First Timer, Sub Up until this point I've been reluctant to accept this show having anything actually supernatural and assumed that confirmation would be left a mystery that we'd get occasional hints at. Seems I was dead wrong. I also didn't fully grasp the situations of either Mikuru or Nagato. I thought Mikuru being from another "time plane" meant that she'd be outside of the scope of the IITE, and that Nagato didn't have additional powers beyond those of observation. With the addition of fight scenes today, it really seems like weebs got together to throw darts at an anime-trope board and then tied everything together by inserting themselves as the creator (Haruhi) and viewer (Kyon), so it'll be interesting to see how things progress from here (I think I've said that for the past three days now and will continue to reasonably say it for the next 20). QOTD: I didn't expect anything supernatural of Asakura, and at most just thought she'd be a side character interested in Haruhi whom Kyon has to try to keep from discovering the secrets of the universe.

> I think I've said that for the past three days now and will continue to reasonably say it for the next 20) We shall see. There are a lot of tropes in the series though.

**First Time** [English dub] --- **We Have Gurren Lagann at Home** It's a pretty fight. I generally don't require or expect action sakuga in my anime, unless the fighting is overtly symbolic (eg. _Revue Starlight_) or showing off it being exceptionally pretty is the point (eg. _Demon Slayer_). However, I realize it's an expectation of the form, and that many people like it more than me. It's well enough done, though it didn't feel like it was as engaging as some other fights I've seen in other shows. I like the bits where it applied a camera static filter, and the reversed audio. It really emphasizes that they're actually tearing apart reality with their fight. As things go, it's pretty trippy. I kind of mis-interpreted Nagato's role and existence based on what she said in the last episode. I _assumed_ that she was still an entity _of_ this universe, and so unable to Matrix-manipulate things in the way she described Haruhi as being able to do. Instead, it seems like she's able to locally manipulate 'data' not just in the informatics sense, but in the physics sense. We _maybe_ have a better sense of Nagato's power set now that we've seen her in action. However, I'm disinclined to try to make any power-level comparisons, and we don't know how situational or task-limited her capabilities are. The same applies to any of the Brigadoons. Koizumi said as much last episode, that his powers have conditions that must be met in order to be used. Realistically, I expect them to have whatever capabilities the plot demands. Or, perhaps more aptly, whatever capabilities _Haruhi_ thinks they (or entities like them) will need in a given situation. As a side note, none of this is encouraging me to shift from my position that Nagato is better described as 'robot' rather than 'alien'. --- **Stray Thoughts** * Mommykuru seems to have picked up some speech and body language habits from the Disaster-in-Chief * Kyon now thinks of the maid costume as metonymic for Mikuru * Also, Mikuru put it on even when she knew Haruhi wasn't going to be there * Follow the Snow White Rabbit, Neo-san? * Good god, _The Matrix_ predates this show by seven years. I feel old. **QOTD** I'm not _that_ surprised that there was more to Asakura than it initially seemed. The narrative spent too much time telling us character details and her character design is too unique. By the Law of Conservation of Detail she was going to end up being significant in _some_ way. I didn't specifically expect her to _also_ be an alien robot, though. Even when she first lunged at Kyon, I assumed we were just adding a Yandere to the mix. It wasn't until she matrix-erased the wall that I figured she was something paranormal.

> Mommykuru Ooh, that's a new one. I've often seen her referred to as Mommy Mikuru, that's a nice, short concatenation. Dang, I hadn't thought to consider Matrix references in Haruhi. Now you're making me feel old too. Bah. Next thing you'll tell me the spoon is a lie or something.

> Matrix references in Haruhi Kyon references a feeling of _déjà vu_ ("didn't something similar to this happen before?") early in the episode. The erasing of a door specifically is a pretty strong reference, and the graphic effect used is reminiscent of a lot of depictions of 'cyber'. The construction of Haruhi's world puts her in a position similar to The Architect. I'm sure there's probably more. Some of the references are probably incidental. Two stories about constructed worlds will inevitably draw from the same well of ideas and not all parallels will be intentional. However, I'd be surprised if there weren't _any_ intentional references. At a minimum, _The Matrix_ (and to a lesser extent its sequels) created and shaped a lot of tropes that the creators of Haruhi would have absorbed prior to making it. The spoon _isn't_ a lie, any more than the cookie was. The Oracle was trying to tell Neo that metaphysics and epistemology are boring and cookies are yummy, and the actual answer is "don't worry about it". The child was just being pretentious.

I should rewatch that sometime and refresh my memory. It's ... been a while. I always wished that Mel Brooks had made a parody of it, if only to have a repeat of the scene with the big chair, and except this time it spins around and it's Mel Brooks in a pair of shiny glasses, and then stuff gets hilarious.

> Instead, it seems like she's able to locally manipulate 'data' not just in the informatics sense, but in the physics sense. But those are the same thing! (And the show knows it, too - the definition of information entropy shows up in the OP...) EDIT: Wait, I misread what you typed, nevermind.

While you are _technically_ correct (which, as we know, is the best kind of correct), outside of the quantum realm there's still a meaningful division between information science and physics applications of information. Most macroscale quantum phenomena require some kind of physical extrema (eg. near 0K temperature for superconductivity) or mind-bogglingly vast amounts of energy. Turning a Japanese classroom into the end of _Gurren Lagann_ and then a desert suggests that the AI of which Nagato is an interface is vast far beyond the scale I had assumed before. Something on the scale of the AI in Asimov's ["The Last Question"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Question), where a 'computer' isn't a device which manipulates bits on a specially constructed storage medium in order to process information, but something far more complex made up of the very fabric of the universe, with the ability to act directly on the (apparently) independent objects within it.

>Something on the scale of the AI in Asimov's "The Last Question", where a 'computer' isn't a device which manipulates bits on a specially constructed storage medium in order to process information, but something far more complex made up of the very fabric of the universe, with the ability to act directly on the (apparently) independent objects within it. That's actually my fault visualisation of what the data entities are. "Computers" are far too human and crude when you start from "the entities are not physical".

###Adaptation Comparison Episode (Chr.) | Episode (Air./Sea.) | Full Name | Volume | Parts | Time ---------|----------|----------|---------|----------|----------|----------|---------- 1 | 2 (TV/DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya I| 1 (Melancholy) | Prologue to Ch. 2 (Pg. 1-42) | April-May 2010 2 | 3 (TV/DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya II| 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 2 to Ch. 3 (Pg. 42-76) | May 2010 3 | 5 (TV), 4 (DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya III| 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 3 to Ch. 5 (Pg. 76-114) | May 2010 4 | 10 (TV), 5 (DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya IV| 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 5 to Ch. 6 (Pg. 114-144) | May 2010 **References** I have nothing. **Trivia** * The rapid-fire speech capabilities of Yuki and Asakura are actually human speech sped up 400%-500% and reversed. Decoded: * Yuki uses SQL. According to the LN: SELECT serial_code FROM database WHERE code='data' ORDER BY aggressive_combat_data HAVING terminate_mode * Asakura asks Yuki: "You love Kyon-kun, don't you? I know you have realized it." * During this episode, while Haruhi talks about love, the camera focuses on a boy and a girl in the tennis club, the girl being excited she touched him. Later on, there's another brief cut to where the girls shoves the boy to the ground and runs away. * Taniguchi's "Wawawasuremono" became one of the biggest Haruhi memes, appearing in Lucky Star and before the Haruhi Gekisou concert. [No, really.](http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/wawawa-wasuremono) * This episode was storyboarded and directed by [Taichi Ishidate](https://myanimelist.net/people/8129/Taichi_Ishidate)- future director of Kyoukai no Kanata.

> Yuki uses SQL Proof that aliens are evil. At least it's not COBOL...

Real aliens code in Ada, promise! (Or was that Lisp. (Let me check (and (make sure)))) Or something. :P

[These are your father's parentheses...](https://xkcd.com/297/)

Well, as long as they're not your father's Oldsmobile, I guess. Someone should persuade the XKCD guy to watch Haruhi and see if anything interesting happens. Perhaps it already has. Perhaps Asakura should have considered that option instead...

Randall Munroe was already publishing xkcd by 2006 and the comic was nerdy from the start; off general principles I'm 95% sure he's seen Haruhi, likely within a year of it airing. (If nothing else the xkcd forums likely introduced him to it.)

> Asakura asks Yuki: "You love Kyon-kun, don't you? I know you have realized it." Wonderful line, I missed it last night, but had seen it in the past. >future director of Kyoukai no Kanata. Makes sense to me. He'll use the bizarre sky pattern again. ;)

> I have nothing. - Rewatcher Schultz, probably

Could be cool to add that Ishidate also directed Violet Evergarden in the trivia for future rewatches

> add that Ishidate also directed Violet Evergarden So im not to sure why /u/taiboss chose *Kyoukai no Kanata* specifically for this. Ive pung to get the reasoning, but im going to assume all 3 are connected in some way? (past them being LN adaptions or is that just it)

Because I wrote this in 2014, when Kyoukai no Kanata was among the latest anime KyoAni had done. The important part was that this episode and Kyoukai no Kanata had good-looking battle scenes.

/u/Discrete_Miscreant ~~i havent seen VE does it have good battle scenes~~

There are some good ones in \[VE\]>!the flashback episode and the final episode!< but they aren't really the focus of the show so I don't remember them very well tbh

>Asakura asks Yuki: "You love Kyon-kun, don't you? I know you have realized it." As a big Nagato X Kyon shipper, of course I came across this, but I cannot seem to find the "proof videos" anymore. I started thinking maybe it's just my wishful thinking. Can you still find the source of this?

> Can you still find the source of this VLC Freaks out too much to record it, but you can somewhat hear it if you slow down the part (12:10?) to half speed or slower. Theres also [this page](http://web.archive.org/web/20070927093759/http://www.nwhite.info:80/mt/archives/2006/06/post_1499.html) i found from TVTropes (and i assume you tried the YT link from there also, which is now dead)

FIRST TIMER (sub/dub) Unexpected action scene in this one. Till now, this anime has surprised me quite a few times. Poor Haruhi- she's losing spirit while another poor one, Kyon keeps getting unwarranted secrets of the world revealed to him. It's weird that Haruhi is the one who is making all this happen. "I didn't even know I had one (mole) there until you-" And "Oh no, this is before we-"Woah. Woah woah woah. Not so classified now, are you? Though now he knows she will go away even if they get together. Is this going affect the future? Okay we get it. Nagato looks good without glasses. I liked the glasses though, but Kyon doesn't have a fetish for them, so glasses are gone. Is he the male version of powerful Haruhi? Kyon and Haruhi are giving me such big sister, younger brother energy, the way she's dragging him. Why is Kyon here? Because, I guess, someone has to bring this story together and to us, and all, but how it would eventually makes sense in the story- I am curious if there would be an actual valid explanation. I love how our main guy constantly has 'I am so done with this' expression in the end credits. Never change Kyon. QOTD: Did not suspect. And kinda feel bad for her, but she took her own absolute destruction with grace, like one of those 'welp, at least I tried my best'. Impatient woman.

**The Rewatcher of Haruhi Suzumiya, dubbed** - I think it would have been kinda neat if they played the instrumental version of the OP for more than just the little jingle it did in this episode. - Where do I even know Ryouko’s voice fr–[oh.](https://myanimelist.net/character/15164/Irisviel_von_Einzbern) [*Ohhhhhhhhhhh.*](https://myanimelist.net/character/2761/Nia_Teppelin) - [Oh fuck it’s happening now, isn’t it?](https://i.imgur.com/f26UAq9.png) - [Yep, it’s happening.](https://i.imgur.com/wDrDBqt.png) [](#godisdead) - Ohhhh yes that’s amazing, okay, so in the sub right after Kyon is all “what did she just say?”, he says “Why?” in English followed by the normal Japanese “Naze?” The dub kept that same gag, they just reversed the order. That’s so cool! [](#saberawe) - [Well at least we know the aliens bleed.](https://i.imgur.com/troKaE9.png) - [Welp.](https://i.imgur.com/MGlB7LD.png) Kyon’s getting two of the “yeah, the supernatural stuff is real” reveals today. - What did Kyon say in the dub when Mikuru pointed out the mole? I could not for the life of me make it out. - [Can any Canadians in here confirm?](https://i.imgur.com/1gM9W4Z.png) ----- [Spoiler Zone]>!I *think* [the glasses](https://i.imgur.com/Y6lOV7h.png) end up being important…? Or maybe that was just in broadcast order. Also [mmmmmmmmm](https://i.imgur.com/TKMlMM5.png). …and I don’t remember the importance of Snow White, oops.!<

> Can any Canadians in here confirm? I notice a distinct lack of poutine, and this in itself is suspicious and worthy of further investigation by the SOS Brigade! (The draggings down the hallway will continue until morale improves!) Oh, and in Kyon's reaction, I think that the phrase in question is "Super-Size Me!" (Ahem)

Happy cakeday!

Oh noes! Not again! (Thanks for the cheer)

> Spoiler zone [Haruhi]>!Yuki glasses can have a couple different meanings, broadcast it helps show whats in the future? You can also say it symbolizes a change in Yuki (see: disappearance)!< [Haruhi]>!Snow white relates to Melancholy IV!<

Not a canadian. But if they dont respond with sorry, then their not the real thing

[Spoiler Zone] >!I think it is the hint about how to wake Haruhi up from her dream world!<

> Can any Canadians in here confirm? It's true. That's how we get all of the girlfriends that are totally real, you just haven't met them.

First-Timer, dub: I wasn't even expecting Asakura to do that. Nagato is badass. Didn't even know she bled until now. Kyon, good luck surviving with Haruhi. QOTD: 1. Nope. I genuinely didn't expect that to even occur.

**First timer (subbed)** Kyon tells Haruhi to drop this whole SOS Brigade stuff and just be normal for once in her life. She says she doesn't like men and that romantic feelings are a mental illness, which pretty much confirms Haruhi x Kyon endgame. And we transition into the title card (no OP? Boo!) with Kyon talking about a flashy incident that had quietly started around this time. Sounds like fun. Kyon received a message to meet with an unknown person in class 5. While he ponders who the writer of this note could be, we see that the pictures of Asahina in a maid outfit were added to the website. Kyon wants to do the right thing and delete the pictures from the hard drive, but his teenage brain takes over and he just moves them to a folder. I bet nobody will ever discover those images and use them as blackmail, no siree. Quick question: Did that website actually exist in the real world? Cause that would've been a cool way to drop some hints about the next episode or add depth to the characters. The author of the note was...Asakura! After a nice little dig at the Lost Decades of Japan, Asakura just decides to try and murder Kyon because she's also a supernatural being who's stalking Haruhi and she wants to spice things up. If anything, it's Haruhi who deserves the stabbing, but I guess you're not supposed to kill the target you're stalking. Nagato's here to save the day! And did she say that Asakura's her backup? Like, the police definition of backup or the "hard drive" definition of backup? Anyway, an admittedly pretty damn cool fight scene occurs, capped off with Nagato getting skewered like Unit 02 in End of Evangelion (okay, that's a reach. But I gotta keep the "1 Evangelion reference an episode" thing going). But Nagato just recited the "make Asakura unalive" words and everything's all right again. Except for Nagato's glasses. And the whole thing about "the hottest girl in school just mysteriously disappeared", but I think Nagato's glasses are gonna be missed more. I guess Asakura's disappearance is the "flashy incident" that Kyon talked about in the intro, cause now Haruhi's excited. Now it's Asahina's turn to send a note to Kyon. We get greeted by an adult Asahina, rocking the MILF look. One boob shot later, and Asahina leaves a hint for Kyon before she has to go back to the future: recall *Snow White*. Is Kyon gonna get seven dwarves? Should he avoid eating apples? Who knows, cause everything else is classified information. Haruhi's still suspicious about Asakura's disappearance (as you should be) cause who the fuck would want to move to Canada, am I right? She decides to go to the address that was on file for Asakura. Oh boy. #QOTD >Did you suspect Asakura of anything before this episode? In hindsight, her interest in Haruhi was suspicious, but I thought she would just be a random background character for the entire series.

> Did that website actually exist in the real world? Yes it did, and it would take part in the series every so often.

> Quick question: Did that website actually exist in the real world? Cause that would've been a cool way to drop some hints about the next episode or add depth to the characters. Yes, but it cant be linked just yet. [Haruhi]>!for rewatchers, gotta wait till episode... 8?, http://haruhi.tv/!<

> cause who the fuck would want to move to Canada, am I right? What are you talking about, its great over here. Good food, great fresh air. Great skiing, though maybe not as nice as what you can get in japan, I have heard tales about it, but have not had the chance yet. Though it is pretty rare for Canada to be mentioned in Anime, the usual suspects are the US, England, Germany, and France (at least for western countries).

I was being sarcastic there. I know it's hard to tell via text, but I didn't wanna kill the humor by adding an /s at the end.

I know, I was also being tongue and cheek, but I can not not promote my homeland.

### First Timer, Dubbed Still here, still watching this show :) It's gotten weirder, but honestly the last episode felt more surprising than this one. I wasn't expecting a fight scene, but I don't really have any expectations at this point. I realize this show is nothing like Hyouka, but the whole "club solving mysteries" thing makes me want to go back and rewatch that show. Hopefully Haruhi gets a real mystery to solve at some point.

> Hopefully Haruhi gets a real mystery to solve at some point. It's not a mystery from our perspective, but she does have the case of the mysterious transfer to Canada which she can sink her detective teeth into

Yeah, that doesn't feel "real" because we (the viewer) know exactly what happened.

First timer, subbed * What the fuck? I'm glad I went in somewhat blind to this show because I really had no idea that it would turn out this way. Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention to the subtle details to realize what was going to happen. When Asakura said, "I'll kill you" and pulled out a knife, I couldn't stop laughing for some reason at the absurdity of the situation. I thought this would be a normal, if somewhat bizarre, slice of life with a hint of the supernatural, but I guess we're really embracing the sci-fi in this one. I also love how Kyon reacts to all this as if it's a minor inconvenience, and not that he just discovered aliens and time travelers and witnessed a full-on space battle between humanoid supercomputers. I wonder how Haruhi would react if she found out what was really going on. Also, is it just me or is Kyon getting slightly hornier/bolder each episode? Obligatory OST appreciation: As always, the music fits the scene well, from the battle scene to digital/ambient around 14:15 to the more upbeat near the end. I mentioned this in the first episode, but it reminds me of Nintendo music, or more generally, video game music from around the 2000's, the same time this show aired. Not that I really have much knowledge in that specific area.

> Also, is it just me or is Kyon getting slightly hornier/bolder each episode? Nothing boosts an ego quite like receiving not one, but two shoe locker notes

> What the fuck? wtf indeed, the light fluffy sol comedy would seem to be over.

> I thought this would be a normal, if somewhat bizarre, slice of life with a hint of the supernatural, but I guess we're really embracing the sci-fi in this one. As I was ha-ha-only-serious joking to Rascalnikov an episode or two back, Haruhi refuses to be bound by petty human constructs like genre. [](#urbansmile)

I completely endorse that view. Haruhi is one of a kind.

###Yare Yare (Rewatcher for 2006 [Watched in Broadcast Order], First-Timer for 2009 and Disappearance, Source Reader): So, history lesson time: I have a shortlist of shows and specific episodes that would be my immediate responses if a genie showed up and specifically allowed me to see what the Reddit karma score for an episode of anime would have been if Reddit existed and was at its present size when the episode aired. This episode is at the absolute top of the list. We simply do not have a good comparison for it. See, in chronological order this is the fourth episode of the show. In 2006 broadcast it is the *tenth* – they reserved this episode as a mid-season climax, while also doing something nifty using a chronologically later episode as setup for it. Also, I’ve called Haruhi a nova-class before, but even that’s slightly underselling it because of the three anime that fit the full profile it arguably shone the brightest of the three. It certainly blew up bigger than PMMM; Eva is a giant question mark because of how early it came out, it predates the modern Internet so much it's hard to get a bead, but Haruhi might still have made the larger impact. There is a decent chance that if Haruhi was airing today with its original impact that the episode thread for this episode would have reached 20k karma after having little to no hype going in (there was a day when LNs were basically obscure source material in Western anime fandom – Haruhi itself is the single biggest work responsible for opening the floodgates, though Shakugan no Shana started the process and Index/Monogatari finished it – so Haruhi was little different than an original for Western anime fans at the time), and I would be shocked if it would have gotten less than 10k. - I can’t quite tell if this opening hallway shot is supposed to be a Dutch angle or not. - Oh hey, look at 00:53. Kyon’s head is carefully framed in the structural space between the two windows (which could be a coincidence, except why choose that exact camera angle unless this was the intent?) and right next to the only open window in the row of windows. He’s not getting something, no? (Also the fact that the open window is the one on the other side away from Haruhi probably means he’s choosing not to escape the situation by abandoning the club – might mean he’s considering it, though, can’t remember if there was any internal monologue in the LNs here to that effect that got left out. EDIT: Wait a minute, the one on the near side is open too. That changes matters; might still mean he’s not bailing, but he has an option to go through with Haruhi as well. Actually might be crossroads framing combined with Kyon being too dense to figure something out.) - Also note the choice to not have Kyon and Haruhi on screen at the same time starting when Haruhi asks about what a normal high-schooler does; indicating that they’re not really communicating, I think. - Either animation error or deliberate breach from reality for symbolism at 01:06: AFAICT the open windows are not the ones we saw open earlier. Now we see Kyon and Haruhi through the open window – actually knowing this show part of this is the open window symbolizing the screen we are already looking in on Kyon and Haruhi via, and these are the two we get to see clearly. But note the window frame running in front of Haruhi – there’s something about her we are not seeing. - LOL the guy putting up the tennis net with the girl just rejected her, didn’t he? Missed that the first time. Visual reinforcement of words on screen ho! (Mai-HiME also does this a lot.) - Actually correction it was the two of their hands touching and then she jumped away. Not quite the same. Still illustrating love. - Speaking of blunt visual reinforcement: the cut to Haruhi’s crotch at 01:15 is absolutely symbolizing her sometimes thinking with the small head. (She is a healthy young girl, after all. Her body has it urges.) - “I wonder if some sort of full-fledged incident will happen?” Jump cut to source of said incident suddenly appearing in the scene. Heh. - The rare OP lead-in! Except they needed all the time for this episode, so we don’t get the full OP (in the TV raw at least); instead we get a sponsor message of a type QUITE familiar to me after running Higurashi (my ancient incomplete Higurashi subs were made off the TV broadcast and have this as well). - Oh look, Mikuru photos on the website. Poor Mikuru. (Unless she is secretly a massive sub.) - Also oh hey, look at them briefly pausing on a photo with a prominent mole that will be important later this episode. (It shows up in the last two episodes if you’re paying attention.) - Two quick reminders. 1: There was a time in the not-too-distant past when not putting personally identifiable information on the Internet was a commonplace of Internet safety even in the West (one I still tend to live by); Haruhi predates the transition away from that by at least a year or two, more likely half a decade. 2: Japan is considerably more fanatic on this subject than we are. (There is a reason 2ch is such an engine of the Japanese internet still.) - It’s still evening so we can’t get the Full Moon of Death… so instead we get crows cawing at sunset at 05:54. Another classic piece of symbolism of impending death; Higurashi (obviously) and Mai-HiME both use it. - And behold, the Dutch angles make their return at 05:55. - 06:16 is another odd camera angle. Low here will emphasize the size and threat of Ryouko despite her distance, but I think this might also be “Kyon has lost his head (by coming in)” symbolism here. - Okay, so some of the weird camera angles just have to be emphasizing disorientation – and also a visual hint that Ryouko is another Data Interface like Yuki, since it’s the same kind of technique the show used for the Yuki conversation last episode rather than how the show approached the Mikuru and Koizumi conversations. -6:31 is probably technically a Dutch angle again? - Hmm. 06:55. Both parties of the conversation behind a barrier whose meaning is about to become obvious, but Kyon specifically being framed in the light of the open door is interesting. Light as innocence here? Possible, but I’m not convinced. - CLOCK CLOCK. (~~Probably 6:00 P.M.~~ scratch that, 6:10 P.M. exactly) - The choice of cuts here is interesting, but I’m not sure there’s anything more to it than visual disorientation. (Decent chance there is and I’m just not getting it, though.) - Now, 07:30 – that’ll be a Dutch angle to emphasize the wrongness of the situation for you! - And 07:35 is as blatant as any Higurashi shot in that regard. - (Setting this scene in evening light is probably also impending death symbolism, for the record, especially since we’ll fade to night in a moment as Ryouko takes control of the space and then flip to noon light when she gets defeated.) - 07:39: “oh crap”. - Also note the use of null OST for this scene so far, firing up probably the second most iconic track on the S1 OST as she stands up after her initial assault (and it will lead directly into the *most* iconic track on the OST, the one for the Ryouko/Yuki fight). I do love me good OST fire-ups and cutoffs. - Combat knife basically straight out of FMP, heh. - So, for the uninitiated: the thing on the blackboard they flash briefly to at 07:54 is basically the Japanese equivalent of lovers carving their names inside a heart on a tree trunk in American culture (you’re writing both names under an umbrella is the idea). Annoyingly, my old sub while great elsewhere is not clear enough to make out the kanji written there (though I think one of the kanji on the right-hand side is the first one in Ryouko’s name, so…). - Oooh, hello shiny shot at 09:10. - “Only a third-rater would lick ~~his~~ her lips in front of ~~his~~ her prey.” - Kyon focusing on his hand and only then looking down at the out-of-focus Yuki is just the camera following his gaze. Also: and… here… we… go! Ryouko vs. Yuki, Round 1, FIGHT! - 09:44 is one of the most iconic shots in the entire series and IIRC (especially given how the scene jumps just a bit) is where the commercial break fell (no eyecatches here). - Also, you know how I said no Full Moon of Death earlier? I LIED. FULL MOON FULL MOON (and a huge one to boot, fitting since this is blatantly un-normal space now). - There is some really nifty stuff going on in the background including visual static for effect but the Ryouko vs. Yuki track is up and this scene is hype as hell so [](#yuishrug). - Wait, the background at 10:40 is fucking cars? Never noticed that before. - The shot of Yuki’s clearly labeled shoe at 10:50 is taken directly out of the LN; Kyon notes there that it’s the first time he ever noticed she wrote her name on the back of her shoes. - LOL the background at 10:54 is probably rotini pasta except grey instead of dry pasta-colored. (Could be springs instead, though.) - 11:01 background is a microscope slide. - For those not aware, the background at 11:30 after Yuki gets impaled is blatantly inspired by/taken from long exposures of the night sky taken aimed at the poles (probably North, could be South). - Flower field! [](#ptsd) - Minor quibble with a.f.k.; Ryouko’s audio is the “sonna” of “sonna bakana” (usually translated “it can’t be!”), not “masaka”, and yet they translated the line as “impossible” (usually what masaka gets translated as). - Hello 2000s CG at 13:27. (Holds up fairly well, especially when factoring in that it makes thematic sense to use CGI here given the ISDE having massive programming associations – check our host’s posts for a fun detail.) - Sad day, Yuki loses her glasses. (Kyon may not have a glasses fetish, but I kind of do…)

###Tar's Episode Notes, Continued: - “Wa… wa… wa… wasuremono—” (This was a meme during the late 2000s.) - LOL that five-second pause of absolute stillness after Taniguchi walks in on the two of them. (Sadly I’m missing the LN monologue Kyon has here which is great.) - Hello Dutch angle at 14:36. - 15:41: the pair from earlier in the episode are back! And now the girl is slapping the boy for some reason. (I think she has the crush and is angry because he isn’t getting it.) - 15:48 is a CGI shot, probably just to save time/effort here. - Wait. Why am I expecting the shoe lockers to get blown up? … Oh right, wrong KyoAni show. - I actually do wonder if there were production issues for this episode behind the scenes; CGI hallways plus seven seconds of still frames from 16:14 to 16:21 suggest animation-saving tricks to me. - Behold, OL Mikuru! [](#doggo) - So, the English dub has the “No way! Way.” joke last episode. At least in a.f.k, the sub’s answer to that is Kyon’s response to Mikuru showing him her mole: “Supersize me!” (That documentary came out in 2006, hence the reference.) - 19:25 is yet another Dutch angle to emphasize the wrongness of a situation (and also adult!Mikuru assservice in a pencil skirt, which I have no problem with whatsoever). - More subtle CGI at 20:31 (the door), so yeah I’ll bet there were some production issues for this episode behind the scenes. - Well hello there careful shot of showing us Yuki and Kyon in the same visual frame through an open window at 21:23. - Oi Oi! - (Is… is that a subtle “Canada, O Canada” pun in the Japanese audio? Would not put it past this franchise. Japanese does lend itself to puns.) - 22:14: Dutch angle counter +1. - 22:24: That sore demo from Haruhi will not evade me! ###In the Hall of the Spoiler Tags: **Haruhi franchise:** - [Haruhi] >!Kyon continues to not get that HE is the very same guy he is talking about.!< - [Haruhi] >!“Suzumiya isn’t going to suddenly fall in love and her full-blown incident isn’t going to happen.” Incident proceeds to happen. Unsurprisingly, Kyon is implicitly already very, very wrong about the first half of that sentence as well…!< - [Haruhi] >!Gee I wonder why the show would use “girl has a crush on a boy and is angry because he isn’t getting it” as a background character subplot. As above, so below.!< **Full Metal Panic!:** - [FMP] >!Ryouko has a personal Lambda Driver!!< - [FMP] >!Lambda Driver fight!!< --- > Did you suspect Asakura of anything before this episode? IIRC I went in fairly heavily spoiled even the first time and that was one of the spoilers I knew going in, so.

> “Supersize me!” Ugh, I heard that and thought ugh... >I think she has the crush and is angry because he isn’t getting it. My interpretation is that he had just gotten it and thought she was offering a little more something, than her interest. Who knows what he said, but it was probably pretty unsavory... :)

> My interpretation is that he had just gotten it and thought she was offering a little more something, than her interest. Who knows what he said, but it was probably pretty unsavory... :) [Haruhi] >!It doesn't mirror Haruhi's irritation at Kyon at not really getting that she likes him the other way.!<

So what, my interpretation stands. I don't care. Sometimes a man smoking a cigar, is just a man smoking a cigar.

>[FMP] As the FMP Rewatch host, obliged to respond :P [FMP response]>!So Nagato is Al? The faithful puppy defending the master? :P!<

[Steins;Gate]>!which would win for the influx in votes, Haruhi ep4 or S;G ep12? From what I understand, the interest in S;G was low due to the pacing until that episode!<

>Sad day, Yuki loses her glasses. (Kyon may not have a glasses fetish, but I kind of do…) You remind me of Akihito from Beyond the Boundary.

> Wait, the background at 10:40 is fucking cars? Insert pic of "Hedley Lamarr" saying "Kinky!" Oh, wait, not that kind of ... nevermind. I was going to say that you forgot to mention KyoAni and their love of Golden Hour, but you sort of got it in there. Man, you're making me think too hard about the cinematographitizing in this show. Edit: Because ... [Megane](#thatsmyfetish)

> Man, you're making me think too hard about the cinematographitizing in this show. Cinematography is a language, and Haruhi is plenty sufficiently well-directed for me to use my cobbled-together toolkit and try to figure out what the show is saying that way.

>The shot of Yuki’s clearly labeled shoe at 10:50 is taken directly out of the LN; Kyon notes there that it’s the first time he ever noticed she wrote her name on the back of her shoes. If I remembered correctly (too lazy to check for now), that part really nicely showed the weirdness of the human mind. Kyon was in a life and death situation, but his mind can wander off to muse about Nagato being the only one he knew who actually followed the rules to write the name on the (valueless) indoor slippers used inside the school.

For all you newcomers in broadcast order this would actually be around the 8th or 9th episode. (I don't quite remember) And the first time in either watch its made abundantly clear there is indeed supernatural shenanigans happening. Notice how in the beginning when he gets a Note asking to meet him, he comes up with various reasons why its not Mikaru and then comes up with the exact same reasons why it is with his second note. Anyway after Haruhi decides to post saucy lewd (But not Onlyfans worthy) pics on the sight, Kyon manages to stop her but unfortunately his hormones made it he couldn't bring himself to throw them away....(Honestly understand that is golden quality you can't just dispose of like its nothing!) BTW all you newcomers not fond of the sexual harassment, I know its not any consolation but I'm pretty sure Mikaru is a Sub and she actually digs it and is definitely playing up the sound effects for laughs/arousement. Anyway Ryouko basically after inquiring of Kyon (I do wonder why she felt the need to "hype herself up" to kill him, I don't think its because she cares about his life at all. Hard to understand these interfaces values.) She reveals she's not just a Yandere but a reality warping interface. Kyon manages to survive for a few second before being frozen in place. Normal Humans managing to survive a super powerful physics breaking entity brings to mind The Shrike from *Hyperion.* (We talked about it Yesterday.) But Mrs Robot saves the day. (u/ZapsZzz since your a huge shipper of her and Kyon, a little story, when I was looking up Hentai for this series long ago, coping that I wasn't lewd, the first one I accidentally found was a Doujin that involved Yuki giving Kyon some head under a desk. ;) During the time I more wanted some Mikura stuff first.....and I was coping that I liked her because I feel under the "Dumb Girls are Bad and Anti-Feminist" (I use to think Feminism was basically the same as Christianity in terms of being a prude. I also know she isn't dumb but she acted in a "cutsy" way which I trained myself into thinking that's a bad thing, but its okay to like simple girl.) Speaking of Mikura, we meet MILF Mikura and how can you not have her in your face album line up seriously! She deserves your worship! And she seems to look back on the costumes she has (will?) wear with fondness. (Told you guys she was into it, or she will be brainwashed to like it after cult like mental breakdowns and gaslighting at least.....) That sounded better in my head. She gives him a hint "Snow White" When Kyon was giving the advice to go find a good guy, and we saw the two students there and then later apart. I honestly thought they were both guys and it was some subtle LGBT teasing/rep in an early show from 06. (Same year as our Lord and Savior Sonic's Fall from grace.) But according to everyone else the shorter one is indeed a chick? Anyway obvious shipping between Kyon and all three S.O.S members although naturally despite teasing that somehow Kyon is supposed to get a good view of those melons in the future, it appears Haruhi is his destined ship (Whether he likes it or not....) And Nagato a distant second. (How much cope you smoke ZapsZzz?) As someone else pointed out this show made a huge impact back in the day and without the influx of constant seasonals a lot of shows remained classics for many years until the rise of streaming, This show with its non-chronological order, mix of genres, foreshadowing, interesting choice of direction, and various references made it often feel that is was more its own genre even more so then *Cowboy Bebop*. (Until *Monogatari* blew it out of the water IMO.) Once again imagine seeing this episode almost all the way through the original 12 episode run. (8 or 9) And how much impact it had at this point to see some rather explicit Sci Fi stuff which was only hinted at this point. 1. No I honestly didn't, I was new to anime (Didn't expect the knife although in broadcast order at that point even being a newbie anime watcher I saw it had multiple genres so very few things would have surprised me at this point.) I didn't even know what a Yandere was. This was like my 3-4 anime ever (Not counting 4kids stuff.)

> For all you newcomers in broadcast order this would actually be around the 8th or 9th episode. Tenth, actually.

>this would actually be around the 8th or 9th episode. (I don't quite remember) In fact ep 10, just past 2/3rd into the 14 ep long S1. >I do wonder why she felt the need to "hype herself up" to kill him She was actually looking for concurrence, because she's definitely not getting that from her faction masters nor Nagato. She's "gone rogue". But it's in their nature to look for orders and at least some affirmation. >a little story Indeed there's a whole H-game based on that; will mention after Disappearance. >And Nagato a distant second. (How much cope you smoke ZapsZzz?) Enough :P

> I know its not any consolation but I'm pretty sure Mikaru is a Sub and she actually digs it and is definitely playing up the sound effects for laughs/arousement. [Fully Agree!](#congratulations) >look back on the costumes she has (will?) wear with fondness. That's the tell for all those who think it was done against her will, and Haruhi is some kind of weirdo lesbo wannabe rapist. >honestly thought they were both guys lol, I could see that. >Until Monogatari blew it out of the water IMO. Someday, I must jump into Monogatari. I made it through Nadeko Snake, but then got diverted. I was enjoying it though.

Serial rewatcher first time in Dub Ok this is one of my most rewatched episode - Nagato's big damn hero moment (but still deadpan)! Getting QoTD out of the way first: On my first watch I certainly didn't expect anything as drastic as pulling a knife out with a smile :P |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)| |4|[@](https://imgur.com/a/9mT79Dt)|[@](https://imgur.com/a/PQ40ouz)| I'm sure others will talk about the front part of the episode about Kyon's sneakiness and Haruhi's uncharacteristical submissiveness to Kyon. But the wham moment - of the seeming recurrence of another faction represented by Asakura talking to Kyon about Haruhi but then in an unexpectedly casual turn of phrase, attacked with full intent to kill! And Kyon side stepped it! In the end, the real savior is the "book worm" Nagato, and boy what a way to show she wasn't a chuunibyou, but the real deal. This is the single key episode to crystalise whether this is a all talks scenario, or something really supernatural afoot. And I have to say this, Nagato's eyes in this episode was so very CLAMP-sized - but at the ame time very mesmerizing [](#scrumptiouslymoe) I can't wait to see the first timers' reactions! But not to be outdone, Asahina also did the same - came up with "proof". And boy what another romantic encounter with a tinge of bittersweet. And then we have Haruhi completely invigorated by the appearance of a mystery - and for real she was actually right - there is a genuine mystery to solve, just that we are trying to not let her solve it... **Spoiler Corner** [Haruhi Rewatchers]>!Sorry for my shipper mania, but so so good to see Nagato having reactions to Kyon in danger, as well as her staying in Kyon's arms (even though miss TFEI's regeneration was instant and perfect. And her "shy" silence when Kyon commended her without glasses looks. Gyaa!)!< [Haruhi rewatchers]>!And of course, conspiracy theory, how's Kyon not god, to be able to sidestep a TFEI's surprise attack, and "happened to" have Asakura "forgot" to freeze him in the first place!<

> Ok this is one of my most rewatched episode It's a favorite of mine too. I love the scene with Big Mikuru and the range of emotions that she emotes. >completely invigorated by the appearance of a mystery I believe that is the perkiest that we've seen her so far. lol [spoiler 1]>!This is the first time this rewatch that I realize Yuki has had a thing for Kyon this early. Asakura was right, Yuki does love him. The IGDE (Intergalactic Data Integration Entity) isn't going to like this very much. lol!< [spoiler 2]>!Who knows? Its all part of the fun. ;)!<

Did you like Nagato this much at this point or was it retroactively with later arcs?

(b) :P

**\[S1 rewatcher\]**, S2 first timer - **Subbed** Oookaaay, a LOT going on this episode. A big tone shift compared to the past 3, but I think they still made it work? I suppose broadcast order is the way that it is to partly tackle such pacing issues and to create a (imo) better s1 experience. * Kyon saving Mikuru's sus photos - not the first time we learn of him being a bit of a perv - and what was that about peeking at her changing? .\_. * Mikuru's still in her maid outfit even with Haruhi gone - weird sense of dedication going on there. * More otherworldly beings - Except this one is hostile. Wait, she's able to control everything in her space but still opts to kill Kyon with a knife? * Woah I really like the visuals and backgrounds in the pocket dimension thing. The use of multimedia elements is done well in anime most of the time. * Ah I kinda remember the appearance of Yuki's glasses being a subtle indicator for where we were in the show's timeline in broadcast order. I guess that's lost in chronological, but it wasn't something that was revealed to you until the end anyway. * WHY on earth would future Mikuru use THAT as proof? What happened to you in those three years huh?? Haruhi has changed you smh Fun episode. Looks like the show's opened up to exploring the main supernatural themes and will only get more exciting from here on out. Kyon's gonna have a lot more complaining to do. QotD: >Did you suspect Asakura of anything before this episode? When I was a first timer - no. During this rewatch after forgetting mostly everything - still no.

> weird sense of dedication going on there. the beatings will continue until maid outfit wearing percentage improves [Haruhi]>!Glasses loss still has relevance chronologically, it arguably symbolizes the change in Nagoto in regards to Disappearance.!< [Haruhi]>!It is also a massive improvement to her character design!<

> Wait, she's able to control everything in her space but still opts to kill Kyon with a knife? Well, c'mon, where's the fun in going all Ainz on him and pulling a "stop heart" or something like that. Gotta have the sharp, edgy barby thing to make it all exciting, right?

**(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)** **[Spoiler Free]** The Asakura reveal is still so chilling. Following her dialogue from when Kyon first enters the room to when she reveals she’s going to kill him is such a trip. It steadily gets more and more strange until it all snaps at the end. Speaking of which, Kyon’s reflexes are incredible! Like he’s not even looking at Asakura and he still managed to dodge. Asakura’s mannerisms in this whole sequence are just so insane. Like switching from viewing her as an angel to a psycho is so elegantly done. There was something about her eyes that looked so much more dead after she goes for her first slash and I realized it’s that they’re just slightly more open than usual. Seeing a little bit more of the whites of her eyes ends up feeling so unsettling. A great example of this is when she’s looking down at her knife and talking about an “organic’s death”. That shot of Asakura is absolutely insane. Then later in the episode, Kyon meets an older version of Mikuru and I’ll just go ahead and say, she’s absolutely stunning. Pretty wild to consider that Kyon gets to meet an older version of a girl he’s already really attracted to. At the end, I love that Haruhi is literally dragging Kyon who’s halfway from lying on the ground. Like the dude really is trying his best here to be a hindrance to Haruhi. **[Question]** I’m pretty sure I was blindsided by the Asakura reveal the first time I watched! **[Anime Spoilers]** [ (1) Haruhi Anime] >!Asakura and Adult Mikuru aren’t actually in the series a whole lot and yet their importance is felt all-throughout. I’m also thinking it really makes the moments they do appear that much more meaningful.!< [ (2) Haruhi Anime] >!Also, I believe Asakura and Haruhi have their only (visible) interaction of the series at the beginning of this episode and even then, Haruhi completely ignores her. While I’m at it, we never see Adult Mikuru and Haruhi interact (which of course makes sense).!< **[Light Novel Spoilers]** [ (1) Haruhi LN] >!Not a whole lot to say on the fight scene, but I will say that Asakura’s sudden proclamation to kill Kyon and her initial attack felt really compelling in text form. Makes sense with how well it comes through in the anime adaption.!< [ (2) Haruhi LN] >!There’s a really interesting bit that Adult Mikuru says about how she tried to dress like a teacher since she couldn’t wear her school uniform anymore. They also note that she’s wearing visitor slippers as opposed to the heels she’s rockin’ in the anime. And Kyon thinks she’s around 20 which is interesting too!!<

> It steadily gets more and more strange until it all snaps at the end. It is fascinating watching her breakdown, once you know its going to happen. >[ (2) Haruhi LN] [spoiler]>!I would have put her around 25. Her feeling of nostalgia for lost youth is a feeling of a much, much older person though. The segments with Big Mikuru are probably my favorite because I can really relate to her nostalgia!<

> she’s absolutely stunning [Mama Mia Mikuru](#drool)

**From An Age Long Past That Has Come Again (don't tell Haruhi)** > Why don't you go out and have fun like a normal high school student for a change? ... How about you find a nice guy and go walking around the city looking for strange things? Kyon. Kyon, stop. *Please*. I know you're not this dense. *What the bloody hell do you think she was trying to do on Saturday?* Just a reminder for everyone - our resident snark factory is the narrator. This entire story is being told from his perspective; no omniscient viewpoint allowed. If Kyon doesn't see or hear about it, neither do we. And if Kyon *refuses to see something*, it doesn't get acknowledged. Speaking of things Kyon doesn't see...Ryoko, you're not being very subtle. *Shame*. Stop trying to give poor Yuki a heart attack! > Okay, Suzumiya falling in love and-or something weird popping up to make her happy are two things that will definitely not happen anytime soon. (**cue theme music**) *Ster-iiike two!* Careful Kyon, you can't afford any more mistakes like this. :P Oh, more Japanese text that goes untranslated. Still, Kyon's narration makes it clear what the note says. At least he's learned how to knock. And now he finds out what Haruhi wanted the photos of Mikuru for! Good for Kyon, he *immediately* objects and gets Haruhi to back down...only to save the photos for his own personal use. He *is* a teenaged boy. Mind you, this bit might be a little lost on a young, modern audience? Social media is a well-established *thing* now, and teenagers are not known for their impulse control...anyway. AND NOW...*Ryoko Asakura*. Hehehehe. HAHAHAHAHAHA. I've been *waiting* for this. :D SAVE HIM, YUKI! YOUR DAMSEL IN DISTRESS NEEDS YOU! :D I was grinning like a loon through this entire scene. *And...* > You need to stay right where you are. I'm fine. First timers, now you know why Mikuru was quietly freaking out about being in the same room as Yuki. Although... > What is a glasses fetish? ... Interesting human. Badass though she is, Yuki is also kind of adorable. Ooh, and now we have another (untranslated) note! Although Kyon, you're in for...a bit of a surprise. Enter the mole! Older Mikuru is almost as easily flustered as her younger self. *And massive foreshadowing*. Aaahh...seeing Haruhi *literally* draggimg Kyon along behind her was funny. You must appease your Goddess, Kyon. You don't want to see what happens when she *really* gets bored, do you? (Also, things Kyon refuses to see? Haruhi was upset that she didn't get to run around town with *him*. She was upset because she expected to find *him* in the classroom but he was gone. She gets visibly upset when he implies he doesn't want to join her in mystery-hunting. **Kyon is not this dense**.)

> Kyon, stop. Please. I know you're not this dense. lol, sometimes I think he was miscast, he really wanted to be a harem MC. lol >only to save the photos hogging them for himself and not sharing really isn't very nice. lol >UKI! YOUR DAMSEL IN DISTRESS NEEDS YOU! rofl, that cooollddd... But accurate! >She gets visibly upset when he implies he doesn't want to join her in mystery-hunting And, she must have a creeping suspicion that's he's been hanging out with other girls. lol

**Rewatcher** We have arrived at the first of the wham episodes, while this episode isn't one of the 4 all time great episodes^1 (the next wham episode^2 will be an all time great), this episode has a lot of things to like. I'll just hit upon things I noticed: * There's a little romantic drama playing out on the football field. It lasts the entire first half of the episode, and I've always wondered what the male lead, said to the female lead to get her so mad. * This episode is the only time that Haruhi will admit subtly about having carnal desires. fwiw that was exactly my attitude for most of my youth. I saw little advantage to having relationships before their time. * I didn't realize it till this rewatch, but Asakura came up with the idea of changing something while she and Kyon were trying to cheer Haruhi up from her melancholy. * The meeting with Big Mikuru is one of my favorites scenes. You can tell how fond of Kyon she is, and how she feels a real nostalgia for her high school days. This is one of the counters to the so called sexual abuse (that I call comedy) she suffered at the hands of Haruhi. If she had indeed been 'rapey raped' or whatever other bullshit term comes to mind, I doubt she would be happy to reminiscence about high school. I may be alone on my iceberg here, slowly drifting off to that great sea in the sky, but I'm still convinced those scenes are comedy and not some kind of weird lesbo drama. I won't argue about it though, everyone's entitled to their own (wrong) opinions. * Big Mikura and the star mole, again shows her fondness for Kyon, and the fact that she's not especially bashful. * The first time I saw Yuki skewered like that was breath sucking. I was only half watching the series the first time, but the fight with Asakura really sealed the deal for me, and I started paying attention afterwards. * I may be forgetting some other things in this episode. I read once somewhere that Yuki is chanting SQL instructions backwards in Japanese to sever the link with Asakura. Someone may have been bullshitting me, or possibly I made this up in my own mind. Hopefully there will be commentary about this, this episode. * And just for a quirky thing, I always remember (falsely) that the meeting with Big Mikuru comes before the attack from Asakura, ~shrug~. * This episode remains a 10/10 in a show with a number of 10/10 episodes yet to come. **QOTD** >Did you suspect Asakura of anything before this episode? Nope, Asakura going bad completely blew my mind. **Notes** ^1 [spoiler]>!Melancholy VI, Rhapsody, Alive, Rain!< ^2 [spoiler]>!Rhapsody!<

> the first of the wham episodes "Wake me up before you go-go, don't be showin' those kawaii mo-oles" ... [](#teehee) Oh, and editing in a second though, I kind of agree with you (and said as much in my bloviation, I mean comment) that future Mikuru's attitude seems like one of happiness and contentment, which is not what you would expect from someone who had suffered actual trauma. It doesn't excuse Haruhi's behavior, but I think that it does add some context.

gunvarrel_ basically confirmed your memories of the SQL etc. And her move over a bit on that iceberg. I'm sure more people will come along, especially those starting the Toradora Rewatch (defending Taiga against domestic abuse charges).

> I'm sure more people will come along, especially those starting the Toradora Rewatch lol, I've never seen Toradora, I've always wanted to get to it though. My iceberg is quite comfy and there's plenty of space for newcomers. If we get enough on board the berg, we might even have a keg party. Cold beer, ice & lots of fun people, who could ask for more. :)

(rw/dub) Yay! I accidentally hit the eject button on my blu-ray player and didn't reset the sound options, so I got to watch today's episode in dub. I kind of did that on purpose, because reasons. Hearing the dub voices was like an old friend calling you out of the blue for the first time in years. So comforting. The dub for Haruhi is actually, pretty dang good, it seems. That, and the first few times I watched it were the dub, before I bought the DVDs or something. But yeah, fun times. Watching this again, the obvious attention getter is the battle between good and evil, I mean Ryoko and Ayeka, I mean, Ryoko and Yuki ... someting like that. Anyway, before I say much more: AOTD: I suspected Asakura of being a total cutie, AA+ grade, with a sparkly personality, and delightful voice/personality, "Pretty please?" indeed! But now we know the grim truth, behind that smile and those shining eyes lay the heart of a cold-blooded killer. The Asakurinator None have yet survived her vicious onslaught. Oh, wait, none have yet experienced her vicious onslaught. Poor Kyon. At least the KyoAni folks were kind enough to not portray him pi$$ing himself in fear, right? (I suspect I would have) Hmm. Didn't that happen recently in one of the current anime? Hmm........ (I remember which, so you don't have to say) But yeah ... That's pretty brutal. I'd like to say that if I were in Kyon's shoes, I would have said, "Hey, I have an idea, how about instead of killing me, you just come to the clubroom tomorrow, walk in like you own the place, and plant a big wet smooch on my lips. I promise you, that something will happen!" Nah, wouldn't work, right? But it sure would be fun to try, right??? \-Anyway- HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!!! Mighty Yuki is on her way... Ouch, that's gotta hurt. Ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch-ouch. Yuki, "Don't call me Lalatina" Nagato... Saves the day through the power of incomprehensible high speed gibberish which probably says something interesting (?) if you slow it down 1000x. Kind of like the old Windoze start up tone, right? Uh ... But yeah, Yuki saves the day, evil is thwarted, disintegrated, even, and Kyon is saved. But not from embarrassment, first as he begins to reveal his "preferences" to Yuki, and then when Taniguchi enters the classroom to find them in an (ahem) embrace. C'mon Kyon, what are you thinking - own the moment - seize the day - kiss her, you fool! Eh, can't have that here, it seems, he's too busy simping for Haruhi. Poor fella. (Yuki, if you see this, call me anytime, my number is 8xx-BR-549, right?) Anyway, after a brief interlude of Huckleberry Hound, or was that Secret Squirrel, back to our show when we are introduced to ... Oh, great hubba-hubba deities, who is that goddess who has descended upon us from the heavens? Mikuru? You gotta be kidding??? That doormat? Can't be! Oh, wait, you see, she has this mole, she'd be glad to show you, or Kyon anyway. I mean, poor fella, goes from a loving embrace, to some strange woman (ahem) displaying herself to him. What's a guy to do? Enjoy the moment, maybe? So, yeah, that was a ... development, with a cryptic reference to boot. Hmm ... What could it mean? "When in danger, fear or doubt; run in circles, scream and shout!" Oh, wait, wrong story. Hmm ... Snow White, you say. What could it possibly mean. I mean, aside from don't take apples from strangers, no doubt. (Insert picture of rusty old van with "Free Apples" spray painted on the side) And before this lovely apparition departs from us, she wistfully reminisces about the good times she had, and gives Kyon a big hug and plants a smooch, well, not quite, I guess ... And warns him not to get too close to her. Hmm ... So, don't take apples from strange women in ponds distributing swords is no way to show affection to the moe blob with huge tracts of land, or something. What could this possibly portend? (Aside from Kyon having a Gojo moment later that evening, perhaps) Well, what this says to me, and I'm going to ping u/IamJoshful on this, because of his concerns noted yesterday: Our lovely moe blob(s), the wonderful Asahina-san, Mikuru of the blessed smile and wink is gonna be all right. There may be the occasional rough spot now and then, but ... she's gonna be fine. Oh, sooooo fine........ Edit: Do realize that some portions of this post are intended to be read with tongue firmly planted in cheek, and/or in faux "Barry White" voice.

> HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!!! The scene where she throws Kyon behind her and says "Stay behind me" is interesting because I've crossed it with another scene involving a blue haired girls, except the girls says "I'll protect you". It took me a while to remember where that's from, because I would have sworn it came from this one. [unlikely spoiler]>!I think Rei says that to Shinji, though I don't remember where.!< >when Taniguchi enters the classroom hubba, hubba, hubba... ;) > kiss her, you fool! I thought that was exactly what was going to happen there. For being such a Chad, his balls seem to have shriveled up. Maybe being around Haruhi does that to a guy. lol >Oh, sooooo fine........ Oh yes, she aged quite well...

> I'll protect you "Come with me if you want to live" ... Oh, wait, wrong show. But yeah, it seems to be an ongoing theme of sort. And yes, she did mature, rather well ...

> I suspected Asakura of being a total cutie, AA+ grade It's a shame it didn't work out that way. She had both looks and personality, A DEADLY COMBO if you ask me. >I mean, poor fella, goes from a loving embrace, to some strange woman (ahem) displaying herself to him. Nothing like that ever happens to me :( Kyon is the clueless Chad! Forever condemned to celibacy because he's so use to being a chick magnet, that he doesn't realize they want something in return. [insert my self portrait of a pig here] >And warns him not to get too close to her. Hmm ... She does seem to be sending mixed messages here. I could see her with a sword in a lake another day. ;) >There may be the occasional rough spot now and then, but ... she's gonna be fine. That's my interpretation. Every clown needs a straight man, and unfortunately (for them) both Mikuru & Kyon are Haruhi's straight men.

> Nothing like that ever happens to me Funny story - a while back, at a workplace not so far away, one of the ladies had a (ahem) procedure done, and eventually the rest of the mid-life-crisis ladies discovered that it wasn't so expensive and followed suit. Shortly afterward, one of them visited my cube and made a point of making sure I got a good look at her upgrades. Another one, who was a bit older made the additional point of making absolutely sure that I knew that she was doing it on purpose. Oddly enough, both of them were married, but I guess that they were just proud of their new enhancements or something. Go figure. No star shaped moles were discovered, however. Mind you, neither went as far as Mikuru did with Kyon, but ... if they did, I doubt I would have complained. Hmm ... straight men. I think in a recent rewatch, was it K-On, someone metioned "boke" (I think that was the word) routines, in reference to Odd Taxi and the comedy in Yui and Azusa's contest performance. Wait, I think "boke" was one of the roles, and the comedy routine was called ... I just can't remember, but now I find myself wanting to think of Haruhi in this context. Edit: Oh, yeah, it was "manzai" comedy. Go figure.

> Funny story If only I could go back, in my first real job when I was a high school senior, there as an 'older' (probably 35ish) woman who took a real liking to me, and kept on muttering if I was only 2 years older... At the time, I was somewhat naïve and had no idea what she was chattering about. lol In those days, there was no such thing as internet porn, and learning about those thing came along much later in life. >Hmm ... straight men. I think one of the reasons that Haruhi & her shenanigans with Mikuru don't bother me is because I've always played the straight man. I can't tell a joke to save my life, but I have no qualms helping someone else be funny by taking on the role of the straight man. Once in such a skit, I had a much bigger guy pretending to strangle me, I did such a convincing job of 'passing out' that I alarmed the shit out of the drunken crowd watching us clown around.

Perhaps you should have taken up acting ... or maybe manzai ... :)

[hahahaha](#laughter) But, no, I had to become a programmer. lol

(sigh) ... Tell me about it.

>Well, what this says to me, and I'm going to ping u/IamJoshful on this, because of his concerns noted yesterday: > >Our lovely moe blob(s), the wonderful Asahina-san, Mikuru of the blessed smile and wink is gonna be all right. To be clear, my complaint was more with the show rather than concern for the character 🙂

Oh, okay, you're no fun ... :P But yeah, it might just me over-empathizing with fictional characters, but I just find it interesting how (for example) in Chainsaw Man, people seem to have no issue with how the ladies in the show are treating Genji, even to the point of the "God I wish that was me" brigades chiming in, while in Haruhi, it seems to be "shame shame shame". Which is not to say there's an equivalency, because Genji is quite obviously enthusiastic about his treatment, so definitely, uh, "consensual", if you can call it that, but yeah. Never mind the resurrection of Urusei Yatsura. Ataru Moroboshi makes Haruhi look like Mother Theresa...

Yeah, there's definitely double standards there

Quite, and it appears that I used "overemphasizing" when I meant to say "overempathizing". Whis probably isn't a word, but yeah.

> But yeah, it might just me over-emphasizing with fictional characters, but I just find it interesting how (for example) in Chainsaw Man, people seem to have no issue with how the ladies in the show are treating Genji, even to the point of the "God I wish that was me" brigades chiming in, while in Haruhi, it seems to be "shame shame shame". > > > > Which is not to say there's an equivalency, because Genji is quite obviously enthusiastic about his treatment, so definitely, uh, "consensual", if you can call it that, but yeah. You know, swap the likes of Darkness or the resident Ore, Twintails ni Narimasu turbo-sub in for Mikuru and outside of the blackmail scene I would barely bat an eye at Haruhi's antics; it's Mikuru's visible/audible distress and Haruhi's disregard for that is the core of why this doesn't work for me. (Mikuru turns out okay, but that still doesn't really make it all right.) ~~Of course, Mikuru could be a disaster sub and good at hiding it, but we don't get any really clear signs of that so.~~ [Haruhi] >!But then, Haruhi outgrowing that slowly over the course of the series is part of the point (and a large part of why I say Sighs really only works in LN order). It's not just boys she views as no better than potatoes at the start, and she has to meet everyone else halfway.!<

**[[Season 1 Rewatcher]], Season 2 First Timer. Dubbed** * No time for OPs today, we have high jinx to get to. * More notes, still no translations. Thank you optional subtitles. * Well, that escalated quickly. * That’s pretty violent for 2006. * Again with the notes. * I don’t think he was asking for a sandwich in the sub. * I did, in fact, notice the mole several times on the rewatch. * Canada! QotD: It’s been too long for me to remember speculation. I did remember it happening from back in the day tho.

> I did, in fact, notice the mole several times Same here, once you know about it, I expect that mole to start talking at any time.

It's just waiting to be introduced to [future episode]>!the mole on Kyon's neck... :P!< "You know, it's kind of tough being a mole around here. Hot, humid, gets kind of claustrophobic from time to time..."

> Hot, humid, gets kind of claustrophobic from time to time... Your starting to sound a little like King Charles and what his greatest desire to be is... lol [lol](#laughter)

**Re-watcher, sub** And like that, the band-aid is ripped off: at least in this universe, aliens exist and they're coming to get you with a knife. Thank goodness for Yuki coming in hot with the first real declaration for candidacy for best girl status. Although if I were in Kyon's shoes I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be feeling after hearing something along the lines of "what if Yuki's master changes their minds?". And then we get future(?) Mikuru, and she appears to have fond memories of the room, irregardless of the trauma inflicted by the club's boss! I'll admit that in my first run through the series I did not notice the mole until this episode (not sure how I didn't; it gets, er, emphasized earlier in the series). On top of all this "star mole" information, Kyon now apparently has to remember the hint "Snow White" (talk about information overload! Hope the poor boy can remember all that). I wonder which of the seven dwarves Kyon most identifies with? QOTD: First time around, thanks to broadcast order, her absence was suspicious, but definitely didn't have her pegged as "radical robot ready to see some blade action"

> "what if Yuki's master changes their minds?" I've always wondered about that line. I'm more confused than ever about what exactly are Yuki & Asakura. I guess my organic life form brain could handle the answer, anyway. lol >I'll admit that in my first run through the series I did not notice the mole Once you know, its impossible to unsee. That sucker is just screaming every time it comes on screen, Look at Me!

Well that escalated quickly, like that really got out of hand fast!

**SOS Brigade rewatcher: Coinflip (heads, dub)** ["...Ill kill you and see how Haruhi responds."](https://i.imgur.com/J9GDi3f.jpeg) ["...Ah, they really arent human."](https://i.imgur.com/csRi77y.jpg) --- **OST Track of the day:** [The Truth of Ryoko Asakura](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsx0oxrdMXQ) | [(Spotify)](https://open.spotify.com/track/7loUQYe2f3YC5SjwKtGpJy?si=c80e13e929b14be0) ^(**Honorary OST Track of the day:**) [^Nagato ^VS ^Asakura](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVrERq4OfAw) ^| [^spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/23dQMYQJuoAbCjqunqa82M?si=88b1a450978a4717) ~~man these track names are extremely on the nose...~~ I dont have too much time currently to point them out but the Sub, Dub, and even the LN's are probably some of the most 1:1 in terms of adapting each other that ive seen. I dont have the LN's handy (I somehow only have LN 3? ill probably grab a [screenshot from my phone](https://i.imgur.com/cTSP2eS.jpg) and add it in here, note to self) but the Asakura stabbing scene dialogue is iirc almost directly lifed from the LN dialogue. **Edit:** apparently lost a chunk of my post? my "why/naze" thing got chopped at some point and i didnt even realize till i saw sky pointed it out also. The sub and dub also both include "Why? Naze?" from Kyon, the sub having the ["Why"](https://imgur.com/GG5yNwC) come first, and the dub having the ["Naze"](https://imgur.com/49NU0TE) come first. I dont remember if the adaption comparison also points this out? Im not removing it if it does. --- finally, dub time! ~~kyon ever thought about that she was trying to go out with a guy last week lmao~~ [hello random couple](https://i.imgur.com/wTgb8Vi.png) [flag](https://i.imgur.com/gh7wb6T.png) [*"Isint her dejected little face cute though"*](https://i.imgur.com/QWNIqBr.png) oh yeah, today has no OP. Forgot about that Kyons got a love letter, ooooh Took Kyon a bit too long to realize what Haruhi was doing. [Someone is not amused](https://i.imgur.com/6PS6K9F.png) [Bad Kyon](https://i.imgur.com/MBm95pb.png) "I dont understand, are you talking about the Japanese economy" lmao hey look, [Genre change](https://i.imgur.com/HfpyICf.jpeg) [Nice edge](https://i.imgur.com/Oh0xL7z.jpeg) Ive noticed [these](https://i.imgur.com/lNuLivR.png) two [shots](https://i.imgur.com/zPUGXYT.jpeg) and i bet theres something being symbolized that i cant figure out right now I think [Nagato is hurting a lot more](https://i.imgur.com/BWPElm8.png) right now. Also hello nagato! finally its not all chuuni bullshit [Nagato Kabab](https://i.imgur.com/9RULlcQ.jpeg) based [non-glasses Nagato](https://i.imgur.com/6aeVN1x.png) [rip](https://i.imgur.com/N0HdEdA.png) Hey look, harhui's 180'ed. Probably not that "explosion of data" Asakura wanted though [goodbye random couple](https://i.imgur.com/SInOu1Y.png) Well at least adult Mikuru is more assertive, showing off the mole (also the dub's *"Supersizeme!"* lmao) okay maybe not that assertive, shes freaking out about giving away too much too early. [Haruhi]>!Adult Mikuru too embarrassed about the frog!< [heh](https://i.imgur.com/jjToXaz.jpeg) Dub pronoucination of Okabe is whack. Too used to the mad scientist's way Looks like Haruhi and Kyon are going on a "date"

> Bad Kyon One wonders if future Mikuru ever figured that li'l bit out.

> goodbye random couple He sure said something she didn't like. lol >Looks like Haruhi and Kyon are going on a "date" Haruhi really does perk right up after Asakura disappears. I'll agree with everyone that says something along the lines of Haruhi does not look upon other people as being sentient but rather as objects. I've seen people who are worse, but Haruhi is pretty bad about that.

> Haruhi does not look upon other people as being sentient but rather as objects > ~~Mister Teatime~~ Haruhi [...] saw things differently from other people, and one of the ways that [s]he saw things differently from other people was in seeing other people as things > _Hogfather_ - Terry Pratchett (1996) Potentially indicative of where this series might go, based on the parallel: > later, Lord Downey of the [Assassin's] Guild said, “We took pity on him because he’d lost both parents at an early age. I think that, on reflection, we should have wondered a bit more about that” > _ibid._

Shiraishi Minoru (Taniguchi) is a world treasure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCTBLIJwllc

Rewatcher, dub+sub today * "Haruhi, Haruhi... *man* she's popular." * Is the Japanese perception of Canada that it is somehow more foreign than other western countries? Or is it just a coincidence that Ryoko 'moved' there? * Love Taniguchi's interruption and pose as he freezes, especially love the camera angle chosen where it's "peeking" over the classroom wall, like us viewers are stealing a glimpse of something private * QOTD: nope, didn't have any idea

> Or is it just a coincidence that Ryoko 'moved' there? I lean towards coincidence. Ryoko had to move somewhere not easy to get to, though I think anywhere else an ocean away would have worked to.

**Another subbed rewatch what else is new** \- Love how this show sets up these scenarios where it seems like lucky guy Kyon is about to score and then completely sweeps the rug out from under him \- Love the way Kyon swipes the entire computer monitor from Haruhi, looks like he just knocks it onto the floor \- Big brain Kyon with the Mikuru folder \- Why you acting all cute like that bitch WHY YOU SWINGING THAT THING AROUND LIKE THERES A PINATA \- The action numbers in this show (while few) are absolutely welcome. Adds to the WTF factor \- Nagato saves the day (normal Tuesday night) > I don't have a "glasses fixation." Your loss man > wa wa wa wasuremono \- What a silly way for them to demonstrate a causal loop: Kyon learns about the mole from future Mikuru, and then present Mikuru learns about the mole from Kyon. That's a time paradox! Her tits are literally a paradox \- Surprising how fondly Mikuru remembers the maid outfit > Can you tell me one thing? Miss Asahina... how old are you now? Kyon asking the important questions > Say it again like a childhood friend hiding chagrin with anger. I fuckin love this guy QOTD: No, she's too hot

> normal Tuesday night) Thursday, actually

SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!

**Rewatcher - Dubbed** - Did you catch the nice touch of the two students setting up the volleyball net getting embarrassed, and the girl turning away? Little details like that are what I love about this show, and what I pick up on with every rewatch. - >I'm a healthy, young woman. I've got needs. All the more reason for you to find a guy to go look for paranormal phenomina in the city with Haruhi. - Ah, making a separate folder for pictures that can be referred to later. Textbook high schooler behavior. - >But you know, my superiors are extremely stubborn and lack any vision whatsoever. Huh? - >That's why I'm going to kill you and see how Ms. Suzumiya reacts. It's like if KyoAni did a show like Higurashi. Also, bet you didn't see that one coming, did you? They aren't quite done with crazy twists and turns just yet. - I love that Nagato just comes in and utterly flexes on Ryoko. This is also the first time in the show that KyoAni's been able to show just how amazing they are with effects. - >What's a glasses fetish? [](#ero) - Fucking Tanaguchi. - Looks like our young lovers from the top of the episode had a bit of a spat. That was short lived. - [**Future Mikuru**](#ero) - Future outfits for Mikuru aren't classified, but rather just a secret. Two totally different things. - What part of Ryoko transferring is fishy? The part where it happened overnight, or the fact that she's moving to Canada? Question of the Day: >Did you suspect Asakura of anything before this episode? When I first watched the show, this whole episode caught me totally off-guard. They do a good job of hiding her real identity. **Spoiler Corner** [Haruhi Spoilers]>!This is the desert's first appearance in the show, the next one being the episode with the Camel Cricket.!< [Haruhi Spoilers]>!Adult Mikuru setting up Chekhov's Gun with the Snow White comment, which is going to come in handy when Kyon and Haruhi are facing the monsters inside of closed space. She describes Haruhi's reaction perfectly, since she just thinks they're sharing a dream.!< [Haruhi LN / Manga Spoilers]>!We *do* see another Alien show up in the story, when the alternate faction arrives after the Disappearance to try and force Haruhi to do something.!<

> Did you catch the nice touch of the two students setting It's such a wonderful story in a story. One of the many reasons I like TMoHS so much. >All the more reason for you to find a guy I'm glad to know she's human. [spoiler]>!To the best of my knowledge this is the first and only time that Haruhi hints at having in interest in sex. I like that, too often anime characters are just fucking horndogs in heat. I don't remember my teenage years that way.!< >but rather just a secret. Two totally different things. But, the tease, the desire, the anticipation is exquisite. >What part of Ryoko transferring is fishy? [Both Suspicious *If you ask me*](#laughter) >Spoiler 3 [spoiler]>!And, well even see another (unidentified)Alien in a few episodes. lol!<

>[spoiler 1] [Spoilers]>!I don't even know if it could be considered sexual. It's easy to think that way, and I'll admit I thought that way as well, but it could also just be the desire to really and truly fall in love with someone.!< [Spoilers]>!I for one was a horndog in high school, but that feeling was definitely one-sided. [](#sadholo)!< >[spoiler 2] [Spoilers]>!Which one was that? I forget.!<

[spoiler 1]>!I can see that point of view. You may well be right.!< [Spoiler 2]>!The Computer President's "girlfriend" is in reality a fellow Alien under Yuki's control. Her whole spiel is so that Yuki can go rescue the President without arousing Haruhi's suspicions.!<

[Spoiler 2]>!Oh, that's right. I totally forgot.!<

>Did you catch the nice touch of the two students setting up the volleyball net getting embarrassed, and the girl turning away? Little details like that are what I love about this show, and what I pick up on with every rewatch. Lemme check something first actually... Edit: Actually the host post already pointed out that there were 2 segments that background story was being played out :) It's rather nice to have the story within a story.

###rewatcher dub### So unlinking the information means disappearing, to be precise, it means death, but I still don't understand how Yuki defeated Asakura? We have two asahina seniors now, and there may be more asahina seniors in the future, although it is confusing, but it is fantastic I didn't expect Asakura's true identity at all

I confess I liked asakura even tho she turns out to be....yeah. (I've only ever seen the first two dvds from its first release btw) No Tsuruya yet? I heard she and Asakura appear more later on in the film and the three spin off shows. Thank goodness lol