Half the chapters here are eight pages in length and the rest are four pages long.  Paul Starr's translation conveys the appropriate comic pace for either length.  In the end, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan has a rather “neat” ending.  Haruhi-chan and company's antics will never end.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Haruhi Suzumiya will want to try the Yen Press title, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan.

B+
7 out of 10


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