Potato (Haruhi Revisited S1 Brodcast Ep3)

I am revisiting the first season of Haruhi in Broadcast Order and transcribing my thoughts (as someone who has spent way too much time on the series) to this blog. Feel free to read the previous post on Ep2 or jump straight into this one.

Kyon is pretty awesome with his historic and mythological references. I actually don’t think writers do this enough. I mean everyone gets who Sisyphus is at this point: He’s a guy who was forced to role a boulder up a hill (eternally) and you already have a great metaphor for Kyon’s whining. I think it gives his narrations impact (and hilarity), but then again I’m nuts, so don’t take anything I say seriously. Oh great, I’m just starting this post and I’m already refusing to back up anything I write. We’re in for an awesome post.

I’ve actually been writing a bit of fiction myself lately and every time I do I admire really good fiction writers even more. Particularly dialogues like this where people’s thoughts don’t automatically synch up (and not in obvious stupid ways like the over dramatic Bleach: Think Byakuya as he’s going to slay Rukia). Kyon’s line: “Please make the context clear when you talk” is both hilarious (as dictated by the humor police ME) and it captures our natural tendency to always be playing catch up with what’s going on in the other persons head during conversations. This is actually the very foundation of Kyon as a character. He is the guy trying to understand what the hell everyone is thinking and talking about. When push comes to shove this is also how he solves the problems facing the SOS brigade. He doesn’t throw out a pokeball and call “Nagato I choose you!” he constantly probes for her emotions. I find it fascinating that Nagato is perhaps the only character of her type that never cracks a smile (I think I’ve already said this), not even once, but her emotional state is crucial to the plot of several Haruhi stories (and it’s fascinating). Is it any wonder that Nagato almost always turns to order cheap tabs him for direction? (Rhetorical) No it’s not! When Kyon isn’t worried about his own skin he is almost always trying to think in the best interests of Nagato and you’ve just got to appreciate that kind of relationship.

Speaking of which this is another one of those fundamental breaks between the characters of Haruhi and Kyon. I mentioned in my last episode post the separation of passion, but in this episode I’d like to point out that while Kyon is constantly thinking of others from their point of view, Haruhi tends to only look at others through her own. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t saying that either Haruhi or Kyon cares about the members of the SOS brigade less; it’s just saying that they have different ways of trying to help. Haruhi naturally thinks of what would improve them from her perspective (of course her own selfishness gets in the way sometimes, but she is Haruhi).

I really enjoyed throughout the series how Kyoto Animations used the literature club room both as a context definer (such as where we are in the chronology of the story) and also as a way of showing the SOS brigade grow tighter through shared experiences. As the series goes on the club room becomes as full of stuff as the SOS brigade adventure log. They clean it sometime in the later light novels, but I always enjoyed the element of Nostalgia individual items in the room can hold. Kyoto Animations can literally do one sweep and we can relive a lot of the first season. It’s a setting that grows with the cast. Take Seitokai Ichizon (and Studio Deen) as the counter example where every episode is in the same room but it didn’t have nearly the depth or character, nor the detail.

Alright, we are now approaching the most polarizing moment of the entire Haruhi series (with your feelings towards Haruhi). Haruhi up to this point has not been that bad, and honestly everything she does after blackmailing this computer from the computer society is at worst mischievous, but not criminal. acomplia However, far be it from me not to comment on how AWESOMELY interesting this bit of development is. I am talking about how Haruhi feels like she can get away with all of these things. This is also the episode where she wears a bunny girl costume out to the front gates:

Oh come on, you knew I was going to include a picture (don’t judge me). Basically people don’t normally say no to Haruhi. It actually makes me wonder about her parents. Either A: They’re really strict or B: They are completely doting. I would have to go with B in this case, because her actions aren’t those of rebellion (outside her rebellion against the universe). More on her parents in a later episode though, it will be more fun then.

Anyways to get to the point it’s almost like Haruhi doesn’t have a conscience in this episode to tell her when she’s gone too far and to really understand Haruhi I think you have to understand the chronology of her character growth. She does grow a conscience as the series goes on: His name is Kyon. Kyon probably has the most important role in this anime because he’s the only one who will say no to her (who she’ll actually listen to anyway). Sure when he’s not 100% behind it she steamrolls right over him, but time and again his rationality has won out over her eccentrics. This episode is so important because it perfectly contrasts that growth in their relationship. This is Haruhi before Kyon becomes the single dissenter in a sea of “YES” men. If we really take a good look at Haruhi being a god-like entity it makes sense that she’s surrounded by “YES” men. In a sense she’s altered the world so it would be like that. The only person we don’t think she’s altered is Kyon (at least not since we’ve known him) though he could have been wished into existence by her. If you really want to go overboard you could say that Kyon is a projection of her wanting a conscience. She knows the difference between right and wrong, and although she doesn’t always want to hear it, she knows she has to. So, why not make a Kyon.

Was anyone else surprised on a second viewing that Asahina was truly the first member of the brigade to drop the supernatural bomb. This was incredibly intentional and I can’t help but wonder at its intentions. I want everyone to stop thinking of Asahina as “Cute, innocent Mikuru” right now. Mikuru is a minx. I think we all know that people don’t change a whole lot in terms of personality between this point of life and adulthood and older Asahina is incredibly self-aware. If you really pay attention younger asahina flirts with Kyon several times and as Ringo’s mother (from the recent Ookami-san episode) would put it “Act cute to everyone so they’ll do everything for you”. Mikuru seems to always be the one putting the seed of doubt about the other SOS members in Kyon’s ear. She makes Haruhi look like a bully, she constantly shows obvious mistrust of Nagato, and actively dissents against Koizumi in the movie arc. I think at one point Koizumi theorizes that Asahina was sent back because she was helpless, thus making Kyon the knight in shining armor. In all honesty I don’t think Asahina is passively manipulating Kyon at all: She’s actively doing it. In other words she’s not helpless; she’s the younger version of the same Asahina from the future acting out a part to control Kyon. From what we’ve seen she does it really well. She plays the perfect sacrificial lamb (Haha, I just flashed to an image of her as a sheep in Haruhi-chan). Despite how she’s portrayed in things the author didn’t write, the way the author writes her is a very intelligent, crafty girl.

On a personal level I kind of dislike Mikuru because she’s the only one who never seems to actually help the SOS brigade. She drags Kyon into the time faction’s problems and shows mistrust for poor Nagato. (Nagato always helps the SOS brigade and so does Koizumi to some extent).  Alright, well there you have it. I just wanted to let you all know that you’re being played if you’ve fallen for Mikuru’s charm. Ok, she’s not that bad, but I sort of dislike dishonest people who are self-absorbed (which seems to be the definition of Mikuru). The hilarious part is jokes on Kyon: He seems to think of her as dumb while she’s pulling his strings like a marionette. Can anyone say owned? (Rhetorical)

Kyon’s self-analysis is win. So is Haruhi’s for that matter, though we don’t actually get into that until the loli-haruhi episode. Grr… I want to get to that episode so badly.

Alright, in case anyone is wondering exactly when Haruhi stops thinking of Kyon as a potato it is not yet, but it’s definitely before episode six chronologically when she yells at him to get out when she’s changing. Actually I would say it’s right around episode five chronologically when she gives the monologue on her becoming the person she is today (think loli Haruhi on swing). At that point she’s baring her sole for Kyon and after he’s seen the inner her she can no longer simply equate his existence to a potato. Crap I’m getting ahead of myself again. Anyways, right now he’s still a potato (a very skeptical potato).

And at last we arrive at the famous “Get a normal boyfriend speech” (this might only be famous to me). [Warning: I screen capped the whole speech 7ish pictures]

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This ties back to some of the themes I’ve already expounded on in the first episode and a theme that will continue to be explored throughout the series. Basically Kyon gives us the standard for achieving happiness (especially in anime) and then tries to project that on Haruhi. We’re honestly presented with a choice at this moment in time that the author is going to make us eat in the final episode. Namely, we’re supposed to agree with Kyon here. There is no mystery in the world at this point and everything is business as usual. To Kyon there is obviously no happiness for Haruhi if she continues to follow the path she’s traveling so he looks at her with pity and disdain thinking she should “sell out” (for lack of a better term). At this point in the series this is the character level Kyon is at and it also marks the baseline for his character development. In the last episode of the series we have to eat agreeing with him here, because we find out chasing that interesting world Haruhi seeks is exactly what Kyon wanted all along. To make a long series short: Don’t be a Yuppie. Live Alive!

Has my overflowing love for Nagato become completely apparent yet? (Not-Rhetorical [WHAT!]) She’s so funny. For instance take these scenes with Kyon where he looks completely uncomfortable and Nagato is just doing her thing (seemingly) completely unaware. I love when Kyon catches her semi-cheating in the Day of the Sagittarius Episode and she does a double take of her computer screen. It was at that moment I realized that Nagato only looks like she knows what she’s doing. When we’re not talking about data entities Nagato really has no idea what’s going on and that makes all of her interactions to me hilarious. Of course she grows as a character too, but I like how it’s not really obvious.

Take this Tea pouring exercise and the awkward silence on their way here for instance. She actually thinks that’s she’s executing all of this perfectly when clearly she’s mostly wrong. She’s such a serious character that I think we miss the subtlety of the humor attributed with her. It’s so subtle I’m going to bash you over the head with it to undo all of KyoAni’s hard work. Gosh, if I had to choose a character to spend a day with from this series it would be a hard tossup between Haruhi and Nagato, but surprisingly I think I would choose Nagato. She’s the only person in the world I think I could be comfortable enjoying complete silence. There would be absolutely no pressure for clever conversation.

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Last but not least Nagato drops the Alien bomb. Ok, I knew nothing about this series the first time I watched it and I honestly was a coins toss away from thinking Nagato was just crazy at this point. This show could have been about a bunch of crazy people who think they’re aliens, time-travelers, and espers and still have been entertaining. In the end though I’m glad we got the series we did. Nagato is way cuter as an out-of-sorts alien than a delusional human being: Don’t ask me why; I think it’s obvious.

This concludes the 3rd episode broadcast order and the 2nd episode chronologically of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I hope this post has made you appreciate something new about the series, or if it didn’t, how fail I am for thinking it would.

Oh man, I am so tired; I should really get more sleep.