[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Ice Block

First of all, do you really know what a controlled experiment is? Think about it for a moment.

Alright, I assume you're done thinking. Scientifically speaking, a controlled experiment alone is useless. You need a set of experiments. Yes, that extra "s" makes a world of difference. Experiments are used to test out hypotheses, and thus must be reasonably repeatable, and should best be performed on a closed system. Now, if you look at the series, which set of episodes best fit this description? That's right, Endless Eight. That was the closest thing the DITE had to an experiment, and best of all, the subject had unknowingly imposed it upon herself (another key element of behavioral experiments -- subjects should not know the full methodology/details of the experiment and the expected results). This is the reason why they didn't interfere in E8.

This much is true for sure, although I'd call it more of an uncontrolled observation since not once in any of those loops did the Data Entity do anything to try and influence or change the outcome in a controlled manner to see if anything happened differently that it could analyze. Nagato also points to neglible differences in each weekly outcome which leads me to wonder why the Data Entity still saw fit to just watch unless it's really just a lech and was hoping to see Mikuru in that bikini just one more time. Missed opportunity if you ask me

Thus it doesn't look like the Data Entity learned anything, which doesn't bode well for the whole concept of the Data Entity looking for answers to Haruhi and makes that whole aspect of the story look like it'll be nothing more than a complete waste of time and like it will ultimately go nowhere....kind of like the way the franchise itself seems to be looking lately. Also to bad that I still think the span of episodes sucks irredeemably and could have just been dealt with via the explanation by Nagato that they had been in a recurring time loop for some time and then have been done with it.....kind of like how it was done in the novels. Figures though, the one time Kyoani decides not to follow the novels to the letter it ends in disaster. That said there is and always will still be the novel version for reference.

On to my next point. The DITE is not a hivemind. There are factions within the DITE that have differing views on how they should tackle the Haruhi phenomenon. Just for example, Asakura's faction is one of the radicals, who think like you and want to meddle and actively experiment on Haruhi. The current ruling faction of the DITE, of which Yuki is part of, prefers to observe (we all know what happens to those who go against the rules, yes?). And there are good reasons for this:

• Haruhi is chaotic. There is no guarantee that Haruhi will react according to what their theories predict.
• Haruhi is more powerful than them. She eats causality and conservation laws for breakfast, and creates and destroys entire universes on a whim.
• They do not perceive the universe in the same way we humans do. Their concept of data conservation is similar to our conservation laws, but that is where the similarities end. This is why they modeled interfaces with physical data copied straight from humans -- in order to observe the world the way we humans do, and to successfully communicate with us.

Haruhi had nothing to do with Asakura's death and not following the rules, Nagato desposed of her herself.....I guess out of fear. Then later on Nagato seemingly depowered and shot Haruhi into an alternate reality on her own without Haruhi being able to resist and where she may or may not even still have her powers. Mikuru seems to indicate too that Nagato stole Haruhi's powers and used them to do this. A very strange scenario, one that also makes me question how exactly Haruhi is more powerful than the Datamind or it's underlings since the actual dangerous doing by Nagato so far has far outdone the fear mongering about Haruhi. Maybe though it should start listening to the radicals if it wants to get anywhere with it's study and cause, lest they accidentally wipe it out in an act of rebellion in order to see things to an end.

Spoiler for Movie plot details:

Next, on to why they (and anyone else for that matter) couldn't prevent Yuki from going rogue:

• Even if they took action there is no guarantee that they would succeed. As Yuki said, she would just undo everything (using Haruhi's powers), and end up creating the December 18 scenario in the end (this is happily explained away in the movie, anyone who pays attention should get this).

  Yuki is the only one who is able to hijack Haruhi's abilities since she is the one who has been her for the most amount of time (500+ years). Prior to E8, the DITE has only been observing Haruhi for 3 years. Such a large time difference should be enough for the closest observer to notice something.

  The same reason for why Yuki went rogue is due to this -- the accumulation of 500 year's worth of data, including "errors" or "anomalies" that are similar to the human concept of "emotion". Considering the average human lifespan, I don't think the DITE built their interfaces to handle this kind of predicament.

Sounds like guess work and theory to me. No moreso than anything else going on in this discussion though, yeesh. Still though it contradicts the idea you just presented that Haruhi is more powerful than the Data Entity by agreeing that Nagato hijacked Haruhi's powers.

TLDR: Endless Eight matters. If you had watched the 2009 reboot prior to watching this movie and you still didn't get it, you need to think harder and work on your memory and attention span. Alternatively, you could post on forums and ask for help.

Endless Eight matters in concept for the study of Haruhi, just no reason to watch the same episode 8 times in a row. Though if somebody can show me with evidence and quotes from the book or movie how Endless Eight is beyond a shadow of a doubt the reason why Nagato went on a bender then I would be very grateful since I still just see it as an excuse for Kyoani that came out of the unpopular Endless Eight anime arc. One that still doesn't explain why they had to show the same basic content 8 times in a row.

And this is because the series is seen in first person view (from Kyon's perspective). I see nothing wrong with this, and certainly, through 9 volumes, this has not become "stale" in any way. The monologues and narration effectively tell us the difference between what Kyon himself has perceived (oh, the ever unreliable narrator) and what really happens. This works beautifully for the movie, as Kyon's comments and narration (coupled with his tone, facial expression and gestures) amplify each and every scene. If you don't like this style of storytelling, then I suggest you post your comments on why this is so, or take your leave. What you're saying makes you look like those people who can't take WORDS WORDS WORDS (and this isn't even exposition, just thoughts and commentary) and would rather have more FIGHTAN and whatnot.

Still doesn't mean they couldn't have cut down on it by about 30 minutes. And if you ask me the whole franchise is starting to become stale. It's time after 5 years and approximately 32 episodes worth of animated material to start moving on towards some sort of end. Unless they plan to keep this series prolonged and alive forever as a cash cow like the average Shonen Jump work. Doesn't matter if it's pointless fighting or lots of talking, filler still feels like filler and that's what Kyon's sarcastic moping is starting to feel like since he never EVER does anything about it no matter how much he complains. Even in this movie the answers just happened to fall into place conveniently or somebody forced the situation for him, otherwise I doubt that they would have ever solved the problem.

Also I don't mind Words Words Words franchises at all. I've watched 3 times as much overall LOGH content as I have Haruhi content and some of the episodes are almost entirely dialogue driven and reflective from start to end. However those episodes serve to develop (actually develop) more than one character and aren't just 75% one character complaining about their situation the way we've heard Kyon do many times before. If I wanted to hear 30+ straight minutes of that I'd listen to my mother when she talks more often. Plus with shows like LOGH that do the WWW thing each episode brings something new to the table to ponder and is ultimately part of a means to an end within a given arc and even overall since things that change tend to change permanently. Haruhi has a habit of ending with a reset to the status quo at the end of each arc without much being learned by the characters or much changing about the characters and their personalities.

Then again maybe I'm just too much like Asakura. Not willing to accept all of the cards that the franchise deals me just because the majority has decided it's perfect just the way it is and should keep to the status quo.