[Cheese Ninja]

I just watch 1, 2, and 3. I'd read the synopsis a while back and thought it was just wacky comedy, so I was a bit surprised in the first episode when there was a talking cat, and it looked like Itsuki actually used some sort of power.

After watching all 3, visiting here, and rewatching bits of 1, I understood that Yuki beat on Mikuru, because the first time, she actually did use her eye beam, and that was the only time her eye actually changed color. After visiting these forums, and looking at the episode 1 thread, I rewatched the Yuki/Itsuki conversation, with Itsuki's "he" and a knowing look at the cameraman. Mikuru's comments in this episode were very telling, where as her episode 2 comments just added to mystery.

This series is too funny, and more than a bit mysterious as well. It seems to me (I haven't read the novels, so I wouldn't actually know.) that Haruhi herself is aware of the strangeness to the degree that she's endlessly searching for those mysteries, but not the details. Maybe that's part of why she's so short-tempered and frustrated with the common world. Despite her not seeming particularly melancholic outside of Kyon watching her standing around in the 2nd episode, it's in the title, and I don't think it's a ruse. She didn't understand why Yuki physically attacked Mikuru in the first episode. Or why Kyon forced her to repeat that it was a complete work of fiction during the credits, despite Haruhi thinking that she made up a lot of the story her own.

Somehow I must resist reading the spoilers here, I probably shouldn't visit too often.

I voted a 9.