The first episode clues were in the special effects (odd changes from cheezy to super realistic, etc) -- but I tell people to watch the first 3 eps before passing any judgement. Of course, I always try to give any anime 3 episodes before writing it off.
Be wary of anyone who insists you convert to *anything*... even Haruhiism, for they have stopped accumulating and processing new data: a mortal sin in the eyes of Yuki.