The hugely popular 2006 anime, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya took the anime world by storm when it came out. Based on the light novels by Nagaru Tanigawa, the story is about an average guy and the adventures that the eccentric leader of the SOS Brigade drags him into.
The series took a downturn in the second season when eight versions of the same episode were aired in what is known as Endless Eight. Needless to say, many fans were not happy with that particular arc. Haruhi (or maybe I should say Yuki) made a comeback a year later with the release of the first movie, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Speculations about a third season of Haruhi have been thrown around since then, but those were thrown out the window when Aya Hirano, the voice behind Haruhi Suzumiya, announced that she had a pituitary gland tumor and would no longer be taking on any more voice acting roles. The announcement that she was also ending her music career was a further blow to the possibility of Aya being in another installment of the Haruhi series.
Despite Aya’s medical condition, speculations about a third season have resurfaced recently with the success of the 10th volume of the light novel and the appearance of a special Haruhi website. With the anime adaptations covering only a portion of the Haruhi light novels, there is still plenty of material to cover, and the interest they generate might be enough to warrant a new season. The new Haruhi website, which appeared recently, might also point towards a third season. The site initially asked everyone to write a wish, and if 15,498 wishes were made, there would be a surprise. That number was reached not long afterwards, and the site now indicates that there will be an announcement regarding the series during Tanabata (July 7).
For those of you who don’t know, Tanabata is a star festival which celebrates the meeting of two lovers who are only allowed to see each other once a year. Tanabata plays an important role in the Haruhi story, so one can assume that if this mysterious announcement isn’t about a third season, that there is likely to be at least another movie or perhaps an OVA release. Of course, none of this can be confirmed until the actual announcement next month.
This is great news, that is an amazing series!
I have to wonder if they will simply try to replace the seiyuu. This can be a tricky proposition, but it could potentially be done without upsetting the fan base too much.
When I first watched the first Air Gear OVA I didn’t even realize that Ringo was voiced by a different seiyuu. After I found out about it I listened to both and could tell the difference, but it was close enough.
I hope there will be season 3…
If Aya Hirano can’t be the Seiyuu to this anime, i recommend Yui Horie to replace her..
She has a similar voice characteristics to Aya Hirano..
She is the seiyuu of Narusegawa Naru (Love Hina), Eri Sawachika (School Rumble)…
This needs to happen!