When watched in proper order, the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi plays out like a short OAV series followed by a bunch of omake episodes. Suddenly, the jumbled broadcast makes sense.

Not to say, of course, that the show isn’t satisfying when the episodes are viewed in chronological order. It definitely held my attention better. However, I was surprised by how little “happens” in the show; it’s so much more evident when the primary story arc is stuck up front. Beyond that, it’s little more than a slice of life show, and as a whole, it’s clearly a brief introduction to something bigger, deeper and more complex. At this point, I’m just as anxious for a second season as anyone else.

The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi is one of a handful of shows I’ve watched in short bursts lately. I’ve already made note of Clannad and ef - a tale of memories, of course, but I’ve also rewatched Kimikiss - Pure Rouge in recent weeks. It was just as good the second time around, if not better. I also finished it off in a single weekend, which was a bit unexpected given the show’s age and length. Then again, I guess it was the same story with Clannad.

I’m gradually coming to the realization that this is the way in which I prefer to watch anime: one show at a time, all at once. Since early this year, I seem to have lost all ability to keep up with new series on a weekly basis, save the odd favorite here and there. And, even then, it’s tough. On the surface, I chalk it up to being busy; I spend far more time thinking about work (and matters of similar weight) when at home than ever before, and I’ve been making an honest attempt to add some flavor and variety to my plate of hobbies and interests. Suddenly, I’m not so much in the mood to keep up with shows like Itazura na Kiss and Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu week after week. But catching up with them in single evening when the mood strikes? That’s simple enough. And a lot more fun.

Which is how it’s supposed to be, of course. I’ve long been one of those weirdos who doesn’t watch television. I haven’t had cable or satellite service in ages. I don’t even own a pair of rabbit ears. Outside of anime, I have little experience “keeping up” with television shows - or any other form of entertainment, for that matter. It must be in my nature to be overly protective of my free time. You won’t find me on IRC all that often, I don’t do instant messaging, and I don’t have text or e-mail service on my cell phone. I don’t do much recreational web browsing. I don’t read many blogs.

Considering my age, interests, and comfort with technology, you’d be surprised how disconnected I am from it all. And the distance only increases with age. I figure I’m only five years away from spending my weekends in a forest alone, penning haiku on old napkins…

I’m exaggerating, of course, but the message is clear: I’m not really all that suited to keeping up with much of anything day after day, week after week. Unless it’s of particular importance, that is (I’ve only taken five days of vacation in the past year, after all). So, my falling off the weekly anime watching and regular blogging wagon in recent months was to be expected. I expected as much, at least.

But, you know, there are a lot of passionate anime fans outside of Japan who don’t do the weekly anime watching song and dance. Prior to the age of digisubs and raws on demand, it was normal to watch what was available when time allowed and the mood struck. If you think about it, this whole, “oh noes, my backlog is out of control because I can’t keep up with all thirty-six shows that are airing this season,” nonsense is very much a new paradigm of anime consumption. It’s something a lot of anime fans fret about. It’s something I used to fret about.

To hell with all that.