Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricky Controversy
I'd agree with you from the standpoint of someone who writes for a living. I imagine Tanigawa would back me up on this, we writers hopes that the worlds we create are populated by characters who all have stories worth telling, and in truth, he has excelled at that. There's a reason why Tsuruya has the considerable, enthusiastic fanbase that she does.
|
Well said, and I completely agree. Every character is a person and every person has a story. Even though some of the characters never get to show much of their life story, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ricky Controversy
However, I also think that 'the other side' has a valid argument. It's not that Haruhi's being the titular character renders her essential to every story, but part of the considerable enjoyment people got from the stories in Melancholy was the dual action of Haruhi turning Kyon's life upside down through sheer force of personality layered over the larger cosmic impacts of her actions, and much of the dramatic and comedic tension stemmed from his efforts to manage the latter and keeping it from overflowing into the former. It was a good dynamic.
Personally, however, I see that dynamic changing into something else as a sign of the maturation of Kyon's and Haruhi's relationship. I'd like to see a bit more of what exactly it is maturing into first-hand but the other stories have been very enjoyable nonetheless.
|
Yes, Haruhi is a fun character to read and watch and is the perfect foil for Kyon. But as both characters evolve, their relationship is changing. Haruhi isn't as radical by the ninth novel as she was in the first, and Kyon is more accepting of her eccentricities. I think the beginning of "The Wandering Shadow" is there primary to point this fact out. Both characters have changed, and as such, the old dynamic is somewhat less viable. Besides, the whole dynamic between Kyon and Haruhi shown in the first novel probably would've gotten old by the nineth book anyway.
That's why the series has evolved to give other characters more of a chance to shine (namely Yuki as well a Mikuru to a lesser extent), plus Tanigawa also created some now characters fo the nineth novel. I think it gives the series the kind of depth that it was missing in the first novel.
And ultimately, Haruhi is almost always important even if she's not in the forefront of the story. She is "God" after all.
The one thing that makes me wonder is whether Aya Hirano is okay with her character being out on the sidelines so much. I don't know how things are done in Japan, but in Hollywood, such a situation would often lead to the actor demanding more screen time even if it meant changing the plot to do so. A LOT of good shows were ruined because of stuff like that.
