AKA Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu. Based on A series of novels by Tanigawa Nagaru. Studio: Kyoto Animation. Length: 14 25-minute episodes.
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Haruhi is on a very short list of anime series I will recommend to anyone. The only other that comes to mind would be Escaflowne. It isn't that these shows are particularly similar in content, or that I personally like them so much I insist everyone watch them (that's honestly a much longer list). It's that, whatever it is you may be looking for in a show, these two shows are likely to deliver it, and do a darn good job too.
Now comes the tricky part in writing this review. One of the main things Haruhi has going for it is that for the first several episodes, it does a very good job of misleading the audience regarding just what kind of show it is that you're watching, largely by way of the episodes not being in sequential order. We start off with a decidedly misrepresentational first episode (which explains itself away), then to the first couple deceptively straightforward episodes, a flash forward to a threat of it becoming a zany, off-the-wall comedy, and the whole time context is gradually developing for all of this, and the actual premise and tone of the show are coming into focus. I don't want to spoil the surprise for people, but I will say this. It's funny without seriously dipping into the context-free wackiness you see in shows like Excel Saga, or Dragon Half. It also gets features a decidedly interesting/thought provoking premise, but not of the sort that drastically alters the show halfway through, turning it into something unrecognizable, as happens with so many other shows.
So, without spoiling the real premise of the show for you all, here's a few things I can tell you all about Haruhi. First off, the production values are through the roof. A lot of attention paid to background details, animation quality that consistantly meets or beats standards set by big budget movies throughout the entire series (animated crowds in backgrounds, hair movement, dynamic camera movement and head tilting during scenes of pure dialog, a decidedly faster than average frame rate all around). The animation quality I can't convey here, but for background detail, this image is on screen for all of half a second, just to give us a closer look at what a couple people are doing in the background of one scene.
Then of course we have the characters. The title character of the series is, simply put, a megalomaniacal psychopath who can generally be described as being completely ABLE to seperate fantasy from reality, but generally chosing not to. In other words, she tends to approach life as if it were a work of fiction, constantly trying to tempt tired cliches into occuring. Take for example the high amounts of fan service found in various franchaises wherein a magical being/alien/whathaveyou takes up residence in the mundane world (and wacky hijinks ensue). This observation prompts Haruhi to abduct the most cute and helpless looking girl she can find, forces her to dress in skimpy costumes, and be "the mascot character" needed to attract such things. Post-modern fan service, with all the mental scarring and horrified stares you'd get in real life.
Next we have Kyon, the viewpoint character of the series. He's mainly here to provide us with a constant inner monologue of amusing sarcastic comments, vaguely reminescent of Farscape's Crichton, and a rare find in an anime series. Then there's Mikuru, the unwilling source of fan service alluded to above, adding both the skimpy costume angle the sleazier viewer wants, and a deep well of black humor for people like me, and several other unique twists on common archetypes, all of whom have some rather interesting quirks which I'd rather not ruin for you.
Over all, The Melancholy of Suzumiya is a very upbeat, original, and just plain amusing series which, as mentioned above, I'd recommend to just about anyone you could name. For a more coherent take on just what makes it so good though, you'll have to read my Post Mortem writings on it.
