Haruhi S2, HD and Sequels

So, ostensibly this is a first look at the second season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.  But anyone who watched the first season will understand the pointlessness of trying to review the series on a holistic level without watching the entire thing.  The first season of Haruhi was aired out of chronological order, a choice that was correct for the wacky and blisteringly original show that was Haruhi S1.  Of course the problem for the reviewer is that without a contiguous plot there is no basis for an objective review on the basis of plot.

Any other kind of review of Haruhi S2 is more or less pointless, because the same team that provided the high quality animation, excellent voice work and brilliant execution is behind it.  Which is not to say that things are status quo, but there isn’t a lot of material to rule comparatively.  And the story is typically opaque.  I refuse to review individual episode, because I firmly believe that if someone wanted a complete blow by blow of a single episode, they’re better off seeing it themselves, rather than viewing it through the lens of an inevitably biased reviewer.  At least in the review of an entire series, a synthesis of the series strong and weak points can be achieved.

There is also something to be said for the inappropriateness of sequels.  Particularly when the original was so very original.  I realize the restrictions that capitalism imposes on creativity, but it does bother me that a show like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya might be crushed under the weight of sequel that will undermine the fierce originality of the first instance.

Moving on.  I have been having trouble finding a sufficiently high quality version of the Haruhi S2 fansubs.  Now, I used to watch my fansubbed anime just like everyone else.  Cruddy Xvid encoded AVI files.  But the boost in readily available HQ and HD streams from live airings in Japan and the ability to distribute, store and work with those same RAWs has fundamentally altered the way that fans can enjoy what is, essentially, an art form.

I am increasingly picky about the quality of the shows that I am willing to watch because when appreciating art, the critic should view it at its best.  On that note, I have come to believe that HD in animation is a necessity.  When viewing live action television, or movies, the viewer is restricted by the quality of the camera.  It is next to impossible to render an entire image in full focus.  Things in the shot are going to be blurry.  It doesn’t matter how HD you get, there are flaws in the way we record that are translated regardless of the medium.

In contrast, Anime, and animation are rendered perfectly, within the bounds of animation quality and budget restrictions.  It is atrocious to downgrade that perfection with a crappy encode or rip.  I realize that without a digital broadcast there are limits to the quality of the rips you can acquire, but effort should be made to ensure that high quality is a watchword for what is one of the major avenues of anime distribution (legal or not).

I am blissfully ignorant of the processes involved in producing HD subs and encodes, so what I say should be taken with a grain of salt as the opinion of a fan.  But I doubt that I’m alone in my opinion and the presence of groups that only release high quality fansubs speaks to the presence of others closer to the business who agree with me.

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