The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Season 1)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) is a Kyoto Animation series you can watch online on iFILM. On the first day of high school, Haruhi tells her stunned classmates she has no time for ordinary people — she'll only talk to aliens, time travelers and ESPers.

The story is narrated by Kyon, the one plainly normal kid in her orbit. Haruhi drafts him and three transfer students into a club she names the SOS Brigade, and the joke is that the recruits are exactly what she's looking for: quiet Yuki reads the world like source code, gentle Mikuru was sent back from the future, and smiling Koizumi hides psychic powers. None of them dare tell her the truth, because Haruhi's moods bend reality in ways she never notices.

The show became famous for its nerve: the 2006 broadcast ran the episodes out of order, leaving fans to reassemble the timeline themselves. Aya Hirano voices Haruhi, and the Brigade's songs spread far beyond the screen. If you like a high-school comedy that quietly slides into science fiction, this one's for you. Stream The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006) online on iFILM.