Speculation on The Future of the Haruhi Anime Franchise, post-Disappearance

[Tabasco]

I would contest the contention. I haven't seen Clannad, but if the stories I've heard about it are true, there was only so much that could be done with the ending without going into pure anime original territory. Something Kyoani seems to be very reluctant to do.

[darksassin]

Originally Posted by Ice Block

But it was referred to in SMS, IIRC.

Did you mean this one?

Spoiler for SMS- novel 5:

"Have we experienced anything similar in the past?"
"You mean trapped in a snow mountain? No, not personally."
"That's not it." It's not related to the snow mountain. I mean other than this encounter, I keep thinking that somewhere in my head there's memories of us being tossed into other dimensions... and some place very unreal...
"You mean that time we took down the giant Cricket? That happened in an alternate space."

"Not that one either." I keep wracking my brain and a barely visible watermark appears. There's Koizumi in strange clothing, Haruhi, Nagato with Asahina-san, and lastly myself. "Ahh there we go. Koizumi, for some reason, I keep thinking of you with a harp in hand and everybody being dressed in historical clothing and doing something..."


"Are you trying to say that you have retained memories of previous incarnations? I thought you didn't believe in that." If there really is such a thing as reincarnation, people should be more understanding and would be more forgiving towards each other. That kind of stuff is just mere fantasy made for people that want to find an excuse to escape from the present reality. "Exactly." Damnit. I can't recall anything. My own logic dictates that I have no recollection of any alternate space, but my gut instincts deep inside tell me that is definitely not the case.

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by darksassin

Did you mean this one?

Spoiler for SMS- novel 5:

"Have we experienced anything similar in the past?"
"You mean trapped in a snow mountain? No, not personally."
"That's not it." It's not related to the snow mountain. I mean other than this encounter, I keep thinking that somewhere in my head there's memories of us being tossed into other dimensions... and some place very unreal...
"You mean that time we took down the giant Cricket? That happened in an alternate space."

"Not that one either." I keep wracking my brain and a barely visible watermark appears. There's Koizumi in strange clothing, Haruhi, Nagato with Asahina-san, and lastly myself. "Ahh there we go. Koizumi, for some reason, I keep thinking of you with a harp in hand and everybody being dressed in historical clothing and doing something..."


"Are you trying to say that you have retained memories of previous incarnations? I thought you didn't believe in that." If there really is such a thing as reincarnation, people should be more understanding and would be more forgiving towards each other. That kind of stuff is just mere fantasy made for people that want to find an excuse to escape from the present reality. "Exactly." Damnit. I can't recall anything. My own logic dictates that I have no recollection of any alternate space, but my gut instincts deep inside tell me that is definitely not the case.

That might refer to Haruhi Theater, but that's not the only way to take Kyon's lines there.

In any event, it's kind of telling that Koizumi doesn't have a clue what Kyon is talking about.


So, at most, my thinking is that Haruhi Theater might be a dream, in canon, that Kyon had. It didn't necessarily involve the rest of the SOS Brigade.

[edkedkedk]

Originally Posted by darksassin

Did you mean this one?

Spoiler for SMS- novel 5:

"Have we experienced anything similar in the past?"
"You mean trapped in a snow mountain? No, not personally."
"That's not it." It's not related to the snow mountain. I mean other than this encounter, I keep thinking that somewhere in my head there's memories of us being tossed into other dimensions... and some place very unreal...
"You mean that time we took down the giant Cricket? That happened in an alternate space."

"Not that one either." I keep wracking my brain and a barely visible watermark appears. There's Koizumi in strange clothing, Haruhi, Nagato with Asahina-san, and lastly myself. "Ahh there we go. Koizumi, for some reason, I keep thinking of you with a harp in hand and everybody being dressed in historical clothing and doing something..."


"Are you trying to say that you have retained memories of previous incarnations? I thought you didn't believe in that." If there really is such a thing as reincarnation, people should be more understanding and would be more forgiving towards each other. That kind of stuff is just mere fantasy made for people that want to find an excuse to escape from the present reality. "Exactly." Damnit. I can't recall anything. My own logic dictates that I have no recollection of any alternate space, but my gut instincts deep inside tell me that is definitely not the case.

Ah, so that was what Kyon was thinking about. I stopped reading for a while and had to wrack my brains of past adventures where the SOS Brigade went around in ancient clothing. I couldn't think of any so I just gave up and read on.

In this case, shouldn't Haruhi Theater be counted as canon. Yes, the SOS Brigade were out of character, but just like Triple_R said, it could be a dream Kyon had, or, who knows, another alt!Universe that only Kyon can vaguely remember about.

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by edkedkedk

Ah, so that was what Kyon was thinking about. I stopped reading for a while and had to wrack my brains of past adventures where the SOS Brigade went around in ancient clothing. I couldn't think of any so I just gave up and read on.

In this case, shouldn't Haruhi Theater be counted as canon. Yes, the SOS Brigade were out of character, but just like Triple_R said, it could be a dream Kyon had, or, who knows, another alt!Universe that only Kyon can vaguely remember about.

Or a shout-out/in-joke. Come on people. Not everything in this series has to have 15 different deep hidden meanings...

[keri]

Originally Posted by edkedkedk

Ah, so that was what Kyon was thinking about. I stopped reading for a while and had to wrack my brains of past adventures where the SOS Brigade went around in ancient clothing. I couldn't think of any so I just gave up and read on.

In this case, shouldn't Haruhi Theater be counted as canon. Yes, the SOS Brigade were out of character, but just like Triple_R said, it could be a dream Kyon had, or, who knows, another alt!Universe that only Kyon can vaguely remember about.

Go ahead and treat it as canon if you like, but it's a sidestory. I forget the word for it, but there is a Japanese word that's specifically about sidestories that in many cases are built with the same characters and universe and fit the canon, but aren't actually intended to be part of the main story. I think the Wikipedia page lists the Bleach movies and some Gundam things as an example, but I'm not positive on that.

[Kogetsu Shirogane]

You looking for "gaiden" there?

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by keri

Go ahead and treat it as canon if you like, but it's a sidestory. I forget the word for it, but there is a Japanese word that's specifically about sidestories that in many cases are built with the same characters and universe and fit the canon, but aren't actually intended to be part of the main story. I think the Wikipedia page lists the Bleach movies and some Gundam things as an example, but I'm not positive on that.

Some do and some don't. Just to use one of your own examples, I defy you to explain how any of the Bleach movies, or even any of the side arcs since the beginning of the Hueco Mundo Arc, fit into anime continuity (ie: anime canon).

[keri]

Originally Posted by Kogetsu Shirogane

You looking for "gaiden" there?

Wow did I totally misremember the links on that page. But, yes.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Some do and some don't. Just to use one of your own examples, I defy you to explain how any of the Bleach movies, or even any of the side arcs since the beginning of the Hueco Mundo Arc, fit into anime continuity (ie: anime canon).

Eh, I'm almost completely unfamiliar with Bleach, I think I must have remembered reading something somewhere about the movies not being part of the primary story line, and then smushed it into my memory of the wikipedia page. (While I did try to read the manga a while back, I got bored with all the power ups pretty quickly, so I know some names and characters, but most of the story and all of the anime-only stuff I only know from people referencing it.)

[Leo Keichi]

Haruhi theater does look like a self-parody. But, otoh, Haruhi's mind is so crazy that they could have all been transported into some kind of dreamworld created by her (or alternate universe, or something of the sort). I agree that these stories would make very nice special episodes.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Or a shout-out/in-joke. Come on people. Not everything in this series has to have 15 different deep hidden meanings...

Speaking about different meanings, I found this in the translated text:

Spoiler for Theater Act 2:

In the previous RPG world, Koizumi, who likes to deduce, said "It's some sort of game." Nagato, as our brains, remarked "It's probably simulated space." While Asahina-san, who apparently didn't really care about the odd situation, thought "It's just an attraction in a theme park." Of them all, Nagato's remark seems to be the closest to the truth.

[quigonkenny]

Off (current) topic yet still under the stated topic of the thread...

With the recent news of a preview of looooong-awaited Volume 10 being published in the June issue of The Sneaker (to be released late April), it appears that the Haruhi juggernaut shows little sign of stopping, and therefore could be getting some more anime adaptation in the future.

That said, there are a few new characters of various import and longevity added later in the series, and should the stories those characters appear in be animated, whether as movies, or a series of OVA, or another TV series, someone has to voice them.

Yes, I know we've done this before, and yes, I know this is not a spoiler forum, so I want to pose the question a bit differently from normal. I'm going to list the character names in alphabetical order, and some completely spoiler-free descriptions (with pictures from the anime and novels when available), and give my own suggestions. I welcome those few of you who have not yet read up to the latest novels to suggest voice actors based solely upon my vague offerings. "So-and-so from such-and-such anime", or English-speaking voice actors (or both) are fine. Not all of us have a cerebral lobe dedicated to cloning ANN.

Spoiler for like I said, spoiler-free, but if you don't want to even risk knowing names... Also size (due to pictures):

Fujiwara -- An irascible young man about the same age as Kyon. May or may not be more than he seems.
Jun Fukuyama (Lelouche in Code Geass, Keita in Inukami!)
-----------------

Kuyoh -- An odd young lady about the same age as Kyon who is very quiet and has HUGE FREAKING HAIR. May or may not be more than she seems.
Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse in FMA, Taiga in Toradora)
-----------------

Kyoko -- A young lady about the same age as Kyon who is quite chipper and earnest. May or may not be more than she seems.
Yui Horie (Naru in Love Hina, Tsubasa in Bakemonogatari)
-----------------
Miyokichi -- A young lady who is a friend of Kyon's family and a few years his junior. May or may not be more than she seems.
Mamiko Noto -- (Angol Mois from Keroro Gunso, Nodoka from Negima)
-----------------
Nakagawa -- An athletic former junior high classmate of Kyon's who contacts him one day out of the blue. May or may not be more than he seems.
Nobuyuki Hiyama (Viral in TTGL, Ikkaku in Bleach)
-----------------

Sakanaka -- A classmate of Kyon and Haruhi's (hence the anime-culled snapshot) who owns a dog. May or may not be more than she seems.
Rina Satou (Mikoto from Index/Railgun, Haruka from Minami-ke)
-----------------

Sasaki -- A reserved, philosophical former junior high classmate of Kyon's. May or may not be more than she seems.
Megumi Hayashibara (Rei Ayanami, Lina Inverse, Faye Valentine, etc.)
-----------------

Setokaicho -- As the name suggests, the North High student council president. A severe young man who may or may not be everything Haruhi expects in a stereotypical antagonistic student council president.
Shinichiro Miki (Urahara from Bleach, Mustang from FMA:Brotherhood)
-----------------
Unnamed Kouhai -- An enthusiastic, as-yet-unnamed young lady a year younger than Kyon, who may or may not be more than she seems.
Sayaka Aoki (Miria from Baccano!, Lisianthus from Shuffle!)

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

*snip*

I don't know, I think Hiyama would be kind of a waste on that guy.

[quigonkenny]

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

I don't know, I think Hiyama would be kind of a waste on that guy.

Like any other ideal seiyuu post, these are to be considered the "dream" seiyuu for these roles. As such, there are invariably going to be situations where the actor is considered "above" the role. That said, I can think of a couple of scenes where he would show just how ideal he is for this role. ^_^

[keri]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Spoiler for like I said, spoiler-free, but if you don't want to even risk knowing names... Also size (due to pictures):

Kuyoh -- An odd young lady about the same age as Kyon who is very quiet and has HUGE FREAKING HAIR. May or may not be more than she seems.
Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse in FMA, Taiga in Toradora)

I feel a bit confused, maybe, because the only way I've ever heard Rie Kugimiya is in loli tsundere roles. Kind of childish whingey voice, I guess? in the roles I've heard, at least. It definitely doesn't work for the Cloud Canopy/Umbrella/whatever it is Dominion Kuyoh, but maybe Rie does other voices I'm not familiar with.

I think I've heard some really interesting things from Chiwa Saito, though, that could be neat for Kuyoh.

[Tyabann]

Originally Posted by keri

I feel a bit confused, maybe, because the only way I've ever heard Rie Kugimiya is in loli tsundere roles. Kind of childish whingey voice, I guess? in the roles I've heard, at least. It definitely doesn't work for the Cloud Canopy/Umbrella/whatever it is Dominion Kuyoh, but maybe Rie does other voices I'm not familiar with.

She does, yes. I can definitely see her as Kuyoh.

[Ice Block]

Disclaimer: I'm not very good with noticing seiyuus, especially on relatively old shows, so I'm more biased towards recent performances.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Spoiler:

Kuyoh -- An odd young lady about the same age as Kyon who is very quiet and has HUGE FREAKING HAIR. May or may not be more than she seems.
Rie Kugimiya (Alphonse in FMA, Taiga in Toradora)

Originally Posted by Kaisos Erranon

She does, yes. I can definitely see her as Kuyoh.

Eh, how did Kyon describe her voice again? I always thought Noto Mamiko would fit the description (IIRC) well.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Spoiler:

Fujiwara -- An irascible young man about the same age as Kyon. May or may not be more than he seems.
Jun Fukuyama (Lelouche in Code Geass, Keita in Inukami!)

Kamiya Hiroshi's Orihara Izaya (Durarara!!) fits him quite well, IMO.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Spoiler:

Miyokichi -- A young lady who is a friend of Kyon's family and a few years his junior. May or may not be more than she seems.
Mamiko Noto -- (Angol Mois from Keroro Gunso, Nodoka from Negima)

With Noto Mamiko taken, I suggest Hanazawa Kana (Nadeko - Bakemonogatari, Suou - Darker Than Black 2) for this one.

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Spoiler:

Sasaki -- A reserved, philosophical former junior high classmate of Kyon's. May or may not be more than she seems.
Megumi Hayashibara (Rei Ayanami, Lina Inverse, Faye Valentine, etc.)

My suggestion: Itou Shizuka (Hinagiku - Hayate no Gotoku, Wilhelmina - Shakugan no Shana).

[mapi]

Originally Posted by quigonkenny

Spoiler:

Sakanaka -- A classmate of Kyon and Haruhi's (hence the anime-culled snapshot) who owns a dog. May or may not be more than she seems.
Rina Satou (Mikoto from Index/Railgun, Haruka from Minami-ke)

If this ANN page is to be believed, then Mai Aizawa has already been cast as Sakanaka.

[Animexcel]

I don't see any talk on the Aya Hirano hoopla going on, which I recently found out. There is word that Aya may retire from voice acting to be a "multi-media talent" personality. This news was dated back in early August when Aya confessed her love life on tv and her fans raged.

Does anyone have an update on this, and what would it mean for the Haruhi series in the future? Think she'll come back to the role or will Kyoani find someone to replace her?

http://myanimelist.net/forum/?topicid=252400

[Leo Keichi]

Well, but she's already a seiyuu, a singer, and an idol. She can't get much more multimedia than that. Maybe it's all a sign that she's not so famous as she used to be anymore.

It's possible that KyoAni decides to change some seiyuu, since the series is not seeming to end anywhere soon. But we'll see.

[Gamer_2k4]

I don't know anything about voice actors, so I'm just going to jump back to the original question of "Will the remaining novels be animated?"

I say they will be. There are enough rabid fans Haruhi fans out there that will buy ANYTHING that has her face on it that there's almost no risk. Furthermore, there are probably enough people (like me) who want to see the rest of the books animated just for the sake of completing the whole story.

Now then, if the remaining books (through 10) get animated, how will it be done? I think the best way would be in two additional seasons. Some people suggested turning Book 7 into a movie, one of them citing the development of Mikuru and Tsuruya. But exactly what development happened? We learn that Tsuruya probably knows more than she lets on, and that Mikuru can...travel through time? Or something? These aren't really revelations.

A movie has to have suspense, a climax, real character development, you know, things like that! Book 1 could've been a movie. Book 4 was a movie, and a darn good one. But Book 7? Really? And while the "scheme" mentioned in the book's title is admittedly...fun, I guess, it's decidedly anti-climactic compared to the real high points in the series. It's the sort of thing that would make a decent ending to an anime episode, NOT a movie.

But I digress. Yes, the remaining novels should get animated, yes, they probably will get animated, and I expect said animation to be in the form of two additional seasons. The "out-of-order" nature of the first two seasons has been largely resolved, meaning that the next two can probably be standalone. Close out Season 3 with Book 7, and close out Season 4 with Book 10. Everyone's happy!