The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya Feels Like Another SOS Brigade Romp

When The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya came out to continue the adventures of her and the SOS Brigade members, it did so over 20 years after the original The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel. Which puts things in a difficult position. Does the plot advance in a major way? How does it handle the incorporation of the two 2004 “Haruhi Suzumiya Theater” Sneaker stories? Nagaru Tanigawa went with a more casual sort of story involving the Haruhi Suzumiya characters we love enjoying the moment and being who we loved, rather than any major advancements, and I loved the design choice. 

Editor’s Note: There will be mild spoilers for things that happen in The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel below.

The thing about The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya is, due to its age and nature, it is difficult to pin down where it falls in the timeline. In a way, I think this works both for and against it. Someone who is more new to the series, but aware of what’s going on, can enjoy Haruhi, Kyon, Yuki, Mikuru, and Itsuki engaging in silly and maybe occasionally unsettling situations that leave us questioning what’s going on and even the nature of things. If you’ve followed the series for years, it does mean there is no major character development. I even found it difficult to pin when it might happen. It is absolutely during year 0 after The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, but I don’t think it gets into any year 1 events. 

While major progression and development would be great, I feel like the execution of The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya is part of what makes it so successful. The four acts tie together, but they also feel like individual sorts of adventures due to the isekai nature of it. Yes, these 2004 stories involve our five heroes heading to different worlds and solving the conditions to complete tasks in each one. Except failing seems to draw it out. Act One: Fantasy is set in a Dragon Quest sort of RPG. Act Two: Galaxy is more of a sci-fi space opera. Act 3: World Tour involves a spaghetti western type of take. Once we get to Act 4: Escape, it’s a retelling of the Trojan War. Seeing the shifting conditions and Haruhi reacting to expected tropes is entertaining, as is seeing Kyon as the outsider, ordinary person “reacting.” Yuki also gets to step up a lot, due to her actions in helping understand and solve situations. 

I also feel like the nature of the original Sneaker stories and this worldwide release holds up because it isn’t tied down to an established point in the storyline. We can focus on what it’s like when Haruhi and the SOS Brigade gets caught up trying to defeat the Demon Lord, in their own way, then rescuing kidnapped Fifth Separatist Empire royalty from space pirates, and Deputies Kyon and Itsuki working with the SOS Brigade bounty hunters Haruhi, Mikuru, and Yuki bringing peace to the wild west. I felt like the Fantasy and Galaxy arcs are the most “fun,” due to the ability to get carried away and brevity. While things do start to work out and get more cohesive by Escape, I almost feel like it gets bogged down a bit then. 

However, the real incentive that comes with this release involves the preservation standpoint. No matter how much someone gets out of what ends up feeling like a side story, it’s ensuring greater access to every part of the Haruhi Suzumiya storyline. This is an official localization of stories that were lost in time for years. Only certain people in Japan or those able to hunt down the originals or fan translations 

While in some ways I feel like the nature of The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya is a bit awkward, that also means it still feels timeless and accessible. The isekai short stories feel unbound and like a means of us to have fun with the characters when things could be silly and more free. It also means anyone could jump in and enjoy, as long as they’re familiar with the premise. Not to mention it is great to have it preserved. It’s lacking in major developments and defined placement, but it doesn’t need that to be a good time.

The Theater of Haruhi Suzumiya is available via Yen Press. 

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