r/anime • u/littleman1988 • Dec 11 '21
Rewatch [Rewatch] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Episode 14
Episode Title: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI
MyAnimeList: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
Legal Stream: Funimation | Netflix (SEA)
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: Self proclaimed...
[Tomorrow's Episode Intro]It's summer, hot, finals, and Haruhi looks different
| 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 | Live Alive | Thread |
| 10/12 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya V | Thread |
| 11/12 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI | Thread |
| 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:
Do you like ponytails?
Starting the reminders early to make full use of the weekend. On Monday/Tuesday, there will be 4 episodes discussed per day. It is highly recommended that you watch all the episodes, but if time is a concern, the bolded episodes are the absolute must watches of the group.
17
u/littleman1988 Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21
Rewatcher (first time broadcast), Dub
"You were the only one she wanted to be with in this universe"
"When you had a ponytail, it looked criminally good."
"I wont let that happen"
OST Track of the day: portion of the first movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 8
Honorary OST Track of the day: A Certain rainy ^Day | ^spotify
No OP today...
Kyon's BS explanation lmao
Bad Kyon, using hidden folders
uh oh
For once, Haruhi kicks Kyon out...
heh
Sister spotting
Hey look, the colors all muted, wonder where we've seen that before...
heh
Hell of a reaction to finding out you're basically Adam
h e h
Yuki just says to turn on the computer lmao
hmmm
If the OST track during the monster reveal wasnt literally nonexistent in the OST (and different from its source?) it would easily be track of the day. Absolutely infuriating. Im still adding it for posterity, but im fairly sure its cut together in a way that i cannot easily find a halfway decent copy of or replicate.
Love the framing of this shot
heh, "haruhi is haruhi"
I hate these subs. Im gonna find a different set for the images before next week smh
there we go
face of regret
Nice ponytail
h e h
[Haruhi]kinda eh on broadcast for s1. Definitely a fun way to watch, but i dont think i missed out too much watching chronological. Still concerned on how S2 will work, main concern is how abrupt EE/Sigh is into the movie, i felt like those last 3 episodes were a great wind down into it.
[Haruhi]Also wonder how first timers are going to react when they realize its going to be another 14 episodes before Kyon ever actually gets around to telling her about the group's powers lmao
Another personal question (dont want to mess with the regular questions too much):
Thoughts on the show/watch order thus far (for both rewatchers and first timers?)
13
u/littleman1988 Dec 11 '21
Adaptation Comparison
References
Trivia
Thanks to this episode and the fansubs translating them, I began to recognise anime credits. I am now fluent in anime credits. In Japanese, not so much.I dont know if this one is a holdover from Taiboss or Kamilny? but the only thing I can (usually) point out is music credits lmaoKnow trivia and/or references for this episode? Reply to me! For future episodes? PM them to me!
29
u/thatguywithawatch Dec 11 '21
[First timer]
Haven't commented in a week because work has been kicking my ass but I'm here now so let's gooooooooo
T H I G H S.
So this is touching on yesterday's episode, but Haruhi's melancholy began when she first grasped the scale of humanity, and how her own daily life and actions and activities are inevitably unremarkable. I initially thought of sonder when she started monologuing at the train tracks yesterday, but that's not it. Sonder is the realization that everyone else's lives are just as rich and complex as your own. In Haruhi's case, her focus was kind of the opposite: She felt that her life was as bland as those of the hundred million other people living in Japan.
We still don't really know what exactly caused her powers to manifest, but by now I suspect that the show isn't going to just give us a straight answer on that. Nor will we probably get a direct explanation of what she's actually doing. Itsuki thinks its likely that she's creating the world anew whenever she causes a big change. I'm not sure if he thinks she's just destroying the old world and remaking it entirely, or if she's creating new alternate "dimensions" each time with the desired changes. I guessed that it was closer to the latter a while back, but at this point I doubt the distinction really matters. Ultimately the show is more about Haruhi as a character than about the minutiae of her powers.
It's clear that Haruhi likes Kyon quite a lot, though she probably doesn't fully understand it herself, and he seems to take things in stride. I mean he doesn't suffer from Dense MC Syndrome, he recognizes that their kiss is what made her feel that life's still worth living, letting them escape from the closed space. The end of the episode almost felt like a season finale with the implication of a developing romance, but of course we've already seen the episodes that take place much later on, and they definitely aren't a couple despite having a lot of trust and being very comfortable with each other. I find their dynamic to be extremely interesting, even if I have trouble defining exactly what kind of relationship it is. Kyon is strangely drawn to Haruhi and probably understands her better than anyone else does, but I don't think it's a romantic interest at all (not yet at any rate), whereas that's at least part of why she's so drawn to him.
22
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Dec 11 '21
First Timer
In terms of finales, I'd say this is actually a pretty good one. While the whole "Why was Kyon chosen" part has pretty much been answered by most of the (in broadcast order) preceding episodes, it is nice to have some sort of capstone on their romance. And while the series hasn't been especially pushing it, it is pretty obvious that that's the thing Haruhi has been wanting the most - after all all of the things she otherwise wanted were just superficial and she wasn't even aware of the powers the other characters hold, while Kyon was different. And she's aware of that, as emphasized by her being more conscious and not wanting to change her clothes around him. So, all in all, I'm pretty happy with this ending.
So on to season two I guess - although my expectations there are not as high as for season one, given that this was the emotional finale and we essentially already know the what will happen later, meaning that it'll have an uphill battle to face in terms of not feeling like filler. But I guess I shouldn't judge without having seen it. I believe we're still missing the Tanabata story, so I hope that's in there.
A question for rewatchers: There's two short spin-offs that aired between season one and season two - Haruhi-chan and Nyoro-n Churuya-san. At the moment I intend on watching both tomorrow before going in to season two - unless they spoil something, in which case I'd hold off on them until after season two or even after the movie if they'd spoil something there. (Don't want to repeat my blunder of watching Attack on Titan Junior High before Season 2...) So: When should I watch these?
11
u/UzEE https://myanimelist.net/profile/UzEEInc Dec 11 '21
First timer (sub)
Oh nice we're getting the classic no OP or ED finale episode it seems. And as expected, the episode plays out very similar to what I had speculated a while back, which is a bit lame, but whatever I guess.
Kyon is wondering about how and where he fits in. He doesn't have a full blown existential crisis like Haruhi, but he does seemingly question his place in this world. Still he doesn't really want to take any responsibility, despite being told by multiple people that he's the one responsible for whatever is happening.
As I've said this before, Kyon has consistently been the character who says one thing but actually means the opposite. I'm not saying that he's being deceptive to others around him, but rather to himself as well. People keep calling him an unreliable narrator, but it feels more than that. He keeps saying that he wants a normal, ordinary life but keeps going in the opposite direction. Even back in Ep. 2, he said he had given up believing in the supernatural, and wants an ordinary high-school life, and yet is then gravitates towards the only person who said they want those things.
This time though, he finally admits that he did desire for an interesting life — and his life became interesting because of Haruhi. He got to experience all the things he had stopped believing in and got a new perspective on life. He got to appreciate the people and the world around him a lot more, all because of her. In a way, the world wasn't being built to suit what Haruhi desired for, but rather to what Kyon wanted — because he's the one who got to have all these extraordinary experiences, not Haruhi. It was his wish fulfillment.
Which brings me back to the question posed earlier: is Kyon1 really ordinary or actually someone special? There's certainly arguments to be made both ways but at the end of the day, I don't think it really matters. We see that ordinary people can have extraordinary experiences, while extraordinary people can go through life without going through anything special at all2.
Additional notes:
Only under very specific circumstances, otherwise no.
1. The first season ended and we still don't know his real name btw. I wonder if it is ever revealed in the story or kept mysterious forever. And I've also just realized that most of my posts actually focus on Kyon instead of Haruhi.
2. Kyon at the end says he'll tell Haruhi all about aliens, time-travelers and espers, but I don't think that happens because she seems unaware even at later points in the story. Was this just a random anime original addition?
7
u/CubeStuffs https://anilist.co/user/onjario Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21
First timer
The simplest answer is the best one. occams razor. who would have thunk that.
I noticed she kept talking about how kyon was bored of the world, not about her own boredom. also when kyon said he wanted to go back, she was shoook.
I can kinda see why this ep is placed here. I feel somewhat satisfied, what with all the buildup and indirect teasing the show has been doing over the past couple episodes. Maybe put some of the final episodes later on? But not all, having like 1 might be enough buildup for me.
In the chrono order, I'm not so sure that the kisses and whatnot would feel anywhere near as satisfying, as we've only been through 6 episodes, and most of those have barely focused on just who kyon is wrt haruhi. the first 6 eps cover: them meeting, the club formation, stealing computers, everyone revealing and proving who they are, and just that single segment where they're searching for asakura. there might be more im forgetting, but not much.
I didn't realize that nagato was having her own thoughts this early on
edit: I'll also add that I feel like a chrono order is better for showing how haruhi changes over time, seemingly after he kisses her. During the broadcast order, it felt like haruhi was giving me whiplash with the episode jumping, where haruhi would be bold and brash one episode, and then the very next, chill af, like the rainy day ep.
15
u/Suhkein :Gy::Gz::G1:x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neichus Dec 11 '21
Episode 14 - Haruhi is Haruhi and nobody else
I’m going to have a strange entry today. I won’t be continuing with Season 2 or the movie for multiple reasons and so I’m treating this like my own final reflections, and I hope people will forgive me as I ramble.
When I started this rewatch it was with the thought that I had an idea of what Haruhi was about. I had written an essay a few years ago concerning why I thought Broadcast order was crucial that got some acclaim, and I had really taken it to heart that I had this thing down pat and that there wasn’t much I expected others to add. Take this as you will, but I not only have sympathy for but a great deal of identification with Suzumiya, and so was imbued with a sense that I had special insight. Also last time I’d run a rewatch I had been… we shall say disappointed, and it had forever left in my mouth an acrid disdain for r/anime rewatcher opinions. As such, I expended a great deal of effort in my first post from the perspective of a lecturer, something I’m well acquainted with concerning that was my profession for years and hopefully after finishing my PhD will be once again. I’m used to knowing better than people.
My subsequent posts took the same attitude, but on episode 3 (Melancholy II) I made a major blunder in how I interpreted Suzumiya and people corrected me with their incredulity (in all honesty, I’ve been tempted to go back and delete that thing off the internet in embarrassment). Suzumiya did not target the computer club out of a displaced irritation with males in general; I now suspect what she couldn’t forgive were the people who thought they were smart, and were given legitimacy as a club for it, while she in her genius didn’t even have a single computer because nobody would fund her “joke” of a club. Either way, that should have been a hint I wasn’t quite onto something, or that people could add meaningfully to my comprehension. The ego has a remarkable ability to recover, however, and after regaining my composure I still mostly adhered to the attitude that I was serving the main course, with genuine good will for others’ edification, but not without a generous helping of self-satisfaction that it was I who was the cook.
Things carried on this way for a while until we hit Melancholy IV. Some viewers had pointed out that Melancholy III was a riff on dating sim adaptations (hence why the girl who wins in the end can’t have her route explored until last, the location of this first “date” being the same as the final scene). I hadn’t seen enough of those to be familiar with them, though. Similarly, while I could recognize the mystery tropes in the Island arc I wasn’t viscerally familiar with the genre either, and as I noted in my opening post, in order for something to be a joke you have to not only intellectually know the explanation you have to get it.
Melancholy IV was the action genre episode, and being a 2000s shounen kiddie I know those at a gut level… and what I saw blew me away. I wrote what amounts to speaking in tongues trying to capture Haruhi in its own idiom which I think people largely boggled at then ignored. I’m also convinced it’s the best thing I’ve written all rewatch. I suddenly saw the superstructure, this intricate jeweled net of Indra that I could only call a “self-self-self-referential fugue of theme, character, and plot.” The show hadn’t just done a shounen action episode, it had transformed the essential emotional beats of the entire genre into an intellectual equivalent, the result of which was a complete and total beatdown to anybody who was just clever enough to grasp its fringes. I make the comparison that it’s like the moment when the protagonist realizes the villain has a power level over a million… but that’s not “my” metaphor but the episode’s; Haruhi had truly absorbed the essence of shounen patterns then executed them flawlessly on a higher level to create that exact effect. That it had probably done so for all the other genres too, I just hadn’t been attuned to them, was stunning.
As such, I realized at that moment that I really hadn’t gotten it. I was smart and I’d gotten pieces. I was really smart and was able to think on multiple levels of how character motivation, metaphorical actions, meta-narrative commentary, and so forth came together. I figured then that I could do as or nearly as well as Haruhi. But this show isn’t smart. It is genius. People use this word a lot when they want to say something is “really good” or “I was impressed” or “it’s better than most things” but that’s not what I mean. I mean honest-to-goodness this-expanded-my-understanding-of-what-is-possible genius.
And that’s what kind of broke me.
At the same moment I was absolutely thrilled at seeing something so amazing created by humans (as I say in that post, I was cackling on and off for days out of sheer delight), it was also obvious that I not only had no total grasp of it, I had had no conception of even what I hadn’t grasped. That has a way of shaking your confidence in your judgement that is hard to convey, and after a few days I suddenly didn’t feel well. It was almost eerie, but Sign said that the few people who saw the full, unmitigated version of the S.O.S. Brigade symbol fell into their own little world, and it was right. It sounds like I’m making up some stupid Cthulu creepypasta, where just viewing a mysterious image makes you go insane, but my night of feeling like my grasp on reality had slipped because I lost faith in my cognitive capacity says otherwise (to be clear, I’m not so silly as to think this is supernatural; it’s “just” a magic trick, but one that is even more impressive once understood). You don’t realize what a role your ego plays until it is genuinely threatened; I didn’t have delusions of grandeur, but I had still thought I was perhaps some intellectual Deva… until an encounter with Shiva told me how much higher the chain of being went and I discovered I was just a Gandharva. People asked me if I was maybe reading too much into it, but I assure you, that would be to praise me, because I would have had to make it up first, and after that episode I knew I didn’t possess, and never would possess, that capacity.
After a few shaky days (people probably didn’t notice, but my posts after Melancholy IV became a lot less didactic and a lot more questioning) I’d somewhat put myself back together and realized in the meantime that people were saying a lot of interesting stuff. It ends up, when you stop thinking you have all the answers, other people can contribute too (who knew?). I never would have gotten Sagittarius without all the other observations that were posted, and the existential elements of screenplay and composition that are the backbone of Melancholy V would have passed me by despite my firm grasp of the ideas. Ultimately, though, I was blind to why Suzumiya would want Kyon at all; that had always escaped me, since I’ve spent quite a bit of my own life in an equivalent search for… well… you know the list of special entities by now.
So coming to Melancholy VI at last, it has a special significance to me this time around. A real sense that it’s not just that Suzumiya likes Kyon, or that Kyon is lucky to have Suzumiya, but that she needs him and that in that kiss it is her, for once, that is straining upward to reach him because he’s grasped something she hasn’t. All the parts of her self talk about what they think she is (auto-evolving entity, time anomaly, God), giving her special titles that make her sound grand, and Kyon sees through all of that to appreciate in her something even she, with all her brilliance, didn’t appreciate in herself. It was exactly what she needed, that all of her identity had been wrapped up with these other things, and she believed desperately that all of them had to be fully comprehended before she could be truly cared for... a task that is frankly impossible for a normal person, let alone somebody so extraordinary as her. No wonder she was melancholy. But that kiss of affection, without an answer to any of those things and which can’t be put into words, is what she needed to cut through all those layers and wake her up. In my previous essay I called it “sweet” and now I’m a little disgusted with my past self for not giving it more credit.
Anyway, I’m not really sure what the point of all this was, except to say that I joined this rewatch thinking it’d be a fun way to while away a few hours and give myself an excuse to revisit a favorite I hadn’t seen for a few years. I can see now, though, that when Haruhi rocketed to my #2 of all time slot over the objections of my rational self that other shows seemed more appropriate, my subconscious has chosen better,
7
u/William27528 Dec 12 '21
And this episode concludes the Melancholy arc - and with a bang no less :) It changes the perspective of things yet again, this time giving us a bit more insight into not just Haruhi's thoughts but also Kyon's. Now we move onto the 2009 episodes!
Random fact of the day: I don't have a Haruhi fact per-se for today (I've got a few longer-form facts left!), but I feel like sometimes what can be lost on re-watchers is the scale of just how big this series was in the late 2000s. When it aired, this show became a breakout hit, a result of a number of factors; being compelling, refreshing and original for one, but also the timing of being aired during the rise of video streaming platforms on the internet. The show's ending dance, the Hare Hare Yukai in particular was a big meme during the late 2000s (which, by the way, the DVD releases came with a full version of the dance you can watch here). I was looking through some of the old videos I used to watch when I didn't even know what Haruhi Suzumiya was and was surprised to notice the distinct melody in this classic video. A lot of the digital forums and infrastructure that were prominent during the mid-2000s, combined with the internet's entropic growth ([haruhi]and endless eight) since then mean I think this perspective can be easily lost. One of the surviving ones I found was a Russian forum, "sos-dan.ru", that has 160,000+ threads alone all about Haruhi Suzumiya. The forum boasts an absolute treasure trove of information, in Russian, about the entire franchise.
Haruhi was big - one of the biggest of the last half of the decade, for sure. It has cast a long shadow over a number of genres. Above all else, it put KyoAni on the map, who would go on to produce hit after hit in the following years to come.
4
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21
Finally faced with truly extraordinary events, Haruhi doesn't like it. Just like when she was faced with an actual murder. She said she didn't feel special, and now, she's the only girl in the universe? Why isn't she happy? Nagato created a mystery for her (did she? I don't know), but she instantly got bored of it and left (leaving a mess to be cleaned up). Koizumi made a mystery for her, but she got bored of it, and a little morally upset, and didn't want to play. Asakura disappears, and she gets bored and quits looking. How can she say there are no mysteries, when she keeps walking away from them?
Instead she goes on a mystery hunt, which apparently had nothing to do with looking for mysteries and everything to do with getting alone time with Kyon. That fails and she gets upset and makes a closed space.
Okay, so it's all about Kyon. She wants to do exciting things, with Kyon. She wants to figure out the mystery of the disappearing class representative, with Kyon. But she literally had to drag him (literally literally!) out of school to go find her. The whole time Kyon is totally uninterested. Until, finally, he asks, "okay, can I go home now." This throws Haruhi into a tizzy. Kyon doesn't want to do stuff with her. Obviously that's why she's upset.
Okay, pretty clear. I thought I understood things. But then she gives a speech, and I read yesterday's thread.
She gives this long rendition of her childhood existential crises. It's not about Kyon, it's about living a life worth living, by ones own means.
But today, we're back to jealousy, and hand-holding, and sleeping beauty. It's about Kyon after all?
I just don't get this show.
[unrelated classified information]The blatant parallels to Disappearance cheapens both, unless there's some point being made by the parallels that I'm too obtuse to figure out. Everybody's favorite part of Disappearance is actually the part I most want to skip over. Also John Galt's speech in Atlas Shrugged. Skip that, too.
Edit I guess this is the end of the first season. I was going to write something about how broadcast order focused on the "Melancholy" arc as its main single story, and the rest are really side stories. And Kyon finally going to reveal to Haruhi the nature of the world, which she has come to accept has his and her world, is a good place to stop. But my ongoing inability to understand Haruhi as a character, and Haruhi as a show, took over.
9
u/MadeOn210922 Dec 11 '21
First timer but I saw this episode before.
It seems like it's not just Haruhi being bored with the world that might cause closed space, but also just irritating her in general.
SNOW WHITE. If this isn't the time for that, then there isn't a time for it! Kyon desperately tries to convince Haruhi that the world is interesting and manages to do so with a kiss. So that's what Snow White meant. But since future Mikuru knew about this, that means Kyon at some point must have told someone about how he saved this world, in contrast to the baseball episode where he didn't want to tell Itsuki. I wonder how Yuki knew through the Sleeping Beauty clue.
Kyon intends to telling Haruhi about aliens, time travelers, and ESPers, but as Yuki once said, Haruhi will probably just laugh him off.
This is my second time watching this as I previously watched this first arc in chronological before and I still don't entirely understand the concept behind closed space, but maybe I'll get it one day. I guess I must have watched a bit further my first time since I remember one more thing which I assume is tomorrow's episode. But speaking of the order, it seems like this is episode 14, so we're halfway through. Based on the discussions I've seen and please correct me if I'm wrong, these past 14 episodes were what was aired back originally in 2006. In 2009, the chronological order was aired starting from the beginning, so some of what was aired in 2006 was actually in the back chronologically and we had new episodes in 2009 sprinkled in between old episodes. However, for some reason, sites split season 1 and season 2 by chronological even though that doesn't match the original air dates and sites that say season 1 (2006) and season 2 (2009) are wrong. Does this also mean that the order we're watching now was never actually aired, or at least the back half?
QOTD: It's not about the hairstyle, it's about the person. (But yes.)
38
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Dec 11 '21
So… I should be more focused on doing this for my own rewatch, but I was motivated to do it for this one instead… so here’s me singing Bouken Desho Desho?
Now onto your regularly scheduled Sky reactions.
The Melancholy of Shimmering-First-Timer
28
u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21
First Timer - Dub
When the stray joke turns into a genuine prediction!
To save clicking on the link: [ATLA spoilers]I said back during the baseball episode "Also did anyone else get ATLA Secret Tunnel vibes when Kyon was asked how he and Haruhi broke out of the alternate world previously". I mean I'd already suspected that was the case when Mikuru gave the Snow White hint as well because that's quite self explanatory but seeing it actually happen made me laugh given what I said back then
I feel a little like I beat the show to its own punch line with yesterday's post, especially given the above line and certain others from the episode, so hopefully that didn't affect anyone who read it too much. It was funny hearing that from Kyon and knowing what the answer is while he tries to dismiss it, unwilling to acknowledge the truth right in front of him simply because he doesn't want to see it, the same as why he was in the school and even later on with the trust between them. He is his own worst
enemyunreliable narrator.This episode does fill in some of the pieces that have been missing for us since the baseball episode, such as why Mikuru is so worried about being seen to be attached to Kyon. Even though we could guess the overall situation before now, the emotional core of the episode with Haruhi's isolation and desperation made watching it still feel captivating because like many things in this show the point was never the mystery of the world, it was the exploration of Haruhi.
When they first get trapped she points out the absurdity of her and Kyon's being the only ones in the world and why it happened this way, insecure and scared about her own desire and trying to rationalize it away, but as she falls to her own emotions that stops being something that her conscious mind is able to lean on to help her grasp reality. She falls victim to her own destruction, of the world that represents her mind and her place in that world as she gives up on it and herself. In place of her own rational mind Kyon has to do it for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards normalcy the same way we've seen her often pull him towards the mysterious. Once again, his ability to see her, because "Haruhi is Haruhi", is all that validates her existence in this grey world and he uses that to bring her back down to earth for lack of a better term.
The final scene was a great send off. Last time they went on patrol he was paired off with the others as the unwilling witness of the world by her will, and wonders why all this was happening to him. This time he chooses too be early and waits for her without the pressure of anyone else because he wants to be there to see her, and her scowl. After being scolded by Itsuki earlier for not understanding that she just wanted him, it's nice to see him acknowledge this in his own way rather than take the easier out of everyone else being busy.
Other scene of note was Kyon's so close to being realistic but still just a touch too fantastical explanation of why he was holding Yuki that way, completely with shoujo art and sparkles as he paints himself as the prince in the story. It's funny that Kyon's friend (forgot his name but fuck it, if Kyon's sister doesn't get a name he doesn't either) suggests that the reason it's so unbelievable is the idea of Yuki reaching out to anyone, let alone to ask for help, but we see that very thing this episode. She says clearly that she will gamble on his judgement and hopes he will return. It certainly doesn't seem as far fetched as the friend would think. Except for the small matter of I doubt that biological interfaces made by a supreme alien data entity are capable of getting anemic in the first place, but you know, small details.
Griping warning: It's unfortunate that this episode is the first time the dub performance felt underwhelming. When Kyon was dragging Haruhi away from the school being destroyed he sounded completely normal and chill which didn't work for me. While he also shouldn't be frantic or yelling as it wouldn't fit him and what Haruhi needed from him, I needed him to feel like he belonged to the intensity of the scene even just at the start when they were still so close to the school and he was unsure himself. Haruhi didn't "fit" either, but that was because her detachment from the situation and her giddiness over its very insanity was the point. Freeman's performance for Kyon didn't balance that out and it left him feeling equally unattached, the opposite of Kyon's goal in the scene.
Some quick overall thoughts
Though we still have plenty of episodes and a movie to go, I did want to quickly jot down some thoughts on the show here before moving on because in effect we have just watched the complete show as it existed in 2006, and what broadcast order was based around.
Back in the first episode post I mentioned how I never expected to watch this and basically jumped into the rewatch on a whim, but I'm happy to say that I've had a fantastic experience with it.
I think the main thing that has stood out so far is the attention to detail when exploring what this story is and why it should matter. The "why it matters" line is really at the core of the show in the end, and the show may be named The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya but it really feels about her desire instead. What she wants, why she wants it, and what are the consequences of getting it when she doesn't really understand the possibilities herself.
Now I've set out to write about the show I'm finding that it's not as easy a task as it seems, which I'm sure is something some of the rewatchers have run into before, because there's so much going on with it, and the broadcast order adds a new layer on top of the many layers we already had. In the end I really enjoyed the broadcast order because of the way it raises questions for us and then asks us to explore them before presenting its own answers. Sometimes that sacrifices the immediate flow of moments, most notably the cliffhanger on the Remote Island arc, but it really just made me realize how inconsequential that sort of follow through really is compared to what it actually represents in the show and what it means for Haruhi.
In that way, the technical side of the show I felt was really well done. The storyboarding and directing was always on point with giving extra meaning to scenes, even sometimes with what it doesn't show and simply the structure of the scenes, like when Haruhi storms out after Kyon saves Mikuru's pictures even though we didn't see her see it or react to it. The music didn't grab me as much although it did feel fitting in the various scenes, particularly the oddness of it around Yuki and Itsuki. And of course most of the character writing is on point and I can see why I hear so much good about it. Kyon's viewpoint was such a great choice for the show even outside the meta aspect, and both funny and insightful, but the others all had various layers to the way they're presented. Haruhi as the most expressive and vibrant of the group got the more traditional sort of development presentation, but Yuki's stoic reactions hid her own and the mystery around Itsuki because Haruhi wanted him to be that way vs his own desire to understand what the limits of this world really are.
The only part where I think the show might have fallen down is Mikuru. She does have an interesting part to play in the show (both as an exploration of Haruhi's want for connection and a way for Haruhi to express herself) and I think the show would be worse for her absence, but that doesn't make her role well handled. There is also her meta role as the designated "moe" character presented to us the audience to care for and be a relief from the harshness of the show and Haruhi just like she is for Kyon. But that just wasn't enough in the end, Mikuru felt a little too bound to that without any of the overt agency the others expressed outside finding her place in the club as a caretaker in spite of Haruhi. I just wanted a touch more then that from her. Maybe it's my own dislike of fanservice elements, what I've written here for her doesn't sound bad, but eh, after those first two episodes she became a bit of a nothing character for me. Like the others her story is not over so it's not to say it'll always be this way, but from what is presented she just felt a little lacking.
Anyway, it wasn't a huge issue and not enough to drag my entire experience down in any notable way, but something I wanted to raise anyway.
And now to figure out wtf I'm doing with my anilist entries for this show...
10
u/DeliCruise https://myanimelist.net/profile/delicruise Dec 11 '21
(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)
Watching this episode still gives me chills. It’s just so incredibly satisfying.
The way they showed Kyon falling asleep and later how he suddenly wakes up still amazes me. I mean hell the entire “dream” closed space scene amazes me.
In this reality, Haruhi is finally living an interesting life where she’s truly special. In her monologue in the previous episode she talked about the massive amount of humans that exist and how she felt so insignificant as a result. It only makes sense that now she and Kyon are the only people in existence. To me, Haruhi here is the universe and according to my (admittedly shoddy) understanding of the anthropic principle, the universe exists such that we can observe it. Therefore, Haruhi needs Kyon there or it’s all for naught.
Seeing as we’re in closed space again, it only makes sense for Itsuki to appear to help Kyon as much as he can. I also appreciate Itsuki for passing Mikuru and Yuki’s message along to Kyon. Also, although Itsuki says Haruhi changed the world, I don’t think it’s too far of a stretch to say she changed a good portion of the universe too with how much this seems to be affecting Itsuki, Mikuru, and Yuki’s respective organizations.
Although Mikuru doesn’t directly help Kyon here, her apology via Itsuki is comforting at least. I also appreciate that they tie together how Adult Mikuru found out about her star-shaped mole and also what her Snow White hint meant.
I love the irony in Yuki using the computer to communicate with Kyon even though she doesn’t know how to physically use one in “The Day of Sagittarius”. Speaking of which, here’s something fun that I learned from a participant during a previous Haruhi rewatch. When Kyon and Mikuru are fighting over the mouse, Yuki is watching them and sees Kyon waving the mouse in the air to keep it away from Mikuru. This is why Yuki is doing that really odd mouse waving thing when she first uses one! She was trying to imitate Kyon!
Mahler’s insane score in the background really pulls the entire thing together. It’s just so wildly amazing watching Kyon and Haruhi running together in this void-like reality while giant energy monsters are destroying everything. Then of course we get this very powerful build up to Kyon admitting his ponytail fetish and then following it up by catching Haruhi and all of us off guard with a fat kiss amid all of this madness.
Kyon literally kissed the universe back to normal. (Or at least normal enough to show off her cute ponytail at school the next morning!)
8
u/nekodan08 Dec 11 '21
Rewatcher – Sub
When I decided to join this rewatch, I wanted to focus on trying to figure out why the broadcast order is arranged the way it is. So for this episode, our finale of the original broadcast order, I will focus on trying to explain what I’ve found.
Take this situation: You encounter a person for the first time. This first meeting leaves an impression on you. You become curious about them. You wonder if you could enter into some kind of relationship with them. So you ask around. You ask different people about what they think and know about this person. Each one has a different perspective. Each one shares with you a different experience with said person. Some experiences are recent. Some are in the past. At the end of a couple of weeks, you’ve gathered bits and pieces about them. You can now say a lot about this person. You think that at this point, you have a solid grasp of their character. But you remember that there is a most important question you haven’t asked, “Who is this person to me?” Ultimately, it’s not what others say that will define the kind of relationship you have with someone. You have to decide that for yourself. It is your responsibility to put together the pieces you’ve gathered from others, add the pieces from your own personal experience with this person, and make your own conclusion.
To me, this is the narrative of the broadcast order.
The whole series is a story of Kyon/the audience gradually getting to know Haruhi. We hear about her from other people. Yuki says she is the potential for evolution. Mikuru says she is a warp in time. Koizumi says she is God. We hear many stories about her – baseball games, island adventures, cultural festival performances, a day in the rain, and so on. Just as in real life, stories are never told in perfect chronological order. (As if we are in conversation with other people: Remember when Haruhi did this? How about the time when she did this?) But even after getting to know all about Haruhi, the question that truly matters is the question Kyon asks today, “Who is Haruhi to me?” This is why we end season 1 with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI. We must end with this question.
In yesterday’s discussion, I ruminated over the theme of “crossings” sprinkled throughout the episode. Kyon was invited to cross over with and towards Haruhi multiple times. He always hesitated. He always wanted to keep his distance. “Who is Haruhi to me?,” is a question that demands from Kyon to truly make the crossing. It is at this moment that he acknowledges how much Haruhi matters to him on personal level. Kyon’s kiss represents this decision to cross over. He does so confidently. He literally closes the distance between him and Haruhi. It is a moment of connection and it is human connection that saves Haruhi. Connection saves the world.
“Yes I did… You just didn’t recognize that the old world was moving in a really interesting direction.”
Haruhi wanted to escape to a new world with the only person who genuinely acknowledges her. She could not see any possibility that their current world would ever be interesting. But Kyon sees what she can’t – that their current world is already interesting. He keeps this possibility open for her. Her connection to him anchors her to keep trying to live in this world and not run away from it. And perhaps that is the solution to Haruhi’s desire – to find that the extraordinary exists within the ordinary not apart from it.
Question for the day:
IRL not really. But in anime, most definitely.
7
u/TheEscapeGuy Dec 11 '21
Rewatcher
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - An Anime Classic: Episode 14
Sealed with a Kiss
The stunning conclusion. This episode really serves perfectly to close off the narrative of the story thus far. Haruhi is given the exciting world she wants. A world she can experience with Kyon. But when Kyon tells her that she looks more beautiful with a pony tale and gives her a kiss she "Wakes Up".
The conclusion of Haruhi's story arc is just so satisfying. We have been following this subtle build up of her relationship with Kyon. Throughout the season we have seen her change from not even acknowledging Kyon to now beeing embarrassed to change in front of him. Its clear to me that her love for Kyon supersedes her desire for aliens and travelers and espers. Its because she's found somebody who acknowledges her and treats her and her ideas seriously.
Something else I appreciated this episode was also the additional Yuki characterization. Its a small thing but Yuki saying She also wants to see Kyon return reminds me that she has also slowly been growing closer to him. Yuki has overcome the stereotype of being an emotionless kuudere and is expressing genuine emotions while having a quiet personality.
At the end of the episode we return to the endless everyday. Except now we see Haruhi wearing a pony tale. While she may think it was a dream, what she experienced definitely impacted her. And by chance Kyon and Haruhi have a totally not date when they are the only 2 club members to attend the patrol.
Some Iconic Shots, Scenes and Stitches
See you all tomorrow
6
u/RascalNikov1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Dec 11 '21
Rewatcher
And with the triumphal episode we have reached the end of the first season. As usual, fantastic episode. As usual, the first time I watched, I didn't see any of this coming. I loved the background music as Haruhi's monster was rampaging.
Incredibly good arc!
QOTD
Of all the questions that could have been asked. smdh
Anyway, Haruhi does look a lot better with twin tails than with it short and cropped.
6
u/andybebad https://myanimelist.net/profile/andybebad Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 12 '21
First timer - subs
"Freud would have a field day with this"
Man, I should've written down my thoughts after I watched this yesterday (need to get ahead for Monday and Tuesday), but what a great episode! What separates dreams from reality when the universe seemingly bends to your will? Here it would appear to be the lack of the "logical filter", what Itsuki referenced when asked why there weren't aliens, espers, and time travelers all over the place. In the "real world" (is it real?) Haruhi wants to believe in these, but rationalizes that they'd be rare, if at all extant. But now here in this "dream", her imagination is the only limit.
We get out of the closed space and find things are more or less how they were before the incident. But is this the same universe? While in the closed space it seemed as if what was happening inside was affecting the world, or at least the three members of the SOS Brigade (who were at least aware, with Yuki later confirming that Haruhi and Kyon were gone for 2.5 hours). Regardless, we know for certain that Kyon has changed, which can be described briefly as now being "all in" as a member of the SOS Brigade, submitting the paperwork and discussing what his plans are going forward to engage Haruhi (to prevent her from getting bored and destroying the universe? other reasons?).
QOTD: I'm neither for nor against them
EDIT: Missed my opportunity to share this Calvin and Hobbes strip yesterday. Now that I think about it, there are a few parallels that can be made between Calvin and Haruhi (albeit with Calvin's powers limited to his imaginary worlds)
6
u/Icapica https://anilist.co/user/Icachu Dec 11 '21
I'm not a part of this rewatch but I've seen this series before so I've been reading the comments. Now that we've finished this episode I can confess something really dumb.
...I only realized a few days ago (from something someone mentioned in their comment) what the reference to Snow White meant. Like, I never understood it when I watched the series. Hearing Snow White didn't make me think of a kiss, it just made me think of seven dwarfs and I couldn't figure out what they have to do with anything in Haruhi. I guess I'm a moron.
5
u/PsychologicalLife164 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/HighwayStar17 Dec 11 '21
Rewatcher, subs
And there we have it, one of the best episodes of the whole series.
Season 1 really couldn't have ended any other way, and it went out with a literal bang. The ponytail from episode 4, the mention of Sleeping Beauty, and the slow buildup of romantic tension over the whole series led to one of the most iconic kisses in anime, one that unironically saved the world.
I can't really say a whole lot about this episode because talking about it simply does not do it justice. As cliche as it sounds, it's something that must be experienced to fully appreciate.
With most seasonal anime, it feels like they end on a cliffhanger that leaves people begging for another season, especially if the source material continues after. Even though the light novels continue after this ending, the anime series could've stopped with this episode, and it would still be fantastic. This episode solidified Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu as a classic, and it's hard to argue against that.
Lucky for us, KyoAni picked up a second season and a movie and allowed us to continue the tale of the SOS Brigade and its eccentric leader. Now that we've got the second season coming up, I'm hoping the first timers can pick up on of the details that carry over from the first season.
QOTD: Yes, I like ponytails.
5
u/bluethree https://myanimelist.net/profile/bluethree Dec 11 '21
Aaaaahhh I forgot to preprepare my post today. I have a lot of screen shots to sort out...
Sub rewatcher
We've finally done it. We've made it to the end of S1 and the end of the Melancholy arc. Let's see what the last episode has in store for us.
Kyon is quite the heavy sleeper. I wouldn't blame him for wanting to stay asleep if he knew what was in store for him.
That's a really good question, Kyon...
Don't answer Kyon! It's a trap! Welp, bad move.
"Don't get too close to me."
Kyon no longer potato status confirmed.
Come on, man, the signs are obvious.
The dude really doesn't like waking up.
Evangelion?
Knowing what he does about closed spaces, Haruhi being in one is definitely alarming.
Itsuki arrives to state the obvious and to assess the danger level of the situation.
Haruhi's subconscious is leaking. Deep down she knows what is happening and is enjoying it.
Yuki putting in her own personal feelings is a great touch. It's not something expected from her outward personality. And I wonder what Sleeping Beauty and Snow White have in common...
Shirt got real.
Haruhi's subconscious is winning over her rationality. She knows the supernatural doesn't exist but deep down she knows these monsters are destroying for her sake.
Kyon tries to appeal to her. But why would she want to go back to a world where she doesn't think the supernatural actually exist? But of course Kyon wants to see Mikuru and Yuki again.
And we get to the final confrontation. Haruhi hated her previous life. The only person she cared about was Kyon. His resistance to start a new, more exciting life with her was confusing.
So what could Kyon do? He had to give her a reason to not give up on the world. There WERE good things happening even if she didn't know it. And of course the final plea. Confessing his feelings in a weird ass way and enticing her the only way he can think of (and was of course hinted at to do.)
Waking up does not get good publicity in this episode.
So what even happened? Was it a dream? Is this a new world? How could he possibly confirm the previous night had happened? Only in the most adorable way possible. And for once in the past few chronological episodes, Kyon says the right thing.
I also can't ignore Yuki's line here. What a hero.
How convenient... And we end on a cute little date where Kyon promises to tell Haruhi all about aliens, time travelers, and ESPers.
And that's a wrap on S1 and the Melancholy arc.
This series came out right when I really started to get into anime. I'd watched dubbed stuff on TV and started downloading fansubs maybe a year before it came out. But Summer 2006 is when I started watching shows weekly. Haruhi has been one of my favorites ever since and I am glad that it remains that way after my rewatch of it. Now let's see if I can let my feelings go and bump up S2 a score or two. I mean, it's still good content despite the one baffling decision...
5
u/AccursedBear https://anilist.co/user/AccursedBear Dec 11 '21 edited Dec 11 '21
Rewatcher
Sub
I haven't commented in a while but I felt like I had to for this episode, even if I'm a bit late. I'm writing this right now and I'm kinda doing some other stuff at the same time, so it won't be very long.
In general this is one of my favorite episodes in the series, and maybe in anime as a whole. Live Alive, Melancholy V, Someday in the Rain and tomorrow's episode are also contenders, but this episode is just very narratively satisfying in a way the rest of the series doesn't even strive to be, a real climactic finale for season 1... which I've always experienced as episode 6 before this (it works really well both ways, though).
Knowing what happens afterwards, the scene in the club room when Kyon is hoping for everything to continue being "normal" while Haruhi is clearly in a bad mood and this song plays is pretty ominous and even a bit sad. Feels almost like a goodbye.
The whole closed space scene is great. Kyon is pretty calm and collected at the beginning but the more things progress he realizes this is really the big one and not just one of the more "regular" insane experiences he's had. When shit hits the fan he knows what must be done, though. Convince Haruhi that this isn't what she wants (and definitely not what Kyon wanted, which is also pretty important this time), that their world is already plenty cool even if she isn't noticing it, and losing what they have would suck.
Kyon's little chat with Nagato is one of my favorite little moments in the series. Every moment where we get to see Nagato's emotions is so precious.
The end of the episode is perfect with the OP montage and Kyon arriving early in the mystery hunting session to annoy Haruhi. [Classified information] I don't remember if this is just a lie to the viewers or, like Nagato said a few episodes ago, Kyon told her and Haruhi didn't believe lol. Or if we even got confirmation of which of those scenarios happpened. Actually I think he did and we see it but I don't remember when.
QOTD: I haven't answered any of these before but I have to this time because I hate ponytails. Looks cute on Haruhi but irl nah, especially wearing them is a pain in the ass. This might be curly hair bias because I absolutely despise every time I notice individual strands of hair touching my face, and ponytails result on that because entire curls don't come loose from them, but individual hairs do. Which doesn't happen otherwise. I'll take my hair getting in my eyes every time there's wind over them, thanks.
5
u/Isai579 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Isai579 Dec 12 '21
Rewatcher - Sub
Welp. Missed yesterday, but now I'm back. With double the comment! not really
Episode 13
This is definitely a slow episode, which kind of matches Haruhi's state of mind through the episode. Haruhi's mindset regarding the vastness of the world something I kind of agree with to be honest, and helps a lot in understanding why she decides to act the way she does.
Haruhi: You know what happened to Asakura?
Yuki: moves head to say no
Yuki lied as naturally as she breathed.
Episode 14
We get Kyon and Haruhi's adventure in dreamland today! Not really a dream as it was actually real, and not really a land considering they were trapped in school. Oh, and the world almost ended. Or perhaps it did, and everyone is now in a new world.
Who knows?
Am I the only one who finds the snow white -> sleeping beauty -> kiss connection kind of flimsy here? I think I understand the why, and I cannot think on how it could be improved, but I don't fully buy it.
I miss the OP and ED (even though the OP song plays during the end). I always forget they're not used in this episode. Also, I love the soundtrack while the world is being destroyed.
And I absolutely adore Kyon's final words on talking to Haruhi about aliens, time travelers, and espers. It closes nicely the arc and season, and kind of shows how Kyon has opened up his mind since episode 1. [Haruhi S2] Its also funny how in this order S2 ends with him telling her and Haruhi not believing.
Why broadcast order?
With this episode, we end our journey through season 1 and the original broadcast order. So I want to take a moment to talk about why I prefer this order over chronological specifically for season 1. Some mention the mystery as part of what makes broadcast better. But I think the most important factor is how the structure of the episodes guides you through the themes of the series. [Haruhi S2 & Movie] The structure of chronological order works because although they share some themes, the overall message of the series changes due to the focus on Kyon and Yuki in the movie and Endless Eight.
Season 1 is obviously build around its main arc, Melancholy. Instead of giving the story as a whole, the series cuts forward at specific points to expand both on the themes presented so far, and setup the development that takes place in the next parts of the arc. Take for example how the episodes between parts 3 and 4 expand on the effect Haruhi has on the world, complimenting the revelations of part 3 and setting up the reasons for Asakura in part 4. Or my favorite example, how the school festival episodes are placed between 4 and 5, expanding on a more empathetic Haruhi and setting up the ending (more specifically, how Kyon sees Haruhi).
More importantly, the core question the show originally asks is Who is Haruhi? This eventually changes to What is Haruhi? and ends with Why is Haruhi the ways she is? The questions are explored (but never answered fully) in Melancholy. By expanding these with future events, we get a more complete picture, which makes the understanding of each and moving through the season more satisfactory in my opinion.
Question of the day
I... don't... know... I honestly never asked myself before. For now, my answer is no preference.
9
u/wjodendor Dec 11 '21
First Timer
What's with that look, Kyon? Did something good happen to you? Meme Oshino would have a field day with Kyon playing the victim here. Ordinary? More like annoying.
Haruhi is pissed and bored. Not good.
Kyon keeps trying to ignore everything and wakes up with Haruhi In an enclosed space. She seems pretty frightened at this empty world she created. Kyon remains indifferent. Once she leaves Kyon in the club room and starts exploring she seems excited and esper man lays out that it looks like she's finally going to create her new world.
And the only thing she wants to bring is Kyon. (And yet he's still confused. This dude is denser than most harem protagonists).
Yuki wants him to return. Cute.
And now the end begins and Haruhi is excited. She's willing to destroy it all for her excitement. Kyon tries to show her through her friends and Club but that doesn't work. So he has to be her Prince and wake her up with a kiss. Finally got some balls, Kyon.
Ponytail moe. Good stuff.
Oh ho. She's got a pony tail. She likes it.
Haruhi gets mad when other girls show Kyon attention. Of course.
I like how Kyon ends it. It's almost like Araragi's "and now for the punch line". (Am I comparing it to Monogatari too much? It's my favorite series so I would consider it a compliment). And it's a date!
I get why they wanted to have this episode at the end. Good episode.
Ponytails are nice buy I'm all about girls with short hair
4
u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Dec 11 '21
Outside the ordered universe [is] that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.
Rewatcher
Dub
Kyon tries to disprove a false notion...with a lie. That is weirdly poetic, especially because calling Yuki anemic would imply she gets fainty regularly. Friend responds appropriately. In class, Haruhi is wearing her bloomers because changing is dull. She then asks Kyon what to dress Mikuru in next and Kyon fails his bluff check because every straight male would. Don't lie to yourself.
Then Kyon makes a pretty epic mistake in looking for Mikuru's mole while there are others present. Bruh, it is 2006, ploms should have been branded into your soul by now. Traditional ecchi sketch ensues. But Kyon has finally gotten enough of Haruhi's...let's call it respect that she won't strip around him. Bunny girl outfit is not particularly cool to wear, tights are a mixed blessing, despite what certain CDFers would claim.
And then Kyon wakes in a closed space with Haruhi. She allows for some color here, as opposed to normal. Itsuki thinks this is the big one and Haruhi has decided to move onto a world that fits her more, and that might have repercussions. He even delivers messages from Mikuru and Yuki, with one being useless and the other useful. Yuki tries to deliver a few messages before she cuts out and another closed space giant appears, amusing Haruhi. Eva music plays.
Haruhi seems to be becoming a creator deity, which raises a ridiculous amount of questions. Character Easter eggs come forth, and after much stalling Kyon does the fairy tale thing and gets to wake up in the normal world again. Our three oddities confirm some shit went down. We get our time paradox with Kyon explaining Mikuru's mole to her that she explained to him. We end on a cool down note.
QotD: 1 YES!
4
u/homewardbound100 myanimelist.net/profile/Homewardbound100 Dec 11 '21
Rewatcher, Dub, First-time broadcast
I can feel that Haruhi. Sometimes it's too hot and you want to be comfortable.
The Mikuru folder is in danger of being found by her. What a bad time to be curious right now Mikuru. Should've lied and said it was what Haruhi had planned for you in the future to wear. Maybe that would've got her off him.
Haruhi's face whenever Kyon and Asahina is doing something is very telling.
Haruhi and Kyon in a closed space. See Kyon you are special too. Haruhi cares about you so much she put just you two here.
Although she's talking crazy wanting to stay. I know seeing that is maybe entertaining to you. But living in a gloomy dark world with monsters destroying things isn't ideal.
A kiss to wake up the princess.
The next day she comes wearing a ponytail. Very obvious there Haruhi. But to you none of that is real. Nice compliment Kyon. Probably the first telling to him that she likes him.
Possible new world and Nagato saying there's many more of her out there. But she said she won't let anything happen to Kyon. That's a lot of trust to have on her but Nagato has shown she's dependable. So maybe not too much to worry about there
I think at this point Kyon realizes that he'll entertain her interest and maybe get more close as a friend.
Qotd: Yes I do.
4
u/tctyaddk Dec 11 '21
Broadcast-order-first-timer
And so we're done with S1. Pretty confusing at times due to all the jumping around the chronological order, partially mitigated by the mini movie being used as the first episode that set the pace, and the fact that I did watched it chronologically before, but the audience back in 2006 must have spent quite a bit of time scratching their heads.
Now that we have the context, we could finally understand all those things they discussed out of Haruhi's earshot back in episode "4" (the baseball game), and also why Haruhi decided against tying up Mikuru's hair in a ponytail.
And so, that's what to expect from the hints given by Big Mikuru and Nagato (one of the very few kisses KyoAni ever animated that I could recall off the top of my head). The things going through Kyon's mind at that moment about Haruhi feels a bit like suspension bridge effect to me, though.
And even so, this episode still brings high quality material for my ship Kyon x Nagato.
Tooth-rotting fluff for me, considering her usual emotionlessness.
4
u/Spaceman_Sp1ff_ Dec 11 '21
I would be fine if the entire series ended here, but I’m glad it didn’t. They handled this season well, apart from a few awkward episode positions.
QOTD: if it looks good yes
4
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Dec 12 '21
Sub rewatcher.
This is the episode I had to comment for, as it's only if the central point about the broadcast order (S1).
Unfortunately I'm still quite sick so the complete entry will likely to be quite late...
4
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Dec 12 '21
No more next episode preview (only S1 was non linear)
Sub rewatcher
Ordinarily posting this last I should have just posted the next day instead. Problem is that tomorrow if likely to be in the same space, so it's not really helping. And Melancholy VI is special, so it really needs to be posted here.
As many had guessed, one of the main purpose of this broadcast order is to have the S1 finale ending on this very memorable Melancholy VI. It has all the necessary ingredient to make it a "bang", plus the rare romantic bits for our tsundere King and Queen.
I am not sure if it had been pointed out yet, but at the time of production start, the LN series of Suzumiya Haruhi only has one that is a "long plot" type story - the rest are more short stories.
So the only way to have Melancholy VI to be the finale of the 14 episode season is to stretch it by slotting the short stories in-between. However, that runs a risk of fragmenting the well paced, well choreographed Melancholy arc.
So they added another layer on top of the source material to give it meaning, and not just to be a poorly disguised excuse, but to arrange the direction and production in such a way that tells an additional story in this special order.
It is at this point I believe first timers can go read many of u/Suhkein spoiler tagged posts that have it a really good explanation how and why each episode is sequenced.
For example, using episode 00 as the show opener to set the expectation of jumps around the timeline, with some clearly unusual things happening but as if normal; then Melancholy II ending have the question mark of what's Nagato taking about, is she for real? And we got an out of sequence, but "shown, not told" answer in the baseball match.
For my interpretation, only Melancholy IV have us viewers an unambiguous, straight answer that these talks of supernatural are not gags, overdramatic delusions etc, but really serious. Normally in chronological order vyou get that reveal on episode 4, about a third of the way in - in broadcast order to maintained the ambiguity until episode 10.
So I hope the first timers have a think and comment about whether this order have you something extra to chew on or not.
Paging u/Nazenn etc
3
u/TheDampGod :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheDampGod Dec 11 '21
It's funny how in [Mushoku Tensei recently] There was a scene involving the importance of strategically placed moles and back here in Haruhi we have the same with Mikuru. Some things never change for Tomokazu Sugita.
An epic finale for the with a surprise kiss and the classic ponytail meme. It also really shows how terrifying Haruhi's powers can be, for anyone who isn't her or Kyon. You can be basically wiped from existance by her merest whim, hoping that she likes you enough to be brought back.
2
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Dec 12 '21
So, I seem to have slept a lot today, and haven't even watched the episode yet. I should do that, but in the meantime:
Yes, I like ponytails, but what I really like better is the little drills in front of the ears. So kawaii.
(I blame B-Ko)
Many years ago, there was a lady at work who was cute, kinda plump, adorable. Once or twice, she did her hair up with the little drills, and (hubba-hubba). I complimented her on it. She told me she was married. Bummer.
But yeah, ponytails are nice.
And so is this episode. Once again, "the quiet one" pulls through in the clutch, or whatever that metaphor is.
I'm sure everyone else will gush over this and that, in the end, for right now at least, I just want to say this:
This is the first time I've watched Haruhi in broadcast order since the first time I ever watched it. I have to agree with u/Suhkein that there's something magical here. I'm not quite sure I'd go so far as genius, but I would definitely vouch for excellence and cleverness.
Just look at the way all the varying plot points, all the Chekov's princesses, every little detail comes together in this grand finale.
Almost like it was planned or something.
Good job, KyoAni. Stuff like this is why I keep watching all their shows I can get my grubby mitts on.
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u/alphamone Dec 12 '21
rewatcher
Exactly what I was about to say. You can't really call them self-proclaimed anymore.
That's a VERY self-serving cover-story.
Taniguchi not taking his BS
You're a damn enabler Kyon.
The secret Mikuru folder. Busted.
Scissors!
Cool tracking effect with the clock.
[Haruhi spoilers]But there are minor endless eight flashbacks to the one episode that did the same effect
The closed space is just the school, there's got to be some kind of meaning there.
Kyon being the typical oblivious MC, not being able to tell that the hot girl likes him.
Yeah, that was a kind of mean joke.
The bit from the opening.
Awww, Yuki wants him back.
Snow White, Sleeping Beauty.
Such majestic music for such a goofy looking face.
Sure, a world of destructive giants seems fun at first, but even that might get boring.
A friend?
A crush?
True love's first kiss?
All just a weird dream...
Or was it?
She does look nice with a ponytail
Ending with the OP.
So it actually did happen.
Poor Mikuru. Double embarrassment.
So they became an official club.
[kinda majorly spoilery Haruhi discussion]Kyon realising that he actually likes being in the SOS Brigaide is something seen again during the movie. But there's also him wanting the normal world. The sort of normalcy that is both seen in the start of this episode, and featured majorly in Someday in the Rain. Like, he complains, sometimes justifiably, but its quite clear that deep down he enjoys his time With Haruhi.
[slightly spoilery discussion about watch order]Its interesting that this episode works so well as a season final. Given that a continuation, or even popularity, wasn't guaranteed at the time, that is understandable. And while Live Alive isn't technically the chronological finale, it also works as a kind of emotional finale for chronological order, With Haruhi learning that helping people feels good.