[baltakatei]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin Sama

Spoiler for movie spoilers:

This just made me think of another set of questions. If Nagato can't create data from scratch then how is Ryoko there in the movie if she's supposed to have been removed from existence already? How is she there and alive again and who created her if not the data entity since in the current timeline that's how she was supposed to have been made? If the data entity exists then why isn't it doing something to fix what Nagato broke on it's own? If it doesn't exist how does Ryoko exist unless Nagato somehow created her to exist in the alternate timeline? If she can make Ryoko exist again then how is that any different from what Haruhi does by supposedly creating "data" which the Data Entity and it's subordinates supposedly can't do? Furthermore if the Data Entity created Nagato and Ryoko as sentient beings then how is that any different from what Haruhi does? There are more questions I could raise here but I'll just leave it at that for now since I'm going to bed.

Those questions have also been sitting in the back of my mind, waiting to be resolved.
I believe any attempt at a full explanation of the exact Haruhi - ISDE relationship to be impossible given the current revealed information.

Like you say, the act of "data creation" that Haruhi is capable of sounds too much like technobabble.

Basically, Tanigawa has thrown several variables at us and hasn't given us enough correlations to solve the system. It's a real mess. He doesn't seem too concerned with explaining the rules of the Haruhi-verse as he keeps introducing new characters in order to keep the audiences entertained.

I don't think Tanigawa meant for the novels to provide us with any deep insights into the nature of our universe beyond the character development that we can grasp of the SOS Brigade members. If he dabbles into speculative metaphysics it will be for simply the "wow" factor we feel when hearing some smartypants talk about something new.

Spoiler for spoilerish:

As for the movie, knowing the nature of the different factions surrounding Haruhi isn't necessary to enjoy it. The movie's focus is Kyon, the normal human we can relate to. The people and environment around him have been changed by an unknown power. However, unlike in mindscrew stories such as Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, the main character's efforts to unravel the cause of the change is ultimately rewarded and his world mostly restored to its original track. Sure, Kyon conveniently found some well-planted phlebotinum that could allow him to work towards a solution. If that weren't the case, Mr. Kaioshin, you'd probably have stopped watching the movie out of boredom. But what I appreciate is that Kyon acted rationally and purposefully once he had a hint of how to proceed. "Okay, this note was written by the original Nagato. Nice. That means she still hasn't given up on me. That means a possibility for a resolution to my problem is possible. Now what can I do that is within my power?" It shows that a person can remain hopeful despite a huge obstacle being placed in front of them.

The problem with having Kyon be the guy who resolves the problem and progressing the story is that he's too darn close to the great goddess Nagato. Omnipotent characters are too boring to read about. When any problem comes up, he just has to ask his magic bookworm genie (who even in her original state obeys him at all times) for the solution and *zap* she hands him the solution. Disappearance is constructed so that whether or not Kyon is saved is dependent entirely upon his own initiative and effort. I can relate to that. You probably can too. It's how the world works for most of us. Want to get a job? Well, you'll have to learn a skill. That means study. Oh, and you'll have to navigate how to interview, how to network, etc. Wiping out the mystic qualities surrounding aliens and time travel makes Disappearance much more understandable and valuable.

But isn't that what makes the Haruhi universe so interesting? Aliens, time travelers, superhumans... Well, it made the first season interesting. But such gimicks really only work once.

/rant