The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Episode 26 Discussion / Poll [2006 TV ep. 12]

[Noppapana]

Originally Posted by Truth-kun

A little OT: This thread passed the EP10's postcount. Whee~. Bunny Girl Haruhi + Maid Tsuruya > Yuki Action Moves + Future Mikuru Moe-ness

you forgot the singing beauty haruhi

[Major Kerina]

I think there are moments in the anime which are rendered in a way to be intentionally jarring or confusing like you're in one place, then another all of a sudden. Perhaps to demonstrate nature of the universe. Perhaps just to add to our befuddlement. Like how we're sometimes unsure if something Kyon said was narrative, internal monologue or dialogue. But yeah, as Wikipedia put it. One of the series' main themes is "deliberate confusion". Along with coincidence/intentional incidents. Like Kyon going out to talk to Haruhi in this episode.

[Noppapana]

Originally Posted by Major Kerina

I think there are moments in the anime which are rendered in a way to be intentionally jarring or confusing like you're in one place, then another all of a sudden. Perhaps to demonstrate nature of the universe. Perhaps just to add to our befuddlement. Like how we're sometimes unsure if something Kyon said was narrative, internal monologue or dialogue. But yeah, as Wikipedia put it. One of the series' main themes is "deliberate confusion". Along with coincidence/intentional incidents. Like Kyon going out to talk to Haruhi in his episode.

i have been wondering
i think that Haruhi ´wishes´ to talk to someone and of course Kyon is the one
however Kyon didnt even know that haruhi was lying outside
after a bit talkin Haruhi suddenly changed back to a happy and eccentric girl

anyway it was nice to see such a scene and the bgm fits perfectly

[Major Kerina]

Only one thing that kinda bugs me is in the next/previous episode, the only memory he wants to save is Mikuru in her fried soba maid outfit and nothing about Haruhi and her singing. Poor Haruhi ;_;

[LCeh]

Originally Posted by Major Kerina

Only one thing that kinda bugs me is in the next/previous episode, the only memory he wants to save is Mikuru in her fried soba maid outfit and nothing about Haruhi and her singing. Poor Haruhi ;_;

Mmm? What was that again? I can't really recall what happened there.

[RiXeD]

Originally Posted by LCeh

Mmm? What was that again? I can't really recall what happened there.

Kyon doesn`t seem like remembering Haruhi`s perfomance lol. Damn that bastard. I feel a great urge to "tickle" him with my Enja...

[SlashZero]

Originally Posted by Major Kerina

I think there are moments in the anime which are rendered in a way to be intentionally jarring or confusing like you're in one place, then another all of a sudden. Perhaps to demonstrate nature of the universe. Perhaps just to add to our befuddlement. Like how we're sometimes unsure if something Kyon said was narrative, internal monologue or dialogue. But yeah, as Wikipedia put it. One of the series' main themes is "deliberate confusion". Along with coincidence/intentional incidents. Like Kyon going out to talk to Haruhi in this episode.

Perhaps KyoAni was just skipping over two minutes of Kyon walking around pointlessly?

[Anime Online]

Originally Posted by LCeh

Mmm? What was that again? I can't really recall what happened there.

As we know, the Haruhi order of the anime series is :
Episode 12 : Live A Live
Episode 13 : Day of Sagittarius
Episode 14 : Someday In The Rain

In Episode 12, we have the cultural festival. In Episode 13, we have the Computer Society visiting SoS-dan, and Kyon going "The only memory I want to retain from the cultural festival would be Asahina-san's fried soba cafe costume" at 05:07.

[Major Kerina]

Originally Posted by SlashZero

Perhaps KyoAni was just skipping over two minutes of Kyon walking around pointlessly?

True but it fits with the composition of the series thus far.

[Wrath88]

Wow.... Three great episodes in a row... SHnY hasn't disappointed me yet.

The songs by Haruhi are great, Mikuru and Tsuruya in waitress costumes are really nice-looking, plus a whole load of stuff that makes the episode funny as well. This episode definitely deserves a 10.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by Anime Online

In Episode 12, we have the ural festival. In Episode 13, we have the Computer Society visiting SoS-dan, and Kyon going "The only memory I want to retain from the ural festival would be Asahina-san's fried soba cafe costume" at 05:07.

Indeed. It appears that there's only room for helpless, ubermoe time-traveling cosplayers in Kyon's cold heart. The dialouge with Big Mikuru would also support the development of something between her the two later on. Poor Haruhi

Oh well. If Kyon doesn't want her, I'll take her

[Truth-kun]

Well, if Kyon doesn't want her, then hell would bestowed upon us. :O

Oh yeah, about that Kyon not thinking about Haruhi's performance during the Cultural Festival on DoS Episode, I've browsed Baka-Tsuki again:

Spoiler for What Kyon really said:

Sorry, I don't think I had that much free time then. The only things I could remember from the school festival were the band music concerts and Asahina's noodle stall waitress costume.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by Truth-kun

Well, if Kyon doesn't want her, then hell would bestowed upon us. :O

Yeah, that outcome should definitely be ph34rd. If Haruhi = God, then maybe Kyon rejecting her feelings = Armageddon
The repercussion would make what's going to happen in the last episode look like nothing

[Lost]

Originally Posted by Kamui4356

Good eye. I completely missed that. I don't think it has anything to do with plot though. It was probably just an editting mistake. Those things happen, especially if there's a tight deadline.

I dont think that was a mistake; its quite an obvious shift - it was a complete background change in one second. No editor could have missed that. It felt intentional to me. And in this series, nothing can be a mistake - all is intentional

As we know, the Haruhi order of the anime series is :
Episode 12 : Live A Live
Episode 13 : Day of Sagittarius
Episode 14 : Someday In The Rain

In Episode 12, we have the cultural festival. In Episode 13, we have the Computer Society visiting SoS-dan, and Kyon going "The only memory I want to retain from the cultural festival would be Asahina-san's fried soba cafe costume" at 05:07.

Well, he did save those moe~ images of Mikuru down for erm private use. (Speaking of which, I wonder what became of them). Anyway, it would be too soon for them to show Kyon actually outright fawning over Haruhi by crediting and gushing at everything she does. It would be too fast, imo. His appreciation for her should slowly develop (and I think it is).

Originally Posted by Major Kerina

Like Kyon going out to talk to Haruhi in this episode.

Hee hee, I'm pretty sure Kyon was intentionally wandering about, looking for Haruhi.

[Vallen Chaos Valiant]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Indeed. It appears that there's only room for helpless, ubermoe time-traveling cosplayers in Kyon's cold heart. The dialouge with Big Mikuru would also support the development of something between her the two later on. Poor Haruhi

Oh well. If Kyon doesn't want her, I'll take her

How? I didn't hear anything like that. If anything, it's suggested that nothing happened between them at all and she never see him again as a teenager until coming back as an adult.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Major Kerina

I think there are moments in the anime which are rendered in a way to be intentionally jarring or confusing like you're in one place, then another all of a sudden. Perhaps to demonstrate nature of the universe. Perhaps just to add to our befuddlement. Like how we're sometimes unsure if something Kyon said was narrative, internal monologue or dialogue. But yeah, as Wikipedia put it. One of the series' main themes is "deliberate confusion". Along with coincidence/intentional incidents. Like Kyon going out to talk to Haruhi in this episode.

Right on. The time-jump in the hallway was not really weird, since it just eliminated some walkabout time, but I think it did give us a feeling of how mutable time really is in the Haruhi universe, just as the shuffling of episodes does. I don't see this as "deliberate confusion," but more as revelation of the real nature of the world.

[Ardee]

Originally Posted by Lost

I do not know what to read into that. I can only think that: she valued that appreciation (from the band) so much that she wanted to do the best she could to live up to/fill up that appreciation; and she's thinking this, while knowing that she had already given her best. This would tell me that the appreciation meant so much to her that even her best could not match it. Am I making sense?

I have to say I take a little more... cynical (?) view of it - maybe I'm just projecting because I know this feeling, but it fits too well to ignore:

In my mind, she got a thrill out of being a big sensation, having everyone cheer her for once, etc. The reason she was embarassed around the band afterwards was that they were thanking her for her kindness, when really, she knew she did it for her ego and felt guilty getting the false praise for the charity that it wasn't. Later under the tree, she was a little upset because the students wanted the *original* group's version, not hers, and realized that as much as she likes to think she can do anything on a whim just by "willpower", devotion and practice can actually do a better job than her. Thus the "what am I doing?" - by always being random, she wasn't becoming an expert at anything and could be eclipsed by effort. (Think the tortoise and the hare. Oh - ha ha - bunny suit!! Wow, could that be more than coincidence?) By the very end, she was back to normal, apparently deciding that she'd keep being her random self and find a way to not fall behind everyone else, even if she didn't know exactly how yet.

I can relate eerily well to all of the above. ... except for the bunny suit.

[sarcasteak]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Indeed. It appears that there's only room for helpless, ubermoe time-traveling cosplayers in Kyon's cold heart. The dialouge with Big Mikuru would also support the development of something between her the two later on. Poor Haruhi

I read it totally the opposite way, more like Big Mikuru already knows Kyon likes her back then and that they couldn't be together. Why couldn't they be together? Suspect #1 has to be Haruhi.

[Shirobane]

Originally Posted by Ardee

I have to say I take a little more... cynical (?) view of it - maybe I'm just projecting because I know this feeling, but it fits too well to ignore:

In my mind, she got a thrill out of being a big sensation, having everyone cheer her for once, etc. The reason she was embarassed around the band afterwards was that they were thanking her for her kindness, when really, she knew she did it for her ego and felt guilty getting the false praise for the charity that it wasn't. Later under the tree, she was a little upset because the students wanted the *original* group's version, not hers, and realized that as much as she likes to think she can do anything on a whim just by "willpower", devotion and practice can actually do a better job than her. Thus the "what am I doing?" - by always being random, she wasn't becoming an expert at anything and could be eclipsed by effort. (Think the tortoise and the hare. Oh - ha ha - bunny suit!! Wow, could that be more than coincidence?) By the very end, she was back to normal, apparently deciding that she'd keep being her random self and find a way to not fall behind everyone else, even if she didn't know exactly how yet.

I can relate eerily well to all of the above. ... except for the bunny suit.

Hmm, interesting view. I'd like to take a shot at it if you don't mind, I won't use references from the novels since they're basically two seperate scenarios.

Firstly, yes, to perform and perform well in front of a live audience is a sensation like no other. Haruhi stepping in out of egotistical tendencies however...

Well let's analyse this, we know that our Haruhi is a very talented girl and she is quite capable of doing things herself. In that case, why would she have asked help from Yuki to fill the role of a lead guitarist? Haruhi said so herself that she could perform the guitarist role alongside her singing role if it came down to a pinch but she chose to not risk the performance and have Yuki fill the role instead (16:43-17:20). Now egotistically speaking, a high and mighty person would show off all their skills at any given opportunity right? But we see Haruhi here swallowing some of her pride and asking for additional help.

Secondly, the MD dubbing was first presented by Haruhi (13:52), if she were doing this out of egoism, wouldn't she conveniently leave that detail out? I'm sure at the buzz of the moment, the other band members wouldn't notice too much.

Thirdly, although her actions are very random to us viewers, she actually plans out her moves beforehand. Take episode 3 for example, after extorting the Computer Research Club president for a computer, she takes out a piece of paper with her previous research of computere model written upon it. She goes on to say that she went around looking for the newest computer models the day before. (ep3 06:45-7:10)
Couldn't she have enjoyed her time performing so much that she wants to make a band (which is a "normal" activity)? or have been inspired by ENOZ's persistence and determination (and near futility) to perform against the student council's wishes? Indeed she did return to her old self - explosions of ideas and all, couldn't she have questioned that maybe there's something else that's fun besides playing with Aliens, Time travellers and ESPers underneath the tree?

Again, interesting view you have

[Ardee]

Originally Posted by Shirobane

Well let's analyse this, we know that our Haruhi is a very talented girl and she is quite capable of doing things herself.

edit: <snip> - I really don't need to quote the entire previous post :-)

Good points, let's see...

As the saying goes, she makes things look easy. She jumped in and did a great job singling, so when she deferred to Yuki for guitar, it could seem like she's just being a perfectionist when really she might not be good at all. But no one would suspect that because she nailed the singing so she's not *all* bluster. Sorta like how she delegated some strategy to Kyon in DoS3 - we know she wasn't just being generous, she realized she'd fail so she knew to back off before she racked up the loss. Watch her speech between the two songs - all that apologizing for the limitations of the performace is a thinly veiled attention grab for how much she was able to accomplish in an hour.

I should have used the word "random" - you're right, she's not. I mean more that her interests are so diverse - and the time spent on any one thing before moving on is so short - that she doesn't have the chance to do *her* best. She's enough of a natural that she can still usually top most other people, but deep down, she knows that she's nowhere near her potential. (I'm not even thinking of whatever cosmic powers she might turn out to have, I mean in the ordinary sense)

The MD dubbing... she seemed surprised and upset later that the fans wanted the original ENOZ recording, which means she must have been expecting an alternative - that her version would be good enough and that people would settle for no less. It seems telling that she announced one thing as a show of generosity for both the fans and the band, yet was expecting to keep the spotlight herself, and was deflated when it didn't work out that way.