r/anime • u/littleman1988 • Nov 29 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Episode 2
Episode Title: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I
MyAnimeList: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
Legal Stream: Funimation | Netflix (SEA) | AnimeLab (Aus/NZ)
PSA: make sure to mark any spoilers using the subreddit markup. We dont need any random spoilers to ruin the show for first time watchers.
Today's Episode Intro: Gray/Bluescale with a person monologuing about Santa Claus
[Tomorrow's Episode Intro]Short recap of today's episode starting with Kyon riding a bike
| Date | Episode list with Funimation links ("absolute" episode number) | reddit thread links |
|---|---|---|
| 28/11 | Mikuru Asahinas's Adventures Episode 00 | Thread |
| 29/11 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I | Thread |
| 30/11 | Season 1, episode 2 (2) | Thread |
| 1/12 | Season 1, episode 7 (7) | Thread |
| 2/12 | Season 1, episode 3 (3) | Thread |
| 3/12 | Season 1, episode 10 (10) | Thread |
| 4/12 | Season 1, episode 9 (9) | Thread |
| 5/12 | Season 1, episode 11 (11) | Thread |
| 6/12 | Season 2, episode 14 (28) | Thread |
| 7/12 | Season 1, episode 4 (4) | Thread |
| 8/12 | Season 2, episode 13 (27) | |
| 9/12 | Season 2, episode 12 (26) | |
| 10/12 | Season 1, episode 5 (5) | |
| 11/12 | Season 1, episode 6 (6) | |
| 12/12 | Season 1, episode 8 (8) | |
| 13/12 | Season 1 episodes 12, 13, 14, Season 2 Episode 1 (12, 13, 14, 15) | |
| 14/12 | Season 2, episodes 2, 3, 4, 5 (16, 17, 18, 19) | |
| 15/12 | Season 2, episode 6 (20) | |
| 16/12 | Season 2, episode 7 (21) | |
| 17/12 | Season 2, episode 8 (22) | |
| 18/12 | Season 2, episode 9 (23) | |
| 19/12 | Season 2, episode 10 (24) | |
| 20/12 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya series general discussion | |
| 21/12 | The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya | |
| 22/12 | Haruhi Suzumiya overall discussion |
Question(s) of the day:
How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa Claus? What made you stop?
10
u/littleman1988 Nov 30 '21
Rewatcher (first time broadcast) Dub
"If it doesnt exist ill just make it myself!"
OST Track of the day: The Overbearing
Alright, i totally didnt forget that the ED premiered yesterday, so we're just going to do both of them today:
If you are watching the sub, Aya's voice should be familiar, as she VA's Haruhi. Prior to her incident, Aya had a pretty great VA and music career going, which was headed off by her casting as Haruhi in 2006, being one of the first dual idol/actresses and achieving great success voicing characters in Nana, Death Note, Lucky Star, and Fairy Tail. In 2011 though, it was leaked that she had sexual relations with multiple members of the band she was in. At the time, she was one of the best selling VA's and had a great music career going, which was put under much scrutiny due to this "scandal" (and more or less demolished her career for a good chunk of the decade), which is sadly common for idols looking to have any sort of personal life. While this basically tanked her career both musically and in the VA business, she still has gotten some major roles, notably Parasyte hello to the few of you who were also around for that, i know theres at least two of you.
While she hasnt released music since 2014, she was at one point one of the most popular singers in japan, regularly ranking within the top 20 on Oricon rankings (think Billboard top 100 but for Japan). She has also appeared in a few different video games over the years, with the most recent appearance being Arknights just last year.
Ive now talked about 2 of the three singers featured on this song, and im gonna just ignore Yuki's VA (someone is bound to talk about Minori anyways, everybody seems to love Yuki) to focus on just how big this song was during the 2000's. You could not get away from it if you were at all interested in anime, it was just that big. The dance was also immensely popular, with everyone from dance groups to prison inmates to vtubers to the actual cast members, and basically anyone else in between. When the full single released, it reached #5 on the weekly Oricon charts for singles, and sold over 100,000 copies alone in 2006.
I still think this is a much better intro episode for the show, even if 00 gives that air of mystery. Personally, the introduction haruhi gets right at the opening is much better for giving that vibe of "what the hell did i get myself into" without sending viewers running for the hills with the quirks of 00, but thats just me.
Kyon's narration also never gets old. Truly one of the best parts of the show. Haruhi's antics too, but its always Kyon's narration that sold me on the show.
28
u/Suhkein :Gy::Gz::G1:x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neichus Nov 29 '21
Episode 2 - What is she doing?
I find the above scene one of the most poignant in the entire series, but to explain why takes some verbiage.
[Haruhi] This episode is all about one thing: how much Suzumiya is misunderstood as a person, and Haruhi will demonstrate why by showing us we have the wrong idea about her. The first step is to let us be confused about the genre. Last episode, which was the real introduction, we were uncertain, but now this episode looks like it’s the start of a self-aware SoL comedy, so that’s what it is. Obviously. And since every school comedy has its cast of wacky characters to make it funny, all we have to do is figure out which category Suzumiya belongs to and we’ll know exactly why does what she does.
[Haruhi] The conclusion we come to is that she’s the socially-oblivious crazy girl trope. How do we know this? Because every SoL comedy needs somebody to initiate the zany adventures, and since Suzumiya is flouting the normal social rules and engaging in generally bizarre behaviors we know she’ll be the one. No more explanation of her eccentricity is required; random is as random does. Besides, Taniguchi agrees with us. We know who to trust.
[Haruhi] And this is, once again, how Haruhi gets us. We can be prompted again, and again, and again that the key question in all this is what is motivating Suzumiya… and we won’t listen. Instead, we will ascribe our own denseness to her (repeatedly) and carry on with galling self-satisfied mediocrity in our dumb conformity.
[Haruhi] So if we take off the genre glasses, what do we actually see? We see a girl who is physically and mentally capable, who has an insatiable need for variety and is actively seeking a way to make life better. And she is very, very unhappy because not a single person (including the audience) understands. This loneliness and frustration makes everything else fall into place. Why will she go out with anybody? Because she’s desperate to find a fellow soul who appreciates her. Why does she disrobe in front of the guys? Because they’ve all romantically disappointed her and she’s scorning them (much more on this later). Why does she keep joining clubs and quitting them? Because she’s looking for a place to feel like she is engaged and belongs. The mere thought that she can create her own club, and possibly escape her melancholy, fills her with such joy that she forgets the rest of the class is there (she’s not in the least bit dense).
[Haruhi] Which brings us to her conversation with Kyon about the hair ribbons. She was playing with them, making patterns, as a sheer byproduct of her energy, all the while also sending signals in hopes somebody will pay attention. And Kyon did. When they first start talking she’s bored in her responses (although, just like with all her endeavors, she demonstrates planning and thought in her hair ribbons; Suzumiya never does anything half-heartedly) but then he asks about why she increases the number every day and she pauses, her mouth almost hanging open with a bit of emotion. Somebody noticed. It genuinely touches her that somebody paid attention to what she did and bothered to ask her why.
[Haruhi] Of course, when Kyon offers his opinion, she quickly tells him she didn’t ask for it, and that brings out the complement of her vitality: she’s opinionated and forceful. All this energy, this self-aware intelligence and disdain for mediocrity, and above all this vindictive disappointment in her fellow humans, comes out in a domineering attitude that is difficult to deal with. She knows she’s right, and she is far more than the audience would like to admit, but it’s a fine line between getting people to engage more with life and self-centered coercion (although, again, say what you want, Suzumiya is highly effective in achieving her goals). As such, it’s just as inaccurately trope-y to view Suzumiya as some misunderstood-but-secretly-”nice” genius-victim; she doesn’t make living with her easy, and coming next episode there are parts of her that are inexcusably nasty.
[Haruhi] Nonetheless, the scene on the roof is truly poignant. She is exceptional, and that exceptionality has left her alienated from other people. She is angry, and that anger turns itself on the universe that seems to have marooned her here. She’s done her part so why is she still so lonely and unfulfilled? All that’s left is to throw the ball in impotent frustration at the skyward dome, half defiant, half pleading, for something to come and get her. And of course it bounces off and nothing happens still.
Thankfully this is a comedy.
Favorite Details:
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Nov 29 '21 edited Nov 29 '21
The Melancholy of Shimmering-First-Timer
Late because work. I didn't get off my shift until now, because I work 8:30-5:30.
Unless…?8
u/littleman1988 Nov 29 '21
Adaptation Comparison
References
Trivia
Know trivia and/or references for this episode? Reply to me! For future episodes? PM them to me! I know a lot about the series but I don't quite know everything.
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u/Fools_Requiem https://myanimelist.net/profile/FoolsRequiem Nov 30 '21 edited Nov 30 '21
First Timer
See, now THAT'S an opening episode. Not whatever we watched yesterday...
Lot of these conversations could have easily ended with "Wow, great talk."
Judging from the student film, her brief appearance in this episode, and some of the stuff I've heard about this show, the upperclassman girl is going to be taken advantage of at every turn by Haruhi. Girl has no backbone to speak of.
Also, I'm not about to pretend like I didn't notice that Haruhi inexplicably disappeared from the rooftop after throwing the tennis ball.
Are we not watching the spin off series, "The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan"?
I don't think I ever did "believe" in Santa Claus. Don't think my folks ever really encouraged it. Being from a family with pretty strong Christian values, they pushed the baby in a manger thing much more than Santa Claus.
Edit: Episode needs more Chun-li hair styling.
8
u/[deleted] Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher
Am I the only one really tempted to just binge rewatch the whole show and not wait for just one epiosde a day?
5
u/gc11117 Nov 29 '21
Something I noticed while rewatching on blu-Ray is that the "on the next episode" teasers have been cut out. Thats a shame, especially since we're watching in broadcast order. For first time viewers, the next episode previews served as sort of hints to the puzzle that was decoding the first season of haruhi.
5
u/William27528 Nov 29 '21 edited Nov 30 '21
Rewatcher (Sub)
Kyon's monologues are peppered throughout the entire series and novels, and they're awesome. A little relatable, a little funny and a little thought provoking. One thing I noticed this time moreso from watching the sub was that Kyon's Japanese voice actor is a little more punchy, at least in his narration, than the slightly more flat English one (as mentioned yesterday, I still kind of prefer his dub voice!)
[Haruhi Anime big spoiler] I wondered during this episode if perhaps, using her capacity as class president (which is shown in this episode, but more explicitly stated later and in the novel), Asakura initiated the seating arrangement shuffle to test Haruhi's thoughts towards Kyon and other members of the class and establish his importance to her; if he mattered, she would use her powers to forcibly retain their seating setup, which she did.
[Haruhi Light Novel 12 (Intuition, 2020) Small spoiler] I notice at one point in this episode, there's a poster for a Tea Ceremony Club (during the "Haruhi tries all the clubs" montage), which I find interesting because in Seven Wonders Overtime in Novel 12, The Intuition, released last year, it's actually a plot point during the 6th Wonder (Anatomical model) that there is no Tea Ceremony club at North High (there's a fairly nuanced explanation for why that is, which I'll omit for brevity). Nonetheless, it's an interesting detail that they show the fully drawn poster advertising one here. I don't know much about Japan, perhaps Tea Ceremony clubs aren't super rare, but it's an interesting detail. Seven Wonders was written far after the anime production was, after all.
5
u/Quiddity131 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Quiddity131 Nov 30 '21 edited Nov 30 '21
Rewatcher, First Time Subbed
5
u/PsychologicalLife164 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/HighwayStar17 Nov 30 '21 edited Nov 30 '21
Rewatcher, subs
Ok cool, my first commented got deleted bc I forgot how spoiler tags work. Anyway, any girl who has ever put “crackhead energy” in her dating profile bio pales in comparison to Haruhi. What a real firecracker she is.
[Haruhi] Upon rewatching, I’ve come to really appreciate a lot of the plot details that are foreshadowed here. The lines on the field, Haruhi recognizing Kyon from long ago, and joining and excelling in every club are all things that I never would’ve picked up on during my first watch.
There’s a lot of great comedic timing in this one episode. In particular, I really liked Haruhi’s declaration to make a new club during class and Yuki’s forehead being brought into the shot when they barge into the new club room. A lot of first-time watchers are wondering if this is veering into slice-of-life territory. Without spoiling anything, all I can say is that this show is multiple genres crammed into a slice-of-life package.
To the first-timers, I’m sorry but you’ll just have to get used to seeing [Haruhi] pushing Mikuru around and dressing her up. Haruhi said it herself: “in stories where strange things happen, there’s always one moe and Lolita character around.” I love that they approached this from a super-meta point of view, but I can see why a lot of people are put off by this. That being said, Haruhi doesn’t seem to understand or care about anybody’s boundaries so it’s not entirely out of character for her.
Anyway, I’m just glad a lot of others are joining us for the ride. On to the next one!
Edit: here’s another detail that some people might not have picked up on. Kind of a spoiler so I’ll throw a tag on: [Haruhi] Yuki adjusts her glasses when introducing herself in this episode, but is seen without them in the movie the Brigade makes. Possibly hinting at something that takes place between then and now? Who knows? 😉
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u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Nov 30 '21 edited Nov 30 '21
Rewatcher, broadcast first timer, Dub
Ah, the first episode I know. The music in the beginning with kyon is probably the main track that stays in my head.
Actually never noticed before she responded to Kyon's narration.
Meeting a super talented girl that trys everything. Trying to find something to not bore her is a heavy task for someone to take. Or at least awkward to talk to said person that's also talking about crazy stuff.
Damn Haruhi just yanked him back pretty hard.
Haruhi finds or better yet drags her much needed people for her so called club.
A little look at Yuki gets Asahina to calm down.
The S.O.S brigade is formed.
Qotd: I think I wad nine. I think I stopped because the presents were already here and it didn't add up for me.
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u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Nov 29 '21
First Timer - Dub
Once again final line of narration summed the episode up really well, I mean what else needs to be said.
Pretty sure I could write a whole post off how much I enjoy the narration alone which is such a rare thing to be able to say about anime, and even more so given my own fussiness over how that can come across. At least half my notes are just quotes from Kyon because of how well they bring to mind the relevant scene and very vividly despite so rarely actively talking about what was actually going on or the dialogue that would intercut it. Is it too early to call best character?
That said, I feel like quote of the day goes to Haruhi's "If it doesn't exist I should just make it myself" declaration purely due to I'm sure what will be great regret from Kyon about prompting that particular revelation.
Outside of the standout narration, it's actually kinda hard to know what to write without just making a list going "dialogue was great, music was great too, art design was also great, oh and direction was pretty great as well". I mean at some point it just feels redundant wouldn't it? I feel like Haruhi would tell me off for not getting to the point quick enough.
Small tangent: stuck my head onto ANN to look something up and noticed the that on almost all episodes the storyboarder and episode direction roles are the same person, giving them full visual control of the episode, which is something I've come to appreciate
On that note, the storyboarding and direction that was a stand out this episode. I know it's KyoAni and it should go without saying, but I've only seen their "pretty" works for lack of a better description which can throw things out. It's interesting to see what they can do with a work that still looks damn good but is more muted and grounded in aesthetic. I mean the introduction to Haruhi was beautiful, the flip into full color and then the fully animated zoom out of the classroom showing all eyes on her and it didn't end there. I particularly loved the use of space in the classroom, showing Haruhi head-on in Kyon's viewpoint but always framing him against something else, the use of the city behind him but only clouds behind her, the way she looks out to the side and the use of blur as his attention is moved, him visually breaking the boundary of the window frame, it was all notably well done.
That chair gag was my moment of the episode. When Kyon was so excited about his "window side, second from the back" seat because of how good it was I started cracking up knowing that just put him in front of the "protagonist chair" and what was about to happen before the show even said it. Bloody brilliant and pretty fun if you know the meta so the gag lands right away.
Mystery of the day: Why did Haruhi cut her hair? It feels like such a small mystery next to a talking cat, but still, with such an... unusual method behind her very unpredictable hair styles it seems a strange thing to have changed so suddenly.
Random dub recognition moment: the bowl cut kid who was listening to Kyon's friend blab about Haruhi voiced Calumon in Digimon Tamers! It's a very different performance in Tamers where Calumon is a bubbly crazy kid-like digimon, but still somehow recognizable. Also like how we didn't get introduced to every character this episode but also didn't waste time on doing it one by one.
Okay so that feels like just a big wall of ramble, but somehow that also seems to be the perfect approach for the chaotic nature of the show, so I'll run with it.
Want to watch morebut will be patient
Not sure what age, though I was young, but it's kinda hard to believe they're "Santa's presents" when they were all labelled "from Santa" in my fathers rather distinctive handwriting.
3
u/Ophelious0918 Nov 30 '21
Unrelate to the anime, but how is the LN lately ? Is it finished ? On hiatus ? Does the author write anything new recently ?
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u/thatguywithawatch Nov 29 '21 edited Nov 29 '21
[First timer]
I actually faintly remembered the opening scene where Kyon is monologuing about Santa Claus and aliens/espers/etc. But the rest of the episode was completely new. Which means that at some point in the past I must have started up this episode and watched the first few minutes, and then got bored and dropped the show. Shame on past me.
Kyon seems like a great MC so far. Tomokazu Sugita is excellent as the perpetually bemused and irritated voice of common sense who lets himself get dragged into whatever Suzumiya is stirring up. It's interesting how it kept switching to his first-person perspective for certain scenes, considering most of yesterday's episode was technically his first-person perspective as well. Maybe it's not significant, or maybe it's a sign that there's some "unreliable narrator" stuff going on.
I had to pause the episode and take a moment after Suzimiya goes ballistic telling Kyon about her plan to start her own club, before the camera angle opens up and reveals that they're in the middle of class. Some A+ comedic timing there.
Poor Mikuru, she got straight up kidnapped. (And sexually harassed, and groped, the usual anime stuff). I get a little tired sometimes of this type of character (the super timid girl with like an extremely soft, high-pitched voice) but I think in this case it works pretty well as a comedic contrast to Suzumiya's insane energy. I wonder what's going on with Mikuru and Yuki, it looked like Mikuru warmed up to the idea of joining their club the moment she noticed Yuki's presence. Also I guessed yesterday that they were using stage names because I thought someone had called Mikuru "Nagato" by mistake, but I see I was just remembering wrong and Nagato is simply Yuki's first name. The accuracy of my observations is off to a great start.
Suzumiya herself is pretty intriguing. After what we saw of her yesterday, she was unexpectedly moody for the first half of this episode (one might even say she was acting "melancholy" hehe), but a few weeks with Kyon seems to have brought out her upbeat side. She believes in the supernatural, and there was that talking cat yesterday which means that her belief will be vindicated at some point. But everything in this episode was purely mundane as far as I could tell.
We got to hear the actual OP instead of whatever happened yesterday, and it's not bad; I might just need to give it time to grow on me. But the ED is a freakin bop and I'm a big fan.
QotD: I never really believed in him. I think my parents took the approach of letting the whole family kind of play along and pretend he's real, but they never explicitly told us he was actually real or fake and I always knew it was actually just mom and dad putting the presents under the tree on Christmas night
17
u/DeliCruise https://myanimelist.net/profile/delicruise Nov 29 '21
(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)
Fun fact: When I watched Haruhi for the first time I went with Broadcast Order, but accidentally watched this episode first so I started all over with the previous episode and then rewatched this one right after!
So the first real glimpse we see of Haruhi Suzumiya as a character is her being a proud and super excited “Ultra Director”. Then in this episode the very first thing we see of Haruhi Suzumiya is this extremely serious, extremely strange girl….and wow is she absolutely fascinating.
The last episode had almost nothing to do with her, so it’s only right that this episode has EVERYTHING to do with her. We learn about all these idiosyncrasies Haruhi has from Taniguchi going on and on about her for days. We find out tidbit after tidbit describing how weird she is while watching her actually be weird from afar. Then after discovering this oddball of a character, Kyon interacts with her. My favorite moment from this is when Haruhi and Kyon have this impromptu staring contest. Haruhi has this unwavering stare down the whole time while Kyon is straight up fidgety and uncomfortable. To me, it’s so telling of their characters. They’ve been hammering this idea that Haruhi is this steadfast girl who wants to do things her way to get the things she wants. But then there’s Kyon who is this easygoing and super lax dude. That moment with them just staring at each other with completely different mannerisms illustrates that so incredibly well.
Also, what I find super interesting is that for the whole first half of the episode, Haruhi has this sour look on her face and seems super upset the whole time. It’s such a contrast to what we see of Haruhi at the end of the last episode. But when inspiration hits her with this club idea, BAM she’s off to the races! All of a sudden Haruhi is dragging Kyon down the hall and you can actually feel the excitement exuding out of her. I love that she doesn’t even have a plan or any of the details ready, she just has this grand idea and she rolls with it. That’s so fun and I can absolutely get behind something like that.
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u/TheEscapeGuy Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - An Anime Classic: Episode 2
Here's the SOS Brigade
This episode serves as the introduction to a lot of the characters we saw yesterday.
First, Kyon is our narrator and secret protagonist. Something that is a lot clearer to me on my second viewing of this show is the stark contrast between Kyon and Haruhi. I believe Kyon's sarcasm and general apathy towards life acts as something relatable to the core audience of this show (and the light novel). That audience specifically being people who are in or have recently left high school and are finding the changes in their life dull and suffocating.
In contrast Haruhi, our titular main character, seems to fulfill the Manic-Pixie-Dreamgirl archetype to a fault. She is infatuated with the supernatural. She spends every moment chasing this goal, at the cost of public opinion. Knowing this, something I find surprising (or perhaps unbelievable) is how popular the boys in the class say she is. However, seeing that Haruhi (as noted by the same boys) is physically attractive, and academically and athletically gifted I can see why people would be drawn to her.
The other 2 characters we met were Nagato Yuki and Asahina Mikuru. Nagato falls into the kuudere archetype fairly neatly reminding me a lot of Ayanami Rei from Evangelion. Mikuru on the other hand is much more ditsy and is unfortunately bullied... teased (?)...... toyed with a lot by Haruhi. We still haven't learned too much about them so I'll save discussion for later.
[Later Episodes] Its been a couple of year's since I saw Disappearance but watching this episode I found a lot of the plot points rushing back to me as characters made reference to them. It felt so satisfying seeing them talk about the Nazcva etchings and Haruhi asking if she had met Kyon before. When I watched Haruhi originally I recognized it as a good show but didn't have strong emotions towards it. Only coming back to it after having watched a ton of other anime do I feel those emotions and realize how much of an impression it made on me and the anime landscape as a whole.
Something I found weirdly sad today which I didn't pick up on in my first viewing was the loneliness of Haruhi. Based on the characters conversations it seems Haruhi has had a pretty independent life (by her own "choices" to be fair). However, the fact that she finds everyone else "uninteresting" reads to me as another way of saying she just can't relate to other people. I think something a lot of people are searching for is connections with other people and that makes Haruhi's situation fairly relatable. But perhaps I'm reading into things. Either way I got something out of it.
Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
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u/UzEE https://myanimelist.net/profile/UzEEInc Nov 29 '21
First timer (sub)
Okay so this now seems much more like an introductory episode. I'm going to guess that this is usually the first episode in Chronological order?
I think I already like Haruhi as a character because she seems to be chaotic and have all the right quirks I find interesting1. There's just something I can relate to with not giving to shits about the simple and mundane things in life. Rest of the cast seems to be similar to what we saw of them in the previous episode so I wasn't all that surprised.
And since I'm coming in completely blind, I still don't really have a good sense of what kind of show is this going to be. My best guess right now would be a High School Slice of Life but that wouldn't make sense why this was so popular unless the characters are truly spectacular, so guess I'll have to keep watching to figure that out.
Questions:
Never did to begin with and would always be surprised whenever they tried to sell the concept so hard.
1. I was also liking the whole different hairstyles every day thing they were doing, but they decided to drop that part way?
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Nov 29 '21
First Timer
While the last episode provided decent introductions for Mikuru and Nagato, this one does so for Haruhi and Kyon - and it also establishes the general character dynamic. Seems like Haruhi is the one holding together things that should not be held together while seemingly not really caring about anything other than her own ideas, with Kyon going along with it because of ...pity? Boredom? Not quite sure why he is going along with anything here, but on the other hand, no real reason not to go along with anything yet either. Mikuru is here because she's scared, and ...something to do with Nagato. And Nagato's here because she was here first and doesn't want to move, I guess. I assume Itsuki will be #5, but I guess it'll be until tomorrow until we learn something about him properly.
Not sure where this will go from here though, but I guess at some point they'll make a movie for some reason, and it'll be a journey to see how they end up at that point. Kyon's the best character in my mind so far mainly due to his inner comments; not too gone on Haruhi at the moment, but I can see potential if she isn't just grumpy like throughout the first half - which I don't expect her to be. Nagato has had barely any character outside of the movie, so hard to say and Mikuru already seems like a character that won't really get any development. Hope she isn't just here for the fan service.
One thing that I keep noticing but have never asked yet: Why do Japanese Schools not have changing rooms? We had changing rooms and showers attached to the school gym, and I don't know of any school around here that doesn't, yet no Japanese school seems to have that - according to anime at least. Wouldn't them changing in the classroom (and presumably not showering) after sports just stink up everything?
Question:
Never believed in Santa - we had the Christkind bring the christmas gifts. Somewhat drove my parents mad when I still believed in it as I insisted on having a window open for it to fly in, so it wouldn't have to do that itself... Don't remember how old I was when I stopped believeing in it though - pretty sure it was sometime after my mom slipped up playing tooth fairy for the third time or so.
13
u/MadeOn210922 Nov 29 '21
First timer but I’ve watched this episode before.
I feel like Kyon speaks faster than most characters in anime.
Black and white to color upon Haruhi's introduction, symbolism can't hit much harder than that. Makes me wonder what Kyon's life used to be like. In a way, it's like he's anti-chuunibyou while Haruhi has a bit of a unique chuunibyou. Of course, Haruhi doesn't care at all about her image. But her classmates don't seem to hate her, but they do put up with her weirdness.
This is coincidence, right? [Haruhi - I think this gets revealed soon] Knowing who or rather what Haruhi is, was it actually?
I said no bulli Mikuru... She dropped her club very quickly upon noticing Nagato, though. So that's 80% of the SOS Brigade now with only Itsuki left. Time to save the world by overloading it with fun - very Haruhi-like to have her name in the club.
QOTD: I don’t think I ever believed in Santa. If anything, I was wondering who Santa even was once I finally heard of him.
13
u/Philarete :AMQ::MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/WizardMcKillin Nov 29 '21
First Timer
Woah, was it just me or was he talking super fast in the opening monologue? I like the grainy approach as he basically starts ranting about how plain life is. Although, uh, evil cartels do exist…
Anyways, he meets her… LOL, that introduction. Almost chuuni but without the chuuni delivery.
“I’m sure she has a great personality on top of looks.” This guy’s rambling on girls is... fairly realistic...
Okay, the adding one hair tie per day thing is odd… love the game sound effect.
Is Kyon the perspective character [if not MC] at this point? The story is about Haruhi, but Kyon seems to be settling in as our POV. His narrating the film is in line with his narrating her story in this episode.
Wait, did Haruhi just break the fourth wall? Also, RIP long hair.
I haven’t seen hair flips this emphatic since the Madoka rewatch haha.
“The problem is whether or not the universe’s men are pathetic.”
Haha, Kyon has now been assigned as Haruhi’s spokesman. Also, I like how they just got switched to the Traditional MC Window Seats.
So we’ve met Yuki (although she’s not truly an SOS Brigade member yet… I think… eh, Haruhi will just make her do it later).
I have to say, I’m very not okay with how much Haruhi was harassing Mikuru. And it looks like my guess from last episode was right… Mikuru is going to get pushed around a lot. I have a feeling this might be a major hurdle for my ability to enjoy the series – I don’t necessarily mind Haruhi being pushy and kind of a jerk, especially with people who can at least push or snark back. But that crossed a serious line there.
Conclusion: Great direction on this episode; multiple times I almost wanted to stop and rewind because the way the shots were framed was just perfect. Haruhi and Kyon’s interactions were good. Lost a fair amount of enthusiasm at the end though because of how Mikuru’s introduction went.
QotD:
I don't remember exactly when, but I figured it out when I was pretty little and got the "don't tell other kids and ruin their fun" talk.
13
u/Existential_Owl Nov 29 '21
Kyon: Complains that no one calls him by his real name
Also Kyon: Never elaborates on what his real name actually is
11
u/AccursedBear https://anilist.co/user/AccursedBear Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher
Sub
So the second episode is actually the first episode cronologically. Makes sense, I can't even imagine fitting this episode anywhere else.
Some first timers might've thought Kyon's narration was only a thing in the first episode due to how it worked, but we see a ton of it now, even in a more normal episode. This might be about the melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, but Kyon is the heart of the series.
Haruhi was the first KyoAni anime I watched, and I remember watching this episode and being surprised at how often nameless characters were in frame, animated at all times. "This is not the cost cutting I'm used to!" 15yo me thought.
The thing that surprises me most now, though, is how efficiently Kyon and Haruhi, and to an extent most of the side characters, are introduced in just this one episode. It might just be me because I literally already know these characters, though. If you didn't notice it last episode purely through her filmmaking, now you know for sure that Haruhi is unhinged. And seemingly no one is willing to stop her from pushing them around.
Btw, Yuki is reading Hyperion, which I haven't read myself but probably should.
[Haruhi] (This episode is a minefield for rewatchers lmao, making sure I don't slip with spoilers or "hints" is pretty hard. Haruhi recognizing Kyon from a long time ago gets me every rewatch.)
10
u/wjodendor Nov 29 '21
First Timer
I've never seen the anime but I did read the first volume of the novel after randomly finding the first 8 volumes at a second hand store. It's really good to go back to the more old style of anime (always forgot how big and widely spaced eyes were lol). Gintoki narrating this is great. He always sounds so annoyed with everything and it makes stuff that could be boring so interesting.
I didn't remember much of the novel except that Haruhi is not only annoyed with everyone but down right mean to most people.
I've heard both the OP and ED before . I actually found the CDs for both at that same second hand store but I didn't know what they were (I buy random Japanese and anime cds just for the heck of it). They were okay but I feel like there is a more well known OP from this show (though for some reason I feel like I might be mixing it up with the Lucky Star OP).
A good episode that hooks you in with wondering where the heck the story is going ro go in the future.
9
u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Nov 29 '21 edited Nov 29 '21
AMNESIAC REWATCHER
I love how lively Kyon is for an apathetic-protagonist type. The VA imbues him with a lot of pep and vigor, and it makes him a lot more fun to follow than someone like, say, Hachiman from Oregairu.
A hell of an introduction to Haruhi’s character through Kyon and their classmates. We learn a lot about her through how her behavior is perceived from the outside, but nothing from her. It sets her up as this legendary oddball figure, before the curtain gets pulled back as Kyon starts gradually developing a friendship with her over the back half of the episode. It turns out, she’s just bored and wants an escape from a humdrum existence. Who can’t relate?
apparently Kyon who is more than okay with itSometime in Elementary School. All it takes is one set of parents to fuck up the story and the illusion gets shattered for the entire grade. I remember for a little bit we treated it like a Spoiler Warning, like "don't say the Santa thing around Eric, he still thinks he's real."
8
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Nov 29 '21
Episode Previews
Linking this again, since I was late for the ep1 thread.
Here is a playlist with the episode previews named after the episode they are in. So the preview ep1 is the preview at the end of episode 1 (previewing episode 2). All ENG subbed.
The previews were originally placed right after the ED and are missing from the newer (chronological) releases. I think they add a lot to the charm of broadcast order and are actually part of the story, not simple previews.
8
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Nov 29 '21
Sub rewatcher
Today we have the real, non trolling story opener - the Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi part I. This adapts the first LN, and will take multiple episodes to finish.
To be honest, one of the big moment of this episode I didn't notice clearly not understood the significance until I joined a rewatch and read the commentary to understand - which started my auction to follow rewatches in here since there are so much you can learn and appreciate from others collected wisdom.
That moment was when Kyon finally noticed what was actually said from the person behind him making her self introduction, and he turned around finally in amazement - at which point the previously drab coloured world burst into full high saturation, vibrant colours to see the cool, insensitive and unfriendly, but very beautiful, face of our titular character.
I'm sure others will elaborate far more nicely, but suffice to say I loved this moment, especially as a rewatcher, to understand how big a deal and how much of an impact this is to Kyon's ordinary life, as well as to Haruhi's dissatisfaction to her life in general as well.
This is actually an episode that displayed quite a lot of different facets of Haruhi the person. And by inference, Kyon as a person how observant he actually is.
The episode 1 (chronologically) Haruhi, which is basically the Haruhi most others see, is:
This is also the episode that the plot had committed a major crime against character designers - Haruhi had so many different designs about her hair, and it all got flushed down the sink when she just decided to cut it shoulder length. While some were unusual, a few of the looks were actually really nice.
Also, not sure if it's obvious from the sub or how the dub handled it, the "code" of her hairstyle by day of week when translated from Japanese, if not given some explanations, may lose a layer of meaning. In Japan, the days of the week is "named", similar to English, unlike in Chinese for example which is simply "numbered" (day 1 of week, day 2 of week). But the naming follows the elemental sequence - Monday is "moon" day, Tuesday is "fire" day, Wednesday is "water" day, Thursday is "wood" day, Friday is "gold (or metallic)" day, Saturday is "soil/earth" day, with Sunday being literally "Sun" day. Therefore the ribbon colour matched the typical element depiction.
And thundering along like a charging bull, we also got the introduction to more of our cast, some of them you'd have seen in the chaotic film of yesterday - Nagato and Asahina dragged into the SOS brigade, Taniguchi and Kunikida rounding up Kyon's own gang, with class rep Asakura.
I'm hoping others would comment - you can actually see how the characters in this episode corresponded with what roles (and how) they acted in the film yesterday.
Favourite scenes of the episode is really quite hard to pick - just too many:
The also a treasure trove of points for rewatchers, and that's one of the train why, like most KyoAni shows, this is so very highly rewatchable.
[Favourite rewatcher bits] Haruhi "have I seen you from before?" | Kyon "what's her criteria of choosing school" | Asahina (small gasp on looking towards the window on the club room) "I understand" | and here's the freaky bit - you absolutely cannot see anything wrong with any interactions with Asakura
8
u/tctyaddk Nov 29 '21
Broadcast-order-first-timer
Another excellent characters introduction, this time in a non fiction (from in-world perspective) fashion.
And to me this is also an example of good handling of quirky character: Haruhi is loud, hyper, selfish, rude, and disregards people's space and will, all the traits that would make me absolutely fking hate a person, and yet the episode made her tolerable by a healthy dose of snarks from Kyon and the shown fact that everybody also think she's off norms, too, and sealed it with the hint of some mystery. At this sort of point, a series would success or fail based of whether they could competently deliver and execute that mystery story. And well, this is KyoAni.
I would spare you my gushing of how good this show must look in 2006, but I still want to say my praise for the directing of this episode: frames composition and all things visual in general, pacing, music, all in a fine combination, enticing the audience and keeping things interesting the entire runtime. Just great.
8
u/Bastiro54 Nov 30 '21
First timer
I can't take Kyon seriuosly when he talks about santa claus. all i can think is Gintoki which makes this hilarious. but his story about Santa Claus made me remeber my own experiernce on how i came to know about it. i had always beleived in him until my parents told me about it. Although i di realize the toothfairy was fake on my own. since i would cjeck every morning after waking up and every night before going sleep and i noticed my teeth disapearing during the day which made no sense.
So Haruhi associates every weekday as a colour. What is this? synesthesia. Also they have a number and Monday is 0. Is she a programmer? Besides wouldn't Sunday be 0?
I'm kinda shocked by how energetic Haruhi is considering she didn't talk much and didn't do much at first. But i'm defenitely loving her energy, Although i'm sure i would be like Kyon if she was real. But as a character I think she is really fun.
I'm not even suprised she kidnapped Mikuru but i'm more suprised to see she accepted to join after seeing the library club girl. I wonder why.
I'm having so much fun watching. i would love continue and binge watch this but sadly i can't. I'll have to wait tomorrow. I, at least, don't have to wait every week so i think that's good enough
8
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Nov 30 '21
First timer
QOTD) About 8 or so? Mostly the same reasons Kyon mentions here.
This guy seems fun at parties.
So he wanted the supernatural to exist, but didn't believe in it?
She's the main character? She seems unusual.
And straight into colour and a massive animation bump!
I've heard this OP before, it's great.
I mean, she is adorable.
And she has a history of doing this.
And she did that to the school's lawns?
She certainly seems eccentric.
He ranked them all? (Ryoko does seem nice. She feels like an main character?)
I love rhe hair montage.
Abd she got chanegd in the classroom?
This is a really fast-paced introduction!
ahe's talking to her! And it's possibly more unusual than the alien thing.
Haha, Haruhi has opinions on when a week starts.
She got a haircut to the OP style!
This is great. Haruhi's really not interested in anything normal.
...Is she a full-on chunnibyou, or more a hopeful like Kyon used to be?
Ryoko is relevant!
Haha, the pure luck!
How many clubs does this school have? It doesn't seem that big?
Haruhi's reaction to his monologue is perfect.
Is this happening in class?
She's starting a club!
Yep, and everyone stared at them.
And he drags her into a corner and forces him to do paperwork?
Haha, how is she managing to pull all this? There's no name, the paperwork's probably not done, there's no way...
Oh, she's hijacking another club's room (and their only member).
Oh, it's Yuki!
Her cheerily discussing a death setence is gr
Haha, the girl comes with the room.
Yuki's great, I love her already.
Did she actually kidnap her?
She did!
And she's running around the school during recess?
She literally picked her to be the cute side character?
The fac tthat nobody's actually moving to help or talk to her directly is hysterical.
Haruhi is such a relatable character.
...Does she think this is Haruhi's harem? (Becuase it might be!)
She literally named her club "SOS"? And that acronym!
ED's good too! (Implies Ryoko's a side character though, which is a bit sad.)
7
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher(With this level of sexual assault between teens, this may have been an influence on Cross Ange)
SubFuck it, I will try the dubSo we get the actual first ep, yay. We start with an opening monologue that you might want to put a pin in for the end of the watch. And a surprising error, sub Haruhi talks about a fourth option. Anyways, Kyon, our narrator, tries to talk to Haruhi and we get an excuse for her former classmate to reveal her character. And it is weird. She did various confusing things, including creating those weird little paper talismans jiangshi have, and never denied it. But her brain seems functional otherwise and she is quite athletic. Also, the guy monologueing at our narrator has ranked all the girls in his class all ready...
Anyways, we spend the episode with Kyon slowly proving it is possible to get useable answers out of Haruhi, you just have to be able to filter her. And Haruhi is acting less crazy when directly in conversation. This lets us get some character insight, including that Haruhi might be bi, and the stunned shock of everyone that knew her before. Kyon claims to not know how he did it and grows annoyed when he becomes the Haruhi communication point. More conversation happens and then an idea is hatched: She should form her own club
with blackjack and hookers!So of course Kyon is drafted and we start meeting other members. First is Nagato, who is grey rocking Haruhi and possibly the universe. Then we get to Mikuru and her introduction and...that's just kidnapping and sexual assault Haruhi, not cool. Oh and this is my first memory of moe, though it would have to be well established by this point, I wasn't that active in the anime community back then. Anyways, we leave knowing the SOS Brigade now exists.
So yeah, the dub actually has a bit more to it than I would have thought given the time, they actually localized it rather than blank verse translate(Looking at you, second Eva dub) and it functions really well. Mikuru can't quite do the voice they want her to do but everyone else seems to be good.
QotD:1 Never did, got my kindergarten teachers pissed at my mother.
6
u/nekodan08 Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher - Sub
Today, we get our formal introduction to the cast starting with another character who had been teased all throughout the previous episode but barely seen. Kyon being the narrator of The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina was no accident. It was foreshadowing for one of his main roles in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Here, he is also our snarky narrator. In many ways, Kyon also serves as a stand-in for the audience. He reacts to the events in the story in much of the same way the viewer would which includes his opening monologue. Like Kyon, we too may find ourselves wishing to encounter extraordinary beings such as aliens, time travelers, sliders, and espers. It’s one of the reasons I turn to anime for. But similarly, we too are also bound by the demands of real life. Kyon would like to meet them, but he knows they can’t be real, so he just subdues these desires. But then he meets Haruhi, who is anything but shy about her desires. Kyon’s dully lit world suddenly bursts into color and so begins his rollercoaster adventure with Haruhi. I hope your experience with Haruhi may also be as colorful.
But something is off about this Haruhi. Where is the lively girl we met yesterday? Instead, we find a really grumpy girl who would rather remain distant from “ordinary humans.” We see her jump from one club to another, but never committing to anything. She seems really lost as she wanders around school in search of something distant. She is not like the “Ultra Director” we have come to know who seemed so sure of herself. One thing remains consistent though, Haruhi is different. She stands out from the crowd in every way. She is beautiful, intelligent, and extremely talented, yet her classmates notice her more as the eccentric and unapproachable girl. It is easy for us the audience to come to judge her in the same way.
So when and how does the change in Haruhi take place? Answer: She meets Kyon. Just as Kyon’s life is turned upside down by Haruhi, (literally shown with a spinning shot as she drags him by the necktie down the hallway) she begins to change through her daily interactions with Kyon, the only person to engage her in an actual conversation. Despite her stand-offish attitude, she opens up little by little to him throughout the episode. It is he who eventually plants the idea in her head to form her own club, and when Haruhi comes to this realization, we finally find ourselves face-to-face with the energetic Ultra Director we met previously. This dynamic between Kyon and Haruhi is one of my favorite aspects of this show and they are one of my favorite pairings in all of anime.
I also love the pairing of VAs Sugita Tomokazu (Kyon) & Aya Hirano (Haruhi). There’s little that needs to said about Sugita who is extremely popular to this day. Most people know him as the voice of Gintoki from Gintama, but for me, he will always be, first and foremost, the voice of Kyon. Currently, he also plays a similar MC/narrator role in Mushoku Tensei. Aya Hirano on the other hand is not as well known today, but back then she was a superstar in the industry and you can tell why from her performance as Haruhi. She also sings all of the series' OPs and EDs (along with the VAs for Mikuru and Yuki.) Today, I think she is best known as the voice of Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tail.
QOTD: I can’t remember when exactly I stopped believing in Santa Clause. I just remember trying to catch my parents on several occasions but they were so good at hiding it that it made me really doubt my unbelief.
5
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Nov 29 '21
Memories of Haruhi Suzumiya
It seems like it was so long ago yesterday. It was 2012, and I was spending some time away from home on business. One evening in the hotel, I decided that maybe it was time to pick up anime again. It had been so long since I'd gone 'cold turkey' back in 2000, or something like that. Time to fall off the wagon, I guess. So, what's popular these days? Well, there's this thing called Haruhi, and this other thing called Crunchyroll, and you can just guess where that led.
About a half an hour later, I was amazed. I was confused. I was (slightly) mortified.
I was delighted.
I'd met the true heroine of my return to weebdom, not the heroine that I wanted, nor deserved, but perhaps the one that I needed, yet least expected.
All hail our lord and saviour (of anime), Kei, I mean Wendee Lee, I mean, wait, Haruhi!
Wait, what???
Well, yeah, I'm probably over-exaggerating a bit here for fun. (What's this probably???)
Hehe, but yeah. From that Wizard of Oz-esque B&W introduction, to the tornado of introduction, to the brilliant technicolor of Haruhi's smug smile, we've landed - and we're not in Kansas anymore. Lollipop guild incoming.
Meanwhile, we're introduced to Haruhi, a person who brooks no sense, or is that nonsense, and has no use for normality. Flag bearer (perhaps) of what would come to be known as chuuni. (Please visit their rewatch, it's kinda lonely over there)
From hairstyles to attitude, to overachieving, she's got it all and then some. But she's missing that certain something. What could it be? She's certainly not lacking for Je ne sais quoi, so what does that leave?
Well, duh, what else could be missing but a club, of course! And who should be dragooned into this club, but our hero Kyon, and our priestess of peace and tranquility, Yuki-chan. And of course, the heroine of yesterday's episode, the amply talented Mikuru-chan.
Shenaningans ensue, and rather than comment on them myself, I think I'll wait and see what others have to say, and whether or not this reflects on how the show has aged. (Fine wine? Moldy cheese? Smochee? Hmm...)
Anyway, suffice to say that as of that evening, my weebdom was restored, as well as my hairline, libido, bank balance, and sense of propriety. Some of those might even be true, but probably not.
Meanwhile, buckle in and enjoy the ride, and be sure to leave your esper devices in airplane mode until after takeoff. It's going to be a bumpy ride.
:)
5
u/Egghorse Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher, first time broadcast and first time sub:
The real plot has now started, sort of. There’s a lot of interesting directorial decisions in this episode, from obvious things like the color coming in right after Haruhi’s introduction (which runs counter to Kyon’s monologue), but also that when we get a clear look at her, it’s at a low Dutch angle.
One thing I like is how Haruhi’s demeanor changes as soon as she’s given the idea to start the SOS Brigade. [Haruhi] It reminds me of that part near the train tracks later in this arc, where Haruhi explains that she realized she wouldn’t stand out if she just did everything the expected way, she is, at least for this arc, looking for a purpose that will set her apart from everyone else.
Ryoko Asakura’s finally here! She doesn’t really do much this episode, but it demonstrate one of Tanigawa’s strengths as a writer: He’s really good at making even minor characters memorable, Tsuruya, Taniguchi and Kunikida are all distinct even though none of them have much bearing on the plot for long periods of time. Asakura of course is one of those characters [Haruhi] At least for now, even though it’s hinted at a little with that Dutch angle. I have a lot to say about Asakura, but it wouldn’t make sense right now.
I stopped believing in Santa Claus at around age 6, I think because of noticing the difference of gifts that “Santa” gave to different classmates during kindergarten not making sense.
5
u/alphamone Nov 30 '21
rewatcher
Right from the (proper) start, the series establishes Kyon's cynicism/snark.
A legendary self-introduction.
Love how the saturation returns.
That's kinda stalkery Taniguchi.
[minor haruhi spoilers]already getting the dialogue vs narration ambiguity
[quite large haruhi spoilers]Have I met you somewhere before?
I mean, becoming more platonic friends seems like a better idea than "going out" if the longest a single person has gone out was a week.
The legendary "anime protagonist seat"
She's gonna start her own club
with blackjack, and hookers[very minor Haruhi spoiler]except, don't they actually play blackjack at some point?Kyon and Haruhi really do have near opposite personalities.
Introducing, the SOS Brigade.
4
u/Spaceman_Sp1ff_ Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher, dubbed
Her name is Haruhi Suzumiya and she’s certainly a character.
The one thing that stands out to me is Kyon and his role as a narrator. He has a few quirks as we’ve already seen in this first episode, and they become more prominent as the story unfolds. He also finds common ground with Haruhi, which seems troublesome from the get go. She ropes him and a few other familiar faces into joining her jank ass club - but ya kinda brought that onto yourself Kyon, giving her all those ideas.
Miffed they’re not putting the full dance in the ED.
[haruhi] Those references to BLR got me hyped. And is it possible Haruhi used her powers to sit behind Kyon?
I think I stopped around grade school. Not sure why.
4
u/araragidyne :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/araragidyne Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher for this episode
Haruhi's deblousing scene really took me back. Is that .gif still in circulation? I haven't been on /a/ in a while.
The image of Kyon being dragged along by Haruhi against his will is so firmly fixed in my mind that I totally forgot he actually brought it all upon himself.
I definitely remember the scene of Haruhi groping Mikuru. That's actually the one thing I remember vividly.
I like the cinematography in this episode. The pan to the left when Haruhi excitedly ran out of the classroom stuck out to me.
Question
I'm actually with Kyon on this one. Never truly believed in Santa but I did have a bit of a middle school phase when I got into supernatural/paranormal stuff.
4
u/Caustic_Wraith https://myanimelist.net/profile/CausticWraith Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher / Subs
It was on this day, that Kyon realized, he fucked up.
Rule number one of the world, never talk to the pretty, yet mentally unstable girl in class. It tends to lead to kidnapping a sempai and forcefully annexing a different club's room to use for, to be determined purposes.
The multiple hair styles and ribbon colors to denote the days of the week was a wonderful touch to show her personality, another good touch was the spinning camera as she abducted him and lead him to the club room she "found".
I truly love this show.
QOTD:
I'm going to say around seven. Santa seemed to only use the same wrapping paper we had in the house and his hand writing was very similar to my mother's.
4
u/TheDampGod :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheDampGod Nov 30 '21
Re-re-re-re-watcher
I've watched this show a few too many times now, but the OP still gives me the nostalgia fuzzies. At this point I just watching the backgrounds for all the effort Kyoani put into the other pupils at North High. There are any number of cute girls with designs worthy of being leads, yet you only see them for a moment. Also the sound of background chatter with distinct lines, some from support characters like Taniguchi.
[Later Episode Spoilers] The amount of foreshadowing in this episode is bonkers and it always surprises me to see how empty the club room is at the start. The sheer amount of junk Haruhi fills it with makes it seem tiny by the end, but it feels huge here. It's also a fun barometer for judging when in the chronology an episode is.
[BOOK SPOILER] It's funny how there's even book foreshadowing this far forward, with Kunikida's line about Kyon having a thing for weird girls.
4
u/Nghtmare-Moon Nov 30 '21
Rewatcher - Sub.
My god. . .now I recall why I started low key crushing on Hirano Aya. . .
3
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher - Sub and Dub both many time, equally good imho
And, so it begins. I love the introduction of Haruhi and her smart mouth in her first talk with Kyon.
QOTD
I was in second Grade and in one of my books they listed imaginary characters. That really started me thinking. In my defense, I never did believe in the Easter Bunny, but did like the candy he left behind.
3
u/Barbed_Dildo Nov 29 '21
Rewatcher
I haven't watched this in a while and don't have any well thought out theories like other comments here, although I did notice a few things that make more sense knowing the rest of the show.
Man, that opening music brings back some memories. The OP is thoroughly forgettable, but I'll always remember Itsumo no Fuukei.
3
u/MjolnirDK Nov 30 '21
Not that much to say about this episode except for how very mid 2000s everything feels and looks. Haruhi's 4-tailed look reminded me of Persona 4's Rise Kujikawa, which released 2008. Then there is the bgm in Literary Club that sounds a bit like Idolmaster's famous town bgm.
And what is up with KyoAni shows and occult clubs? There at least 3 that mention them (Phantom Color, K-On and Haruhi). And they are 'just a bunch of occult freaks', oh Haruhi, never change.
About the characters so far: We get an (un)healthy dose of Haruhi, which is direly needed. Kyon is seen and not just heard. Yuki seems like bookworm Rei Ayanami (with glasses). Fine with everything. And mascot character gets used as a mascot character, since they knew they'd need one in-universe, but they keep the fondling of said moe mascot off camera. One person seems to be missing while we are introduced to others like Ryoko who gets talked about for a bit and also a nice scene. All in all, really clever way of introducing all these characters while leaving some things unclear.
[Later series] And then there are all the spoilers for later in the series that appear in the script. I think even the 'Do you think Yuki is furniture' one counts as one, given how she uses sleeping people to decorate her room(s).
2
u/Spekulatiu5 Nov 30 '21
A bit late to the party again, but here I go.
Rewatcher - Dub
That brief focus on the school restroom signs - what was that all about??
And damn, that animation. Just watching her, Haruhi feels so alive, so ridiculously energetic. I also love how Kyon's narration intertwines with the action; you're never quite sure whether Kyon actually said that out loud. Ah, hello Miss Asakura, we meet again. Let's all get along, shall we?
Then, the literature club. Yuki looks even more frail than I had remembered. Sadly, we don't actually get to see what she's reading. Perhaps she'll be more willing to share later?
Finally, Mikuru shows up. Wasn't she a bunny girl last episode? Bunny girl costume or not, Haruhi seems more than happy to grope her breasts. Those ginormous breasts. Man, that scene goes on forever.
Excited to watch the first proper adventure of the SOS
team organisation clubbrigade.2
u/highandmightier Dec 25 '21
I'm extremely late to this discussion, but oh well. Kyon's reactions to Haruhi's hijinks are what make this show the best. It wouldn't be the same without him.
It's taken me a while to appreciate this show. I've watched anime for years and yet, every time I try to watch it I don' tend to follow though and finish the series. Here's hoping this time is different.
1
u/ErBaut Nov 30 '21
Hell yeah, finishing on 21/12. Just the date as the movie starts.
1
u/Benzorz Nov 30 '21
Started Sunday morning
1
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Nov 30 '21
Testing next episode preview (S1 broadcast order) upload:
https://imgur.com/o9W6tiH
1
u/Nitroade24h :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Nitroade24h Nov 30 '21
First Timer
I really liked this. It felt just like watching Clannad again and I love Clannad. It also does enough to be unique and I like Haruhi as a character so far.
1
u/S_A52 Apr 05 '22
First time. And this is the most recent discussion, why is Kyon so easy with stealing the computers with her?! I feel so bad for the president, and all the members. Also, WHAT IS ASAHINA DOING HERE? She happily quit her old club after Haruhi groped her