The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the most infamous anime series ever. Based on the light novel series written by Nagaru Tanigawa and illustrated by Noizi Ito, the series quickly gained a massive fan base. This popularity ended up cementing Haruhi as one of the most iconic characters in Japanese fiction.
When the anime launched in 2006, it introduced a whole new audience to the super-powered schoolgirl and her wacky adventures. However, the anime is infamous for its confusing timeline, making watching it difficult.
What is the story of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya?
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows Kyon, a student at North High School in Nishinomiya. Kyon is living a regular life until he encounters Haruhi, another student at his school.
Haruhi is determined to find evidence of supernatural phenomena, and along with Kyon, she sets up the SOS Brigade. However, Kyon soon learns Haruhi is way more than she seems, pulling him and several new friends into a cavalcade of weird adventures.
Why does The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya have multiple watch orders?
The first season of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was broadcast in a nonlinear order because the production company believed that the final episode of the series didn’t provide a strong enough ending. This change means that the episodes that tell the story from the first light novel are scattered throughout the series, interspersed with episodes that tell stories from later books.
The second series only makes this more confusing. While this series was broadcast in order, season two’s stories are set during season one. Meaning that chronological order involves jumping from series to series.
Season one does try to help with this somewhat. In every “next episode” preview, the characters say two different numbers. The number Kyon says is where the next episode fits into the broadcast order. The number Haruhi says is where it fits into the chronological timeline.
Due to this, the fandom tends to refer to the chronological watch order as the “Haruhi order.” And the broadcast order as the “Kyon order.”
How to watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in Kyon/broadcast order?
Watching the episodes in broadcast order is pretty simple, as you can watch the first season and then follow it with the second. So in this order, you’ll watch the season one episodes in the following order:
- “The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00”
- “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part One”
- “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Two”
- “The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya”
- “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Three”
- “Remote Island Syndrome (Part One)”
- “Mystérique Sign”
- “Remote Island Syndrome (Part Two)”
- “Someday in the Rain”
- “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Four”
- “The Day of Sagittarius”
- “Live Alive”
- “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Five”
- “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Six”
After completing season one, you can move on to season two, watching it in order.
How To Watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya In Haruhi/Chronological Order?
Watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in chronological order is a slightly more challenging undertaking as you’ll be jumping between episodes and seasons a lot.
To watch both seasons in chronological order, you’ll watch the episodes in the following order:
- Season 1 – “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part One”
- Season 1 – “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Two”
- Season 1 – “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Three”
- Season 1 – “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Four”
- Season 1 – “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Five”
- Season 1 – “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Six”
- Season 1 – “The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya”
- Season 2 – “Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody”
- Season 1 – “Mystérique Sign”
- Season 1- “Remote Island Syndrome (Part One)”
- Season 1 – “Remote Island Syndrome (Part Two)”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight I”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight II”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight III”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight IV”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight V”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight VI”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight VII”
- Season 2 – “Endless Eight VIII”
- Season 2 – “The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part One”
- Season 2 – “The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Two”
- Season 2 – “The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Three”
- Season 2 – “The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Four”
- Season 2 – “The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Five”
- Season 1- “The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00”
- Season 1 – “Live Alive”
- Season 1 – “The Day of Sagittarius”
- Season 1 – “Someday in the Rain”
Where do the movies and spin-offs fit in the timeline?
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya spawned a massive franchise. This includes The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie and two other anime series. Thankfully, these don’t complicate the watch order very much.
The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is best watched after you’ve watched everything else, no matter the order you watch it in. The movie ties everything together and acts as the perfect ending for the series.
The other spin-offs, including the parody series The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya and the adaption of the spin-off manga The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan, can be watched after you finish the series. As the first is a gag series. And the second is set in an alternative universe linked to the movie.
What about The Endless Eight?
Warning: This segment contains spoilers. Skip this section if you don’t want to see them.
The Endless Eight arc is one of the most controversial arcs in Haruhi Suzumiya. The story sees the group getting caught in an eight-day time loop. This is made worse as the group’s memories are erased at the end of each cycle.
In the anime, this arc is shown across eight episodes. These eight episodes are mostly the same, aside from very minor changes. While many praised the show for its unique meta approach to the arc, others hated the idea of watching one episode eight times in a row.
Because of this, many watch lists include a reduced version of the Endless Eight. So, if you want to save time, remove all of the Endless Eight episodes from the list, except “Endless Eight I,” “Endless Eight II,” and “Endless Eight VIII.”
Which is the best order for watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya?
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a fantastic series no matter the order you watch it in. There is a certain charm to watching the episodes in broadcast order, as it is fun to piece the story together as you watch. However, this does mean the pacing can feel slightly weird at times.
In chronological order, the episodes flow better. But the narrative feels more straightforward, lacking the fun puzzle-solving element. However, this is totally down to a matter of personal taste. You are guaranteed a good time no matter what order you watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in.