Japanese high school students think “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” is an “old anime,” leaving netizens dumbfounded! For those born in the 90s, this is clearly still a recent work!

When mentioning the classic “old animations” in one’s heart, almost every anime fan will conjure up a unique name. This is an interesting comparison of cross-generational preferences in animation. When a Japanese netizen named “Panda’s Uncle” shared his conversation with a high school girl online, he was shocked to find the generational differences: the girl believes that “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” is already considered “old animation”!

This immediately gave him a sense of the passage of time. To him, this work still sounds like an animation that only recently appeared, and time has unexpectedly turned around.

This anime-loving high school girl took a summer job and chatted with her coworkers about anime during her breaks. Upon discovering that this uncle was also an anime fan, she curiously asked what works he preferred. The uncle lightly brushed it off, hoping to answer with “older anime or tokusatsu” to evade the question.

However, the young girl immediately questioned, “Is it something like ‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’?”

This answer left the old man both amused and puzzled. In his memory, “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” was still a fresh work, and did not at all seem like a synonym for “the old times.”

The old man continued to reminisce about the passage of time, mentioning that the era of the girl’s father was the classic age of “Ranma ½,” while their generation was marked as the golden age of “Urusei Yatsura.” This conversation quickly sparked discussion on social media, with netizens expressing similar shock and sentiment.

With the surge of reactions from netizens, many people are eagerly calculating the time: the original light novel of “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” began in 2003, and the animated version debuted in 2006.

Now, this work has endured for a long 18 years. In the eyes of young people born after 2000, it is indeed a “classic” from the past. But surprisingly, for both netizens and this older man, it still unequivocally represents “our era.”

 Netizens are also sharing their feelings one after another:

Is ‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya’ really an old anime? I thought it was new.

In my opinion, works like ‘Cardcaptor Sakura’ and ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ are the true old animations.

The current young people have a completely different definition of time than we do; their ‘classics’ come from different eras.

Many netizens have realized that many classic animations are actually experiencing their “coming of age” years.

This makes one ponder that the criteria for measuring time across different generations have quietly changed — as “Neon Genesis Evangelion” gradually becomes a nostalgic symbol on its 29th anniversary, the current high school students are encountering works like “Macross Frontier.”

The relentless passage of time never waits for anyone. The animations we loved and chased during our youth have gradually become old chapters in the eyes of the younger generation. It is precisely because of the rapid changes of the times that every generation has a different definition of classic works.

The final sentiment is that these animations are not only entertainment works but also cultural marks of each era.

Although everyone chuckles in the face of generational differences, each generation’s great works always have the power to touch the soul – they represent the precious memories of youth and carry countless joys and tears for animation fans. Just like this sensational conversation online, each generation is constantly rewriting its own animated legendary story.

So, in your world, what exactly do “previous animations” and “recent animations” refer to? Feel free to share those touching works that transcend time and still resonate with you, as we seek to find the charm of animation that spans generations in our shared passion. No matter how the years change, that love for animation remains undiminished, always blooming in our hearts.