Haruhi Suzumiya 4: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Nagaru Tanigawa – Yen Press / Little, Brown – 2010 – 9+ volumes
This is a novel

So I liked the first book in the series, but hated the second. I hated the second enough that I probably wouldn’t have picked up any others in the series, except I’d preordered 3 and 4 based on the strength of the first. The third volume is, more or less, a collection of short stories about the SOS Brigade, so I didn’t think that would really win me back. But the plot of the fourth book sounded very, very interesting. I skipped the third and read this one in a desperate attempt to remember why I liked the first one so much.

I hated the second one because I just could not deal with Kyon’s near-constant, repetitive complaining. The plot was also way less interesting, and the only part I was really interested in, the resolution, was rushed.

The events of the third volume were mentioned offhandedly a few times here, and one of the stories is very much tied into what goes on in this volume, but it’s not necessary to have read it since you can figure out what happened from context. Also, Kyon just gives you the short version. Makes me not want to read the third even more now, but the way it ties into this volume makes me wonder if the other stories will re-appear later, too.

I’m a sucker for this type of story: Kyon wakes up one day to find that everyone in the SOS brigade is… normal. They don’t have special powers, they don’t know him, and some don’t even go to his school. He wakes up in a world with no SOS Brigade, basically. The solution to his problem involves time traveling, with extensive details about how the situations need to be set up and executed, and most importantly, Kyon has to figure out if he wants a normal life or the craziness he’s complained about for three solid novels. So he can’t blame any of his misfortunes on anybody else. Essentially, it is him starting the SOS Brigade and sanctioning its activities from this point out, should he make that choice.

Or maybe he finds a happy medium. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I love that the weakness of the narrator was turned around and made into a legitimately interesting plot point along with a “restore the present and people you know” story. Plus, I love time traveling if it’s done right, which it is here.

It’s interesting seeing “normal” versions of all the characters, and while there’s no character development save for Kyon (which is significant) and one other Brigade member, I loved seeing Kyon acting crazy and how all the characters regarded him as the nutjob for once. I also liked that, even without their powers, some characters were just themselves, and no amount of normalcy can strip them of their personalities. I do like Kyon too, I like that he’s the eye of the storm in the club, and he is a decent narrator, I just hate the excessive complaints. Hopefully we’ll see a reduction of that in future volumes.

I do like Kyon, but I realized after I finished this that… these novels are treading in dangerous territory, since I don’t love any of the characters. Aside from the narrator, the others in the Brigade are still too shallow to really get behind. One of the characters was definitely fleshed out here, but she’s still a little too much of a stereotype for me to really appreciate. I realize that’s the point, but even so… I need somebody to love, or I’m not going to like this series for very much longer.

What I also liked is that time is progressing in the world of the novels. The first book took place just after school started in spring, the third book was a collection of events from summer vacation (or at least the Tanabata story was), and this book contained a Christmas story. It’ll be interesting to see if the characters age and prepare for graduation and adulthood, or whatever, as the novel series progresses.

It was a lot of fun this time around, and I’m going to happily pick up the next couple novels, at least. I liked it for different reasons from the first book, though. While I liked that the first book simultaneously parodied common anime plot devices and used them effectively, this one just took a type of plot device I love and used it well, with a suitable set of established characters to pull it off. I don’t think the series is anything spectacular, and I have a feeling I’m going to have to weather a few more bad with the good, but hopefully I’ll still get to read a few more Haruhi Suzumiya books I like as much as this one.