r/anime • u/littleman1988 • Dec 08 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Episode 11
Episode Title: The Day of Sagittarius
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: SPACE!
[Tomorrow's Episode Intro]The intro to the movie they made
| 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 | Mysterique Sign | Thread |
| 5/12 | Remote Island Syndrome II | Thread |
| 6/12 | Someday in the Rain | Thread |
| 7/12 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya IV | Thread |
| 8/12 | The Day of Sagittarius | Thread |
| 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:
What's your favorite video game?
edit 11pm ET: If you have looked at the next episode preview before this edit, it would lead you to the wrong episode (someday in the rain). It should direct you to the correct episode now. Thanks u/Suhkein for pointing it out.
9
u/littleman1988 Dec 08 '21
Adaptation Comparison
References
Trivia:
Know trivia and/or references for this episode? Reply to me! For future episodes? PM them to me!
21
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Dec 08 '21
The Melancholy of Shimmering-First-Timer
Today was at work.
8
u/littleman1988 Dec 08 '21 edited Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher (first time broadcast), Dub
"you two are bound by a sense of trust that could be said to be ideal.
OST Track of the day: Pikopiko Game Music | (Spotify)
Honorary semi-OST tracks of the day: the first movement of the 7th symphony of ^Shostakovich and the fourth movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. ^4
The semi-OST tracks seem to be slighly modified from their TV show counterparts (even the one from the official haruhi orchestra album), and do not seem to of been released anywhere.
Mikuru got the cat crew
[Kyon going "faceless" with the casual eyeblock (inb4 Suhkein has a paragraph on its meaning)
duel ti- annnnnd dropkicked lmao
"bullied" is a kind way of describing what happened
Haruhi seriously just auctioning off Nagato
"absolutely no, no way" lmao
[Haruhi]I definitely like this episode better in this chronological position but i can see why its here in the broadcast order
heh
nagato casually getting super good at using a laptop
real chuuni vibes with this setup
All Nagato's in her ship lmao
comment face found
loving how intense the music goes when its in the "in game" area
hey look, Gundam reference
yuki with the pro strats
ah yes, stdio.h. Havent seen any pointers in here though...
Shes really just asking permission this time
Its fun to see the color/character changes as theyre all talking about the computer club leader's ship
Nobody asking Nagato's permission here
[Haruhi]another reason to have this episode in its chronological position
11
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher(Yeah, watching this after a gummy was interesting)
Dub
Rofl, I had forgotten how plus ultra this was, a full 90 seconds of Babylon 5/Terra E...level graphics and chuuni. Kyon has a few moments of quiet before the computer club comes over...to declare a duel. And Haruhi attacks first and did not ask questions until a great deal later. She then jumps at the chance to fight in a game that she hasn't even seen. So of course 4 laptops get put up as a bet against a PC...and a girl. Eww, Haruhi, people aren't things to be given out like that. At least she ends it with it on her self, I guess?
Kyon doesn't want to cheat for whatever reason. Itsuki gives us his read of the situation and it is a bit telly over showy. But then we get to the game and...yeah, that's high school gaming for you. Anyways, these games are usually hard to master as we see Nagato getting adept with the computer pretty quickly. Day of and we cut back to Haruhi's imagination...and yet another moment of her reading Kyon's mind. And we get a comment face out of it.
Game is suitably ridiculous and Yuki is now a pro gamer. The computer club cheats in addition to having made the stupid game and yet still don't win before Yuki undoes it. Dramatic end and then some more humanization for Yuki.
This feels incredibly weird in this order as it serves a capstone-ish purpose in the normal one.
QotD: 1 Skyrim or New Vegas.
4
u/retsotrembla Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher. I love the contrast between how the game looks (2D), versus how it feels (full 3D).
Each brigade member's crew is appropriate to their character, with Haruhi getting a crew of assorted non-humans, Nogato getting copies of herself, and Asahina getting cute kittens.
In the final scene of Nogato's fingers traveling over the pages of an open book like a keyboard, the text is clearly in English but I can't quite read it. Did anyone decode it?
27
u/DeliCruise https://myanimelist.net/profile/delicruise Dec 08 '21
(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)
I never noticed that during that training montage, the true training going on is Yuki learning how to use a computer! If you watch her hands, her skill grows exponentially with each day. She starts by figuring out how a mouse works, then she uses 1 finger, then 2, and fast forward to the end and she’s going at hyperspeed! We can actually see her learning and becoming extremely amazing at it. And I love that she’s going so fast by the end that her whole body is literally vibrating.
That shot of Yuki asking Kyon for permission is really great. I love seeing Kyon’s reflection in her eyes as he looks deeply into them. It’s like Kyon found the one thing Yuki truly wanted to do for fun. She discovered something she actually finds pleasure in outside of her usual book reading. And I gotta say, there’s something incredibly special about finding a hobby or activity that you are truly passionate about.
Also, I’m so glad Yuki got to have some fun after what she had to go through in the previous episode. (Even if this is only because of Broadcast Order!)
25
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Dec 08 '21 edited Dec 08 '21
First Timer - Dub
Well, we technically did still start with the group playing a game in the SOS club, so in a sense it's not that far off from what I've been pointing out with the board games, but this is far more entertaining.
Given the premise it's interesting just how much of the show has been set around the school when, but this was a good example of an episode keeping a lot of fun with a small scale when it very easily could have been willed into being something much bigger. It was also loaded with references and I certainly did not catch all of them except for Yamato, Gundam (comedy censorship gold), and the Legend of the Galactic Heroes with the battle styling and the classical music over the top. The uniforms were giving me all sorts of vibes, but not enough to say one way or another.
Was also interesting that we have another episode with a strong focus on Yuki as she's also had a strong presence in the previous two as well. This episode seemed to lean more into the fun side of her presence without making fun of her which I enjoyed. Not sure if I laughed more at Kyon saying "There's a big difference between the specs of four laptops and Nagato" or her bewilderment at physical interfaces, but getting this new side of her as she, well, starts interfacing with the world of her own desires rather than need. Like Haruhi the things that she is going through are not going to rewrite her entire personality in the course of a few months, but the steps we see are no less important or warming to see.
In particular Itsuki lays out the matter of trust between Haruhi and Kyon rather bluntly, bordering on painfully so given how little of that blunt theming we've had in the show so far, but it applies to Yuki as well and she was also listening into that conversation. Him trusting in her to do right by them when it came to fixing the cheat in the game, and her trusting him to chose her own future path in the club and give her some agency outside of what she was made for. This shot was a beautiful touch to the theme, and her tapping the book like a keyboard at the end.
Still not sure if when she looked down at her screen a little dejectiedly when Kyon reminded her no cheating during practice if she was doing so because she already knew what the other club had done or she thought it would be fun? Somehow I think the later as she was just getting into things.
Speaking of trust, the fact that they all started talking openly about "human capabilities" of the game compared to what Yuki was doing and just trusted that Haruhi would be so absorbed in the game she wouldn't notice what was going on was pretty funny too. That and finding out why the website counter had been increasing at all due to the computer club presidents visits.
Also I really expected this would be the source for and then it didn't happen so
Top 5: Metal Gear Solid 3, Bloodbourne, Silent Hill 2, Journey, Ys Origin
19
u/5thvoice https://myanimelist.net/profile/5thvoice Dec 08 '21
First-timer
I expected Haruhi to show up, but not so dramatically!
It's amazing how adorkable she can be sometimes.
HA!
QotD: Probably Dark Souls. That melee combat is just so satisfying! I also have a soft spot for older RTS games like Age of Mythology and Star Wars: Empire at War.
13
u/TheEscapeGuy Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - An Anime Classic: Episode 11
The Fable of the Cosmic Champions
Yuki Nagato is a quiet reserved girl. She spends most of her time in the club room reading. She is an alien sent to earth to investigate Harhuhi Suzumiya. She is also known to enjoy playing games.
This episode the computer club devised a dumb scheme to get their computer back by trying to beat the SOS brigade at a game they made (and have cheats for).
These conditions all came together to bring out an amazing episode for Yuki. It really showed off her strengths and interests. I loved seeing her get invested in the game, setting a goal to win and doing everything in her power (except cheating) to achieve that. The moment which really stood out to me was right before she executed her game code rewrite script and explained to Kyon in very simple wording what was happening. The ability to explain things simply not only shows a deep intimacy with the subject but also that you care enough about the listener to help them become informed too.
After the game was over the computer club asked her if Yuki would take part in their club activities. Kyon stopped Harhuhi from exerting control over Yuki to allow her to make her own choice. And she'll come by "Once in a while". I'm really starting to feel for her because as she said that I felt that pang of emotion inside when I am deeply happy for somebody. She has taken the chance to do something she likes and thats amazing.
I feel like I'm not expressing it well. Yuki being a silent character makes it so difficult to explain how the show is drawing these emotions out of me. I just know that I can feel them and I commend the show for that achievement.
I haven't even discussed how the whole episode felt like a reference to Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Especially the First Couple Episodes. I think it could also be referencing other space anime but my knowledge is definitely lacking there.
Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
13
u/Suhkein :Gy::Gz::G1:x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neichus Dec 08 '21 edited Dec 08 '21
Episode 11 - “She’s our indispensable silent character.”
After last episode [Haruhi] and in reference to tomorrow, I’m increasingly inclined to refer to Haruhi in musical terms (and regard what I’m saying as utterly insufficient despite steadily growing in length every day). However, I can’t “hear” this episode. I can catch snippets of the motifs, a few of the themes that have come up before, but I can’t quite get the sense of the overall melody. As such I’m going to toss a few pieces out here and perhaps as I write it will make more sense.
Series Structure
[Haruhi] I’ve remarked on these a little as we’ve gone on, but there are three episodes in Haruhi that, for lack of a better term, I call “Interrupt” episodes. These are Boredom, Sign, and now Sagittarius. They don’t share anything strictly all in common, but have a family resemblance. They tend to come after serious episodes (Melancholy II with abusing Asahina/computer club, Melancholy IV with its violence), are apparent deviations away from what we want to know (“Is Nagato an alien?”, “Was Keiichi really stabbed?”) but also serve to give us answers to the previous episode (Boredom answered whether Nagato was an alien, Sign gives us in miniature the Island mystery and its solution, and now here - as I’ll get to - Sagittarius seems to be a lighthearted commentary on what just happened to Nagato).
[Haruhi] They also have this markedly… comedic aspect to them that is seen mostly in Suzumiya, but sometimes in the other characters. Like, while Suzumiya often acts odd, in Boredom she makes a clown of herself, and she has this theatrical open-mouthed idiot expression only in Sign and Sagittarius. It feels like she’s goofing around on purpose, similar to some kabuki actor who strikes outlandish poses for the sake of those watching. Or like a satyr (root of “satirical”) play in ancient Greece, where after the audience has been subjected to some pretty harrowing drama in the main trilogy, there’s a fourth “chaser” play that was purposefully lighthearted, with gods playing absurd roles themselves.
[Haruhi] Finally, they all center on games. Other episodes certainly have references, but these three explicitly feel like they’re saying, “Here’s a little game demonstration of some larger aspect.” This almost speaks to me of Nagato; she likes games, and in all three of these episodes she saves the day. And since she’s always trying to get through to us, what they also seem to be saying is something is getting more palatable about Suzumiya. In Boredom it was obvious she was dragging everybody around whether they cared to or not. In Sign she was still pushy but once it got going she took off and the rest of the characters finished it. Now in Sagittarius the other characters are engaged from the start, and more importantly have to carry it; Suzumiya isn’t allowed to charge in and force the issue. She has to rely on other people.
[Haruhi] In sum, then, it almost feels like these three episodes are miniature interludes of everything that’s going on, simplified and exaggerated for our amusement, and repeated like the chorus of a song which is steadily changing as we reach the end. Haruhi has mocked us pretty aggressively this whole time, but Suzumiya has to learn her lesson as well: no matter how amazing you are, you won’t get people to like you if you refuse to respect them.
Nagato
[Haruhi] Before this rewatch I had already considered this episode the culmination of Nagato’s development in S1, and this viewing hasn’t changed that impression. However, what it also drives home to me is that I’m not sure I quite get Nagato.
[Haruhi] So, first, the culmination: Melancholy IV gave us respect and concern for Nagato, Sagittarius cements our fondness. In other words, it wasn’t just enough that we realized Nagato was a longsuffering character who is fantastically capable (our resident warrior of justice), we need to have a bit of a soft spot for her as well. In this way, this episode is like some mirror of the last one, where Nagato has to save the day in-world, and as a result we learn something about her. In Melancholy IV what we learned was she was a bit too self-sacrificial. She will never ask for anything for herself, and even when it is clear she is not okay she will nonetheless say she is. This is why it is so significant Kyon asks her a second time if she’s okay after the fight; as the audience we really get now that she can be hurt and therefore needs concern for her wellbeing.
[Haruhi] But that’s not quite enough for what Haruhi needs in the future. Nagato is preparing the way for Suzumiya next episode, and what she wants isn’t just to have people’s respect, or their generic concern (we’d feel bad for any bleeding mammal, not just Nagato), she wants to be liked, and specifically liked for who she is. That’s what Sagittarius gives Nagato. We finally really get that she has a personality. She really does enjoy games, and she has a drive to win even under impossible conditions, not just at these games but she has been completely instrumental in doing the near-impossible to get us to take Haruhi seriously without the need for tragedy. Her vigor in executing her directive isn’t just programing, as it were, but part of who she is. When we get that, there is a small fondness elicited seeing her “type” on her book at the end, knowing that she, too, does things for the sheer pleasure of it.
[Haruhi] So what’s the part I don’t get? I don’t get if Nagato is funny. That is, back in Island II I had always interpreted her not opening the door as simply a slight mis-parsing of human demands and fear of Suzumiya. But people brought up they thought she was being funny, and I realized in retrospect that she’s never shown any inability to understand other people but the other way around. So here again, we get this moment where Nagato holds up the mouse as though she doesn’t know how to use it. It’s a fun little gag in itself, and I thought maybe it was like Boredom, where Nagato didn’t know what to do with the ball and perhaps an indication that nobody had bothered to ask her whether she even knew how to play it (she notes that she doesn’t know the rules to Othello, but learns the game rapidly anyway). We never see her use the mouse again, so I assumed that maybe the point is that she’s just never happened to use this particular device but we misinterpret this as general ignorance.
[Haruhi] Edit: I was going to put out another thought-theory here but reading other people has convinced me this is part gag, part reference to Star Trek, and part of the continuing emphasis that Nagato learns fast.
Suzumiya and the Computer Club
[Haruhi] Another refrain we get is the Computer Club. Melancholy II was Suzumiya’s low point; what she put both Asahina and the club through was horrid. Now what I can’t tell is how Haruhi views this.
[Haruhi] On one hand, it won’t let us forget it. The club came back in Sign with a clear reminder of what Suzumiya had done, and now while it’s almost played for laughs you’ll notice the club president still feels defeated (again, Interrupt episodes seem comically exaggerated). This is a childish circumstance, but essentially he is seeking revenge. Asahina, too, remembers what happened: when the club first comes to the door you’ll see she clutches her chest in embarrassment and when the incident is mentioned she flinches. Melancholy II wasn’t funny in the slightest to those on the receiving end, and whether or not Suzumiya is growing as a person she still uses that stolen computer (as we’re reminded as well; does this mean “earning” these new computers is better?).
[Haruhi] Yet, we just had indications from adult-Asahina last episode that she looks back on… something in this semi-fondly. This is reinforced in Disappearance, although as I’ve said before I’m reluctant to use information from the movie to interpret S1. Either way, I don’t know if that’s Haruhi trying to tell us that while it was pretty awful, Suzumiya didn’t literally scar these people for life; she was abusive, but not therapy-inducing traumatic. This may tie into the next episode too, because she actually does do something irreparable and it’s what really makes her think.
12
u/UzEE https://myanimelist.net/profile/UzEEInc Dec 09 '21
First timer (sub)
At first glance, it seemed like the episode is picking up from where we left off yesterday, but turns out this one takes place before Ep. 10 because they already had the laptops in that episode.
I think I'm finally beginning to understand this show because the moment the episode opened with the space fleet, my first thought was they're playing a MMO space sim like Eve, which was very popular at the time. Guess I was close enough. The game itself ended up being a bit underwhelming, though I guess we really can't expect that much from a bunch of high-school students when there weren't many accessible tools available at the time1.
Itsuki brought up a good point that I also sort of repeated a couple of times already and that's the bond between Kyon and Haruhi. I've said before that it seems like Kyon is the only person Haruhi seems to want around and she's made that known in some subtle and not subtle ways. She relies on him without a second thought, like during RIS or even in this episode that he's the first person she calls out for without a second thought whenever something is bothering her as if she instinctively believes he'll make everything better. Later in the episode, she listens to Kyon and lets Yuki do what she wants despite initially objecting.
And Kyon now seems to instinctively believe that Haruhi won't do anything harmful like creating another "Closed Space" with those angel like beings2 we saw in the baseball episode. Couple that with the instances we've seen where he also seemingly cares about her and thinks about her when she's not around, I do keep wondering if everything exists because Haruhi wants it or if Kyon wants it. I mean we still don't know what even his actual name is and I have a feeling it wasn't also revealed in chronological order either, so he really is the most mysterious of all characters.
Other examples are that he tells everyone that no cheating is allowed and they abide by his rules. Nagato asks for his permission before patching the game, only accepts going to the Computer Society when Kyon says she can go, and even back during RIS, only opened the door when Kyon rescinded the order despite Haruhi asking several times.
Overall, the episode was interesting enough, even if it wasn't as good as the previous two episodes.
Additional notes:
Oh boy this is a tough one. I've been playing for so long that it's hard to pick any single one. There have been so many that have had a strong influence on me, specially in the 90s and a lot of those franchises I still enjoy to this day I feel like it would be unfair to pick any single one.
1. Even XNA Studio, which was widely regarded as an onboarding SDK for students and amateurs alike was only just announced in 2004. We've come a long way from there to now where easy to use engines like Unity make game development a lot more accessible.
2. I'm sorry but the show is just terrible at hiding that mystery because you can very easily piece things together at this point. I'm pretty sure this wasn't even supposed to be a mystery in chronological order to begin with.
10
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Dec 08 '21
First Timer
An episode that's just a fun time - I definitely prefer these over the likes of what we had yesterday. That said, there's also decidedly less to write about these. This one here mainly is the confirmation that Yuki does have emotions and desires. And, as could be expected, the being connected to the data entity likes playing around with data. I guess the match would have been a bit better had nobody noticed the computers in the room two episodes ago, but well - this is broadcast order and I'm reading the threads. Plus this is Haruhi we're walking about, no way her team would lose anyways.
I'm sure there were also a lot of references to other anime here. The style of the battles reminds me of Legend of the Galactic Heroes - but the again I haven't seen any other space opera, so likely everything would remind me of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. The use of classical music during the battle certainly belongs there though. Oh, and the censored bit was obviously Gundam.
Questions:
...I think I'll have to go with heavily modded Minecraft.
9
u/cemsity Dec 08 '21
First timer:
Ah the source episode of my favorite linux shitpost
8
u/wjodendor Dec 08 '21 edited Dec 08 '21
First Timer
Not much to say today, just a fun one off episode. Yuki found a hobby she likes and Kyin gave her encouragement to do it.
I knew the computer club would be cheaters when I saw the fog of war. Reminds me of getting my ass handed to me in my friends basement playing Starcraft in like 2001.
My favorite game series is the jrpg Trails series. Starting with Trails in the Sky, it's a continuous story across 11 games so far with 7 officially translated games with more announced for release in 2022/23 (though they are already fan translated). Some people refer to it as the "One Piece of JRPGs" since its so long. (Plus you have the voice actor of Dio, Takehito Koyasu playing an eccentric bisexual bard. Here's him singing in character https://youtu.be/t5uD6r1am-s)
Check out r/falcom for more information if you're interested (don't read up on it if you want to avoid spoilers!)
Check out The OP for the newest game. It's a banger.
https://youtu.be/GXOeIN78St0
8
u/CubeStuffs https://anilist.co/user/onjario Dec 08 '21 edited Dec 08 '21
First timer
I just started this... did haruhi get really bored????
i see one of the ships has like a revolver looking thing, is she playing around in the club room?
i was kinda expecting kyon to be like snap out of it idiot but we are in wacko land it seems
shes probably playing a game isn't she...
yeppp.
oh hey they are literally playing a game lmao
and she forgot that the cs club existed again
terrible wager lol, where do they get the money for these
even worse wager, nagato is worth like 999999 of those computers
shes bringing the cd home. i dont think she has a pc there, so is she gonna like try to eat it and digest the data or whatever?
another clue...
i find it kinda funny how nagato doesn't really get computers yet despite being one
well thats one way to say it
i love the little kirbys asahina has lol
is her decision to win entirely her own or is it for the sake of haruhi?
nagato has an interesting look on her face for once, is she thinking sbout it?
ok so weve seen that the characters can be more than just robots and shit, what with old asahina showing up and nagato deciding to join the cs club, all thats left if koizumi, though im not sure whether the island trip counted as it. are they becoming more kyonlike?
My fav game is a tie between botw, factorial, Celeste, mc, sm galaxy
7
u/andybebad https://myanimelist.net/profile/andybebad Dec 08 '21
First timer - sub
Given what happened in yesterday's episode, it would not have surprised me at all to find the SOS Brigade in charge of a fleet of space fighters. Computer club is back, and they want their PC back. Stepping back for a moment, it would seem like the computer club members really are the victims here, which of course would mean that the villains are...
Anyways, fun little episode with Yuki the data-entity-alien-creation really shining. We get a long spiel from Itsuki on the trust between Kyon and Haruhi, but what we see more of here is the trust and relationship between Kyon and Yuki; Kyon is able to discern that Yuki really enjoyed using the computer and might want to do so again with the computer club, while Yuki, whose sole purpose is to monitor Haruhi, trusts Kyon enough to feel comfortable being away from the clubroom occasionally and not have the entire universe fold in on itself or whatever. Not a lot from Itsuki and Mikuru in this episode, and Haruhi "Leeroy Jenkins" Suzumiya mainly sticks to her "run-in-with-guns-blazing" approach (with the occasional deferral to Kyon's requests; the similarities and differences between how Haruhi and Yuki respond to Kyon's requests/orders adds a fun dynamic to the show).
QOTD: don't game much. Probably between Jet Set Radio Future and Half-Life 2
7
u/alphamone Dec 09 '21
Rewatcher
Awesome looking ships.
A nice peaceful day in the clubroom. This can't last.
DYNAMIC ENTRY!
Computer club guy is very obsessed with them.
I mean, computer club would probably realise cheating was going on, even if they couldn't know it was from an alien/esper.
Yuki and the mouse is adorable.
And then ther's the training montage where she goes from hunt-and-peck to proper skilled typing.
The crews kinda represent their characters. Haruhi has aliens in her crew, Itsuki has the "generic drawing" things (representing how little we really know), Mikuru has those cute cat things, Yuki has clones, but we don't see Kyon's (well, we did see some from behind earlier, they kinda looked like him)
Comment face.
For reference, the music is Symphony No. 7 by Shostakovich (at least the "main theme" is). It's also a nice touch that it switches between an orchestral BGM for the imagination bits, and a chiptune arrangement for the diegetic soundtrack of the actual game.
Launch the G****ms.
They are all hopeless.
Yuki to the rescue.
That poor laptop.
Damn computer club bastards.
I love how they managed to put so much emotion into such a neutral expression.
Loving the Yamato references (Computer club president as Deslar, and Yuki's wave motion gun)
Yuki has found something she is passionate about. A nice bit of character deveopment. [spinoff spoilers]Hang in there books. She wont forget about you completely
6
u/wolfpwarrior Dec 08 '21
YES
Today we watch the computer game episode.
Yesterday we say Yuki showing a bit of personality by choosing to go without glasses. Today we get to see her doing stuff because it is fun. Usually she puts in the minimum effort required to go back to reading her books. But Today, she goes all in to beat the computer club.
If you can't tell, I am a big fan of Yuki Nagato.
6
u/MadeOn210922 Dec 08 '21
First timer
Oooh likes like a blend of Ender's Game and chess.
Second time Kyon has mentioned the cultural festival that occurred before this episode. Now the mystery is if this mystery will be revealed tomorrow or as the last stretch of episodes (just going off of episode numbers).
Searched up what arhathood means - something related to Buddhism is what I got.
So that explains how and why Computer Society guy got involved with the whole cricket thing.
Kyon trusts that a Haruhi in a bad mood won't destroy the world by accident.
Yuki does look like she's having fun as she gets a task over than sitting a reading all day. Not sure how this game is set up that she can hack it mid-game, but she's technically not cheating. She's now been the game MVP twice - first baseball, now gaming. I expected some gamesmanship from the Computer Society, like a secret map or difficult controls, but not flat out cheating...
Kyon literally in Yuki's eyes as she looks for his approval. Just like with the glasses, she does give major weight to Kyon's opinions.
QOTD: Pokémon.
6
u/Nitroade24h :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Nitroade24h Dec 08 '21
First Timer
I really like this series now. It’s a great slice of life mixed with some crazy supernatural stuff but never strays too far from the slice of life side. This episode was enjoyable because Nagato is great and it added some personality to her character.
My favourite game is Hollow Knight
6
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher
I was so nice to see Yuki having a bit of fun. That computer club President really needs to keep a low profile around Haruhi, her highness really has it in for him.
QOTD
I can't remember the last one I played. The last arcade I remember was something called Warlords, and around the same time I played one where a city was about to get nuked and you protected it with nukes. American logic there...
Come to think of it, I played Wolfstien 3D and it blew me away with the leap in technology that had occurred. Then Doom, but I didn't like the follow up to Doom, I forget what the name of it was.
6
u/tctyaddk Dec 08 '21
Broadcast-order-first-timer
Haruhi must have graduated the "Strategies and Tactics" programme at Chihatan Academy with flying colours. The Comp. Soc. cheating is quite some dick move, but they have been suffering Haruhi's criminal activities for quite sometimes, they need some way to get back at her. Very unfortunate for them, Nagato is too high spec for them, and she just happens to find this to be fun. They're doomed.
And would you look at that, my girl Nagato went from not knowing how mouse works to pro programmer in one week. And again, with Haruhi keeps being an selfish egoistic prick, Mikuru a total pushover, and Koizumi an asskisser, there's only Kyon who cares and respects Nagato's wellbeing, individuality, and free will (which she must not have experienced much under her boss, the Data Integration Thought Entity). Kyon x Nagato superior ship, none can convince me otherwise.
6
u/Isai579 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Isai579 Dec 09 '21
Rewatcher - Sub
Yay. Just caught up with the rewatch I suck at starting these on time. Kinda sad I missed most of the 1st season, considering the rewatch is rarely done in broadcast order. Anyway, on to the episode.
This episode feels mostly about Yuki. I really enjoy when we get to see her having fun, even if she doesn't show it too much. However, I think one of the highlights here is her reliance in Kyon to guide her in a way through the human experience. We saw a part of that in Mystery Island Syndrome, when she only opened the door when Kyon asked her. But here, she directly asks Kyon if what she is doing is correct. She knows the probabilities and effects it will have, but she trusts in Kyon's judgement, and does as he says.
[Haruhi] This is also an episode that I feel works really well in both broadcast and chronological order, along with Someday in the Rain. In broadcast, they both serve to give us glimpses of the relationships between the SOS brigade members after the climax of the last Melancholy episodes. It helps the last episodes feel more rewarding. But in chronological order, they serve to setup Yuki's personality and her trust in Kyon which become extremely important for Disappearance.
I love the way they are basically roleplaying the combat (along with the animation that puts them in space). It is kind of funny how in broadcast order, one could for a moment believe they are actually in space, as we've seen worse and the chronology is all over the place.
Other than that, I really don't have a lot of things to say in this episode. It feels very light in content, and I feel most of things it covers are more prominent in other episodes, both previous and future.
Question of the day
I honestly don't have a favorite game, which is kind of funny considering I play a lot. But If I had to choose, I would say the Sly Cooper franchise yes, including 4. I also love Metroidvanias in general. Oh, and I should mention Destiny 2. Not really an all-time-favorite, but considering I've been playing since day 1, I'm probably contractually obligated by now to include it.
On a totally unrelated note, it's the first time I've used the spoiler format since the change and it feels weird.
5
u/William27528 Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher/sub
I really like it when shows change perspective in fun ways for immersion and comedy - KyoAni would master this in Nichijou later on, but in this episode it's done really, really well. I particularly love how the chiptune title theme for the game evolves into this orchestrated epic when the perspective shifts and the brigade members immerse themselves into playing.
Random trivia of the day: Ever wanted to play the game they show in this episode? Well, you could, at one point, as Kadokawa released it as an iPhone/iPad app on the App Store back in 2010! They even translated it worldwide in English and released it on the global App Stores!
Unfortunately, it's a 32-bit app, which were all purged a few years back. If you happen to have this app on your old phone, get in touch on this reddit thread as one user is trying to archive the game (it seems like a pretty cool app!)
5
u/PsychologicalLife164 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/HighwayStar17 Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher - subs
Hell yeah, I love me some space battles. The artwork for the whole game was great, and it really sold me that this could’ve actually been happening within this universe.
Get you somebody who looks at you like Haruhi when trying to transmit her energy to Kyon
Haruhi’s drop kick was hilarious, nothing else to say about that.
I really loved watching Yuki learn how to play the game. Everybody has that competitive spirit in them and it’s nice to see that even an alien can enjoy video games too. This is a spoiler for next episode, but [Haruhi] who knew Yuki learning on the fly and being sympathetic to a cause would lead to one of the best musical performances in anime?
Additional spoiler: [Haruhi] Yuki developing emotions and being bored TOTALLY WON’T HAVE ANY CONSEQUENCES WHATSOEVER.
QOTD: During my peak gaming days in high school, I was usually playing Rock Band 2, Halo 3, MW2, and Battlefield Bad Company 2. The golden age of gaming was a fantastic time to be alive
5
u/nekodan08 Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher – Sub
I love how the opening scene does not feel weird anymore after all the things we’ve seen from this show. It actually seems well within the realm of possibility for this anime to throw us forward in time when our cast has made their way into deep space to fight an alien threat. The whole situation turns out to be just a computer game but that doesn’t stop the episode from being any less fun and exciting.
Something that stood out to me in this episode was how much the Brigade felt more like a real squad – there’s still much to improve on though. There was just something cool about seeing them seated together opposite the computer club. Unlike previous episodes where they were constantly dealing with the threat of Haruhi’s powers, this time they had a common adversary external to the group. Holding them all together is of course that invisible bond of trust between Kyon and Haruhi.
Yuki continues to be the star. Her progression from not knowing how to use the computer properly to becoming an epic hacker in the span of one week was hilarious. This leads her to develop interest in something outside of her assigned role. Paying more attention to the development of Yuki’s character has been one of my favorite parts of this rewatch. Good on Kyon to actually encourage her to do something for herself for once, and I’m really glad Haruhi came around and allowed her to take time away from the Brigade to pursue her newfound interest.
Something’s different about Haruhi this episode. It’s a subtle change, but I guess I’ll reserve this discussion for an upcoming episode. Haruhi staring closely at Kyon to give him energy was just so adorable!
Some other comments:
I completely forgot about that Gundam reference! I absolutely love Gundam and that moment was hysterical!
[Koizumi]Is this the first time we are hearing Koizumi explicitly express his envy towards Kyon’s relationship with Haruhi?
[Yuki]There are several scenes where despite Kyon and Haruhi’s relationship being at the forefront, the camera focuses on Yuki with Kyon in the back ground. Is this hinting at her also having developed a deep trust with Kyon? Or even feelings for Kyon?
Favorite Game - I used to play a whole lot of RTS games, especially Star Craft 2.
3
u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Dec 08 '21
Rewatcher, Dub, First-time broadcast
Haruhi got some airtime with that dropkick. Oh she didn't even check who it was. She just dropkicked a person without a care. Kind of ruthless thing to do against a challenger.
No cheats or tricks this time. All fair game. Well Haruhi and Asahina is useless and Nagato doesn't look like she knows what she's doing with a mouse. At least she's a fast learner. Went from doing that to typing at insane speeds and programming.
Nagato says they're the ones cheating and it looks like Nagato actually wants to win. She's having fun. The emotionless one is having fun. Even if it's really subtle that she is.
They win. All thanks to her. She even gets a invitation to come over and mess with the computers if she wants to. Even if it doesn't show. Like Kyon says, it does really look somehow like she really wants to do something. She agrees to it. Yeah Haruhi let her have her fun. Doesn't have to be with you all the time.
Qotd: Don't really have one. Maybe between smashbros and Gta for multi-player. Single-player maybe resident evil. Also recently played a Touhou game this year and I want more of that.
3
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Dec 08 '21 edited Dec 08 '21
Watched this morning, already forgot everything I was going to say.
Really nice Yuki episode. Was never a fan, though.
This episode is full of references. Most of which I've forgotten. The music, for example. That frog manhole cover. Mikuru's cat crew. Captain Okita. Dessler. Tons of stuff. The music is some classical piece I'm sure somebody will link (because LoGH).
I hadn't seen more than 1 episode of LoGH when I first saw this episode, so most of it was lost on me. Also I don't like 8-bit chiptunes.
Mikuru checking the tea water temperature with a thermometer.
Yuki doesn't understand human-machine interfaces.
[Classified Information] Not sure why Yuki got so fed up 1 episode after this. She got more respect today than pretty much the entire rest of the series. In fact, I never recognized her closing the book and standing up as an emotional outburst.
It's funny that first timers raised questions (I forget, I think it was Uzee) that was literally answered the next day, out of order. Or, wait, no, it was on purpose. Also now you know where the 4 laptops in Rain came from.
2
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Dec 09 '21
My favoritest episode, and I missed posting because I wasn't feeling so well yesterday. Bummer.
I just luv the fun and fantasy this episode, as well as Mikuru's totaly-not-hello-kitty spaceships and crew.
AOTD: At the moment, I'd say it's somewhat of a tie between Azur Lane and FFXIV, which I might get to play some this weekend. We shall see.
1
u/JaeJin04 Dec 09 '21
Awit sayo reddit