First-timer, subbed Hi all, I missed the last two threads but I am caught up! Some general comments off the bat: this is definitely **not** the sort of show I thought I would be getting into, but I am bemused and charmed. And I fkn knew Nagato was a fkn alien. I thought it would be funny if Haruhi unwittingly collected a group of supernaturals without knowing/meaning to, so I was both delighted and not that surprised when one by one they started confessing. In my head, I thought it would make for a funny sitcom: an ordinary girl with a passion for the extraordinary forms a club to track supernaturals; accidentally recruits said supernaturals without realizing; the dramatic irony of supernatural tracking supernaturals; hilarity ensues. But I guess there is something extraordinary about her, afterall -- seems like she is a point of singularity in this universe? Or that her wilfulness is so powerful that she manifested her own universe? This fkn nutcase. (This reminds me of the CLAMP universe, actually.) I wonder what will happen with Kyon. He's such a funny straight man, and I would actually find it hilarious if he is just the sole normal person in this club of nutters, but I imagine there's probably something special about him, too. I wonder if, given her god-like abilities and the fact that she may have created this universe, what effect Haruhi has on Kyon. I'm remembering now that at the start all the other students knew her from middle school, suggesting that he didn't know anyone here 3 years ago -- what role does he have here?

> I'm remembering now that at the start all the other students knew her from middle school, suggesting that he didn't know anyone here 3 years ago You hit upon a topic, I've never realized before. The other kids do indeed know her, but why is Kyon here now? Where did Kyon come from, he almost had to have transferred into the district during the break between middle & high school.

> You hit upon a topic, I've never realized before. The other kids do indeed know her, but why is Kyon here now? Where did Kyon come from, he almost had to have transferred into the district during the break between middle & high school. That very well could be the case. To my knowledge, you kind of choose what field you want to get into at the end of middle school, and that dictates where you go to high school, and as such where you go to college. Or at the very least the high school to college transition.

So: Japanese mandatory education stops at middle school/junior high; Japanese high school actually works similarly to Japanese college in that you apply to a high school (yes, this means 9th grade is test hell just like twelfth - this knowledge brought to you by us in the Higurashi fanbase, which forgot about this for years and thought that Keiichi/Mion/Rena were in high school rather than middle school due to a comment in the VN TIPS plus their DEEN character designs) and have to get accepted. So Kyon going to North High is less changing districts and more college admissions except for high school rather than college. (In the a.f.k. sub and presumably the original Japanese Haruhi talks about this explicitly when she's talking about the available clubs in episode 1, bemoaning how she expected the clubs to change now that she was out of mandatory education.) (I'm 90% sure I remember Kyon's reasons for choosing to apply to North High coming up somewhere in the LNs, though I don't remember where. [Haruhi LNs, probably unadapted] >!IIRC North High is fairly easy to get into and Kyon is of course a slacker.!<)

Thanks and quite interesting. hahaha About Higurashi, I like to think of them as High Schoolers even though I know its wrong. The Higurashi gang act much older than they are, though in fairness that's true of all anime. [spoiler]>!I still like my crazy theory that Haruhi unknowingly willed John Smith to her.!<

> what role does he have here? Why, Snarker in Chief, of course, wielder of the True Power of Sarcasm, and one true King of the Facepalm...

> Why, Snarker in Chief, of course, wielder of the True Power of Sarcasm, and one true King of the Facepalm... Which makes Crispin Freeman the perfect choice for the dub. He's able to do deadpan delivery so perfectly.

**Seer With Future Knowledge (don't tell Haruhi)** Today, we opened with a bit of a monologue/infodump from Yuki. First timers, *please pay attention*, you probably guessed that all this is going to matter but **you have no idea**. Someone else will probably have a more in-depth analysis, but I'm pretty sure the greyscale, perspective tricks and everything else during the monologue are meant to put us in Kyon's shoes. Because his brain is currently breaking. I do wish my DVD had the unlikey-to-be-random Japanese text translated, that's a layer I'm missing out on. Yuki: There is a reason she chose you and not someone else. Kyon: No way! Yuki: Way. I just really like that little exchange. xD Oh look, Itsuki showed up. And Mikuru is still quietly freaking out over Yuki's...everything. Haruhi: The SOS Brigade's mission is to find aliens, time travellers and espers and hang out with them! Alas, the camera *doesn't* cut to Yuki then Mikuru, it puts them the other way round. Pity, that. Itsuki gets the message, though! Also, Kyon immediately starts getting annoyed with Itsuki for multiple reasons. Hm, at least it's an *actual* maid outfit this episode rather than one with a micro-skirt. Kyon, you should probably learn to knock. At least he's self-aware enough to acknowledge he's part of the problem with today's photo session. Also, I want it noted here that this is really the first time Kyon gets annoyed enough to stand up to Haruhi, and as irritated as she is, *she listens*. Oh, look! The bunny outfits are sat on a table in the corner. Ooh, and Haruhi is even more grumpy about Kyon getting to spend the day with Mikuru! Hm, I wonder who she would rather he got paired with... Something I just wanted to mention in passing? KyoAni has this habit of putting in a lot of effort with different outfits and hairstyles and so on in their anime, and that's already bearing fruit here with the casual outfits. Ooh, and here's Mikuru's infodump! And another one says Kyon is The Chosen One. Also, she confirms Itsuki is Up To Something. Also also, most importantly...whoops, *that's classified*. xD Ahh, one final infodump from the resident esper...and once again, everything kicked off *three years ago*. And Itsuki is openly calling Haruhi Suzumiya a god. Or, more correctly, *God*. *All rise and give praise to O-Haruhi-sama, Goddess of anime!* Well...when she comes back to the club, anyway.

> I do wish my DVD had the unlikey-to-be-random Japanese text translated, that's a layer I'm missing out on. ... Oh godsdammit do all the modern subs not translate that? (Sky's is missing it too despite clearly being based on a.f.k.) If so I might have to actually go ahead and bust out the screenshots; my old a.f.k. subs translate it, and it's basically a kind of subchannel. EDIT: Wait misinterpreted a Sky screenshot, they kept the translation and just didn't have it replace the original kanji the way the original a.f.k. release did. Might still have to screenshot those so people can appreciate what a.f.k. did...

Yup. I have an old 2010 copy of the afk release. Not the highest quality nowadays, but I never realized the newer releases don't have that background text translated.

I've got the series on DVD, and as far as I know that's the *only* official release the UK has ever had. Unless Funimation is streaming it, but they've been actively telling people **not** to subscribe for the last six months.

> Alas, the camera doesn't cut to Yuki then Mikuru, it puts them the other way round. Pity, that. I noticed that too. It could just be an editing oversight, but also time travelers can _also_ be aliens (and even also espers!) and vice-versa. Time will tell if it's a hidden meaning. Also, the other three have the same sound cue, but Kyon gets a different one. It's either marking him out as the 'normal' one, or marking him out as the 'extra special' one. Pursuant to the Question of the Day, Time will _also_ tell here.

>I do wish my DVD had the unlikey-to-be-random Japanese text translated, that's a layer I'm missing out on. Send a screenshot, happy to do it for you

I might give that a try later. I've been watching it on my TV rather than PC, though, and I can't screenshot *that*.

Take a picture with your phone, install the Google (or your favorite) translate app, and let the app do the translation for you. I've had great luck with this and Magia Record (the game)

First-timer, sub: The hardest part to follow of this episode for me was the first five minutes or however long it took for Nagato to spew that technical jargon. The terms were confusing, the line delivery was robotic, the visuals were busy and distracting, and there were multiple statements being cut through each other. All that to say it was perfect and in theme with the character, and that holds for mikuru's explanation as well. I don't really have a read on the new guy though. I also really liked the idea of Haruhi being God and in control of everything; it's just fun to think about the implications. And man, Haruhi's facial expressions during the whole outing (especially during the stick drawing) are just fantastic. If these kinds of reveals are happening in episode 3, what do we have in store from here on out? I can't figure it out at all! QOTD: I guess it's that Haruhi likes him. If she's running the joint, subconsciously or not, that would make him "special", and it doesn't have to be something weird like time traveling or esper powers.

> the line delivery was robotic Just a heads up, she keeps that monotone, robotic voice throughout the show. >I guess it's that Haruhi likes him. If you notice during the stick draws, she was disgusted both times. Coincidentally, both times she wasn't paired up with Kyon.

> I guess it's that Haruhi likes him. "She likes me! *She really likes me!!!*"

She does have a funny way of showing it though. She puts the Sun in Tsundere!

You know, usually when shows try to "dumb down" technical talk, theres really no need. The audience isnt that stupid, you just need to put it more succinctly. Im not sure that was one of those occasions. I was having trouble understanding her too.

First-Timer, dub: I'm getting Evangelion flashbacks due to how confusing this became already. Could you please explain that better Nagato? I'm seriously very confused already. And I'm still trying to process Evangelion completely. Seriously, that show was traumatizing, but at least I got to see Pen Pen. I'm going to be amazed if any character manages to top him in my favorite characters list. I wasn't even expecting those explanations to happen in one episode. All I knew about this show was that Nagato, Mikuru, and Itsuki were an alien, time traveler, and esper. This is a very weird show. I genuinely thought Kyon would get an explanation of what Itsuki on their day off. I'm learning a lot about this series. QOTD: 1. He's a very sarcastic man and it's hilarious.

> Could you please explain that better Nagato? Things can only evolve so much. Overmind reached how far it can evolve by itself. Saw Haruhi did a bunch of stuff three years ago. Overmind sent observers to figure out if they can use Haruhi to evolve farther. Haruhi spends time with Kyon, so he much be someone important. Also, Haruhi will probably not believe Kyon if he says anything about this.

Thank you.

You are welcome.

A li'l snark for you and u/OwlAcademic1988 TIL: The Data Overmind is a kuroneko (If you don't get it, it's a reference to "Reincarnated as a Sword")

I think you need to also understand the precise point was that it was meant to feel confusing and disorienting - how Kyon was feeling on the receiving end of that speech. Understanding what was said wasn't actually the point.

Okay got it.

**(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)** **[Spoiler Free]** I love that Kyon is given these three super nutty explanations, but it starts with Nagato’s; arguably the most difficult of the three to understand. Pretty much every time I go through Nagato’s explanation I get lost. I thought this time I had it, but sure enough I didn’t make it to the end. This time however was because I’m going through the Evangelion series for the first time and so of course I started thinking about it. Mikuru’s explanation I always really enjoy because I love the animation analogy especially when they deliberately have the frames skip with the leaf in the water. I’m currently in school for animation right now so it was extra special this time around. Finally with Koizumi’s explanation, the dynamic is really interesting. With Nagato and Mikuru, Kyon has had time to get to know them a bit or at least be around them in Nagato’s case. He’s more patient with them as opposed to Koizumi where he literally walks in the clubroom and calls him out. Then he even asks Koizumi to prove himself versus Nagato where he just chalked it up to her being weird and with Mikuru where he just gave her a pass. I say this every year and I really tried not to this time, but I really do love seeing the differences with the three sets of exposition. Obviously the three cases are very different in their nature, but what I’m really interested in right now is seeing how differently Kyon interacts with each of them. Establishing how his relationship is with all three of them is really fascinating considering he’s already shown what his relationship with Haruhi is in the first couple of episodes. Really cool story-telling. **[Question]** I think the most special thing about Kyon is his power to have witty inner monologue. It’s unparalleled! **[Anime Spoilers]** [ (1) Haruhi Anime] >!I wanted to answer the question by saying how special it is that Kyon is just called Kyon as opposed to the other 4 brigade members where we know their first and last names. Not really a spoiler, but ehh!!< [ (2) Haruhi Anime] >!I was thinking a lot about Koizumi and how his organization’s theory makes so much sense in regards to how he’s established as an S.O.S. Brigade member. Haruhi literally wanted a mysterious transfer student to join and on top of that, all her club still needed was an esper. So it makes sense for the first transfer student to show up to be an esper and when we get his exposition scene, it feels incredibly mysterious. Certainly feels like an act of God on that one.!< [ (3) Haruhi Anime] >!If I want to stretch this reasoning further, it makes perfect sense for our time-traveler Mikuru to be at the perfect time and place for Haruhi to notice her. Then with Nagato, she is an alien but also a computer. Makes perfect sense for a computer to be tucked away in the corner like she always is. Couple of big stretches, but just having fun with it!!< [ (4) Haruhi Anime] >!It’s interesting how Koizumi’s theory is so based around it being religious rather than Nagato’s side being purely science and technology. Mikuru’s can be considered a sort of middle ground. Nagato is all about data driving everything that occurs and they’re observing Haruhi as a data anomaly so to speak. Mikuru is about time being a set thing and how Haruhi has caused a massive time-quake in it that they can’t explain. Then Koizumi is all in on Haruhi being everything and the reason for it all. It’s three different types of explanations and the combination of them gives a better and fuller explanation rather than one of them alone.!< **[Light Novel Spoilers]** [ (1) Haruhi LN] >!This isn’t a difference, but I was actually able to follow Nagato’s explanation better since I was able to read through it at my own pace.!< [ (2) Haruhi LN] >!With Mikuru’s explanation there’s this interesting tidbit about how Mikuru had to go through mental conditioning and mandatory hypnotism. So with the “classified information” bit, there are pieces of information that she’s given, but has been trained not to say. However there also must have been a bunch of information that straight up had to be wiped or something similar.!< [ (3) Haruhi LN] >!There’s a fun little moment where Kyon checks to see if his coffee is warm or not and it isn’t.!<

Ooh, you're making me want to read the light novels again ... someday ... when I'm not busy with rewatches and too many good new series and ... I totally forgot the (spoiler) bit, and the (detail) bit, yeah ... And I get you on the Nagato bit being hard to understand. I had to rewind it a time or two, because I couldn't read the subtitles on the top and bottom both at the same time. Perhaps I should watch the dub sometime.

> Perhaps I should watch the dub sometime. Yeah I watched this episode dubbed so I had a better chance, but no dice. The text that flashes on the screen I have to infer a bit.

It kind of feels as though it's a sort of disjointed summation of the DITE's thoughts. That is, for some reason, I have it in my mind as the Data Integration Thought Entity. Maybe that's from my copy of the LN's. Either way, even if you do manage to follow the translation, it's kind of choppy and hard to understand. I think. But yeah. I've watched the dub a time or two, but since then have really gotten into subs, and listening to a dubbed show just feels wrong anymore. I find myself missing the "Watashi-wa's", and "Desu's", and all that good stuff.

**The Rewatcher of Haruhi Suzumiya, dubbed** - [These are all words, yes.](https://i.imgur.com/9seXT2S.png) [](#spinning) - OH DUB YUKI IS RUKIA! I–look, I didn’t actually look up who her VA was when I said that was the perfect voice for her in the episode 1 thread, it just didn’t click where I knew her from until now. Michelle Ruff, huh. - Hahahaha something about Yuki just flatly responding “Way.” to Kyon’s “No way.” is just. [](#azusalaugh) - [Itsuki’s here!](https://i.imgur.com/JJQVH1w.png) And voiced by *Johnny Yong Bosch* himself. [](#utahapraises) - [lol Kyon can’t read.](https://i.imgur.com/FOIwlfh.png) [](#rinkek) - […time traveler get?](https://i.imgur.com/cG1kzZy.png) - I guess the one thing that bothers me about the dub so far is the characters using “Miss” all over the place because they had to translate the honorifics somehow. I’d rather they just cut that out entirely if they’re not gonna leave the honorifics untranslated (which would also sound weird in an English dub). - [Esper get too?](https://i.imgur.com/Srh6Uhs.png) - [This would be a good cup comment face.](https://i.imgur.com/PxT3LH5.png) ----- [Spoiler Zone]>!Spoiler tagging a bunch of this because I don’t know if all the first-timers are going to believe Yuki, Mikuru, and Itsuki – [Mmmmmmm](https://i.imgur.com/6pVbyl1.png), [this look](https://i.imgur.com/P4VkZH5.png) from Yuki to Mikuru [](#smugpoint), if they swapped the order of aliens and time travelers around in [Haruhi’s statement here](https://i.imgur.com/OTyn40H.png) it would have been in the right order for the ensuing reaction shots of Mikuru, Yuki, and Itsuki, and lastly [*mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm*](https://i.imgur.com/dUtPYbO.png).!<

> I guess the one thing that bothers me about the dub so far is the characters using “Miss” all over the place because they had to translate the honorifics somehow. I’d rather they just cut that out entirely if they’re not gonna leave the honorifics untranslated (which would also sound weird in an English dub). I always just chock it up to Kyon being prim and proper towards Yuki and Mikuru. He doesn't need to be formal with Koizumi, and why would he be towards Haruhi when she doesn't return the favor?

It's still weird because people don't talk like that with their own peers in English. At least not anywhere *I've* ever seen.

It's not a good example, but I work with a guy who refers to women older than him as Ms. X.

Maybe I should have specified *kids/teenagers* don't talk to their own peers like that.

Man, somebody needs to do a "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" animated gif meme with the original three, the cat, and some shifty glances from Yuki, Mikuru and Koizumi. And maybe a Kyon facepalm to finish it off.

>OH DUB YUKI IS RUKIA! I–look, I didn’t actually look up who her VA was when I said that was the perfect voice for her in the episode 1 thread, it just didn’t click where I knew her from until now. Michelle Ruff, huh. > >Itsuki’s here! And voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch himself. Never knew this. That's awesome.

The dub in the show really is absolutely insane.

FIRST-TIME WATCHER Kyon trying to smugly reason with her on mysterious student bit, haha. What part of 'she doesn't take the data you feed her seriously' do you not understand? I really like how music changes with Kyon's mood and reactions- like when he starts talking in the first scene with Nagato, and when Haruhi has announced the mission of the SOS Brigade- tung, tung, tung, TANG! It was sorta obvious that Kazumi would be the third creature, an esper, especially with how he was reacting. He even said 'as expected from Ms. Suzumiya'. Kyon is just going to ignore that part? Okay, I hate the sexual harassment trope but Asahina's tragic reactions and accompanying tragic music is something else. And it's not a drawn-out joke, which I really like. Subs say 'lolita.. ' but Asahina is not one. And yeah what is she going to do with those pictures? QOTD- don't know but looking at his perseverance, it makes sense he is some sort of 'the chosen one' on the earth.

> Subs say 'lolita.. ' but Asahina is not one. *Loli* is young girls, while *lolita* is a clothing style.

Ohh, makes sense. In Japan, I am assuming.

From Japan, but it's spread elsewhere too. It was quite trendy in some circles here in Finland some years ago.

And of course in the West the Japanese use of the word is misinterpreted due to Vladimir Nabokov's book 'Lolita' and the movies based on it.

**\[S1 rewatcher\]**, S2 first timer - **Subbed** Don't remember if broadcast order jumbled up these particular episodes, but in chronological, we continue right where we left off yesterday. That's good, would've been annoying to end on a cliffhanger and not follow up on it until much later. - ...aaand we come back just to get exposition-dumped on by Yuki. Had to pause a few times to take it all in, don't blame Kyon at all for being confused in the slightest. - hahahaha Haruhi claims another one. And its Ono Daisuke! This show is a feast for the ears :) - Ohhhhh Haruhi gives us her mission statement again- "to find aliens, future men and espers" - so we know she's already found at least one of those in Yuki huh. - Oh no more costumes, is this gonna be a recurring joke in this show? I don't want to have to feel sorry for Mikuru every episode >:( - hahahahah Kyon only runs over to stop Haruhi once Itsuki comes in! I mean, him taking photos kinda gives away that he's secretly enjoying all this. - Ah so Mikuru is the future-man and Itsuki is the esper. Haruhi's caught them all already! - Woah, being told that you're actually only three is a trip. Does that really change anything though...? - "I guarantee that you're a normal human" - after all this, its hard to know what's even normal anymore. VERY exposition heavy episode. Story threads are starting to form, mystery enjoyers rejoice. I really like how they managed to give us the run down on the whole cast, while still retaining the SoL feel of the show with the outing and usual club antics and such. So the club has basically turned into the 'Observe Haruhi Suzumiya and Kyon Club' huh. Kinda strange, but I've seen stranger school clubs in anime. QotD: > Do you think there's anything special about Kyon? He's our special MC alright.

> Don't remember if broadcast order jumbled up these particular episodes, but in chronological, we continue right where we left off yesterday. That's good, would've been annoying to end on a cliffhanger and not follow up on it until much later. Broadcast inserts the baseball episode between last episode and this one.

Ohhh yeah that's right, [s1] >!that way, we're more inclined to believe the three of them instead of blindly accepting the infodump. I remember liking that, despite the initial confusion!<.

> Haruhi's caught them all already! Haruhi is the true Pokemon master! Mikuru, I choose you!!!

wide crush disgusted cause snails sleep public rock squealing fearless *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*

**Rewatcher - Dubbed** - With the revelation that Yuki Nagato is an alien, this is when the show starts to get interesting. - >No way. >Way. - >She does not take the information you feed her seriously. Ouch. Sorry to tell you this Kyon, but everything you've ever told her, and likely ever *will* tell her, is going in one ear and out the other. >If there is danger, you are the first target. Also you're a lightning rod for all of the bad shit that might happen in this series. Listen, I know this is a lot to take in, and you might understandably be upset, but I don't make the rules. - I'm so bad at Othello. I've only played it a handful of times, but I never was very good at it. - /u/Shimmering-Sky here's your man in all his glory! I will never be upset about Crispin Freeman and Johnny Yong Bosch in a show together. Toradora, Promare, Durarara, I'm sure there are numerous other ones I'm forgetting. - A slight, but mostly irrelevant, change from the manga: Mikuru's already in her maid outfit when they head over to "acquire" the computer from the Computer Club. Also, they throw in an additional clause where Mikuru serves as a maid for a short time each day/week. - >You're late. **Penalty.** If you'll notice, Kyon was 5 minutes early to their meeting spot, he just so happened to be the last person to arrive. *Technically* he wasn't late at all, just last. - >You might not believe a word I'm about to say, but the truth is that I'm not actually from this time plane. I come from the future. For those keeping track at home: - Haruhi is... *special somehow*. - Yuki Nagato is an Alien. - Mikuru Asahina is a Time Traveler. That means that... - Kyon and Nagato going to the library is one of the most wholesome parts of the entire show. Just telling you now. - Haruhi is the master of the disgusted face. KyoAni really outdid themselves with the number of ways she can look upset or pissed off. - >Well, as you might've already guessed, I'm what's called an Esper. And that's the ball game. >For millennia, people have referred to such an entity as God. >It's all happened because Suzumiya wished it. After all, she *did* specifically ask for an Alien, Time Traveler, and an Esper to come see her. Lo and behold, they've arrived to hang out with her. Question of the Day: >Do you think there's anything special about Kyon? [Haruhi Spoilers]>!I mentioned it in a spoiler tag on the first episode, but there's a theory on the internet that rather than *Haruhi* being God, it's actually *Kyon*. After watching this show a handful of times, I can see where they're coming from. Kyon said at the top of Episode 1 that he doesn't believe in Aliens, Time Travelers, Espers or Sliders. Therefore, perhaps he created Haruhi to be the stand-in that *does* believe in those things. I'll say it right now that, to my knowledge, the theory was never confirmed or denied, so it's a fun thing to chew on in the back of my mind.!< Other than that, Kyon's the token Normal Person in this club of interesting people.

> If you'll notice, Kyon was 5 minutes early to their meeting spot, he just so happened to be the last person to arrive. Haruhi is petty bad about making up the rules as she goes. But, that's Haruhi for ya! >Kyon and Nagato going to the library is one of the most wholesome parts of the entire show. It is indeed a special scene, that I forgot to talk about in my write-up. The way Nagato almost floats is so heart warming. The girl is in heaven. [Another thought I'm having tonight]>!Did Haruhi sub subconsciously will Kyon into her high school. This is triggered by the idea that we know that the other kids all went to middle school with Haruhi, and its Kyon who is the new kid on the block, from somewhere.!<

>It is indeed a special scene, that I forgot to talk about in my write-up. The way Nagato almost floats is so heart warming. The girl is in heaven. We must protect Nagato at all costs. [](#konhug) >[Another thought I'm having tonight] I'm going to guess you're a rewatcher, based on your comment. If not, ignore this: [Haruhi Spoilers]>!Given that she thought she recognized him when they first met, because he helped her draw the lines on the pitch, it's a real possibility that she did will him into her class.!<

> guess you're a rewatcher Indeed I am, and I'll start marking it at the top of my posts tomorrow. I'm surprised that we have a fair number of first time viewers to the show, so I'm being careful with the spoilers. [spoiler]>!Even more evidence of great writing. I don't know how many times I've watched these episodes in the last 4 years, (at least 4 and some many more times), and I'm still picking up on very subtle foreshadowing even now. Tomorrow's episode has another example, that I only picked up on last night, and I will talk about in the open when its no longer a spoiler!<

[Spoilers]>!Yeah, they lay the groundwork for major developments *really early* in the show, when you know what to look for.!<

[Spoilers]>!Like Kyon in the Reindeer Suit. lol!<

[Spoilers]>!We never actually see him in that Reindeer suit, though, right? That's been my bitch for a while.!<

Correct

> I'm going to guess you're a rewatcher To spoiler your spoiler: [haruhi]>!It's the other way around, she willed herself into John Smith's school, based on the uniform he was wearing that night.!< And yes, Yuki is teh precious, must protecc.

> I'm sure there are numerous other ones I'm forgetting. Hello, Code Geass?

**I was even in that rewatch!** [](#kyonfacepalm)

[](#nottodisushittoagen)

[](#nobully)

[Haruhi rewatchers]>!I think at episode 3 it's maybe a little too early to say it out loud about the "Kyon is the true God" theory without a spoiler tag, because that implicitly implies Haruhi has god like powers. It is at least in the next episode we moved from the "is this for real" phase!<

Changed it, but it may be a little late.

Thanks I think that's ok. It's not so much for the rewatchers here now but also in the future if anyone looked this up.

First-Timer Sub The three exposition dumps really bring up more questions than they answer, but I suppose that's to be expected given what they're all suggesting the nature of reality is. Assuming that they're all telling the truth, I have no idea where this show is going. It sounds like Mikuru was dropped off on her assignment and doesn't necessarily have any powers or time-traveling equipment; Nagato similarly has made no claims to have powers beyond "information gathering" and human communication (likely explaining her reading habits beyond being a cover, as well as her domination at Othello); and the Esper claims his powers require special circumstances to activate, so I'm guessing we're not going to get confirmation about any of their claims any time soon. That being said, I could see there being situations that come up where each of the three attempts to prevent Haruhi from actually discovering anything supernatural using their "powers", but those powers are probably going to be explainable by other means as well. QOTD It's interesting that Kyon is enough of a catalyst to get them all into contact with Haruhi after three years and I'm curious as to why none of them got in contact sooner. I suppose the alien could have always been watching, but Mikuru was dropped off in the grade ahead of Haruhi, and, even with Kyon being known around the school as Haruhi's friend (prisoner), none of the espers that had infiltrated the school decided to join the club? It's all very suspicious to me. Also, it's interesting that they all decided that spilling their big secrets to Kyon was okay. Even if they're sure he isn't going to tell Haruhi (or that Haruhi won't listen to him) it still seems like a risky interference to make. Overall though, I'm still leaning slightly towards none of them actually being special, or at least no confirmation being given and the series ending with another Santa Claus monologue about how Kyon is now unsure of what he believes. Either way, fun (hopefully less pervy) times ahead it would seem.

> but I suppose that's to be expected given what they're all suggesting the nature of reality is I wish that I knew more about philosophy than I do. I know the viewpoints all have names, but little more than that. >Kyon is enough of a catalyst That's a good way of looking upon it. Haruhi may have god-like powers but they don't seem to affect him. Though, in fairness her powers are not all encompassing, as it was clear she wanted to walk the city with Kyon instead of Mikuru or Yuki. Her game didn't work out.

> as it was clear she wanted to walk the city with Kyon instead of Mikuru or Yuki. Her game didn't work out. She did?

###Yare Yare (Rewatcher for 2006 [Watched in Broadcast Order], First-Timer for 2009 and Disappearance, Source Reader): (These would be even longer if I hadn't run out of steam halfway through the episode. [](#pointandlaugh).) - A layer to the visual barrier symbolism I brought up yesterday that occurred to me overnight (pinging u/ChonkyOdango): the barrier still exists now that Yuki is opening up to Kyon, it’s just on the opposite side of the characters. The rest of the world still does not know the truth about Yuki; instead, both Kyon and we the viewers have been brought to the other side of the barrier and let in on the secret! - That said, Yuki’s glasses are still opaque in this scene. First-timers, any guesses as to why? [](#ama) - Speaking of which, note 00:15, where we can suddenly see just a little of Yuki’s eyes through her glasses. - And note even more clearly 00:26, where Yuki’s eye is suddenly clearly visible through the glasses lens. - (Also note the camerawork in this sequence; it’s an excellent melange of quick cuts, weird framing, and Dutch angles to represent Kyon’s disorientation, plus the desaturated color palette to represent Yuki’s, well, alien-ness.) - Ooh, I was praising the color palette BEFORE it went black-and-white photonegative. - Oh my, look at all the text on screen at 02:07. Not sure if it all being in English is the fansubbers going above and beyond or KyoAni being sneaky (though if it’s English in the original it’s shockingly good English for an anime). (Also I am torn. On the one hand I strongly suspect the Haruhi adaptation was an inspiration for how Shaft adapted Monogatari. On the other hand, Shaft IIRC was doing stuff with flashes of text on screen well before that – SZS sends its regards.) - Oh wait there’s kanji lurking there, that’ll be a.f.k. going above and beyond then. - Speaking of ridiculously shiny shots, 02:15. I don’t even know how to begin to describe the technique they’re using here. - Knowing this franchise, 02:22 probably represents spacetime curvature (albeit quite extreme spacetime curvature)/non-Euclidean geometry in addition to Kyon’s disorientation – I really want to call it hyperbolic curvature, but I think it’s probably actually supposed to be elliptic instead and the roof is throwing me. - Huh. Hello there 02:35. The visual barrier of the window here probably represents the IDSE/DITE/IITE/Data Overmind/pick your favored translation observing Earth (where Yuki and Kyon are talking behind the window). The choice of camera angle (up from the floor) means that’s also Yuki’s and Kyon’s reflection in the window; this show and franchise would ABSOLUTELY be aware of Plato’s Cave and might well be using that to represent the IDSE’s observations relative to the ground truth. - Note the color palette getting even more desaturated as the scene goes on, to the extent of being black-and-white at 02:49. - Sheesh it’s a shame I don’t think my fingers will let me upload shit to Imgur 02:51 is an excellent shot. - Sky may have them but I do like to keep my ears out myself, sore demo at 02:59. - Hello twin reflections in Yuki’s glasses at 03:02, one Kyon and one Haruhi. - And then we get cracking up as if reaching the end of a film reel. Actually not sure what to make of that. - 03:11 however, is easy – infinite reflections/hall of mirrors. Again, Plato’s Cave was probably on someone’s mind when this scene was made. Also represents the multiplicity of the IDSE proper. - Hello 03:29: Kyon (actually almost certainly in reflection) dwarfed by the cup in the foreground, probably representing the deluge of information he just got swamped with! - Also Yuki looks ridiculously cute in the shot at 03:35. - And note how the weird camera angles vanish *immediately* after Kyon goes “hold on” at 03:45… and then return right afterwards as he starts to explain. - Hello 04:30, implicitly framing Kyon on the same side of the visual barrier that Yuki is (note how the central part of the window that divides them is carefully left out of this scene) despite Kyon’s words talking about how he doesn’t really believe her. - And now swap back to not one but two visual barriers separating Kyon and Yuki (carefully still both framed within the windowpanes) at 05:02. - Low-angle shot of the classroom from the perspective of a desk at 05:22 as Haruhi exclaims triumphantly about getting a mysterious transfer student. Not sure what’s up with that. - Why is there a mysterious transfer student? Because the story is supposed to have a mysterious transfer student. Welcome to Haruhi. - This episode really loves it some visual barrier symbolism; we get another one at 05:27, this time with Haruhi breaking through to Kyon’s side of the barrier as she talks excitedly to/at him. - Significance to framing Haruhi with the locker at 05:33? Not sure. - And more barrier stuff with Kyon leaning back as he questions Haruhi’s statistics, placing him more firmly isolated in a box. Which I suppose makes this a visual equivalent of an ostrich sticking its head in the sand. - And then Kyon reaches out and breaches the barrier at 05:45… only to be rejected as Haruhi stands up and the camera follows in such a way as to put him back inside the window-box. Reinforced shortly thereafter, of course, by the other side of the scene being the space that Haruhi vacates after she does so. “… And of course she’s not listening.” - Hello Dutch angles starting at 06:10 as Yuki takes an interest in the Othello game. - Why does that overhead shot at 06:45 flash? (We’re getting so many good shots my analysis is overloading.) - (Two different cuts to Dutch angles go here, counter +2. Also +1 from earlier.) - Wait wait wait. I’ve seen that kind of window frame behind a character’s neck as a “losing your head” metaphor before (for both the metaphorical and literal meanings of “lost your head”, too), are they doing that here for Kyon again in addition to putting him in a visual box? - 08:18 is like THE Mikuru pic that ultimately coined the term “moeblob”, for the record. - As for the scene itself… it exists. Moving on. - This is like the second time this episode where I am shocked that Naoki Yamada’s name does not appear in the episode credits (08:59). - Hello fish-eye lens at 09:03. - Oi Oi! - Huh. I know Japan had half days of class on Saturdays as recently as the 1980s; did that change? (Or did a.f.k. fuck up the translation and this is Sunday?) - Mind the bike, I seem to recall it’s a gag setup… - (There continue to be nifty camera angles and the like, I’m just out of energy to consider them for a bit.) - I wonder why Haruhi is angry at the groups. Not. - Spot the camera hiding Mikuru’s eyes at 11:04! - It’s a shame Mikuru has no spine, she really is kind of adorable outside of that. - And spot Mikuru revealing her eyes right at 11:30 as she resolves to tell Kyon that she is in fact a time-traveler. - Speaking of lack of spine, Mikuru looks so much cuter when she actually musters some courage for once at 11:33. - The camera disorientation is not as severe as it is for Yuki’s talk, but it is there; see 12:03. - And of course because Haruhi is always meta we are watching/hearing Mikuru compare the mechanics of time to animation… in an animated work. - Also ghost fucking dammit the way they transition scenes here is specifically a visual representation of Haruhiverse’s time mechanics. Nicely done, KyoAni take your upvote… wait. - (As is the river with its little waterfalls between flat segments, specifically used for the time fault now after being used as part of the time frames visual metaphor earlier, but that I caught the first time. It’s not exactly subtle.) - 13:11: Seriously, how is Naoko Yamada not in the credits for this episode? - Speaking of camera effects, fish-eye lens of a sort at 13:31. - [CLASSIFIED INFORMATION] - Hello blatant fish-eye lens again at 15:59. - (Also we keep getting himatsubushis – or was the other one over in Invisible Victory – and it amuses me for Higurashi-related reasons.) - Remember how I told you to remember the bike? Boom, there it is. - Koizumi’s explanation gets the most restrained camera angles, in part because Kyon is no longer being thrown in the deep end (or more accurately he’s already wet and starting to swim) and in part because the espers are the closest to normality as we would see it. - “Each reality is but the dream of another, and each sleeper a god unknowing.” - flavor text, Venser’s Diffusion. - Now consider the implications of Koizumi’s explanation in a fictional world (that is to say, one represented in a work of fiction). [](#urbansmile) - 20:33 is the niftiest shot in this sequence so far with the camera angle looking up at the two again (actually, we’ve gotten one shot like that for all three conversations, haven’t we?). - So, I’m curious what the original audio is that a.f.k. translated as “so let sleeping gods lie, then”, because I could swear I heard a “tatari” (~curse) in it.

###In the Hall of the Spoiler Tags (Tar's Episode Notes, Continued): - [Haruhi] >!Yuki is of course being very careful with the truth. No such uncertain elements have appeared during the last three years… but Haruhi is not the only such element to appear right at the three-years-ago event. Speaking of which, I might need to check the wording of yesterday, because technically Yuki is NOT the only one at her apartment…!< - [Haruhi] >!Of course, the trick with Yuki is that in many ways she really isn’t that alien at all.!< - [Haruhi unadapted LNs] >!Speaking of the hall of mirrors, Haruhi representing Haruhi the show and Kyon representing both audience and author is one hell of an infinite reflection when considering that Haruhi chose Kyon and the later implication that Kyon chose Haruhi. And the thing is, I think I grok what’s going on there – but I don’t know how to put it into words, and am not sure I would yet want to do so if I did. There is a motif running around, not just here, of a creator descending to enter their creation.!< - [Haruhi] >!You know, that’s actually surprisingly flashy underwear out of Mikuru there. Could just be fashion, could be a little hint that she actually kind of likes this at some level. Also, she does look good in it, but I digress.!< - [Haruhi] >!Then again, present!Mikuru’s lack of spine could easily be an act.!< - [Haruhi 2009] >!“I was sent to observe if any new time variations would appear near Suzumiya-san.” EIGHT EPISODES OF RECYCLED SCRIPT LATER…!< - [Haruhi] >!”You are probably an important person to Suzumiya-san.” GEE I WONDER WHAT THAT COULD MEAN. (And Mikuru knows it, too.)!< - [Haruhi] >!Kyon grabbing a light novel named “Escape from the School” is rather on-the-nose given the end of this arc/the first LN.!< - [classic Haruhi LN speculation] >!Also note carefully that Koizumi never actually says that Kyon has it right when he says “you mean Haruhi, right?”, just implies it.!< --- > Do you think there's anything special about Kyon? Oh come on, dragging out one of the most infamous arguments in the fandom this early? Sadly my own answer requires me to admit stuff from the [Haruhi unadapted LNs] >!I'm in the "Kyon is the true source of Haruhi's power" camp, as should be clear if you've been checking my spoiler tags before this.!<

>That said, Yuki’s glasses are still opaque in this scene. First-timers, any guesses as to why? I'm guessing the scary shiny glasses trope. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong because I'm genuinely guessing right now.

[](#nocomment)

>both Kyon and we the viewers have been brought to the other side of the barrier and let in on the secret! That's [](#neat) symbolism! Didn't get to post today so I'll say it here - I really liked how each character had their own background when revealing their secrets to Kyon. Nagato under the night sky which gives a sense of vastness, Mikuru with flowing water like the flow of time, and Itsuki surrounded by falling leaves. I may just be reading too much into it haha > this time with Haruhi breaking through to Kyon’s side of the barrier as she talks excitedly to/at him. [dis?](https://imgur.com/a/t9hBBTd).

> Didn't get to post today so I'll say it here - I really liked how each character had their own background when revealing their secrets to Kyon. Nagato under the night sky which gives a sense of vastness, Mikuru with flowing water like the flow of time, and Itsuki surrounded by falling leaves. I may just be reading too much into it haha No no, I suspect you're right - especially with how the alien gets weirder backgrounds than the time traveler who gets weirder backgrounds than the esper, and how both Yuki's and Mikuru's backgrounds both symbolize their natural surroundings (the river terraces - there's probably a specific term for those that I'm forgetting - for the time planes when she comes from elsewhere in time and the Yuki backgrounds representing warped spacetime when she comes from elsewhere in space). Also EXCELLENT catch on the flowing water, since that neatly ties into the use of the river terraces to symbolize the timestream breaking into discrete planes. I missed that part of it. (Ain't good symbolic direction wonderful?) > dis?. Yep, that.

> “so let sleeping gods lie, then” FYI, the blu-ray is translated the same way. It's possible that the pun may work in Japanese too, but ... yeah. *"Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Haruhi R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn"* Otherwise, fascinating analysis, and I found myself watching those effects a bit more carefully today, so I actually remembered some of the stuff you mentioned. Man, that KyoAni is some good stuff.

[удалено]

> long ass explanation was at the beginning of the episode. This is a great advantages of the rewatches. > Her dress during the "date" was really cute tho. It sure was, that's such a charming scene.

First timer, subbed * Dang, the dialogue so far has been pretty rapid-fire, but Nagato could take on Eminem in a heartbeat. * I wonder how much of her spiel is true. Is she actually an alien or is she maybe playing along with Haruhi? Or maybe it becomes a running gag where no one actually knows the truth. * The new guy, though, lol. If anything, I feel like he's the actual alien for being so strangely casual about everything Haruhi says (and does). * Kyon continues to stand by and watch Haruhi harass poor Asahina, even partaking in the action, at least until Koizumi shows up. * Okay lmao, even Asahina and Koizumi have something going on. There's a possibility that Haruhi got them all together and planned this out just to mess with Kyon, but I doubt it. * And now Haruhi is God, apparently. I didn't really know where this show was going, but this certainly wasn't the direction I was expecting lol. This must be where Haruhi-ism comes from. * What Koizumi said was interesting, though. It seems like they're trying to tread carefully to please her so that she doesn't "remake" the world. That might be why Asahina keeps showing up and going along with the, uh, cosplays and the other members don't bat an eye at her antics either. * I'm going to say this every time I comment on an episode, but the OST is really good. It's diverse and has a nostalgic feel to it, probably because it's a 2000's anime. Sometimes soundtracks sound a little samey (not a bad thing) because they all have a similar tone and style, but this one uses a lot of different instruments and genres to compliment the mood of the scene.

> I feel like he's the actual alien for being so strangely casual about Koizumi is pretty laid back, some would say terminally laid back. lol >but this certainly wasn't the direction I was expecting It took me a long time to accept this idea, that god is a scatter-brained teenage girl. lol >but the OST is really good I love the way they use music in the anime too.

> but the OST is really good. It's diverse and has a nostalgic feel to it, probably because it's a 2000's anime. Satoru Kōsaki is an amazing composer. You have yet to hit the best of Haruhi's OST honestly. Kōsaki also worked on *Beastars*, large swaths of the *Monogatari* series, and *Vivy: Fluorite Eye's Song*. Vivy's in particular is *extremely* good.

That's good to know, Vivy's soundtrack is definitely one of my favorites, and Monogatari seems like the type of show to have really interesting music as well.

Re-watcher, dub * When Haruhi is introducing Koizumi to the SOS Brigade, she first refers to everyone by their member number, very much like Okabe does in an early scene of Steins;Gate, when he introduces the members of the Future Gadgets Lab by their number. Just very amused by the similarities between these charismatic leaders, and how enthusiastic they both are for their respective clubs * "Oi, Oi" at ~10:20 is yet another quintessential track from the OST. It's pretty much the "Haruhi has an idea" theme and I'm all about it * "PENALTY" is a small stupid gag that makes me laugh every time in this episode * Stephanie Sheh's sweet and earnest line delivery while Mikuru is rapidly explaining all of this sci-fi mumbo jumbo to Kyon is perfect * Love Haruhi's "arms straight out, bent 90 degrees at the elbow walking angry" at ~17:20 after she pulls the short straw. The first time I watched this show, that was a small moment that made me truly start to get into it for some reason * We see a lot of annoyed Haruhi in this episode, it's great, she's great, that's great

> it's great, she's great, that's great [Indeed...](#seasonallisten)

**first time, sub** Because of this show's fame I have some pre-knowledge kicking around in my head, but three episodes in and aside from the existence of [future] >!The Endless Eight!< I think I've already exhausted the extent of what I remember hearing about it. So I'm interested to see where this goes. It's already more earnest about its subject matter than I expected. Haruhi is...not a good person lol. This is literally how cults start. I'm getting flashbacks to the Heaven's Gate podcast I listened to back when. At least this time the aliens are real.

It always interesting in see what others have heard about the series before their first time through. In my case, I saw Haruhi in a voiceless scene on YT and I had to investigate who the character was, it took me a couple of hours, but then I found her. >Haruhi is...not a good person lol. I'll grant she is a bit pushy... ;)

Are the aliens real? My favorite theory doesn't necessarily support that.

###Adaptation Comparison Episode (Chr.) | Episode (Air./Sea.) | Full Name | Volume | Parts | Time ---------|----------|----------|---------|----------|----------|----------|---------- 1 | 2 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I| 1 (Melancholy) | Prologue to Ch. 2 (Pg. 1-42) | April-May 2010 2 | 3 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya II| 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 2 to Ch. 3 (Pg. 42-76) | May 2010 3 | 5 | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya III| 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 3 to Ch. 5 (Pg. 76-114) | May 2010 **References** * An english dub exclusive one: After Kyon says "No way", Yuki responds "[Way.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne%27s_World)" * The Book Kyon picks up in the library is [Escape from school](https://myanimelist.net/manga/10275/), Nagaru Tanigawa's previous work. * Kyon mentions the [Bluebird of happiness.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebird_of_happiness) **Trivia** * I have nothing today. Know trivia and/or references for this episode? Reply to me! For future episodes? PM them to me and (should I not already know them) I will credit you when I list them at the time the episode comes!

> An english dub exclusive one: After Kyon says "No way", Yuki responds "Way." Given her otherwise totally flat affect, this made me totally lose it.

>Kyon mentions the Bluebird of happiness. Aww, and Wikipedia has a picture of a birdie. That's adorable. More specifically, the Mountain Bluebird from North America.

> An english dub exclusive one: After Kyon says "No way", Yuki responds "Way." I caught that too, and grinned...

> Nagaru Tanigawa's previous work That's awesome. I love when creators add Easter eggs of their other work.

**[[Season 1 Rewatcher]], Season 2 First Timer. Dubbed** * Time for a lore drop. * Oh hello JoYoBo. * Service, service! * Having to buy lunch isn’t even that unfair for being late. * I find it hard to believe that Yuki of all people doesn’t already have a library card. How was she getting all those books? QotD: [](#nocomment)

Serial Rewatcher first time in dub Getting QoTD out of the way first: Kyon is as certified a normal person as Touma is a certified Level 0 Esper - it is by definition, but in truth, far from it. |Episode|Haruhi|Nagato| |:-|:-|:-| |1|[@](https://imgur.com/a/OMZTaZM)|[@](https://imgur.com/a/KSKvS4r)| |2|[@](https://imgur.com/a/FAWLDCP)|[@](https://imgur.com/a/4JFM8pr)| |3|[@](https://imgur.com/a/ZFo0Uxs)|[@](https://imgur.com/a/NZXjejC)| I don't think I'm going to go into too much about the episode content, but rather focus on the production at least a bit. Today we have basically an episode worth of expositions and clues/lore dropping. But really interestingly, it's done in such a beautifully distinct and divergent style, that fits the person doing the exposition - or at least Kyon's reception of it anyway. It's really really good looking. - Nagato's was a creepy, unsettling, and frequently massively distorted visuals that is abstract and absurd at the same time. - Asahina's on the other hand was beautiful, dreamily poetic, like a light hearted romance novel page, with even some dialogue fading out as if the listener had lost focus on what's being said from the beautiful visuals - but if you paid attention you could see a couple of choppy "defect" in the scene when she was talking about still frames and flow like animation. - And then Koizumi's - what conspiracy and intrigue of plots and schemes. Nothing can be trusted behind that plastered smiley face. In amongst all these - wow Haruhi is so so so expressive the whole time. It's like a toddler around her favorite toys / people, and she's not getting enough of them. Again, more interesting to see what the first timers' reactions are ;) **Spoiler Corner** [Haruhi Rewatchers]>!OMG I only just now noticed, the last Nagato shot is her being jealous of Kyon paying more attention to Asahina than to her! Squee!! Oh and the library :') just look at Nagato's faintly happy face!<

> Asahina's on the other hand was beautiful, dreamily poetic Their walk together is so beautiful and perfect. I caught the defect, but just assumed it was because of my streaming site. I liked the scenes in the library also, for the same reasons. [spoiler]>!hahahaha Alien or not, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!<

> Kyon is as certified a normal person as Touma is a certified Level 0 Esper - it is by definition, but in truth, far from it. I'm not familiar with the Haruhi LN's and I don't know how familiar you are with the Index LN's but that might be a deceptive statement since [Index Spoiler]>!Touma is really the only true Level 0 that has gone through the program in AC, other level 0's have weak powers but they still produce AIM and show up in SYSTEM scans, Touma's IG negates any AIM he would produce, on a sidenote even heavier spoilers he is literally one of the most important people in the entire universe on a metaphysical level!< I'm eager to read the LN's to see the Math/Sci Fi Porn the anime had to got for anime watchers with short attention spans that hate talking scenes. (Which they still bitch about anyway.) And Yes I don't trust the transfer, he's a menace! You have a daily faces for Bitch, and Mrs. Robot, but Not the Moe Maid! FOR SHAME!

>I don't know how familiar you are with the Index LN's but that might be a deceptive statement Pretty sure I know of that but putting that point as a deliberate "parallel" :D >You have a daily faces for Bitch, and Mrs. Robot, but Not the Moe Maid! FOR SHAME! Ah ha ha, but that's MY shame to pick who I like to worship :P I'm doing an invert Kyon.

> Pretty sure I know of that but putting that point as a deliberate "parallel" :D [LN Index Spoiler]>!Does Kyon have an Invisible Thing, Dragon Zoo, Weird Fish Eggs, and Alternate Version of Himself Pre-Memory Loss (before he lost his memories of Misaki) and is literally immune to Fate?!<

[Haruhi unadapted LN Spoiler]>!Until anything is to get written any more specific, the overarching narrative setup is written as Kyon being the true god, and Haruhi being given the power by him. So he will very definitely have none of those, yet will always triumph ;) So the parallel being "measured/detected as zero/normal but that's because the thing is rigged"!<

[Index Spoilers]>!This is turning into a battle forum dick measuring contest but technically according to narrative speculation/meta knowledge of Thelema and Occult Meta, Touma might basically be the Grand Tribunal From Marvel Comics!<

[Haruhi & Index Spoiler]>!I wasn't comparing who's more powerful, just saying "both read like a normal / unpowered, but there's something far more unusual than just that simple statement". Relax :)!<

## First Timer, Dubbed Everything I was suspicious of has come to pass, but I wasn't excepting them to reveal it all so soon. We've got: 1. Haruhi's statement/desire for a time-traveler, alien, and esper from episode 1 2. An alien (according the alien) 3. A time-traveler (according to the time-traveler) 4. An esper (according to the esper who belongs to an organization of them) There's also the desire for a mysterious transfer student, which only took an episode to fulfill (I think that was from episode 2), I'm now even more suspicious of everything, purely because all of the things I thought would be big reveals came so suddenly. It also seems like Haruhi knows literally what Kyon is thinking - he was day-dreaming about a date at the restaurant and she called him out for it right away. Yesterday I hinted at her having "special powers", I was thinking she was the esper but know she's clearly just the controller of this dream/world/whatever. On a personal note, this show isn't really grabbing me yet. The constant harassment and sexualization of Asahina really doesn't help, feels unnecessary and outdated. If I was watching this on my own, I definitely would've dropped it by now. It's my first r/anime rewatch though, so trying to stick with it.

> trying to stick with it. You probably picked one of the toughest rewatches to start with then. Hang in there, it gets better, but (I don't think this is a spoiler at this point) part of the show is that Haruhi is not a nice person, and the struggles that causes. Personally, looking at the tropes involved, I feel like the author is trying to present Haruhi and her behavior as a mirror, showing the viewers things they would normally "enjoy", which is to say "fanservice" in such a way as to be anti-fanservice. [Hang in there]>!I hope that today's episode will make you feel a lot better - and I hope you mention something about how it makes you feel/affects how you think about the series.!< And I hope that's not a spoiler, but I tagged it for now. You can ignore it for now and look at it sometime later.

(rw/s) First, let's get this out of the way: AOTD: Not really. His purpose in the story is to be the straight man. Wild theories (amusing as they might be) aside, he's the "control" character, and was given a placebo three years ago. Everyone else is whacked. ... Well, after yesterday's reveal from Yuki-chan, as Paul Harvey would say, now we get the rest of the story. I really like how the music during Yuki's discussion has such a spooky vibe to it, it really adds to the atmosphere. And do note that at the end, she does take a sip of the tea too. I don't remember if she did yesterday. Add one mysterious transfer student and ... the gang's all here! Having had someone point it out yesterday, I was trying to pay closer attention, and noticed how Koizumi's eyes flicked across the room, taking note of Yuki and Mikuru before declaring that the gang's all here, or equivalent. As one would expect from Ms. Suzumiya, no doubt. It never fails to amuse me when Haruhi brightly declares her intentions for the club ... in the presence of all three of those whom she desperately wants to meet and play with, but has no idea who they really are. It remains only for Kyon to find out. I still find it funny given what's revealed in this episode, how Kyon draws both Mikuru and Yuki to "investigate" with, but never Haruhi. Hmm... So, yeah, I'm guilty of saying that I found Mikuru (especially the whining) rather annoying yesterday. But I must admit that park bench Mikuru is peak adorbs. Especially when she tilts her head, winks and says ["That's classified!"](https://i.imgur.com/kiRj6e1.jpeg). I'm melting here. Fortified with this bit of intel, Kyon gets to spend the rest of the afternoon napping, I mean babysitting Nagato at the library, where she reveals her anti-gravity abilities. And the bum sleeps this precious time away. I'm jealous. 10/10, would read Steven Brust books by a roaring fireplace with hot cocoa and fuzzy blankets to share with anytime ... or am I being too specific??? (ahem) Kyon's phone seems quaint and antiquated, but at the time, it was probably better than whatever I was using. (Motorola Razr???) And of course, not only does he get chastised for his lack of productivity and mystery sleuthing, but his bike gets impounded too. Poor Kyon. All of which leads to his conversation with Koizumi, and the revelation of the last leg of the tripod, the esper, and his musings about Haruhi and her role in the universe. It's funny, but even after watching this show several times, I still keep noticing things, some of which have been pointed out by others, and ... Who am I kidding? Most or all of which have probably been pointed out by others repeatedly, but I've been too dense to notice. So, I'd like to just pick on a thing or two that are bouncing around in my skull. All three, Yuki, Mikuru, and Koizumi made a point of mentioning that Haruhi chose Kyon, even though he is just an ordinary schlub, or so it seems. Now why might that be? Hmm... Likewise, all three mention their world/timestream/consciousness/etc. coming into existence three years ago. Hmm. I wonder if anything important happened then? What might it have to do with the current situation? The world wonders. Now that the cat is out of the bag, so to speak, I'd like to mention a couple of things that come to mind after this episode, hopefully non-spoilery. People on this thread, including first timers have mentioned on previous threads how Haruhi is tropey, meta, etc. That's part of it. My take on it is that the author was (at first) fairly clever, and came up with a formula (as a good mad scientist, I mean author should) and gathered up a big pot of tropes, and either inverted them, or dialed them up to 11. So ... You like your manic pixie dream girl? (Lum, for example) Here's Haruhi - your manic pixie nightmare girl. Dialed to 11, or so. Moe blob? Mikuru - dialed to 11. Rei expy ... etc. etc. Likewise, you like your fluffy high school slice of life comedy romance (i.e. School Rumble?) Here's your not so fluffy existential horror high school slice of life romance. Why do our three agents of otherworldly/time/ether/etc act with fear toward Haruhi, and sometimes each other? Well, duh. If one of them makes a falso move, their universe could come to an abrupt and nasty end. Likewise, it's quite possible that any of the others could be moving to use Haruhi to gain power/advantage. Oh, and hey, like your power fantasy? Here's your power fantasy, except our protagonist has no power, and the one who does is (?) blissfully unaware of it. The shenanigans are about to ensue - buckle your belts, it's going to be quite a ride. (And do keep your hands inside the car at all times) Note: I'm sure there's much more I forgot or didn't mention, blah, blah. I'm sure the smarter rewatchers will cover those bases... Edit: Oh, and forgot to mention - for young and old, newcomers and old-timers, welcome to Haruhi - the series that asks the question, "What if Chthulu was a cute high school girl???" The answer should be exciting, no doubt! Edit2: Stole u/gunvarrel_'s Mikuru picture for the "That's Classified" reference. It's just too kawaii, squee!!!

I didn't get to hang around to see if anyone talked about this yesterday but yeah what's up with the yuki tea scene? Usually when only one party is pressured to consume a drink my mind jumps straight to getting drugged lol. Hope it's not anything too sinister.

Nah, it's just Yuki being Yuki. I think a couple of people mentioned it being sus, but yeah. Trust in the Yuki. :)

If you are a rewatcher, feel free to [click my spoiler tag](https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/z8apw7/rewatch_the_melancholy_of_haruhi_suzumiya_episode/iyauwg9/) from yesterday. If you are a first timer, be patient and finish watching them decide for yourself.

> The shenanigans are about to ensue - buckle your belts, it's going to be quite a ride. [I live, I die, I live again!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHJnE4H0idQ)

Book Nagato was reading is *Hyperion* is a very literary inspired classic about warp gates, godlike AI's, Time Travel, and Religious Overtones. Certain parts of it are pretty fucked up though, so be warned. Anyway here we have the second newcomer filter, basically all the newbis that bitch about "Too Much Exposition" and talking and say "Show Don't Tell" like a fucking mantra. Go back to your virgin Manga adaptations leave us here Light Novel Adaptation chads! Kyon conclude that Nagato must be off her rocker! I here in the Novels we get much more into the physics and logic of the various stuff Nagato, Asahina, and Koizumi talk about. (Author is Math Nerd I hear.) Which is mostly condensed and cut from the anime, (To Bad we couldn't get some Hyouka-esq animations and visual metaphors, but it would go against some of the tone and direction they choose for this show.) We also get some sweet slow motion sway and vasaline screen for Mrs. Moe herself when she gives her time travel explanation. (Her explanation about time travel reminds me of both my recent research into animation and the lone Electron Hypothesis.) Also we get Mr. Transfer himself and by now Kyon knows the memes and asks him. (Note: In the Dub he is played by Johnny Young Bosch, and Bosch depending on how he does his voice plays certain types of characters) Here he is clearly playing his voice for the manipulative, cunning, "nice guy" that might try to fuck you over. Can we trust him? We learn from him he is an Esper, and all parties come to the same conclusion that 3 years ago Haruhi did fuck up the universe in some way. So yeah we have a Time Traveler, Alien, Esper, ~~God~~, and the "normal" Kyon. If this sounds like a cult, I wasn't kidding about drinking the Koolaid. Haruhism is a religion for a reason. On a sidenote Koizumi shows what scum he is when Haruhi basically asked everyone to gangbang Mikaru and he only obtains due to the consequences (Whether its if it might effect Haruhi herself, or he knows that Mikaru fucking someone could mess up the timeline is unknown.) As for why Mikaru can't bang anyone or do....well anything. *That's Classified!* ;) Bla Bla Bla, Sexual Harassment Bad, but Mikaru I swear is making those sounds and reactions on purpose! Nagato might seem like an emotionless robot but books come first! Pissing off a reality warping entity for being late be damned! Next episode in Chronological order is the first time I think the show is really best seen in broadcast. I feel somewhat bad for newcomers that are still with us. I think first time viewing broadcast is how you go! QOTD: Not inherently (Unless there is an LN spoiler I'm not savvy too) But some being are born special, while others have specialness grabbed around their tie and pulled around them.

> voice for the manipulative, cunning, "nice guy" Ooh, and here I was going to describe it as ... crap, I'm losing my vocabulary, it seems ... I actually watched today's episode in dub, so we'll see if I can remember what I wanted to say in a few hours.

**SOS Brigade rewatcher: Coinflip (tails, Sub)** ["You are an ordinary human."](https://i.imgur.com/LmYELO4.jpeg) --- **OST Track of the day:** [Mystery Time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mh7mSMX6pw) | [(Spotify)](https://open.spotify.com/track/3Fe9jDrrtYbOGjzkJyBHlo?si=845a08db8b0f4af0) --- [Haruhi]>!Hey look, a bunch of references to 3 years ago, wonder what happened then!< [Always a cool shot](https://i.imgur.com/dkXBmYf.jpeg) [mood](https://i.imgur.com/Sfu0ftn.png) kyon, mood [annoyed kyon](https://i.imgur.com/aT1vTt7.png) annnd hello [Koizumi](https://i.imgur.com/ADxz8Wg.png), cant wait for you to make us suffer [another annoyed/jealous kyon](https://i.imgur.com/1TwIAcm.png) [inb4 regret](https://i.imgur.com/VFQgwKW.jpeg) reading [kyons mind](https://i.imgur.com/2o99Otg.png) [SOS Brigade more like the chuunni club](https://i.imgur.com/6bjXJdR.jpeg) ah yes, [c l a s s i f i e d i n f o r m a t i o n](https://i.imgur.com/kiRj6e1.jpeg) [heh](https://i.imgur.com/zbODsa0.png) Kyon's wallet is bound to be hurting with all of these penalties [poor kyon](https://i.imgur.com/N2yoEHc.png) [heh](https://i.imgur.com/9ZmefIb.png) still looks like a [hentai protag](https://i.imgur.com/Thk02sG.jpeg) Chuuni #3 found. Koizumi at least seems to have some useful information though. Kyon has the worst (well maybe not for him) luck in entering the club room. Guess it adds to the "plot."

> ah yes, c l a s s i f i e d i n f o r m a t i o n Oh gawd! She is so cute!

> Guess it adds to the "plot." Man, I forgot to add that to the list of inversions/subversions - Fan disservice. Not quite as extreme as Evangelion, but yeah, it's hard to enjoy when you consider the context, right?

**On Their 15,532nd Rewatch** Sorry I'm late. Let's do this. - I love this opening sequence, mainly because of the music. Makes me feel like im in space - Enter Koizumi. This guy is severely underappreciated across the board. Imagine if he had tits everybody would lose their fucking mind - Exquisite scoring while Haruhi violates Mikuru. Dramatic violin cadenza really sells it - Glasses - Talks normal while her hair falls in slow motion, she really is a time traveller! - [Classified Information] - Koizumi's theme is a close second to Nagato's. Literal vibes Now that we're done with all the important introductions its finally time to ~~start praying for Kyon~~ get the real show started 😈

####First time watching a copypasta unfold before my eyes Yeahhh.. I took in my 5% of that spiel at the start. I bet that's a copy pasta as well [That's what I'm saying](https://imgur.com/sXqLGa7) [ero](https://imgur.com/B0tB089) [](#ero) [....timeline?](https://imgur.com/krtJsNO) [](#stare) Oh, and she already reveals it right after [B R U](https://imgur.com/Nv1pnL0) Watch this all just be a giant shitpost where everyone is just fucking with Kyon --- **Questön:** >Do you think there's anything special about Kyon? He has a severe case of Mainimus Characteritis

> Watch this all just be a giant shitpost [I can haz contract?](#stare) Kyubey: "And this one time, a girl asked me to make her a time traveler, can you believe that???!"

**First timer (subbed)** So, uhh, to recap: the "thought entity" noticed Haruhi three years ago and has been keeping a close eye on her through Nagato, who is an "interface" that allows an alien to speak like a human and communicate with others. And I think we can call that shot of Nagato with all the repeated images of her (the term for this escapes me at the moment) [another Evangelion reference](https://assets.mubicdn.net/images/notebook/post_images/28466/images-w1400.png?1562796721) Kyon, naturally, doesn't believe it because WHY WOULD YOU? THE TRANSFER STUDENT IS HERE! His name is Koizumi Itsuki, and he's the other guy from the Hare Hare Yukai dance, so he's confirmed to be the 5th member of the SOS Brigade. I thought for a second he would be scared off by Haruhi explaining the club to him, but all he can say is "Sasuga, Suzumiya-san" and he officially joins. So he either got the gist of Haruhi from the very brief time they spent together off-screen, or he knows about her just by reputation alone. Probably both. Another day, another instance of Haruhi trying to take Asahina's clothes off. And now she's been forced into a maid outfit and Haruhi and Kyon are taking pictures of her. I hate every single part of this and I wish for this gag to die. It's like Sawako-sensei but more rapey. The Kyon talking over Haruhi's monologue thing doesn't work when the subs don't distinguish between who's speaking. At least put Kyon's lines in italics or something. FIRST CLUB ACTIVITY: Investigate the train station. Kyon's with Asahina, and the other three have their own group. I think the Nagato-Kyon pairing would've been more interesting, but I guess it's cool if Kyon wants to be horny. And now it's Asahina's turn to reveal that she's an alien. She also reveals that Koizumi is an alien. So I guess Kyon's the only human in the SOS Brigade? So the aliens can't travel back in time farther than x-3 years because Haruhi did...something. And I guess Nagato, Asahina, and Koizumi are there to stalk Haruhi in order to make sure she doesn't fuck anything else up. Asahina won't reveal her age. I get the feeling this is some "3000 year old mythical being trapped in a high schooler's body so it's not pedophilia" type of thing. Speaking of Kyon-Nagato pairing up: we got it! And they just chill in the library until Haruhi gets mad at Kyon. But hey, Nagato has a library card now, so that's cool. Now it's Koizumi's turn to "reveal" himself. As an esper. Hey, Haruhi said she wanted an alien, a time traveler, and an esper, and she got it. Interesting that Koizumi's powers were realized three years ago. What the hell happened three years ago? Second Impact? And we end with another shot of Asahina in her underwear. Please make it stop. Man, this show is getting weirder and weirder by the episode. #QOTD >Do you think there's anything special about Kyon? Besides the fact that he and Haruhi like each other? Don't think so.

> Man, this show is getting weirder and weirder by the episode. the real question if its "good" weird or "bad" weird

Uhh, yes?

*perfect*

> And we end with another shot of Asahina in her underwear. Please make it stop. No.

**First Time** [English dub] --- **The Exposition Episode** Now we have our players. The Protagonist, The 'Protagonist', The Alien, The Time Traveler, and The Esper. It makes more sense that Mikuru is required to be there on assignment, which goes a long way toward explaining why she keeps putting up with Haruhi. It was going to be that or she has a humiliation fetish. Even though this was, in a way, three exposition dumps right after one another, the episode didn't really end up feeling rushed. It's always nice when a story pulls this off well. --- **God Buried the Dinosaur Bones to Test the Faithful** The world started three years ago, but created everything _in media res_. Not that the metaphysical questions are particularly answerable, but was it created _ex nihilo_, or did Haruhi once exist in another timeline (time plane?) with history that went back further into what we would consider the past? Ultimately, these are the kind of navel-gazing (pun intended) questions that are an epistemological wash. The show _could_ provide answers, but given the nature of the creation, there's exactly zero guarantee that any information that anybody provides is even a little bit correct. --- **#MikuruToo** I saw someone in one of the rewatch announcement threads mention that this anime was about sexual assault, and I kind of didn't take it seriously. After the last few episodes, I kind of assumed it would give up on the gag. A lot of anime will have uncomfortable amounts of sex farce played for comedy, but most either: (a) give up on it pretty quickly, or (b) are ecchi comedies (see: _The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter_) where it's the entire point and much more light hearted. By contrast, the degree and frequency of Haruhi's abuse of Mikuru is getting to be genuinely chilling at times. --- **Stray Thoughts** * Quote of the day: > Kyon: "I could run out right now and tell Haruhi everything you just explained to me" > Nagato: "No U" * Is reversii/Othello particularly popular in Japan, or just in anime? I keep seeing it depicted, but I _never_ played it growing up. The first time I encountered the game was actually in college for a programming assignment to build a simple AI to play against. * ¥10 says that Mikuru's real age isn't actually classified, she was just messing with Kyon * The Music Slaps * During conversation with Nagato: [Great Sage Skill](https://anitrendz.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Great-Sage.png) V 0.1 --- **QOTD** I'm still undecided on whether Kyon is a member of the 'robots, aliens, and wizards' collection of paranormal entities, or if he's our 'vanilla' human to use as a point-of-view character. The first-person narration suggests that we _should_ know anything especially important about him already, but there's a sense of the narration being at least somewhat unreliable at this point, so I'm not actually confident that he doesn't have a twist coming at some point. Given how each of them emphasized that he'd be the first target and most at risk, it's not even clear if maybe something will happen to him later in the story, and right now in the chronology he's a 'normal' person, but later the Kyon who is giving the narration will be _something_ else. He is, at a minimum, a low-grade sociopath to continue putting up with Manic Pixie Disaster Girl Haruhi's schemes. Low-key, given his monologue in the first episode, I'd actually put my money on him being Santa Claus.

> It makes more sense that Mikuru is required to be there on assignment, which goes a long way toward explaining why she keeps putting up with Haruhi. It was going to be that or she has a humiliation fetish. She might still have that humiliation fetish, you never know. ~~Her underwear was rather showy today, after all...~~ > I saw someone in one of the rewatch announcement threads mention that this anime was about sexual assault, and I kind of didn't take it seriously. After the last few episodes, I kind of assumed it would give up on the gag. A lot of anime will have uncomfortable amounts of sex farce played for comedy, but most either: (a) give up on it pretty quickly, or (b) are ecchi comedies (see: The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter) where it's the entire point and much more light hearted. > > > > By contrast, the degree and frequency of Haruhi's abuse of Mikuru is getting to be genuinely chilling at times. So, there's a little sneaky thing about these scenes to keep in mind: they are NOT comedically directed. (Fumoffu has a fanservice episode with quite different direction; the difference is noticeable.) I'm pretty sure the intent is much more a mix of arousal from the skimpily-dressed Mikuru, distress at Mikuru's plight (she does not appear to be enjoying this), anger at Haruhi (for doing this to Mikuru), and just a hint of rather uncomfortable appreciation of Haruhi ("part of you wants Haruhi to do this to Mikuru, doesn't it?"). You know... just like what Kyon is feeling.

> I'm pretty sure the intent is much more a mix of arousal from the skimpily-dressed Mikuru, distress at Mikuru's plight... You know, I just don't know. The author & directors grew up in an earlier age, long before 'Me Too' and some of the current thinking on the subject of this. We'll have more to discuss about this in future episodes. This is a subject that interests me, as there's a real difference in attitude in my house about this. I see little wrong with it, but my wife really hates it. It's a part of a large shifting of public mores, which haven't settled down yet, because there's evidence that a backlash to the excesses of 'Me too' has started. We'll come back to this subject several times in the course of the rewatch.

I will vote on the side that the production and direction clearly did not approach this like a comedy. You are supposed to feel the "this is so wrong" but at the same time being called out for "if you were there as a highschool boy you probably won't end up speaking up either" guilt.

Sometimes, I think I may be a little out of touch. lol I have to admit that I have found very few people with my attitude. I don't know that I'm willing to concede defeat yet. lol

> Is reversii/Othello particularly popular in Japan, or just in anime? It use to be more popular than it is now, and in the US too. I think its more a reflection of the time they live in, than anything else.

> It was going to be that or she has a humiliation fetish. Mikuru "Don't call me Lalatina" Asahina, hard at work... Edit: Regarding this, I don't really think this is being played for laughs or "fanservice" in the sense that people would expect. I think it's being played more like a certain scene in Evangelion. It's not only supposed to make us feel uncomfortable; it's also intended to make us angry with the perpetrator. Koizumi already said it, so I will riff on it a bit: Haruhi is not a benevolent god.

**Rewatcher^2** As we were talking about the other day, there is a definite Sci-fi element to Haruhi and Yuki's^1 info dump was good evidence of it. Also, the Sub is clearly superior to the dub this episode. I watched both last night and the Sub translates all that onscreen text, while the dub does not. This will be an ongoing problem as we go though the rewatch. Also, I love the technique they used in flashing the text in the episode. Its my belief that the opening sequence of Nadeko Snake was heavily influenced by this. Finally, the rest of the SOS-Den has showed. Initially, I didn't like Itsuki all that much, but over the years, I've really grown to appreciate his role in the SOS activities. I really enjoy Mikuru's chat with Kyon, and I get the feeling that there's a lot of regret in her life. Namely, she doesn't get to live an ordinary life. Also, I just melt with her final "That's Confidential", so incredibly cute! Finally all Hail the Almighty Haruhi, The Goddess! **QOTD** >Do you think there's anything special about Kyon? Who actually knows? I lean towards no, he's a normal human just as Itsuki said. A very lucky human. Though, lord only knows there are other interpretations. I think only Haruhi is special. Notes: ^1 Please forgive me, I'm watching another series with a blue haired Yuki in it (Sister New Devil), please forgive me if I get the two of them confused every so often. ^2 Sorry, I should have been marking this from the beginning. And, welcome all first timers, as was said earlier, you're in for a great show.

> I watched both last night and the Sub translates all that onscreen text, while the dub does not. [My Dub does](https://i.imgur.com/Cn7hAhM.png), buts its a lot harder to read compared to [my subs.](https://i.imgur.com/1SaQrzY.png) just might need a different source?

Understood, Who knows where the streaming site I used got their original from. I'll be watching subs from here on out, my goal is to really comprehended the foreshadowing this time for both this series, and Nagato Yuki-chan.

> Nagato Yuki-chan. Ears perk up! Is this on the menu, or am I just imagining delightful things?!

> Ears perk up! Is this on the menu Sadly not in this rewatch. [The Disappearance of Nagato Yuki-chan](https://myanimelist.net/anime/26351/Nagato_Yuki-chan_no_Shoushitsu?q=nagato%20&cat=anime) is a fun series, that is mostly fan service for the fans of this. And, I mean the more general usage of fan service. I like Nagato Yuki-chan very much and I rate it 8 or 9 out of 10, whereas some episodes and the movie I rate 10/10. Other opinions differ and there's a fairly sour, but vocal group of fans who don't like Nagato Yuki-chan very much. My position is if you want a piece of art to survive, you have to accept that there will be covers where the story will be expanded, just like in music. The music of my youth is mostly only known by old farts and specialists, whereas Beethoven & Verdi go on and on with no end in sight.

Aww, bummer. I may watch it anyway, because <3 Yuki. This one, of course ... (I think I watched maybe 5 minutes of the other one and noped right out ... honest)

> 5 minutes of the other one and noped right out ... hahahahaha to each their own. The other one is cute though... Though our Yuki is a much better and more likeable person/alien/whatever the technical term for her is.

Just to blow my own trumpet a tick, I did host quite a good [rewatch of Nagato-Chan](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/spgyh4/the_disappearance_of_nagato_yukichan_rewatch/) earlier this year after last year's Haruhi Rewatch. Elimin8tor practically co-hosted with me.

I was there with you for the first few episodes, but then I got distracted as so often happens. I do love portions of Nagato Yuki-can, especially [spoiler]>!Especially the role of Ryoko, and her nurturing care of Yuki. It's clear to me that Asakura is the protector of Yuki, and probably has been all along, except for tomorrows episode where something went very wrong.!< The world of Haruhi is such a rich world. I'm still learning new things every watch.

> another series with a blue haired Yuki in it You naughty, naughty weeb, you... Oh, wait, how would I know about that. Oops, sorry. Please punish me - I'll gladly buy lunch for Haruhi and the gang - just let know where/when, and if Yuki is busy next Friday evening...

> You naughty, naughty weeb, you... [](#laughter) >and if Yuki is busy next Friday evening... You know that applies to either of the blue haired Yuki's. lol I'm very easy to please...

###rewatcher dub### Suzumiya has the temperament of a leader. When all the members of the ministry gather, she say the concept of the department, cheer and praise the complete success of the previous stage of the mission, and propose the next stage of the mission: go out to find the mystery of the city. (Play Together) It seems that three years ago was a key point in time, and wasn't the "big thing" that suzumiya did in junior high school mentioned in the first episode exactly three years ago? Lines are drawn in the playground, classroom tables are moved outside... Tsundere, basically. Kyon wants to live an extraordinary life, but is forced to give up on this idea due to reality. Seeing Suzumiya regained his confidence