Some general observations...
1) First and foremost, I really liked Kyon in this story. This was Kyon
at his best, in my opinion. Making clever, witty observations over actually absurd actions, situations, and statements, but also going above and beyond for his friends and those who call upon him for help.
He handled the situation sprung on him by Nakagawa quite nicely. Nakagawa's actions, requests, and statements
were bizarre, and it would be hard to fault Kyon for simply hanging up on the guy and forgetting all about it. But... Kyon really was a nice guy here, and did all that could be reasonably expected of him.
Furthermore, Kyon's deductions made near the end of the story as it pertains to Nakagawa's "accident" showed real competency and intelligence on Kyon's part as well. Good to see that. So, hats off to Kyon in general.
2) Tanigawa is clearly a big sports enthusiast. This is another Haruhi story that, to a great degree, surrounds an athletic competition. As a big hockey fan, I can only hope that Tanigawa also likes hockey....
3) Japanese culture very much comes through strongly here. Loved Nakagawa's entrepreneurial drive, and Kyon's narration reference to the tombstone piledriver. As a pro wrestling fan, I know that pro wrestling is pretty big in Japan. Nice to see that referenced in a short aside here. The Undertaker would be proud.
4) I find it intriguing that in a story where she's quite superfluous to the plot, Kyon still reserves unparalleled praise for Mikuru. That being said, I liked Mikuru here; more than I usually do. It was caring and thoughtful of her to bring hot tea for everyone with her to the American-style football game. I'm not a KyonMikuru shipper whatsoever, but
man... does he ever gush over her a lot, and in a consistent fashion.
5) Nagato came across appropriately and as very in-character here, while Haruhi came across as genuinely nice. A few things really struck me about Haruhi in this story. First and foremost, she
wasn't the center of attention here... and it didn't seem to really bother her. Sure, she thought aloud about being a football Quarterback (the star position, with the possible exception of Wide Receiver), but she nonetheless went on a trip totally centered around Kyon, Nagato and Nakagawa, and appropriately played the role of spectator for the most part. Also, I found it genuinely sweet of her to want to go visit Nakagawa in the hospital. Here's a guy that she's never spoken to, and who sent a fellow Brigade member a love letter with cheesy over-the-top lines, and she's clearly concerned about his well-being. Very nice, and arguably even sweet, of her.
However, there's particular statements that Haruhi made that really stood out to me, and even surprised me a bit, and I'll touch on one at the end.
6) Man... Koizumi is one of the shadiest characters that I've ever read.
He actually came across as some sort of double agent working for an evil OverLord type here. I half expected to see a scene where Koizumi dials up a special number on his cell-phone, and says...
"Yes,
Operation: Roulette is progressing perfectly according to your plan, Mr. Xanatos."
"Excellent work, Agent Koizumi. I'll have to include a nice New Year's Bonus in your next cheque."
"That is
much appreciated, sir" replies Agent Koizumi as he flicks his hair back fabulously.
I still think that Koizumi might do a heel turn (that's 'become a villain' for those not familiar with pro wrestling terms) before all is said and done...
7) The story read well, specifically in the sense that it was very easy to visualize all of the scenes as scenes in an anime episode or two. In some ways, Tanigawa and KyoAni are the perfect complimentary team. Tanigawa's stories are clear and concise with out being
overly transparent, and they provide
just the right amount of visual description to enable the reader to fill in lots of blanks for himself or herself, but while keeping everything within smooth structured continuity. This is the ideal sort of work for an unflappably faithful adapter like KyoAni to work with; it allows plenty of room for artistic interpretation at a visual level, but faithful dialogue is a must when animating this.
Anyway, another good story. A very nice Kyon and Nagato-focused story. A good follow-up to Disappearance in some ways. And a nice poignant ending that leaves the reader with much to think about, as Nagato's answer to Kyon's final question indicates that she has some real interest in romance... unlike Haruhi who apparently considers love to be some sort of disease...
Two criticisms I have, though, are these... Kyon knows an awful lot for a student that's having a hard time passing at least some of his courses. A lot of his references, made during narration, would impress many a high school student. That's a bit of a jarring incongruency to me. I honestly wonder why Tanigawa decided to make Kyon a slightly subpar student. It
really doesn't fit with Kyon's characterization as a highly educated book of trivia. Kyon doesn't need to be a top student, but it would be more believable, imo, if he was a slightly above average student, at least.
Secondly, Haruhi seemed inconsistent here at times. Her actions are rather odd for somebody who considers love to be some sort of disease... Really don't know why Tanigawa decided to have Haruhi utter that "love is a disease" line. It doesn't fit her characterization at all, imo.
I'd probably rate this story a 8.5/10. A nice, solid read.