The Novel and Manga of Haruhi Suzumiya

[Reckoner]

Originally Posted by DJ_RockmanX

Do I sense a twinge of bitterness here?

Not really, it's just the Haruhist in me. If people like Clannad I don't care if KyoAni spends time animating it for them. I just would never like it mixing with Haruhi. Too different, and just not of the same quality story on any level in my opinion.

Although, it seems people are bitter at my comment as I see I got two neg reps for it . It makes me chuckle to say the least.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Nah, if people like Clannad I don't care if KyoAni spends time animating it for them. I just would never like it mixing with Haruhi. Too different, and just not of the same quality story on any level.

Play the game and then say that.

I'm actually of the opinion that Clannad is of BETTER story quality than Haruhi-- if only because it's a complete story.

We have yet to see how Haruhi will end, and if it ends next volume like some people are expecting, I'll be writing it off as FAIL, due to the fact that it's impossible to wrap up a story of Haruhi's caliber well in one more book.

Despite this, I still like Haruhi better than Clannad.

[Reckoner]

Hey man learn to respect other people's opinions. I don't really like Clannad, deal with it. If you like it fine, it doesn't matter to me. I'm not going to attack you for your likes and dislikes. All I did was state an opinion, that is what a forum is for no? That and information.

And I don't think novel 10 is going to be the last one unless it is REALLLLLLLLLY long.

[Tunafishisgood]

X3 Just like Starfish Dango Arguement...

They are both great stuff XD Let's get along now... I think we are going offtopic.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Hey man learn to respect other people's opinions. I don't really like Clannad, deal with it. If you like it fine, it doesn't matter to me. I'm not going to attack you for your likes and dislikes. All I did was state an opinion, that is what a forum is for no? That and information.

I'm sorry, I'm just used to people providing reasons for their opinions.

[typhonsentra]

Doesn't look like her? I don't remember many details about her appearance in the text of Volume 9.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by typhonsentra

Doesn't look like her? I don't remember many details about her appearance in the text of Volume 9.

Spoiler for Slider Girl's dialogue:

"Ah, are you bathing? Sorry! I am too impolite. Why don't I call back later?"

That isn't necessary. However, just before I could say that...

"But, but, if I call too many times it will be very... I'm really sorry."

After continuously hearing that incessant voice come through the headset, I stopped her.

"Who is this?"

"Its me. Me, just me~"

No, you are not Haruhi, and so that is not considered a formal introduction.

"How is it possible you don't remember..."

The female voice said. Since it's coming from the phone, it's not very clear. The owner of the voice spoke in a jovial high pitch.

"But it is alright. I am only planning to say hi to you. Your younger sister is so cute! I want a sister just like her! Arithmetic drills~...... Hehe, so cute."

Eh? I haven't heard this voice before, but her tone and style of speaking seems very similar to someone else's. But no matter how hard I search in the recording stores of my brain, I'm still unable to find it. I only felt that it is a voice with a childish tone sounding like that of my younger sister.

"I only wanted to hear Senpai's voice."

The owner of the voice said.

"It is only this, there are no other special purposes. If there is a need to trouble you next time, please take good care of me. If only we could be together for a longer time."

Wait, did this person call me a Senpai? Meaning younger than me? But, the voice indeed does not exist in my memory. Just when I wanted to tell her to "at least give me her full name"......

"I am going to hang up. So chat again soon. If there is a chance, hehe."

...Does that sound like Kyon-chan at all?

Spoiler for Slider Girl's Apperance:

Just when I wanted to give them a nickname each according to their physical appearances, my line of sight fell very naturally on a particular person.

Let me clarify first. I meant no harm or designs. She is a girl.

Among all of the first years listening to Haruhi's one-man show, the girl seemed to be the only one who showed any sign of interest.

Hearing the repeated homeruns at the baseball match, she let out a low cheer; hearing the lone island killer mystery, she covered her mouth in shock, before regaining her smile after knowing the truth; hearing the exaggerated showdown against the Computer Research Society, she nodded her head repeatedly; hearing about Sakanaka-san's pet's incident, she again let out a small smile.

What a pure and innocent first year.

Calculating from the heights of their head, she seemed to be about the same height as Nagato. As for weight, she should be lighter than her. The hair seemed like it had been dried with a hairdryer after a perm, curling up like a smiley face at the ends. This can be taken as a unique feature. I don't know if it is because the uniform is not too fitting, the uniform seemed rather loose when taking a closer look.

The more I look at her, the more I feel subconsciously that I had seen this girl somewhere before. But, I am confident of never seeing her before at the same time. Not only those a year younger than me, but it doesn't even seem to be the case even when all the girls I had met since the past are included. In my mind, no matter how I tried to lengthen, shorten or straighten the hair, I still have no recollection of any kind. Could it be that she is the sister of one of my friends and thus looking a bit alike her brother? But I do not seem to know such a brother either. This mystery felt as bad as choking on spicy tofu.

I guess my gaze must not have been too polite, but the girl did not seem to notice, intently concentrating on listening to that one-man show. Her expressions kept changing, and looking at them is really interesting. That is a listener type of girl who would trust any lies, allowing the speaker to feel excited and satisfied.

Similar build, but the hair is totally different.

Again, I suspect she's an older, alternate version of Kyon's Sister.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

[Again, I suspect she's an older, alternate version of Kyon's Sister.

And why not the Kyon's sister friend ( the one fron the ''date'' seen in vol 8) we just don't have enought info for finding who she is

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

And why not the Kyon's sister friend ( the one fron the ''date'' seen in vol 8) we just don't have enought info for finding who she is

Because Miyoko is much more physically mature than Kyon's Sister is. He'd recognize her even if she was a few years older.

His sister, not so much.

Again, it's a fan theory, and theories are all we can come up with at this time.


Edit:

Hey, looks like Manga Vol. 6 is coming out.

As well as some kind of ripoff of Shana-tan... or something.

[IchiKyo]

I agree

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Because Miyoko is much more physically mature than Kyon's Sister is. He'd recognize her even if she was a few years older.

His sister, not so much.

I'd like to think that, given how observant he is, he'd be able to recognize his own sister. Besides, the SOS Brigade serves the tertiary purpose* of acting as Kyon's personal harem-genre group(if you don't count Itsuki... unless you feel like including a yaoi pairing ), and adding his sister into the mix would either throw a wrench into the formula or make things rather creepy.

*Primary purpose: What Haruhi says it's for. Secondary purpose: A way for the time travelers, Organization and IDSE to keep her satisfied so she doesn't try blowing up the universe.

[Bionicman]

A comment that Kaisos Erranon made in another thread (about Volume 10) reminded me of thoughts I have regarding future developments in the series.

In addition, if the series is trying to build towards a HaruhixKyon ending, there's precious little setup for that at all. They're only a bit closer than they were back when the series began.

If book 10 does end the series, it will be a rushed and incomplete ending with no romantic development whatsoever.

Kaisos is certainly not alone in thinking that Haruhi and Kyon will be romantic partners by the end of the series. Indeed, most people treat it as a given, and it's not hard to see why. However, I wonder if it is as necessary as many seem to think. Someone at the beginning of the thread complained about the lack of development in the Haruhi/Kyon romance subplot. When I first read the novels (having just finished the series, which in my opinion plays up the romance), I also wondered why that subplot didn't progress. However, on later readings, I ignored the romance, and found that the novels seemed more entertaining and well written. I more consciously thought of the underlying 'struggle' of the novels as the attempts to balance fun with maturity, to have fun with the world on its own terms. If you look at the series that way, there's been plenty of development, with Haruhi both relearning to have fun and learning to deal with the 'mundane' world (including things like social interactions and responsibility), and Kyon learning to enjoy an active and varied life (notice the change in his attitude towards the brigade, especially after volume four). According to this view, the series would reach a suitable conclusion with both having learned how to find fun in the 'real world' (note how as the series progresses, Haruhi's powers diminish), with Haruhi having also learned how to function socially, and Kyon realizing that he doesn't have to settle for the life of monotony he'd resigned himself to at the beginning. The key point here is that this doesn't require the two to 'get together' for the plot to reach a suitable conclusion. In a sense, the more time they spend together, the less such an ending is necessary. Throughout the series, they've learned from each other - Haruhi how to deal with the real world, Kyon how to have fun. Their interactions have helped them grow as humans - but that brings up a classic situation: by making each other more complete people (Haruhi becoming more socially active and Kyon becoming more vital and lively), each ultimately has less need of the other. Part of what brought and kept them together was a desire to have fun (which they're learning to do on their own), and part of it was that they could balance each other out (which they're beginning to do on their own). Point is, if the series ended with them thinking/saying that they needed each other, the thematic development would arguably be weaker.

[Sol Falling]

Not a bad analysis, but I would say that 'balancing each other out' is just an effect of their relationship, not something they conciously appreciate. Thus, outgrowing the need for that balance would not necessarily negate the feelings keeping them together. Although there isn't any pressing need for HaruhixKyon, it would be a natural development stemming from their trust and shared experiences (given the precedents set already; although, like you, I'm not reading the novels for romance, I still managed to find scenes like Haruhi and Kyon's physical confrontation in Editor in Chief - Straight Ahead satisfying from that perspective).

Basically, I would agree that Haruhi/Kyon saying they needed each other would be regressive in terms of character development, but surely there are many other forms and motivations for romance, right?

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by Bionicman

Kaisos is certainly not alone in thinking that Haruhi and Kyon will be romantic partners by the end of the series. Indeed, most people treat it as a given, and it's not hard to see why. However, I wonder if it is as necessary as many seem to think. Someone at the beginning of the thread complained about the lack of development in the Haruhi/Kyon romance subplot. When I first read the novels (having just finished the series, which in my opinion plays up the romance), I also wondered why that subplot didn't progress. However, on later readings, I ignored the romance, and found that the novels seemed more entertaining and well written. I more consciously thought of the underlying 'struggle' of the novels as the attempts to balance fun with maturity, to have fun with the world on its own terms. If you look at the series that way, there's been plenty of development, with Haruhi both relearning to have fun and learning to deal with the 'mundane' world (including things like social interactions and responsibility), and Kyon learning to enjoy an active and varied life (notice the change in his attitude towards the brigade, especially after volume four). According to this view, the series would reach a suitable conclusion with both having learned how to find fun in the 'real world' (note how as the series progresses, Haruhi's powers diminish), with Haruhi having also learned how to function socially, and Kyon realizing that he doesn't have to settle for the life of monotony he'd resigned himself to at the beginning. The key point here is that this doesn't require the two to 'get together' for the plot to reach a suitable conclusion. In a sense, the more time they spend together, the less such an ending is necessary. Throughout the series, they've learned from each other - Haruhi how to deal with the real world, Kyon how to have fun. Their interactions have helped them grow as humans - but that brings up a classic situation: by making each other more complete people (Haruhi becoming more socially active and Kyon becoming more vital and lively), each ultimately has less need of the other. Part of what brought and kept them together was a desire to have fun (which they're learning to do on their own), and part of it was that they could balance each other out (which they're beginning to do on their own). Point is, if the series ended with them thinking/saying that they needed each other, the thematic development would arguably be weaker.

Bolded part one- Sure, an internal change in attitude. Not really much of an external change. He still whines about everything.

Bolded part two- Other than Koizumi's suspicions, the only evidence of this is a decrease in occurrences of Closed Space. And they've begun to appear again at an alarming rate with Sasaki's appearance.

Bolded part three- Again, I don't see much change in Kyon at all.


You are right in most respects, though. Even then, Vol. 9 doesn't have the setup for an ending like that, unless we get a nice, happy Deus Ex to solve all the problems.

Which, if the author is smart, won't happen.

Also, everything that Sol Falling said.

[Triddy]

I really don't see the series ending at 10. Too much left to do. 12 though? 12 is a good number. 15 is more than enough.

I think I am the only person left who still sees a Kyon/Mikuru. It's fairly well supported by the novels, one passage at the end of "The Melancholy of Asahina Mikuru," especially. It's just the forbidden thing. But then Mikuru could always go against it, and it's be great character development. The girl who was following orders the whole time without questioning them finally learns to question them.

Kyon/Haruhi? I can't be the only one to think of this as a deep relationship on a non-romantic level. I see them as siblings, almost. I agree with most of what Bionicman said. It's well written, and their relationship makes sense in that. With each other, they've grown to a new understanding of the world around them, and yet are not in a romantic relationship.

(By the way. Hey Everyone! First post here after being a several month lurker)

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

Bolded part two- Other than Koizumi's suspicions, the only evidence of this is a decrease in occurrences of Closed Space. And they've begun to appear again at an alarming rate with Sasaki's appearance.

We could just say than it is not her power than is decreasing, but the use of that power.

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

Well yeah, that's basically what Kaisos was getting at. However, most people assume that it's actually her power itself that's waning.

[ClockWorkAngel]

Haruhi is just getting alittle more stable (if that is thesible at all) We all know closed space is just a reflection of her mentality, more = bad, less = good. So we can't say she's losing her power, like Kaisos said.

Though I like the Kyon/Haruhi pairing it's far too cliche and perhaps a little bitter for Kyon, you can't exactly say that he's without pressure. I always liked the Kyon/Yuki pairing and I can't wait to see it animated, when ever that happens.

But Kyon/Haruhi would be the most likely ending, though yes it might be tastless, really I think they would go on to continue the SOS-Dan til graduation and they leave one another, whether forever or not, who knows.

[Tunafishisgood]

I'm assuming XD her power is not diminishing.. her mentality is getting more stable.
It's kind of hard for Kyon to deal with because he can't make her either too sad or too hyper and out of control.

Only way this whole thing will end is if Haruhi stops beliving in Alien, Time-travlers espers... and other weird stuff from imaginationland.

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

But where would that leave Mikuru, Yuki and Itsuki? Would they revert to (roughly) their Disappearance selves or would they just disappear altogether? Taking Haruhi's reality-altering powers into consideration, if she stopped believing in aliens, time-travelers, espers and whatnot, wouldn't those things cease to exist?