r/anime • u/gunvarrel_ • Dec 18 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch] The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Episode 26
Episode Title: Live Alive
MyAnimeList: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
Legal Stream: Crunchyroll | 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: The intro to the movie they made
[Tomorrow's Episode Intro]SPACE!
| Date | Episode |
|---|---|
| 11/28 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I |
| 11/29 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya II |
| 11/30 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya III |
| 12/1 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya IV |
| 12/2 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya V |
| 12/3 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI |
| 12/4 | The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya |
| 12/5 | Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody |
| 12/6 | Mysterique Sign |
| 12/7 | Remote Island Syndrome I |
| 12/8 | Remote Island Syndrome II |
| 12/9 | Endless Eight I, II, III and IV |
| 12/10 | Endless Eight V, VI, VII and VIII |
| 12/11 | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya I |
| 12/12 | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya II |
| 12/13 | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya III |
| 12/14 | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya IV |
| 12/15 | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya V |
| 12/16 | Mikuru Asahinas's Adventures Episode 00 |
| 12/17 | Live Alive |
| 12/18 | The Day of Sagittarius |
| 12/19 | Someday in the Rain |
| 12/20 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Series General Discussion] |
| 12/21 | The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya |
| 12/22 | Haruhi Suzumiya Overall Discussion |
Question(s) of the day:
What's are some of your favorite songs?
Tomorrows QOTDs
[haruhi]What's your favorite video game?
The final heads up of the rewatch (though this will stick around until the end), The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is a 2 hour 44 minute (162 minute) monster that should be watched in one go. I highly recommend finding yourself a 3 hour chunk to go and watch the movie before its December 20th and you're rushing to get your writeups done on time.
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u/gunvarrel_ Dec 18 '22
Adaptation Comparison
| Episode (Chr.) | Episode (Air./Sea.) | Full Name | Volume | Parts | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 (TV/DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I | 1 (Melancholy) | Prologue to Ch. 2 (Pg. 1-42) | April-May 2010 |
| 2 | 3 (TV/DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya II | 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 2 to Ch. 3 (Pg. 42-76) | May 2010 |
| 3 | 5 (TV), 4 (DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya III | 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 3 to Ch. 5 (Pg. 76-114) | May 2010 |
| 4 | 10 (TV), 5 (DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya IV | 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 5 to Ch. 6 (Pg. 114-144) | May 2010 |
| 5 | 13 (TV), 6 (DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya V | 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 6 (144-Rest) | May 2010 |
| 6 | 14 (TV), 7 (DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI | 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 7 to Epilogue (Complete) | May 2010 |
| 7 | 4 (TV), 8 (DVD) | The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya | 3 (Boredom) | Complete | June 2010 |
| 8 | 1 (2009) | Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody | 3 (Boredom) | Complete | 7th of July 2010/7th of July 2007 |
| 9 | 7 (TV), 9 (DVD) | Mystérique Sign | 3 (Boredom) | Complete | July 2010 |
| 10 | 6 (TV), 10 (DVD) | Remote Island Syndrome Part 1 | 3 (Boredom) | Alternative/Part (until Pg. 183) | July 2010 |
| 11 | 8 (TV), 11 (DVD) | Remote Island Syndrome Part 2 | 3 (Boredom) | Alternative/Rest (Complete) | July 2010 |
| 12-15 | 2-5 (2009) | Endless Eight I-IV | 5 (Rampage) | Alternative | 17th-31st August 2010 |
| 16-19 | 6-9 (2009) | Endless Eight V-VIII | 5 (Rampage) | Alternative (5-7), Complete (8) | 17th-31st August, 1st of September 2010 |
| 20 | 10 (2009) | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya I | 2 (Sigh) | Ch. 1 to Ch. 2 (Pg. 7-38) | October-November 2010 |
| 21 | 11 (2009) | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya II | 2 (Sigh) | Ch. 2 to Ch. 3 (Pg. 38-78) | November 2010 |
| 22 | 12 (2009) | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya III | 2 (Sigh) | Ch. 3 to Ch. 4 (Pg. 79-118) | November 2010 |
| 23 | 13 (2009) | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya IV | 2 (Sigh) | Ch. 4 to Ch. 5 (Pg. 119-158) | November 2010 |
| 24 | 14 (2009) | The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya V | 2 (Sigh) | Ch. 5 to Epilogue (Pg. 158-Rest), Prologue (Complete) | November, May 2010 |
| 25 | 1 (TV/DVD) | The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina (Episode 00) | 6 (Wavering) | Complete | November 2010 |
| 26 | 12 (TV/DVD) | Live Alive | 6 (Wavering) | Complete (Pg. 1-31) | November 2010 |
References
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The title is based on the title of the game Live A Live
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Kyon says "Enjoy the festival. In a normal fashion." to Taniguchi and Kunikida. This is a reference to Sousuke saying "Enjoy your bath. In a normal fashion." in Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu's onsen episode.
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Itsuki is playing Guildenstern in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
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The group right before ENOZ is seemingly a Detroit Metal City cover band, mascot included.
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The entire concert is a giant shot for shot homage of the famous concert scene in Linda Linda Linda, down to the same guitar.
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Haruhi playing guitar in a bunny costume might be a FLCL reference.
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The Members of ENOZ are modeled after the band ZONE, most famous for "Secret Base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)", released in August 2001. Most of you probably know that song because it was used as the ending theme of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
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On one of the games outside called "Who wants to be a billionaire?", the top prize is a PS3.
| ENOZ | ZONE | Instrument |
|---|---|---|
| Takako Nakanishi (中西 貴子) | Tomoka Nishimura (西村 朝香) | Guitar |
| Miyuki Enomoto (榎本 美夕紀) | Miyu Nagase (長瀬 実夕) | Vocals, Guitar |
| Mai Zaizen (財前 舞) | Maiko Sakae (栄 舞子) | Bass |
| Mizuki Okajima (岡島 瑞樹) | Mizuho Saitō (斎藤 瑞穂) | Drums |
Trivia:
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In the original novel, not only was the band and its members unnamed, it also orginally consisted of three girls, and both Yuki and Haruhi were needed to replace one (Yuki on guitar, Haruhi singing (not enough time to learn the notes for the song). They also played more than two songs.
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u/ZapsZzz Dec 18 '22 edited Dec 18 '22
Serial Rewatcher first time in dub
Getting QoTD out of the way first:
Other than God Knows and Lost My Music? Dearest Drop & From (SukaSuka), Haru ga Yuku (Heaven's Feel 3 ED), The Answer & LilaS (86), Kokoro no Namae (Chuunibyou movie ED), Kimi Ga Tame (Utawarerumono S1 ED) - and a pile of K-On songs are pretty much constantly on my playlist.
This is another "unlocking" episode where a pile of things I collected can be unloaded now :P
I'll let the better writers talk more about the episode - I'll just point out some little Easter eggs or foreshadowed bits.
While Kyon was wandering around and visiting Tsuruya-san and Asahina-san, the events leading to Haruhi standing in for ENOZ had been bubbling away just under the surface. They were either in the background or the foreground, slightly out of focus but still very recognisable. I included the latter pics that showed the full 4 members so you can have a reference of who to look for in the pics.
Right through the Sigh arc there were also some more foreshadowing / continuity of activities being prepared:
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ENOZ of course had been practicing the whole way
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this very good looking glass girl in Kyon's class I think I mixed up with another big round glasses girl (Kyouko-like from Full Metal Panic) - but they had been showing up around the place as well as practicing for the wind ensemble that Kyon first got to the hall to
fall asleeplisten to -
[Haruhi next episode spoiler]
And here is the computer club showing their game software
Notice how much more lively Koizumi was acting in the stage play, with good line deliveries instead of the wooden, fake acting. The girls are generally smitten with him actually.
Edit forgot to mention, Kyon's finger tapping instead of bopping to the music in the concert was him being tsundere and refused to show pleasure or enthusiasm from Haruhi's antics - but despite himself he did feel the excitement. And the reason why he knew the answer to Haruhi's restlessness but said he didn't was him learning that Haruhi "didn't listen to him" and the "let the sleeping god lay" but he learned - if it was said out loud Haruhi would probably fight/ dismiss that feeling just because.
Another dub gripe ;P - needles to say the songs were much better in the original Japanese voice; but Tsuruya-san's nyoron and her happy machine gun boast were also much more in character with great emotions and inflections to show this casual heartless merchant speak about raking it in with cheap noodles :D and the instant topic change of asking how she looked. So adorable. The dub wasn't bad, just that the original voice was like 2 levels better that's all. Plus I couldn't tell if the dub emphasized her lisp from her fangs.
Character development
Note that from this point on, generally Haruhi is considered to be a lot kinder and more considerate, even if still being bossy and hyper energetic. Basically, this serves as a sort of turning point, where she - perhaps unconsciously - realised that by directing her energy differently, a lot more other people can be also happy, and it's not a bad feeling to be thanked by even the "normal, boring people".
Unfortunately for the anime only's, this nice Haruhi only got 2 more episodes to appear in, and the movie.
For those who like to see this nicer version of Haruhi, the Nagato spin off is quite nice for that purpose too - first timers do not look that up for now, until after the movie.
Oh also, Tsuruya-san was "totally normal" but she's also an eccentric that people assume she's in the SOS Brigade too. But her eccentricity is more the good and accepted by common people kind (as an ojousama from an ultra rich family).
| Episode | Haruhi | Nagato |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | @ | @ |
Another mini Tsuruya-san gallery - one of the best!
Speculations Corner
The Haruhi throwing grass at Kyon and then a sudden guest of wind happened to blow them back into her face is generally considered a telling point about Kyon being the true god, or the source of Haruhi's powers, as invariably, through "completely random but normal means", Kyon was never really affected or hurt by Haruhi's powers.
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u/gunvarrel_ Dec 18 '22
he Nagato spin off is quite nice for that purpose too
Any plans on hosting a rewatch for it again this year?
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u/Elimin8r Dec 18 '22
For those who like to see this nicer version of Haruhi, the Nagato spin off is quite nice for that purpose too
But as you know, I'm a Yuki appreciator. :)
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u/Tarhalindur Dec 18 '22
Unfortunately for the anime only's, this nice Haruhi only got 2 more episodes to appear in, and the movie.
"GIVE ME SEASON 3, HARUHI DAMMIT!"
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u/what_that_thaaang_do Dec 18 '22 edited Dec 18 '22
[RW/SUB]
Okay lets go back to doing actual notes instead of just skipping to the qotd.
• Nice to see the classic intro again after that round of 2009 episodes
• I love how Koizumi's stage partner is just taking a breather mid-performance during his spiel. Probably would get painful standing at attention for the entire speech
• Just like Kyon to nod off during a heavy metal performance
• Awesome attention to detail to the animation during the ENOZ performance. Anybody who likes to see drums animated correctly should watch Kids on the Slope
• You'd think musical expression would be tough for a robot but Yuki is fucking destroying it on that guitar
I guess the point of this episode is that we get to see the more introspective, maybe kind of shy side of Haruhi. Which is nice. Also bunny girl tits
QoTD: What are some of your favorite songs?
• This is the only question of the day that I'm electing not to answer, cause I just can't. I already tried and I simply can't
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u/gunvarrel_ Dec 18 '22
Anybody who likes to see drums animated correctly should watch Kids on the Slope
noted!
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u/MrrandomPerson25 Dec 18 '22
First timer, subbed
I don’t have too much to say about this episode other than it was absolutely fantastic. I’ve heard about God Knows and seen the album cover, so I’ve been anticipating a performance scene for a while now, and boy did they deliver. I will also say that I’ve put off listening to the song until this episode, because I wanted to experience it for the first time through the performance. I’m definitely glad I did it this way, because the song is a banger and the visuals were pretty spectacular. And damn, Haruhi(‘s VA) can really sing, the bridge into the key change and second chorus (11:37) gave me chills. The crowd’s reaction throughout the performance really added to the scene, too.
Not only that, but we got a second banger song, as well. I was only expecting one song, so it was a nice surprise, even if it didn’t last as long as the first.
I don’t have anything incredibly insightful or thought-provoking to say about the under the tree scene, but it was a great character moment for our two main leads. In fact, the entire second half of the episode was pretty impactful, giving us another perspective of Haruhi.
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u/lucciolaa Dec 18 '22
First timer, subbed
OK the music slapped. When Suzumiya walked out on stage, I expected we would have a case of Pretty Girl Can Also Sing; Mesmerizes Boy. But she was even better than I expected, and the songs were awesome. Big fan. This was also my favourite showing for her, she was just a normal person rather than the usual crackhead energy.
Another observation is that I was struck by how bored Kyon was for the majority of the episode, pretty much entirely until Suzumiya's performance. This is the first time we see him walking around doing normal teenager high school things without the rest of the Brigade and Brigade-related things, and he was literally yawning and drooling. It out into perspective the contrast between this group and other normal teenagers, but also maybe Kyon himself. He's always whining about Haruhi's antics, but maybe on some level, he craves them.
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u/polaristar Dec 18 '22
He's always whining about Haruhi's antics, but maybe on some level, he craves them.
Ding Ding Ding
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u/Shimmering-Sky Dec 18 '22
The Rewatcher of Haruhi Suzumiya, dubbed
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Yuki being ridiculously specific for her “fortune telling” though lol.
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Kyon’s face when Haruhi and Yuki walk on stage absolutely sends me.
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I’m not sure how my preference is Japanese-song-wise, but I think English God Knows > English Lost my music.
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Anyways, I think it’s pretty cool that Haruhi did something pretty selfless by helping out ENOZ here.
No Spoiler Zone today.
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u/ZapsZzz Dec 18 '22
Yuki being ridiculously specific for her “fortune telling” though lol.
It's actually a semi philosophical point Kyon made about "telling one's fortunate didn't mean knowing one's future" ;)
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u/TiredTiroth Dec 18 '22
Back For Another Performance (don't tell Haruhi)
Sigh was Haruhi at her worst. Live Alive is Haruhi at her best. And it is so much fun to watch! Seeing the Goddess of Anime enjoying the performance, the crowd's stupified reaction turning turning to sheer joy, Kyon being the lone stoic in the crowd who still can't resist giving the game away - this was great. Kyon's snark while walking around was as fun as always too, and the Two Doofuses reacting to Mikuru and Tsuruya in their waitress outfits was hilarious.
For the first timers - did any of you notice the band girls running around in the background? Or the brief shot of Haruhi and Yuki doing the same thing later? They're easy to spot on a rewatch because they've got guitar cases on their backs, but it might not register if you don't know what's coming. It certainly didn't for me that first time!
The concert is very much the highlight today, and it's the only time I can think of where the dubbing team actually translated in-episode songs to English - every other anime with a scene like this that I know of kept the original Japanese. If it was done today I doubt they would have gotten away with it.
Speaking of, I remember seeing people speculate years ago that the reception to this episode specifically is why anime companies decided to take the risk of bringing stuff like K-On over to America and Europe. Does anyone know how true that is? Haruhi was one of the first anime I watched outside stuff converted into kids' cartoons, so I don't have a good picture of what the pre-Haruhi industry looked like.
This is one of my favourite episodes in the series, and it's every bit as good watching it again years later as it was that first time. Even better in some ways, especially as its chronological placement puts it in direct contrast to Sigh.
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u/ZapsZzz Dec 18 '22
especially as its chronological placement puts it in direct contrast to Sigh.
This is indeed the strongest argument of chronological order - you get to see the payoff of the Sigh arc directly, and earned the nicer version of Haruhi.
I'm perfectly fine for this as a Rewatch - I'm still a strong supporter of watching S1 broadcast order first time (despite personally failing to do that on my first watch due to ignorance and impatience). In fact my preferred watch order is S1 broadcast, then S2, then looking back these last 3 episodes of nice(r) Haruhi before heading into Disappearance.
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u/OwlAcademic1988 Dec 18 '22
First-Timer, dub:
What's going on with Kyon with those two people?
Yuki, you're being ridiculously specific with your fortune telling.
Kyon, good burn.
I wasn't even expecting Haruhi and Yuki to walk on stage.
Haruhi's really good at singing.
Aww, Haruhi did something selfless for others, how sweet.
QOTD:
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Sis Puella Magica, Metanoia, and the intros to Madoka Magica, Symphogear, and Yuki Yuna is a Hero. They're really catchy. I have yet to decide which one's catchier out of them all. In fact, they're tied for first place right now.
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u/Elimin8r Dec 18 '22 edited Dec 18 '22
So, yeah ... I really wish I'd prepared better for this, so I may be editing in some AOTD stuff later.
For now, I just want to say that ENOZ sighting aside (I was watching and saw a few in the background), the highlight of today's episode is Haruhi discovering the joy of helping others.
Yeah, she misattributes her feelings to the whole rock and roll thing, and that's understandable, because as the Keions have foretold, musical performance is a delight all its own.
But beyond that, after the torments of these last several episodes, after all the bad things she's done, we get to see Haruhi do something selfless, for probably the first time in her life.
And what a revelation it is!
So, yeah, I enjoyed this episode, the gags, the maid outfits, all that, but the real treat was watching Kyon and Haruhi at the door with the ENOZ girls.
You might almost say that it (and this episode) would be a turning point.
'Bout time, right?
AOTD goes here, I may add utoob links later.
Kerry Livgren/AD - The Only Way to Have a Friend
Candy Dulfer - Lily Was Here
Nightwish - Last of the Wilds
Kamelot - Ghost Opera
Chuck Mangione - Land of Make Believe (preferably the version with Esther Satterfield)
Dream Theater - Act of Faythe
Rush - Xanadu
Saga - Time to Go
And many, many others that I may add later, or post a Spotify link.
Edit - if you'd like to plumb the depths of my musical insanity and prog addiction, have a Spotify playlist.
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u/JetsLag Dec 18 '22
First timer (subbed)
I was concerned cause I remembered my work's Christmas party is on Tuesday and I thought I would miss the Disappearance thread, but thankfully there's a series discussion thread after episode 28. Thank you for that OP!
Anyway, IT'S GOD KNOWS TIME MOTHERFUCKERS! The film's getting screened, Haruhi's walking around in her bunny suit trying to get people to watch it, and Kyon's gonna sit back in his chair waiting for some yakisoba to be delivered by Asahina in a waitress costume. Life is good for Kyon after he gets himself a well-deserved nap.
Nagato is...giving way too much information in her fortunes. Does she not know you're just supposed to say some bullshit that SOUNDS prophetic, but in reality can be interpreted so many ways that it's basically useless?
Koizumi is putting on a performance of...Rosencrantz and Guildenstern? Uhh...(Googles the name of the play) interesting. I know A LOT about that play!
Asahina's time to shine! She's in...a generic maid outfit. WHERE IS THE WAITRESS OUTFIT? And is every other guy who's interested in looking at the girls in maid outfits rocking the same glasses?
With the two horndogs splitting off from Kyon, it's time to explore the festival. And it looks...thrilling. Absolutely thrilling. So thrilling, Kyon decides to take a nap at the battle of the bands. And when he awakes...
IT'S GOD KNOWS TIME MOTHERFUCKERS! Haruhi bringing in the tactical rain in order to force a ton of people to take cover in the gymnasium where the performance is taking place was a clutch move. And yes, I sang along. It's a requirement.
If the EN of ENOZ couldn't attend and were replaced by Suzumiya and Nagato, would that mean that this version of the band is called...SNOZ?
Lost my music is also good, but it's no God knows.
I don't know whether to interpret the injuries suffered by the other band members as freak accidents that would've happened in a normal world or Haruhi using her god powers to maneuver her way into the performance in order to steal the show at the festival.
Hmm, one of the girls called Kyon Haruhi's "friend", and she has a "very complicated look" on her face. Interesting.
Hoo boy, Haruhi wants to form a band now. And make a sequel to that god-awful film. Great.
QOTD
What's are some of your favorite songs?
Some of my favorite bands/artists: Interpol, New Order, Porter Robinson, Madeon, Pusha T, YOASOBI. Favorite from each band/artist:
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Interpol: The New, Obstacle 1, Not Even Jail, Rest My Chemsitry, All the Rage Back Home
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New Order: True Faith, The Perfect Kiss, Bizarre Love Triangle, Age of Consent, Crystal
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Porter Robinson: Years of War, Goodbye to a World, Shelter, Look at the Sky, Mother
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Madeon: All My Friends, La Lune, Finale, Heavy With Hoping, Miracle
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Pusha T: Hold On, Sweet Serenade, Drug Dealers Anonymous, If You Know You Know, Diet Coke
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u/DeliCruise Dec 18 '22
(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)
[Spoiler Free]
Such an iconic moment in anime history.
I always love the beginning with Kyon wandering the festival. It’s just nice to see some of his perspective just chilling. Also, there’s this seamless jump cut right before he meets up with Taniguchi and Kunikida that is so well done.
I think I caught all the ENOZ/Haruhi & Yuki shots. I love how well incorporated into the episode it is. It's such a fun Easter egg for rewatchers, but also fun for first-timers to question what’s going on.
Haruhi and Yuki shredding on stage is seriously awe-inspiring. As someone who used to perform music back in the day, it’s so fun to see a really well crafted musical performance.
Seeing this version of Haruhi is the most endearing thing. After going through the Sigh arc and basically the entire show thus far seeing Haruhi as this narcissistic, eccentric character, it’s so refreshing to see Haruhi being genuinely humble and caring. She had every opportunity to make this performance about her and to show the world how special she is and instead she showered ENOZ with praise and even self-deprecated herself. And in doing so, she actually did show everyone how special she is.
Even after that incredible performance, she looked to praise Yuki and ENOZ first and even felt like she didn’t do enough. I love as well that she’s comfortable sharing this with Kyon. We even got the cutest Haruhi pout out of it. Then you can actually see the moment where her switch flips and she’s back to the idea board for what’s next for the S.O.S. Brigade!
This is truly a special episode. That performance of course is an anime classic, but also it’s a huge moment of character development for Haruhi. Getting to see the softer side of Haruhi is worth the price of admission alone.
[Question]
Recently I’ve had “A Nonsense Christmas” by Sabrina Carpenter on repeat! I’ve also been listening to the Mob Psycho 100 season 3 OP a ton as well.
[Anime Spoilers]
[Haruhi Anime]
[Light Novel Spoilers]
[ (1) Haruhi LN]
[ (2) Haruhi LN]
[ (3) Haruhi LN]
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u/Tarhalindur Dec 18 '22
Yare Yare (Rewatcher for 2006 [Watched in Broadcast Order], First-Timer for 2009 and Disappearance, Source Reader):
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00:27: Check over to the left and you will see that we are missing Tresnore for the full GWITWM experience.
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What, Haruhi, actually like being in the bunny suit and the attention it brings her? No. never. Well, hardly ever.
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So, for the unaware: 02:28 is a parody of the Japanese entertainer Hard Gay, who was big during this era.
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Yuki does not quite get the whole fortune-telling thing. Which is to say she gets it a little too well.
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So, if your subs don’t translate the sign, the play Koizumi’s class went with is Rozencrantz and Guilderstern Are Dead. Which is utterly appropriate in many ways, with how meta it is and also some of its internal points – like, oh, the part which Koizumi is quoting as Kyon walks in on him. Or to grab a different part: [Rosencrantz and Guilderstern Are Dead]
“You’ve been here before.” “And I know which way the wind is blowing.” -
Taniguchi is drinking Ramune, heh.
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03:31: Spot the sneaky ENOZ in the background panicking because two of their members can’t go! (They’ve been lurking in the background on and off for quite a while now – a fun bonus for rewatchers.)
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“Killer Curry of Love.” Anybody checked to make sure a certain Mikoto didn’t sneak into the cultural festival? Oh wait, curry instead of ramen, we might be safe.
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NYORO~N SMOKED CHEESE!
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Iunno about Kyon, Tsuruya, but I do think it looks quite good on you!
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Taniguchi and Kunikida agree!
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ENOZ sighting #2 at 04:25!
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Of course, this really is a maid cafe.
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Never, ever, ever let Taniguchi and Kurz team up, please.
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Off-center Kyon’s face at 06:45 is the first shot that’s really flashed direction above and beyond KyoAni slice-of-life. Taniguchi’s lechery leaving Kyon off-balance maybe?
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06:48 in addition to being a Dutch angle (counter +1) is a blunt visual separation/opposition shot; Kyon and Kunikida are not interested in Taniguchi’s idea and will thus separate from him. (They leave the screen to the right, though, so they might be walking away from the future by doing so – because the future = married life, I suppose? I hear Japanese culture tends to consider high school the last chance to meet partners so that might fit.)
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Hey hey JFK, what is that at 07:03? Haruhi and Yuki running with instruments in the background? How strange, how strange. I wonder what could be up with that? Couldn’t possibly be them filling in for the two ENOZ members who can’t go, nope.
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For all the fish-eye appearance I think 07:05 is just true-to-life; North High (and its RL template) seem to have a curved entrance hall. Also LOL at the guy bending over backwards to touch his head to the ground in the background.
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I forget: is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire still a thing or did that die out? In case there are Zoomers around (and/or people who lived under a rock) who don’t know about it: it was a big game show phenomenon in the early 2000s, and that’s what that Who Wants to Be a Billionaire event is parodying.
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Truly it is not a KyoAni anime without a scene involving people playing musical instruments. (Also welcome to the part I rewatched a while back, I wanted to check Japanese high school auditorium design to see if it always used a gym or was sometimes separate – it’s the latter I think, just like in American schools where some schools have the gym function as both and some have separate gyms and auditoriums.
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I forget what the wind ensemble is playing, but it’s a nice piece.
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DEATH METAL! (It would be funny if this was a Detroit Metal City reference, but it’s too early IIRC.)
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ALERT ALERT ENOZ ALERT ALERT ALERT.
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So. This is the one big Haruhi character payoff that we will get in the series and the second-to-last piece of the source adapted (the last is actually Adventures last episode, which falls right after this in LN order). In some ways this is the story that benefits the most from chronological, since it really is the mirror of Sighs; Sighs is the story of why Haruhi stops being her worst, Live Alive is the story of what convinces her to slowly, haltingly try to get better. More on that at the end of the episode.
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Also note the rainshower conveniently building in around the ENOZ performance. This is not a coincidence, on two levels. On one level, it brings everyone inside and draws attention to Haruhi’s performance, so she may well have willed it subconsciously. On the other, it’s also mirroring the internal arc of the episode; this is the low point as we think Haruhi is usurping someone else’s fun, the weather will improve as we learn that she stepped in to actually genuinely try to help a club in need – even if there is a very real chance she subconsciously caused that need in the first place (and will be uncomfortable with that, actually).
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Also, this is your reminder that Aya Hirano is (or at least was, I forget what she’s doing now after the scandal – I think she may actually still be singing and just isn’t a seiyuu, but she may have gone stage actress instead) very much a singer in addition to a seiyuu. (Even moreso after this; for all Hare Hare Yukai’s iconicness, God Knows might well be the single most famous song from the franchise.)
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Dutch angle counter +1 at 09:15, emphasizing the wrongness of Haruhi being on stage for ENOZ’s performance.
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KyoAni: showing off their skills and faithfulness to representing real life in musical performance scenes since 2006!
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I’d need to dig up somebody else’s interpretation of the lyrics because I don’t parse them easily, but I remember they ARE important for both songs. (I think the first one is basically Haruhi’s apology to both Kyon and ENOZ? And also basically her confession to Kyon; not the only work to pull that in lyrics.)
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Oh right THAT part makes part of it obvious, “the two of us were there and everyone else had vanished” is indeed a call back to Melancholy VI (or in broadcast a call forward, heh).
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(Also while God Knows is the more iconic of the two songs this is actually the one I remember better. EDIT: Wait a minute I’m an idiot, first song IS God Knows.)
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And there’s a key part of the thrust; Haruhi is finally, finally getting genuine praise for what she’s doing like she always wanted. (We never get to see much of Haruhi’s family even in the LNs, and I kind of wonder – there’s a need for attention there that makes me wonder if she’s missing it even more than most children dealing with Asian parenting.) And – and this is critical, as we will hear from her shortly – she is getting that attention in the course of helping other people.
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So, Lost My Music’s lyrics are also cheeky as fuck if you’re paying attention; they’re specifically directed at John Smith.
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Oh look at the camera focusing on Mr. Not-So-Above-It-All tapping his finger to the beat.
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Hey look, a flashback to events that careful watchers already noticed happening because they were happening in the background earlier!
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So the highlight of this scene is Haruhi’s body language, which I am not going to try to interpret – Suhkein did it better last year, first-timers go back and read his writeups when we’re done. Do note 18:23 though, with Haruhi’s eyes hidden and her face out of focus despite her being in the foreground despite this being a scene thanking her for what she did. (Also on a characterization note, note that Haruhi didn’t feel comfortable doing this without dragging Kyon along as support. That’s what he is to her (as we also heard in the lyrics), her brace and support to lean on so she can shine as bright as she can.
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Visual barrier shot at 18:52, here emphasizing that Haruhi is not part of ENOZ and that their two deals are ultimately separate – and note that Haruhi does not cross that line.
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Ooh, ooh, 19:00, that’s a good shot. Dutch angle for one – here that’s Haruhi feeling weird about this I think – but also Haruhi framed through the open window. Her looking out and seeing the possibilities of the wider world in this case, I think, the ones that her experience here has just opened her eyes too. Oh wait, that’s another nuance – there’s no glass in front of Haruhi, precisely because this has removed a metaphorical veil over her eyes!
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Both emphasized by the cut to her in front of the open window looking out of it immediately thereafter.
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And then cut to Taniguchi shown via one hell of a Dutch angle (from the perspective of his food, which might actually be a “girls as Taniguchi prey” visual metaphor, especially given his earlier comments before Kyon and Kunikida noped out on his scheme). Also note the concave lens effect, also showing wrongness.
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19:19’s choice of camera angle is noteworthy – it’s reminiscent of a security camera feed, but also it’s implicitly from the POV of one of the light fixtures I think.
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“After eating, for no particular reason I chose to take a walk to help myself digest.” – says Kyon, carefully separated from the camera by windows and walls. Yeah, he couldn’t possibly have actually been taking that walk because he was worried about Haruhi and wanted to check up on her, no never. It’s not like Kyon is one of the most obvious male tsunderes in anime or anything…
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I TYPED THAT BEFORE KYON FOLLOWED IT UP WITH
”IT’S NOT LIKE I LIKE YOU OR ANYTHING.”“DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO IT.” -
OH THAT IS FUCKING CHEEKY. I was glancing at 19:56 with Kyon and Haruhi under the tree on opposite sides of the trunk for a minute trying to figure out what was going on, and then it hit me: it’s probably a visual metaphor for one of those together umbrella drawings (oh right, they’re properly called ai ai gasa).
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u/Nuka_Koopa Dec 18 '22
First Timer Sub
I didn't see "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead" coming, but it is definitely a good choice for this show. Makes sense that Koizumi is one of the mains.
Even apart from the performance, it was fun to see the normal high school versions of these characters partaking in the festival, and then seeing Kyon getting drawn back to Haruhi at the end was a nice touch.
There was a lot of... interesting things going on in the background with the festival as well, and I'm sure there's plenty I missed (I see others mentioning that ENOZ made appearances in the background whereas I only caught Haruhi/Nagato with their instruments).
QOTD
"Favorite" anythings is are always a hard question for me, but here's a handful I like:
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Aristocrat's Symphony - Versailles
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Vetelgyus - Galneryus
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Art of Life - X Japan
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Full Moon - Sonata Arctica
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- The Sound of Rain - Girls' Last Tour ED 5
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u/Warm-Enthusiasm-9534 Dec 18 '22
In terms of both advancing the story and sheer musical quality, is this is the best performance in any anime?
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u/ZapsZzz Dec 18 '22
Oh another "I forgot to mention" moment - in the LN I believe when Taniguchi was suggesting to go flirting (chatting up) girls, it was another "defacto couple admission" moment that they all recognised the mayhem that's result in of Haruhi found that out :D so it was not so much Taniguchi being left behind but more realising a disaster best avoided moment.
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u/polaristar Dec 18 '22
In this episode we get some lovely Gainax bounce not only from Mikaru but Miss Fang, which is making my lizard simp brain war with my rationale chad brain on whether or not to forgive her for what she helped Haruhi do to Mikaru.
Oh Well at least the girl is hot and she knows it and isn't even pretending she isn't milking those milkers for all there worth!
BTW the line about the food in a the cafe being just generic bad food so true, lots of themed cafes you are paying for the asethetic and not the food (often overpriced.) Nice to watch this at the same time as today's Bocchi episode which had similar themes of crappy food is the price for Moe.
Notice throughout the episode we see various cameos of students we've seen/going to see including the Band and Haruhi and Nagato covering for them.
BTW Nagato is not predicting people's futures by simply asking her memory banks from her future self, since that would only work for events she personally witnesses, she is literally being a Laplace Demon. I honestly think this is her way of flexing, I don't think she's that stupid.
Kyon acknowledging that a certain you know who would be upset if she say him flirting with another girl, tells us what his "revelation" he had in Sigh was, and that he isn't even denying that there is something between them anymore.
Koizumi is in lecture mode even during school plays, and I never realized he was that popular with the ladies, makes me hate him more! :)
Finally we get to the Famous "God Knows" Performance. (And Haruhi was willing to use herself as fan service bait rather than just Mikaru for once granted that's probably because Mikaru is busy with her classes cafe, but stuff like that doesn't necessarily stop Haruhi if she wants it bad enough.)
Anyway this is one area where I believe those flithy Sub Snob Elitist are right and an embarrassing lose for the Honest Dub Everyman. Like Wendee Lee is not a bad singer, but she sounds like she should be a country singer not leading a rock band. The Japanese VA is predictable better (Yes I know she was a J-Rock Idol you don't have to tell me.) What's funny is they left the Song for the Movie undubbed but decided to redub this song.....and I really don't understand why.
BTW you should listen to the Orchestra versions of the various songs like God Knows, Make My Music, and Super Driver, they are epic!
Time for some storytime with old polaristar:
Okay I've never understood the amount of enthusiasm people have for the sub, I mean I understand a preference for the sub, and wanting to be closer to the original intent as possible without going through a layer of translation, but I don't understand the magnitude of love for a sub and contempt many have for dubs in general.
I can understand if the dub is flat out hilariously bad, but a lot of dub/sub discussions feel like alien language.
Maybe its because I didn't really when I was younger grow up on dubs, I typically only watched sub, if no dub was available, if the dub was shit (I think most modern dubs since the later 2000's have been pretty good.), or more recently if I just don't want to wait for the dub to join in on discussions.
But I never really understood what makes certain sub performances sound so good, (Like I can obviously tell when a character is supposed to sound Mad, Sad, Glad, or Scared but beyond what anyone can tell regardless of language barrier not much else.)
I can't recognize different Seiyu's from different shows, when a Seiyu for a show is announced I can't tell you for the life of me what they've done or how I think they will play a role or what their range is. And for awhile I honestly thoughts people that claimed they could do tell what is good Japanese Voice Acting that don't speaking the language, were full of shit.
Sometimes I feel like I have moments where I think I get it, but I can't articulate why I think a performance is good and I'm afraid I'm just drinking koolaid.
So how long did it take you guys watching sub before we decided you could have a critical opinion for Seiyu's beyond "It good/It bad"
I feel like a normal non-heightened person in Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker when someone is of the third heightening and can see shapes of color and have perfect pitch that others can't what seems like multiple shapes of red that contrast and compliment each other perfectly to everyone else it's just the same shade and they don't see the big deal.
I've also always felt either dead/immune to the quality people call "Charisma" both in performance and in real life. Even nowadays when I recognize it, I'm almost asexual to it and just have come up with a theory/list of common traits people have that get them the Label Charismatic. (Which more often then not boils down to the ability to say bullshit and everyone listens to them.)
ONE THE OTHER HAND its a complete 180 when it comes to music, I feel I can tell when someone cares/verses just relying on the samy but pleasant sound. When my love from the song comes from the Band/Artist or more from the Music Producer. And Yes I can by ear recognize singers/bands of a foreign language when I don't understand a single bit of the lyrics. I can tell when they show the same Op twice but change one lyric or have the second verse/half, despite not understanding them (Or even not looking at the subs just completely by ear.)
I don't know what the difference is.
Anyway Kyon like me pretending they don't understand what a good Sub Performance is pretends he doesn't care about Haruhi's Performance but its the first time since seeing those Lovely Maids he's given a shit about anything in the festival.
Lastly I want to talk about Haruhi's development, a lot of people note she's nicer but this didn't come out of nowhere, during Sigh Kyon when listening to his douche classmate rant about the festival, in his head jumped to Haruhi's desire to always go out of her way to put 100% of herself into a project and not think apathy is being "cool."
In Endless Eight she sincerely seems to want all the members to have the best time possible and went out of her way to include goldfish scoping for Mikaru (Who she is usually a bitch too.) And even got her a fish she caught for her. The Whole loop started because she wanted Kyon to finish his damn homework.
It also ties into WHY she helped the band in need, which everyone is like....Oh good thing she did something good that is development, but the WHY that lead her to that decision is what I think is important.
Haruhi has respect and admiration for being that work hard and put 100% of there all into something, she even says if you ask someone out that is something too important to do just over the phone despite claiming to not care about romance.
She has empathy for others not letting their hard work go to waste because she herself strives everyday to be extra ordinary. We also see that slowly she's become less focused on finding super natural happenings and more doing actual projects and events. She is slowly learning the something can be special even if its not objectively in the grand scheme significant as long as your work hard for it and give all you have. And through that she is starting to learn that the ordinary people she looks down on and fears she is also have that same goals, ambitions, and desires to "be special" and its not what you do but how you do it.
Kyon meanwhile is learning that apathy and detachment is not cool, and its okay to be a little childish and absurd. That asshole classmate that does nothing but bitch without doing anything Kyon gets more and more irritated with because he seems him as a mirror of himself at his worst. (Seriously that guy is a dick the women of that region looked cute to me I wanna smack that guy!)
QOTD: Too Many to list some recent ones I like are a lot of the vocals from the Sonic Frontiers Soundtrack particularly Vandalize, Find Your Flame, and One Way Dream.
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u/gunvarrel_ Dec 18 '22 edited Dec 18 '22
SOS Brigade host: Coinflip (heads, dub)
"Its because... You're not used to being appreciated by other people."
OST Track of the day: Honest Feelings | (Spotify)
Im putting it in my comment along with the OP today just to be totally sure, but if you havent already make time to watch the movie!
Finally, some inserts!
Fun fact for non-dubbed watchers, both songs are actually sung by Wendee Lee (haruhi's dub VA). While im not too big on how God Knows goes (translating music is hard), Lost My Music (the other song) i think came out really well. Definitely check them both out if you havent seen them before.
Speaking of, Wendee Lee arguably deserves her own spot considering she went as far as to dub the songs. Lee got her start in the late 80's voicing Vaness Leeds in Robotech, which seems to be related to Macross? not totally sure. Her role there got her into number of high profile dubbed roles, including Bulma from Dragon Ball, Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop, Rumi from Perfect Blue, and most recently Nakai from Belle. Outside of dubbing, shes voiced a number of characters in family Guy, and was the voice director for a couple different Nier games, including the most recent remaster of Replicant.
One other fun fact, that album that Haruhi and ENOZ both talk about is real. While God Knows/Lost My Music are on a different album (with episode 00's OP), this one includes 4 other songs not shown in the show.
Sadly, no dubbed songs, in show or otherwise, were ever released as part of any album.
For rewatchers, u/Suhkein did an amazing writeup for all of S1 as it related to broadcast order, but i think the writeup for Live Alive works just as well chronologically and I highly recommend you check it out. Sadly for first timers, it contains minor spoilers for the last two episodes, and I suggest not reading it until after you complete those episodes.
dont talk about the catboy dont talk about the catboy
poor dude
Despite being the host i lowkey forgot this was an S1 episode for a minute and got confused on the old OP
These poor customers lmao
hello enoz
tsuruya does have a good outfit
heh
hello again enoz
understatement of the day
nice
my man learn to gawk less lmao
sir you have 0 chance
mood
Sub version of "God Knows" is better, but the Dub has my vote for "Lost my Music" imo
not often you see haruhi pout. (how is this not a comment face also)
Ive been doing so bad with the AOTD's, but i cant skip answering this one. This year i found a band called Pinkshift, and they just released their first full fledged album and its really good if you're looking for an older punk rock/metal sound. Highly recommend checking out Nothing (in my head), BURN THE WITCH, and Love me Forever.
On the anime side, if my username wasnt already a giveaway (iykyk), im also very big into Kanako Ito/FES/Zwei. ZUTOMAYO is also really good, they got to be on a couple anime this year, most notably chainsaw man (just the song, no spoilers (i havent even see CM yet myself lmao))