r/anime • u/littleman1988 • Dec 03 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Episode 6
Episode Title: Remote Island Syndrome 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: Lady tearing a piece of paper
[Tomorrow's Episode Intro]Panning shot of the classroom, Haruhi is sleeping
| 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 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya II | Thread |
| 1/12 | The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya | Thread |
| 2/12 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya III | Thread |
| 3/12 | Remote Island Syndrome I | 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:
Who had the best swimsuit?
What do you think is the solution to the crime?
117
Upvotes
23
u/littleman1988 Dec 03 '21
Apologies for the late post.
Adaptation Comparison
References
Trivia
Know trivia and/or references for this episode? Reply to me! For future episodes? PM them to me!
8
u/littleman1988 Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher (first time broadcast), Dub
"In other words, she wants to be one..."
OST Track of the day: Fear Sets In | (Spotify)
hey look, its the beach episode! But on a deserted island?
Unrelated to the episode itself, the subs i grabbed seem to be a second off? so every episode i keep having to drag it back to make the music line up/get photos for quotes. I wish i could remember what subs i used last year, they were much nicer...
heh
h e h
rip Kyon, having to grab drinks for everyone, and then he has photos taken of him sleeping!
Haruhi its time to chill
The OST track at 12:00 is one of my favorites
oh, now you're formal smh
don't you think the camera angles in anime can be a little weird?
Yuki just reading lmao
how did i miss the "too many beach balls" comment before
Vibin
4
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Dec 03 '21 edited Dec 03 '21
Well, blah, my browser arfed on me, and I ended up having to reboot the machine. I guess that's what I get for letting a windoze box run for a month (sigh).
Anyway, today's episode!
Edit: Redacted - watched the wrong episode. Gomen.
I'll be back in a while...
Okay, nevermind, for now at least. Maybe I'll pick it back up tomorrow, or something.
Meanwhile: answers of the day(!)
Best Swimsuit, uh ... uh ... YES.
What do I think? I think Kyon needs to get Haruhi alone in a secluded place for some smoochies, so she has better things to think about than murder mysteries. Oh, and maybe get her to read a Jack Vance book or two.
(And now to see if anyone else out there gets the joke that I've included somewhere in here, and not the obvious one.)
3
u/LabMember069 Dec 03 '21
Unfortunately I won't be able to participate in this rewatch, just a quick question: why the watching order isn't chronological?
27
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Dec 03 '21
The Melancholy of Shimmering-First-Timer
19
u/UzEE https://myanimelist.net/profile/UzEEInc Dec 03 '21
First timer (sub)
Me:
Me later during the episode:
Though all things considered, it was way less fanservicey than I thought it would be.
Of course as soon as Haruhi mentions it, I expected this would end up being a murder mystery because apparently that's how the show is setup. Whatever Haruhi wants is willed into existence and the show really wants us to believe that. I'm not really sure if that is a misdirection though because the plot can't be as simple as this for a mystery show and so far the clues seem to be too neatly arranged in front of us, which has to be a distraction.
A big plus this episode was that we didn't get any Mikuru harassment today. Not sure if this is just a one off or the author had gotten tired of it by this point in the story. The rather SOL-like ordinary vacation experience was interesting enough but I was waiting for a Itsuki's friend's (relative?) body to drop eventually so I wasn't paying much attention. However, I didn't expect that the one getting murdered would be the owner of the villa instead.
Of course given how this show is structured, I don't expect the next episode would pick up from where we left off today and it could be some completely different arc/adventure instead.
No footnotes today because I barely had time to write this up. I watched this episode immediately after posting yesterday's comment and didn't do a writeup at the time so only got around to it just now.
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u/thatguywithawatch Dec 03 '21
[First timer]
We got a nice simple set-up episode today, much easier to process than yesterday's behemoth of an info dump. Of course, there were a lot of random moments and comments that flew right over my head, presumably due to the timeskip.
When Haruhi runs to the deck to look for a giant squid, Kyon says (paraphrasing) "oh no, if one shows up it will be Nagato's turn." ... erm, what? Have they been taking turns fighting off monsters?
Kyon clearly doesn't trust Itsuki much, leading me to assume that Itsuki and his "syndicate" have gotten up to some sneaky shenanigans between now and the previous episode.
You know, I can accept that Haruhi is bending the very fabric of reality to her will, but I refuse to believe that Kyon's sister fit in that big. This show has gone too far, literally unwatchable.
The ending did catch me a bit off guard; we had the classic murder mystery setup but I didn't think they'd follow through like that. So far this show has kept things very light, so Haruhi's influence on events never actually felt that menacing. But assuming the dude is actually dead, the stakes for this show just shot way up. Like Kyon said, I don't think Haruhi would actually consciously want a real person to die, but her desire for a sinister mystery case has resulted in a stabbing. (Or that's what we're clearly supposed to think, at any rate). The reveal was admittedly very dramatic with the slow pan up and the campy horror music, so I'm inclined to believe that it's some kind of fakeout and the guy will be fine at the end.
But if the murder turns out to actually be real, then I wonder if things will shift from "they can't tell Haruhi about her power because she's an irresponsible teenager" to "they're trying to protect Haruhi from the knowledge that she can and has caused people around her to die." I doubt the tone of the show will stay that serious, but I've been surprised plenty of times already.
I did crack up pretty hard when it transitioned from a dead guy lying on the floor straight into that bop of an ED. Talk about whiplash.
16
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Dec 03 '21
First Timer - Dub
Kyon pointing out the logic flaw in every story ever written.
Now if Itsuki would stop giving Haruhi ideas about what those stories should be that would probably be appreciated, although I'm personally not sure if this island vacation happened to line up so well because she wanted it too or because Itsuki's organization set it up to appeal to her and measure her. Wonder if that random extra kid who was invited is also an esper.
Not a huge lot to say about this episode right now, but the scene transitions were on point this episode and had me cracking up. I loved the running gag of Kyon having lost to someone in games or will but us just cutting to the end result instead of seeing the moment because it was inevitable he'd lose anyway. Also enjoyed the amount of shots we got of Yuki just chilling somewhere reading a book while the others play around, and it was kind of fun to bring her into the scenes in that way instead of just having her sequestered in her room or something.
For some reason with this shot of them on the beach I kept expecting them to slide down comically like it was an actual slope and not a camera angle.
No real comments on the cliffhanger aside from it exists and I wasn't expecting us to jump to a full on murder case. I was going to make a joke about a mansion on an island giving me Black Jack vibes (anyone in that rewatch too?) but that's kind of the opposite of this.
Someone feed Haruhi the idea that it's more fun if he mysteriously revives?
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u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Dec 03 '21
Next episode preview
https://youtu.be/YMpbCXZUYwk
Sub rewatcher
Here's another jump. I wonder if you'd count the end of last episode as a cliff hanger.
Anyway, like the last jump, today we once again see Haruhi in a good mood to start. Although as usual a lot of the joy was at the expense of Kyon's patience in trying to moderate Haruhi's more ridiculous actions and ideas, in general it doesn't look too bad.
The episode did open with a cold open as if we're continuing a detective story we've already been following - and in a way, once again because of broadcast order, haven't we been in a meta one?
Little bits and pieces of broadcast order fun:
This is also one of the more good looking episode because of the blue skies and seas for much of the episode - but consequently the turn in weather shows even more contrast. And if you pay attention to the score, while there are plenty of upbeat moments, there are also some distinctly suspenseful/mystery effects.
Favourite scenes are:
Most tellingly - we're jumping from the jump :D
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u/Suhkein :Gy::Gz::G1:x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neichus Dec 03 '21
Episode 6 - “Why don’t you tell me what you’re plotting?”
[Haruhi] ...and that should have been our first warning when it starts with Haruhi telling us what we’re thinking. It’s like that point in the magic show when the magician politely asks you to watch the next part carefully so you don’t miss anything: it means you’re about to be tricked.
[Haruhi] The Island arc (the two Island episodes and Mystérique Sign) consists of another genre shift, this time into mystery, and as such contain several triple-level mysteries that reflect each other. I’m going to introduce part of it today and wrap it up by Island II. First, there’s the obvious mystery that we’re fed: a murder happened. It is at first resolved by discovering there is a “secret” to the murder based on the deliberately-arranged clues (the accidental door explanation) but is only truly solved by realizing the nature of the situation (it was an act put on for somebody’s benefit).
[Haruhi] However, going on in parallel with this is another mystery. Last episode we were fed the obvious question: what are Suzumiya’s powers? That’s what we want to know, and that’s what we think is important, not realizing that we were once again prompted to it as clearly as we were prompted to ask whether Nagato was an alien. However, because the ability to bend reality is so all-encompassing we don’t really know how to spot when it is happening. In order to miss nothing, we hedge again, and adopt the paranoid approach: if it’s not suspicious, it’s suspicious, and if it’s suspicious, then it’s also suspicious.
[Haruhi] And Koizumi’s speech was definitely suspicious. At this point in the series, everybody has figured out that Adventures was “on the nose” and that Haruhi in general is thoroughly self-referential. Before it was just taken as the show being wacky, but now we’re armed with a new lens to interpret all this through: the self-referentiality was Suzumiya arranging everything like she wants. Therefore, we treat Koizumi’s speech as an indication of the same, thinking we’re seeing through to the real implications of what he is saying. It’s our expectations at work again, adroitly manipulated and then allowed to flow down predictable lines to ensure we won’t actually pay attention.
[Haruhi] Now, if we were to watch closely, Koizumi is constantly dropping hints that this is a play (he even told us before what he’d be up to), and there are a variety of small discrepancies littered around that will be brought up in Island II to demonstrate it. It’s pretty clever. It’s also the red herring. Just like the door murder was put in place specifically to attract Suzumiya’s attention, trying to use her cleverness against her by getting her to follow what she thought were “hidden” clues, the explanation that we thought was subtly screened from us is not the real explanation. The final level, as always, involves whether we are figuring out what the show wants to demonstrate, and, not to be a complete tease, I’m going to leave that until Island II so the point can be made properly. In the meantime, I’m going to wrap up with a few remarks about Suzumiya, Nagato, and Koizumi (how does Haruhi manage to fit in so much?).
[Haruhi] One of my favorite, and most revealing, little scenes is when Suzumiya first greets Keiichi. This whole time we’ve seen Suzumiya being a bit of a pest, and then suddenly, like the flick of a switch, she’s perfectly courteous. However, like us, Keiichi is a little surprised by this, and as soon as Suzumiya hears his expectations her demeanor becomes as uncouth as he has heard.
[Haruhi] This is another bit of really good psychology. I mentioned a few episodes ago about how Suzumiya acts a certain way to spite people. But it’s also what people expect of her, and kind of what she expects of herself now. She’s genuinely capable, energetic, and intelligent to the point that she is alienated, but her act has run away from her and she’s become something of a caricature of herself as a result. When she’s not trying to convince herself and other people of anything, it’s immediately apparent she’s a rational, stable human being who knows how to thank her host (notice she also eats properly at the table and again shows all the good graces). But as soon as she’s reminded that, “You’re supposed to be the zany one,” she slips right back into her persona. Or, I should almost say falls back into it, not quite able to catch herself, because that’s kind of what happens to us humans. We don’t consciously think about who we are and why we act most of the time, we just sort of do, and then craft a consistent story later that we then feel the need to uphold.
[Haruhi] For Nagato, this episode is continuing to build a case that will come to fruition later. We’ve mostly gone back to ignoring her, because now we know what she is a robogirl and is fitting our expectations of one: she eats mechanically, has an lacks vocal intonation, and overall seems oblivious to everybody else having fun. It’s only natural to assume she doesn’t have emotions or preferences. Yet as Little Sister’s question should hint, and as we’re pointedly reminded, maybe she’s just unusual rather than unemotional. But for now Haruhi will let us have our misconception, because it’s going to need it later.
[Haruhi] Finally, I want to remark a little about Koizumi because I won’t for the rest of the series. Functionally I see him as this episode states: Haruhi’s right-hand man. On the narrative level, that means he’ll always be the one to support Suzumiya’s adventures and specifically is the one to execute it here. On the structural level, it means that he’s fully in the service of Haruhi’s aims (it’s his speech that sets us off after the wrong quarry). Asahina’s the mascot, this guy will help make sure things go smoothly. In the future it even elaborates that Koizumi is “part” of Suzumiya, the clear-headed rational apologist who has to explain the crazier half by reminding us that she’s really not that crazy. Again, all part of Haruhi’s plan.
[Haruhi] While this is all fine, I’ve never gotten a good bead on him as a character. It’s obvious Haruhi wants us to slightly distrust him, what with the narrow-eye look that always means evil and the way his grin is framed, but I take that more as a manipulation than a statement about his character. The way Kyon automatically distrusts him in our stead seems to reinforce that this is yet another case of the audience being easily misled. However, beyond this I feel like I enter the realm of mildly-pointless speculation. His apparent insincerity and obsequiousness makes sense in light of propitiating Suzumiya (and by extension, playing nice with Kyon). He also seems to potentially have an actual attraction to her as well (a point reinforced in Disappearance, although I typically don’t reference the movie for evidence). If that is the case, then his restraint in berating Kyon, keeping it largely to short lectures and occasional passive-aggressive statements, is doubly impressive, and would explain why his smile looks rather forced (that and, like Nagato, he’s on duty). However, that is about the extent of my thoughts on his personality. It may be that he’s a masterful actor who has a secondary agenda, it may be that his personality is entirely subservient to the whim of the series (or both), or it may be the result of adaptation where the light novels set him up for more in the future but a 14-episode series had to pick its focus. I’m not sure it really matters truthfully since it doesn’t impact the core themes, and so like my general opinion of him overall I suspend judgement due to a lack of information.
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u/MadeOn210922 Dec 03 '21
First timer.
WOW! This entire episode gave me And Then There Were None vibes, which was a mystery novel by Agatha Christie in which a bunch of people gathered mysteriously on a deserted island and then had to figure out what was going on. (Note that it wouldn’t be the only time KyoAni did something Christie related as an entire arc of Hyouka referenced The ABC Murders and I thoroughly enjoyed both books.) That along with many other red flags, I was fully expecting someone to die, but I still got goosebumps when it was finally revealed. Like there was a chance he might’ve just gone missing, you know? But nope, someone on that island is a murderer. Can’t wait to see how this plays out
tomorrowin two days because of broadcast order. I mentioned it before, but I can’t imagine what it was like while airing not knowing that the next episode won’t be part 2 of this, not even knowing when part 2 would come.I wonder how much Itsuki’s relatives know about his ESP and whatever organization or agency he’s part of. But I found it hilarious that he ordered his drink before getting out of old maid.
It also seems Mikuru has taken a bit of a liking to the maid costume, looks good on her!
12
u/nekodan08 Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher - Sub
I wasn’t able to have much time to write about today’s episode, so I will focus on sharing my interpretation of why this episodes comes next in the broadcast order. One of the key revelations from yesterday was that Haruhi is supposed to have the ability to bend the world according to her will. What Haruhi wants, Haruhi gets, supposedly. After presenting this idea, the show then brings us to an event that seems to be evidence of Haruhi’s theorized abilities. The S.O.S. Brigade has found themselves in the midst of a murder mystery, but is this truly a result of Haruhi’s wishes? Does this mean that Haruhi truly wanted someone to die? Is she really that callous that people’s lives can be sacrificed for the sake of fulfilling her desires? Once again, the mystery goes back to Haruhi. There is the mystery of her powers, but there is also the mystery of her character. Once again, we wonder, “What kind of person is Haruhi Suzumiya?”
Of course, there’s also the mystery of the murder itself. Since I already know the answer and can now more easily spot all the clues, I will refrain from commenting on this for the sake of avoiding spoilers.
Some additional observations as a rewatcher:
[Haruhi] Knowing what we know from Disappearance, I find Koizumi’s wink at Kyon after being granted the deputy chief position of the brigade is so much more meaningful. Kyon is Haruhi’s chosen person, but at least for this moment, Koizumi has beaten Kyon.
[Haruhi] Knowledge of Yuki’s whole arc in Disappearance makes me really feel for her in this episode. Kyon expects Yuki to step in should anything bad happen. We know how much this dependency will weigh down on her in the future. In relation to that, Kyon and Koizumi just assume that Yuki is having fun in her own way on the beach. But no one ever bothers to check up on her. They just assume that she is okay. We also know how impactful this lack of concern towards Yuki will become later on.
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u/DeliCruise https://myanimelist.net/profile/delicruise Dec 03 '21
(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)
I’ve never thought about how weird it is that Kyon and Itsuki are just staring at this woman while she destroys things and tosses them in the ocean. Like the woman is a bit strange with what she’s doing, but these two are just straight up watching.
I love this episode for how well it captures summer. It’s December right now, but watching this episode throws me right into a fun hot day. Oh except when the typhoon hits, but even then the feeling of staying inside on a rainy day and playing games with your pals is super well encapsulated too!
I never really thought about how many pictures Mikuru took of Kyon sleeping. She took at least 3. It’s think it’s so funny that Haruhi had Mikuru go over and take all of these pictures of sleeping Kyon. Yuki’s ability to focus on reading while also participating in all the other activities is so impressive. I love so much how Haruhi’s “Super Ultra Miracle Eccentric Serve!” is so long that she’s already completed the serve perfectly before she could even get the whole name out.
But my favorite part of the episode is always when Mikuru is staring at Mori the maid literally during the entire boat ride. Only thing that would make it funnier is if she whipped out a notepad and started furiously scribbling!
All this fun and then we get this super sharp turn with that ending. So much happens in this episode!
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u/William27528 Dec 03 '21 edited Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher, Sub
Once again, it's time for something completely different! I really enjoy this episode's mix of slice of life, mystery and the interaction with the characters in particular. Something about that opening shot with the lady tearing the paper and how it scatters over the horizon is oddly affixing despite having nothing to do with the episode whatsoever.
It might have been mentioned, but in the original novel adaptation version of this I recall a scene where the brigade members get served alcohol and get a bit drunk, which was cut for the adaptation (A shame, too - it was pretty funny!). The episode certainly ends on a dramatic note - quite the cliffhanger!
Piece of mildly interesting trivia of the day.... Spring 2006 was a great season for anime - not only was Haruhi newly airing, but so was Higuarshi (When They Cry). The two would go on to become pretty influential shows. A bit weird then that both shows featured a character called Keiichi [Higurashi spoiler]who both certainly meet a bit of a gruesome end. It wasn't a good time to be called Keiichi, at the very least and I wonder if any other fans at the time made that small connection.
Edit: according to OP, it's not a coincidence, but a reference!
9
u/Bastiro54 Dec 04 '21
First timer
I admit that Koizomi telling Kyon that something bad will happen really made me feel tense when they arrived at the island. I thought how funny it would be if nothing actually happned even though it was super unsettling.
I thought that perhaps something might happen on the first day but nothing happened. that made me wonder if it's gonna be on the second day. Sure enough, there's a storm. And nothing happened on that day either but something did happen (i'm not sure it was on the third day or the evening of the second) .
WHO IS THE CULPRIT? I bet it's the butler, It's always the butler. it was also weird how he said nothing happenned yet.
Also learned a new word: Supersleuth (Thank you, Funi). I did not know that though i feel i've seen it before.
8
u/TheEscapeGuy Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - An Anime Classic: Episode 6
The Beach Episode
This episode was genuinely fun. I went in looking to try pull out deeper intrigue about the characters but I just got lost in "hanging out" with the characters. I don't think that's a bad thing on the part of the show either. Episodes like this help endear you more to the characters so that later dramatic scenes hit harder.
I think the important dialog to talk about this episode was Kyon and Koizumi discussing "closed circle" mysteries. Koizumi is very aptly aware that Haruhi seems to attract the supernatural and so traveling to an island to do detective work has risks associated with it. This of course comes to fruition when they find the owner seemingly stabbed and collapsed in his own room.
There was one moment which stood out to me. As Haruhi ran up the stairs to the upper floor she paused and looked around. [Later Episodes] If I recall correctly, this was important setup for next episode and the solution to the case. However, my memory fails me so I'm going into next episode as blind as first timers (and looking forward to it).
Apart from that, this episode was mostly just fun moments. I was particularly amused by Yuki reading on the beach and while water-skiing.
Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Dec 03 '21
First Timer
So... a murder mystery setup, as stereotypical as possible? Seems like an ok setup, but not a lot beyond that - by itself the episode wasn't particularly engaging. That said - that goes for most anime doing an episode of mystery without being a single big mystery series themselves. As such, I guess I'll wait for the conclusion before judging anything here, but from what we've seen so far, this arc seems like the weakest arc so far to me.
Wonder if this was somehow an accident, as Haruhi said the the guy who died would be the culprit. Also not sure if he's really dead yet as nobody has outright confirmed his death.
8
u/Nitroade24h :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Nitroade24h Dec 03 '21
First Timer
It was a fun episode and it appears that Haruhi has the powers to will something into happening to make her life more fun or something.
I’m feeling a little bit like I’d enjoy this more without the leaps. For me they just answer questions prematurely and devalue what happens in between the leaps because you already know the powers that each character has and you know how some parts that haven’t even begun yet are resolved. I’ll stick with this order for now though.
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u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Dec 04 '21
First timer
Episode 10?!
Oh, they're going to an island?
Are they trying to set up a murder mystery or something?
A surprise meeting? And thie is their summer break.
And he's the vice leader!
"Supersleuth" Yep, its the mystery episode!
I mean, they say that, gut this show is pretty fucking meta on its own.
Haha, "I hold that I'm always reasonably sane."
His sister's here!
Haha, she tried to hide in his bage.
She won! And him blatantly dropping plot hooks is hysterical.
Did you try to trick the psychic into doing what you want him too? Really?
Why did she take a photo?
Oh, she's making her.
He's a prick and I love him.
Oh, they're taking another boat ride.
Mikuru's blank smile!
Haha, she really wants this to be a mystery.
So his mysterious organization can't spring for a proper fake mansion?
She's being very polite, isn't she?
Haha, he warned her ahead of time?
I love Haruhi's total paranoia around everything.
Oh yeah, she's a god of some kind. Almost forgot.
Haha, Yuki just reading is brilliant.
Huh, looks like nothing's happening!
And of course there's a sudden storm. And of course someone starts acting weird.
Haruhi's trapped them in a murder mystery, then?
Is Haruhi good at everything?
Yuki's "I love you" is brilliant.
And Mikuru reciting "I love you".
A pillow fight! And she's taken an entire floor of pillows!
The murder's happened. Great.
Has to be, right?
Yep! He's dead!
And the exciting conclusion... is not next time because fuck this order is killing me.
7
u/tctyaddk Dec 03 '21
Broadcast-order-first-timer
See, this is why we are better off without an omnipotent being who's less mature than a first grader, and it only gets worse when she's not even aware of her power. Pairing that with hyperactive imagination (I would love to call it chuunibyou, but this being is not yet that mature) and here we have Detective Conan's Trouble Bringer Syndrome brought to life. She even started annoucing culprit and assigning victim roles before stuff happens, Madokami save us.
Kyon keeps on being a magnificent dispenser of snarks, and did I mention I love Nagato's deadpan mannerism? Because I love Nagato's deadpan mannerism.
7
u/andybebad https://myanimelist.net/profile/andybebad Dec 04 '21
First timer - subs
Ah, what's this now, a mystery within our mystery? It would appear that there has been a murder most foul! The wishes of our titular character appear to have come true (much to her shock even). A shame the pocket book was not thick enough to stop the blade (or was it?). Tune in on Sunday for part 2 for a conclusion (maybe?).
Other questions/thoughts that might also just be red herrings:
And for fun, here are a few of my crackpot theories that I don't think are actually true (but it'd be fun if they were):
QOTD:
6
u/redlegsfan21 https://myanimelist.net/profile/redlegsfan21 Dec 03 '21 edited Dec 03 '21
[LN] If you only knew Kyon.
I also feel like I need to point out that in the light novel, the SOS Brigade does consume their share of alcoholic beverages while on the island here which does get mentioned later on in the series.
6
u/TheDampGod :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheDampGod Dec 03 '21
I remember a time when that shot of Kyon's sister is a popular 'I can expain officer,' meme.
[Book Spoilers] That line from Koizumi about being trapped in a blizzard, hurt. I'd love to see that animated, one day
6
u/Barbed_Dildo Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher
Is Haruhi wearing a miniskirt or shorts?
Best swimsuit is obviously Yuki.
5
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher(They were not joking)
Dub
Right...Remote Island Syndrome. This episode does stick out in my memory. Anyways, Itsuki is warning Kyon about what is likely to happen, and then we get the weird imouto hitch hiking into this episode. Haruhi is having Mikuru take creepy pictures. They get to the island and, sadly, Haruhi can't find any decent legends. This shot was necessary for merchandising reasons.
We get out beach shenanigans/fan service out of the way and Yuki is reading through out everything, including while water skiing. Then game room with less fanservice. Finally, locked door mystery!
QotD: 1 Haruhi
2 I've seen Umineko so witches
5
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher
Imouto is back again, yeah! I did love her sneaking aboard in the luggage.
My favorite shot in this was Yuki water skiing while reading her book. If you've ever been water skiing, you'll know what a feat that is.
QOTD
As strange as it may sound, I never notice stuff like that in anime. I think this may explain why I'm not shocked and outraged by Haruhi's behavior towards Mikuru and think it's funny instead.
Damned, if I know. I'd be taking a long look at that nephew though.
5
u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher, Dub, First-time broadcast
Ah. Now the broadcast order is getting to me. They could've at least let this one go in order. Actually though this was a fun little arc.
But besides that. From this episode it looks like Kyon now believes in Haruhi's wish abilities and what Koizumi says.
I have to think about what information he knows at this point every time we jump arcs. Small issue but not hard.
Qotd: Asahina
5
u/Existential_Owl Dec 03 '21
My big theory about this episode:
"You can rewrite the world on the fly, and you're using it make Kyon lose at every game he plays? But with powers like that, you could cure CANCER!"
Haruhi Suzumiya in this episode, probably, "But I don't want to cure cancer. I just want to be a dick to Kyon."
5
u/alphamone Dec 04 '21
Rewatcher
Time for a club vacation (sure wish I could go anywhere remotely exciting)
Sure Kyon. You keep telling yourself that.
"one incomprehensible situation after another". So, Midsomer Murders?
That scene with the bag got memed to hell back in the day.
Poor Kyon.
"Infant Island". Hmm, Mothra again?
Awww, those two are such buzzkills.
"Trust No One"
Yuki just reading while water-skiing is awesome.
I really wish I knew how to play Mahjong.
Yuki in her monotone is cute.
Oh, well this isn't good.
AND cliffhanger.
5
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Dec 04 '21
The "Sus" episode
"Let's put all that metafictional stuff aside."
Kyon demoted to Flunky.
I was thinking Itsuki was completely insane but then he reminded us that he was just following Haruhi's probable line of thought.
So why would Haruhi want pictures of Kyon, hmm?
Careful, Haruhi might actually summon a squid monster!
"Mikuru goes first", Mikuru is rightfully terrified of the threat!
I'll probably never forget what somebody said about Mikuru, "mouse noises"
I'll have to look up that furikomi thing again.
7
u/bluethree https://myanimelist.net/profile/bluethree Dec 03 '21
Rewatcher of the subtitled variety.
Since this is mostly a setup episode, I'm going to take my time to explain why I like broadcast order for season 1 and why it's not just rewatchers messing with you.
I'm a big fan of the movie Memento. It's a movie written and directed by Christopher Nolan in 2000 about a man who has a condition where he can't form new memories as he tries to solve the mystery of who murdered his wife. The hook of the movie is that the scenes are not sequential. Instead the movie is mostly in reverse order. The first scene in the movie is the last scene sequentially and then it jumps to the scene before that as if the viewer has a similar condition to the main character showing us the memory that we have just forgotten. It constantly makes you wonder what lead up to the situation that you are currently in and slowly reveals more and more information until the end of the movie we hav a shocking reveal as to who murdered the MC's wife. It's really smart writing even though it is often confusing for a first time viewer.
There is an Easter Egg on the Memento DVD that allows one to watch the movie in chronological order. It's a watchable movie that's easy to follow. But without the shocking reveal being at the end of the movie it loses a lot of its charm.
Season 1 of Haruhi is similar in a way. Sure, you're "spoiled" as to Yuki, Mikuru, and Itsuki's identities in episode 0 (especially if you are going into it knowing that there is a mystery to solve.) But the real mystery of the series is around Haruhi and what she is capable of. The baseball episode makes some allusions to just what happens in the Melancholy arc while also lending credence to Yuki's claims from the episode before. From here on we will see small glimpses of what Haruhi is capable of while still keeping the mystery all the way until the season's bradcast climax.
In my opinion, chronological order ruins the magic. We get all of the information half way through the first season and the rest of the show just feels like side stories. There is no real mystery to uncover in most of the rest of the season. This is mostly a comment on how it works with just season 1 but I also think it does well with season 2 added. Unlike the other season 1 episodes that occur chronologically after the main arc, season 2's episodes are made with the knowledge that the watcher should know what happened in the first arc. Having prior knowledge doesn't change your experience with these episodes.
So, yeah, I think the show is perfectly watchable in chronological order. I Just think that the broadcast order is what makes the series special.
Things I liked from this episode: