If I were to describe the second of season of Haruhi, I'd pretty much describe it as mildly amusing, but ultimately shallow and pointless. It's epitomized by Endless Eight, which could get a reaction out of people, but what really was the point? While Haruhi is a series of great creativity, I feel that it ultimately lacked impact in that I could be entertained while watching it, but can't really remember these feelings afterwards, making it hard to describe what makes this series so great. I felt that way of the first season too, but that got around the problem by doing what it has to do and more. The series is at its best when it does the tongue in cheek snarky storytelling that I love so much. But when it tries to be dramatic, it has a hard time keeping stable. I feel this is true of all the KyoAni shows I have watched; even my beloved Clannad got really wobbly at times (Though some people will say worse-- this is not for this thread.
)
Well, fortunately this episode is none of these things. Finally, we just get to see what the hell all of this was really about. Haruhi's slowly increasing acts of oppression have finally pushed everyone to the limit and no longer can he watch Mikuru suffer anymore. He was inspired by Mikuru's determination to keep going on, and he realized that if someone like her is willing to fight, then he must do it too.
The beginning of the episide catches us with yet another crisis on hand-- another contact lens. We are quickly reminded that this situation is getting more severe, and if this should keep on, Yuki just may no longer be able to hold Haruhi off. The ominous music playing seems a bit overdone, but make no mistake. They are walking on a very thin line here.
Arguably, the main scene of this episode when Kyon stands up wasn't as epic as it could have been. But that doesn't really matter; after all if you think about it's just 2 people having an argument. Sometimes going over the top defeats the purpose of a dramatic scene. That scene was well done, because the importance of the situation is understated. It's more than just two people yelling at each other; the fate of the universe is at stake. But then again, causally discussing the destruction of the universe is a staple of the series.
We get another of those talks with Itsuki, and as usual he just serves to annoy the crap out of Kyon. We also realize the amount of pressure Itsuki is really feeling and that despite his shadiness, he really does care about everyone (especaially Kyon? :O)
I found Kyon's internal monologue with Tanuguchi pretty interesting, as he secretly defends Haruhi. While it may be nothing new in the series, I have to wonder, what is Haruhi hiding in her own mind? Could she possibly feel the same way as Kyon? And she is caught making a ponytail. The scene where Haruhi cheers up is incredibly cute.
The end of the episode shows Haruhi's manipulations causing cherry blossoms to appear. Oh no, did she not learn a thing? -_- Did Kyon make the matter worse? While it might seem like it's teaching a bad lesson here, indeed this problem was never as easy as it sounds. I thought the end was sorta anticlimactic especially after the climax happened into the middle. But that doesn't really detract from the episode too much.
9/10 A very good episode, probably the best for season two, and just as good if not better than much of season 1. Despite the seemingly lack of epicness, I found a lot of substance to be taken from the episode as usually I really don't write more than a few sentences for these episodes. This is the first time in a while I'm anticipating the next episode. Here's to Haruhi going out this season with a bang. She wills it!
Author
I'm enjoying it as well.
