-The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (revisit): I watched this show in original broadcast order my first time, so this time I'm doing it chronologically, with both seasons together. I loved this show the first time I saw it, but so far I think the broadcast order may have played a big part in elevating the show. It's still good, but the manner in which KyoAni built up the mystery and eccentricity by shuffling the stories was an inspired move, and taking that away makes the show feel a little more ordinary in retrospect. Haruhi herself is also, quite frankly, a terrible person, and the first arc of the show highlights that in a way which makes it hard to like her or really understand what Kyon sees in her - which, again, was alleviated in the broadcast order by cutting up that first arc across the length of the season. Even this early on, though, it's not hard to see all the little tricks of editing and character animation which would become part of KyoAni's overall signature.
-Tamako Market (first watch): I feel like this show, directed by Naoko Yamada, gets overshadowed by her work on K-On! and more recent films like A Silent Voice, but this is a delightful show in its own right. The show is a bit abrupt in its introduction, but really it's all about making the audience at home with the market, enjoying slice-of-life routines and antics with Tamako while subtly building a story arc which culminates in a heartwarming message about what family is. Naturally, KyoAni's standard bar for design and animation detail are in full, colorful display here. I just purchased the show from Right Stuf's birthday sale, so I may be watching it again already very soon!
-K-On! The Movie (first watch): speaking of K-On!, this film really brings out the series at its best: following five adorably dorky highschool girls adventuring in another country (often with no idea what they're doing) while four of them also prepare a farewell tribute for their junior. It's totally sweet and silly, and even at its most awkward moments I felt totally relaxed. I hope we can see another pleasant feature like this from KyoAni someday; I need more of this goodness in my life.
-Tamako Love Story (first watch): following the Yamada trend, this film picks up about where Market left off, but with a big change in mood and intent as Tamako is faced with a personal challenge she's completely unprepared for. The film is still very colorful and sometimes silly, but it's also much more tender and contemplative, with a couple of artistic sequences that I think foreshadow the sensibilities displayed in A Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird. It's a really sweet, relatable film, and I think Yamada is becoming one of my favorite film directors.
I've started up Free! and Miss Kobayahi's Dragon Maid next, and will probably revisit Lucky Star after I'm done with Haruhi. I've meant to see all of KyoAni's works for a few years now, but I hate that it took an incident like this to really drive me towards accomplishing it.
