The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi-chan Vol. 12by Sheena McNeilReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Publisher
Credits Grade: 3 This is a review copy of the final volume of a series I have not previously read.This says it's for "older teen", but I had it pegged for grade school (so ... not even preteen). It's really childish and simple, with no plot to speak of. It's fluff, and not even really good or pretty fluff. Each chapter is completely separate, other than having some of the same characters (who is the main character? Is there one?). Haruhi (the title character) is mostly chibified often with playful or cheerful expressions, so where does the "melancholy" fit in? Each "story" is just random slice-of-life or musings or random whatever. There seems to be no point to most of it (none that I can grasp), and any humor is so rudimentary, it falls flat (though I partially blame the characters for being flat for the humor failing). It's also weirdly meta, especially in the final chapter, where all the characters comment on it. The swimsuit chapter reads like something the manga-ka was forced to do and didn't want to, so they poked fun at the concept of a swimsuit chapter and had a (male) character that only complained. How did this get to volume 12? The art isn't bad, but also isn't memorable. Some panels show off how good the art could be, surprising me. Most are decent but with too much of a mix of chibified or otherwise weird proportions mixed in randomly -- seemingly for humor, but, again, it's not funny. Written: June 14, 2020
|
|
|
Home |
Features |
Columns |
Culture Vultures |
Report Card
Indicia | Contact | Archives © Sequential Tart, 1998 – 2021 |
