The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is an Japanese animated television series. The story follows the narrator and protagonist Kyon, who is dragged along by the title character, his classmate Haruhi Suzumiya. She is an eccentric girl seeking supernatural phenomena and figures such as aliens, time travelers and espers. She establishes, a club to investigate mysterious events, the SOS Brigade, and recruits three additional members: the silent bibliophile Yuki Nagato, the shy and timid Mikuru Asahina, and the friendly transfer student Itsuki Koizumi. These members soon reveal themselves to Kyon as the extraordinary characters Haruhi is seeking, who is unaware of her destructive reality warping power. They have been sent by their various organizations to observe her and prevent these powers from being unleashed, leaving to Kyon the task of maintaining for Haruhi the illusion of a normal life.
After Kyon returns, he finds only Yuki in the clubroom and decides to wait for the others, but falls asleep. When he awakens, he finds Haruhi alone with him, waiting for him to wake up so they can leave. It has already started raining, so Haruhi borrows an umbrella from school for them to use. When returning home, Kyon finds a more playful side to Haruhi and in the end, she pulls a playful tongue-out face.
Hoping to reclaim the computer Haruhi extorted from the Computer Research Society earlier in the year, the Computer Research Society President challenges the SOS Brigade to a computer game they created for the cultural festival entitled The Day of Sagittarius III. Haruhi accepts their challenge, but soon finds out that playing the game is much harder than she thought.
On the day of the school’s cultural festival, the members of the SOS Brigade are involved in different activities. Mikuru, along with Tsuruya, and their class open a fried noodles café, Yuki attempts fortune telling, and Itsuki is in a play. Kyon attempts to enjoy a normal day. Kyon goes to the auditorium, where bands are playing for the audience, and falls asleep…
The SOS Brigade previews their movie of questionable quality. In the movie, Mikuru Asahina stars as a time-travelling waitress from the future who must engage in fights with Yuki Nagato, who is playing as an alien-magician. Mikuru has sworn to protect a young man, played by Itsuki Koizumi, but a love-triangle ensues with both Mikuru and Yuki striving for Itsuki’s affections.
Deciding Yuki needs a familiar for her role, Haruhi picks up a stray cat and names it Shamisen. However, when Haruhi leaves that day, Shamisen starts talking as a result of Haruhi’s powers. Itsuki suggests that they need to remind Haruhi her movie is a work of fiction, before reality takes any more damage.