Suguru laments the long gap between releases:

I remember someone at Kyoani mentioning at one point that they wanted Haruhi to be like the Gundam franchise for them--someone needs to go to Kyoto and tell them you don't built a franchise by just sitting on a one-cour series for years and throwing out the occasional teaser. I can't say they've killed my interest in the series, because I'm sure I'll be counting the days until the next season airs regardless of if it's in 2009 or 2039, but I'm starting to wish J.C. Staff or some other studio would do the second season just to get things moving already.

Personally, I'm not enthusiastic with attempts by studios to find "another Gundam". This may have to do with the distaste for sequels (after all, I rejected the ef ~melo~ after the success of ef ~memo~: highest post count on Ani-nouto), but generally I'm open to the idea. I may yet like 0083 after 08th MS Team. The difference between Haruhi and Gundam is that the former franchise, if ever occurs, would be based on direct sequels.

Given the above, the gap between releases makes no difference to me. I'm going to evaluate the new Haruhi on the basis of its merits. In this, too, Suguru's reaction is antagonistic to mine. I wonder who's in the majority?

The delay in the light novels is just baffling -- the 10th light novel, "The Surprise of Suzumiya Haruhi", was scheduled to come out in summer '07, but the publisher announced it would be delayed, and a year and a half later we're still waiting with no release date in sight. Given the ninth novel had a pretty ambitious plot, with two parallel universes/stories of sorts going on, I'm a little worried the author just got in over his head and has no idea how to continue the story. Or worse, the author's at some kind of impasse with his editors, where he wants to do something drastic like kill off Mikuru but the editors are petrified that'll piss off the fans.

Heh. I wonder if they have any plans to resurrect Ryoko? That might increase chances that I'd watch the thing. Although, if they corrupt her character in the same way their colleagues from other studio dealt with Kuroki in Paris-hen, I may swear undying hatred.