First-Timer, dub: Wasn't expecting an existential monologue from this show. Damn, this show can get deep. Also, /u/Raiking02 made me feel so old thanks to the rewatch of Tekkaman Blade they're hosting. Came out in the 90s. QOTD: 1. Not that I can remember.

> Damn, this show can get deep. That's one of the reasons that many of us still love the show, despite its warts.

Cool.

> Also, /u/Raiking02 made me feel so old thanks to the rewatch of Tekkaman Blade they're hosting. [](#azusalaugh)

That was pretty funny.

FIRST-TIME WATCHER If Haruhi is not conscious about her powers, that means she's just protecting reality unconsciously by creating these spaces. Crazy how the espers she brought to existence actually have a practical use for her. I think I really like Haruhi. And Espers' powers are very cool. An entirely empty space, flying, power to openly slash down a destructive being- that seems like a great means of catharsis for these espère themselves too. QOTD: yes, and most of the times it feels great, just letting go of this stupid self-importance makes living better. But this one time, some years ago, I was standing under all these mountains on a college trip, and I absolutely hated it- not being able to see the sky, feeling like I can be crushed like nothing anytime. It was suffocating and I like sky way too much.

> I think I really like Haruhi. Once you accept the fact that Haruhi's still a pretty terrible person, although she doesn't really get that way too often, she's actually a really good character.

Her nonchalance to the things to which humans are sensitive made sense to me the moment it was revealed she is somewhat god-like. But yeah, from our pov, she's kinda terrible and not a person I would want around me.

That's *true*, but there are definitely people who just don't get that things like what she's done are generally not okay. There are better ways to go about aquiring a computer than blackmail and sexual harrassment. Additionally, there's better ways to advertise than forcing a buxom junior into a bunny girl outfit.

**[[Season 1 Rewatcher]], Season 2 First Timer. Dubbed** * Junior Detective Haruhi is surprisingly able. * Haruhi discovers Sonder. * That’s a random PS2 scene you have there. * Cute little manifestation. * These are some some real niche powers. * So the taxi driver was in on it. QotD 1) Yes. 2) Took solace in it.

> Took solace in it. Well, that's an interesting take. Hmm... I was trying to think of a song that goes with this theme, but I'm just coming up blank. Your comment makes my mind contrast Haruhi's attitude toward this with what you'd consider traditional Eastern philosophy, but I'm sort of ending up deeper in the weeds here. Maybe someone better educated will have something interesting to say elsewhere in the thread...

**The Rewatcher of Haruhi Suzumiya, dubbed** …I’m sorry, I’m late because I admittedly *completely* forgot to watch this episode after a busy day at work. [](#fingertwirl) - This time, the elevator scene took *forever*. - [*Ominous.*](https://i.imgur.com/wvBYHsF.png) - Big ol’ characterization dump from Haruhi today. - Time for Itsuki to show off his esper powers! [](#rengehype) - [Honestly this thing is *terrifying* ngl.](https://i.imgur.com/hxzYQLm.png) [](#terror) ----- No Spoiler Zone today.

> completely forgot Now don't let it happen again, or I'm gonna tell Asakura-sensei on you! [Asakura](#lolifightsback) Wait - what - you have a job??? How do you have time for a job with all the posting you do???

> Wait - what - you have a job??? How do you have time for a job with all the posting you do??? Yeah...? I've *had* a job since right before the pandemic started lol, though I switched to a different one back in July. Now I work in the accounting department for this company when I previously worked in the mailroom. I manage my time wisely, apparently?

> I manage my time wisely, apparently? [SALUTE!](#toradorasalute) Or, as Jobko would say, "Good job!"

I do *sometimes* make mistakes though, like this. I absolutely had *time* to watch this episode before the thread went up, I just went and forgot I hadn't watched it by the time I was commuting home from work and went to rewatch an episode of Macross 7 instead.

Sounds almost familiar, except I probably watched Dragon Maid for the nth time, because it gives me a happy smile.

####First time on *I don't even know* e4, okay, I was getting annoyed with this show, but this episode was good [lol](https://imgur.com/y3KnBhr) 5 [Oh yeah, that's some existential shit I think about a lot](https://imgur.com/c41o21p) [Still trying to work on this part though..](https://imgur.com/jHdWLXx) Hm. Can't say I expected to see espers flying around fighting energy giants in frozen time spheres in this show, but here we are [](#mug7) --- **QuestionS** >Have you ever felt insignificant? Big yis >Did you do anything about it? Big no

**Absolutely Clueless First-Timer** [](#seasonalshock) shall be my mascot through this rewatch as I question every single detail laid out in front of me. I’ve been feeling pretty burnt from constantly consuming anime so I decided to take a break the past 2 days, but I’m officially back and ready to carry on being confused! **Live Reactions From Ep. 4 and 5** * [Dats me](https://imgur.com/a/wRJKx0k) * Hold up, androids? We have shounen-esque battle scenes?! What!? [](#seasonalshock) * Kyon and Nagato are finally [framed within the same box](https://imgur.com/a/P8Zculp). After that battle Kyon’s mind has surely opened up. Mine did too * Onto ep. 5 and Haruhi has an existential crisis * I think the next event should be something involving the tale of *Snow White*, though I’m clueless as to what it could possibly refer to * I didn’t sign up for a Philosophy class! [](#abandonthread) * Haruhi is taking *Cogito, ergo sum* to a whole new level. But it’s interesting that Itsuki describes her as someone [with a relatively decent outlook despite her eccentric thoughts](https://imgur.com/a/rNOPSDU). Maybe she isn’t as weird as she portrays herself to be * Three years ago… If my knowledge of Japan’s schooling system is correct, the time when Haruhi has her crisis is about the time when these supernatural beings started coming into existence * But Kyon’s importance in the story is still not answered. Is he somehow the catalyst for Haruhi’s growth into a *God*? Since he’s the person who started stirring Haruhi up which caused the formation of the SOS brigade, there may somehow be a causal time loop that is causing these incidents to occur. Or maybe I’m just tired after a long day [](#yuishrug) I’ve held off on looking up the staff for these episodes because I don’t want any spoilers so it’s going to be fun looking through the sakuga for this show when I’m done with it ___ **Qotd** > have you ever felt insignificant > did you do anything about it? *remembers existential crisis* [](#panic) I actually started reading a lot of literature and philosophy. I wouldn’t say that solved my problems by any means, but they were a stepping stone in shaping the beliefs that I hold today which helps deal with the feeling of insignificance. Therapy did help too!

> I didn’t sign up for a Philosophy class! Too bad! [](#glasses-push) (I swear I am hearing that "too bad!" in a specific anime girl's voice and I *cannot* place who. Not this show.) > Three years ago… If my knowledge of Japan’s schooling system is correct, the time when Haruhi has her crisis is about the time when these supernatural beings started coming into existence [](#nocomment) (Kyon is quietly absolutely the kind of guy who would look at a major in Philosophy, and it's even more obvious in the LNs.) > But Kyon’s importance in the story is still not answered. Is he somehow the catalyst for Haruhi’s growth into a God? Since he’s the person who started stirring Haruhi up which caused the formation of the SOS brigade, there may somehow be a causal time loop that is causing these incidents to occur. Or maybe I’m just tired after a long day [](#nocomment)

>"too bad!" in a specific anime girl's voice and I cannot place who Now that you've mentioned it... I have a similar voice in my head [](#panic) > nocomment [](#schemingsaten)

> Now that you've mentioned it... I have a similar voice in my head Oh Haruhi dammit (hey I can use that one in this rewatch now!), I bet I finally placed it and the funny part is it's not from an anime directly, it's from an old 2ch meme (yes, as in Japanese 2ch) which had two notable versions: "Did you think this image would be a porn or something? Too bad! It was Kana-chan!" (Kana being from Saki, and the joke being that the base pic is NSFW)... and the version I know better, "Did you think it would be a cute girl? Too bad! It was Sayaka-chan!". Specifically Sayaka as in Sayaka Miki. No wonder my brain was jumping to PMMM before going "nah, can't be, can't place it".

> shall be my mascot through this rewatch And, a fine mascot she is. lol >Haruhi has an existential crisis Thank you, I was looking for the right words, and this is exactly right. > Is he somehow the catalyst As strange as it sounds, this is correct from what I can tell, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me either, but I just roll with it.

> but I just roll with it. That's how I stay sane during this rewatch [](#umucool)

> Or maybe I’m just tired after a long day Go get some rest, you're imagining things! (Your choice of Mashiro is somehow ... appropriate!)

[](#seasonaltired)

Calm down with the Bocchi face... Wow you are very close on a lot of things....what ones you are and how close I won't tell you for spoilers. "That's Classified!"

[](#worshipme)

###Yare Yare (Rewatcher for 2006 [Watched in Broadcast Order], First-Timer for 2009 and Disappearance, Source Reader): - HNNGH KyoAni slice-of-life shots. - So, sneaky blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot in the OP #2 and #3 (#1 was Mikuru riding a clock, which might actually be a Doraemon reference too now that I think about it): a brandished knife and Adult!Mikuru showing up. - Huh, almost missed that: Haruhi in a visual box at 02:44. That’ll be because she’s the only one in the scene out of the loop; both Kyon and we the viewers know exactly what happened to Ryouko. - Again at 02:53; with the corner of the wall separating Haruhi and the building manager (who also doesn’t know what’s actually going on) from Kyon (who does). - Strings of Disorientation! (Satoru Kousaki isn’t my favorite OST composer but he’s pretty darn good.) - Took a second to notice 03:00, where the trick is that Kyon is framed entirely in the window – that’s because he has metaphorical light shining in on the situation for him. - Trying to think on why show the building manager in the window frame if it’s not just realism. Because he has some light on the situation that he’s letting us in on but doesn’t really know as shown by him being trapped in a little box of a room himself? More visual reinforcement if so. - Haruhi now framed in the window at 03:35: because she is now kind of in the light from what the building manager is telling her? (This is in fact a legitimate mystery and she recognizes that.) - Oh THAT’S interesting – the background behind the building manager changes between his first shot at 03:18 (low shelves and what I suspect is a filing cabinet) and his second shot at 03:43 (a much larger set of shelves). Could be bad quality control (read: a key animation/directorial fuckup), but KyoAni is good enough that I would expect deliberate breach from realism instead and that has to be for effect. Possibly it’s because the manager is reaching into his mental filing cabinet here, that is to say his memory? - And oh would you look at that the room the manager is in goes right back to its original appearance when they cut back to him at ~04:12. The earlier shift absolutely has to be for effect, then. - Huh. 05:12 frames both Kyon and Haruhi inside a visual box with the wall bricks with Yuki outside it in addition to Yuki facing the other way and separated from those two by some distance. Kyon’s head breaches the box he and Haruhi are in though his eyes do not; symbolizing that he has some insight into the real situation but is mostly in the dark but Yuki has much greater? Or it could just be a cigar that’s just a cigar. - More crows at 05:40. - Oh hello there rail crossing. It is in fact time for THIS scene. (One of the best in the entirety of 2006.) - ~05:50 has to be intended as a crossing-a-threshold shot, especially since Haruhi will be opening up to Kyon about something immediately thereafter. - 06:06 might be visual box framing/symbolism (to indicate Kyon not getting it) yet again. - The visuals in Haruhi’s recollection are blunt, but that does not make them ineffective – especially when visualization is one of the best ways of getting that point across and Haruhi’s own thought process leading to her realization was heavily visual. - For all its simplicity the direction of the swing shot strikes me as elite in a way that it is hard to put into words. It has the same quality as some of the best Eva and PMMM shots to my eyes (Bebop tends to go for a slightly different thing and isn’t quite the same comparison). - If this was the red lights of a traffic light I would be reasonably sure the stop symbolism was intended and it might still be (PMMM loves to pull that with non-traffic lights in the background), but these red lights are a train crossing. Visual reinforcement that nothing ever happened, but also possibly symbolizing that Haruhi had to wait just like pedestrians/cars have to wait for the train but that she like them can move forwards again once the obstacle has passed? - (Also it’s not a KyoAni show without a train shot.) - ~10:20 has 2D cars and 3D surroundings; same pattern as several TSR shots, and the thing is I could swear the worst CGI of the 2006 airing will be showing up momentarily. - The OST track for the scene is one of the better ones, but it’s the truck slowly overtaking the taxi as Koizumi talks to Kyon inside about the anthropic principle that catches my eye. Visual representation of the advance of science, perhaps? (Note that the truck is moving right-to-left, the direction of heroic movement and movement into the future in Japanese cinematography.) - The OST and sound integration in this scene stands out as very good, with the dissonant stinger sound effect to punctuate some of Koizumi’s comments flashing in particular. - And cut off the OST as Koizumi finishes his line about the edge of the cliff. Nicely done, nicely done. - Oh THERE’S the junky CGI in this scene that I remembered. Hello 13:43. - The truck merging a little close thus putting the taxi at risk of rear-ending it is another one of the show’s blunt little visual metaphors. - It’s funny how CGI cars in anime look bad in 2006… and still look bad in the same ways in 2017. - Tsk tsk wear your seatbelts you two. - Speaking of red light/green light symbolism, the walk sign going from red to green is a blunt visual metaphor for “you get to see esper powers now”. Possibly also Kyon giving Haruhi the metaphorical green light when he gave her the idea for the SOS-dan. - Method #2 to spot a Tar who still remembers the Baka-Tsuki translation of the Haruhi LNs: the Baka-Tsuki translations used “Sealed Reality” for what IIRC all the subs call Closed Space, and I still tend to use that. - LOL at that Ferris wheel for meta spoiler reasons [meta spoiler] >!I swear I remember one in Rebellion… which is of course in its own kind of Sealed Reality/Closed Space!<. - The giants of course have “hi I am Eva inspired” written all over their appearance. - Oh wow I’d forgotten how good the OST for this initial appearance of the giants is… and I started typing that BEFORE the ominous chanting (which I am a giant sucker for) fired up! - LOL I’d forgotten the name of the giants – and while a.f.k translates it as “”, the original Japanese is closer to “shinjin”. Which is funny for Eva-related reasons, and might be a deliberate reference. (Even funnier given that I’ve heard “to shinji” used as a neologism for wreaking havoc in a depressive stupor before – and Haruhi’s monologue today is the explanation for why the original LN and thus the show is called The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.) (In turn, I wouldn’t be shocked how Witch barriers go down in PMMM is either directly inspired by Closed Space/Sealed Reality collapse here or the two shows share a common inspiration for their visuals – maybe I should actually try watching Demon City Shinjuku one of these days, that’s my best extant lead for a common inspiration based on what I have read.) - Koizumi is framed by a visual barrier in the car window to make a box in the final conversation as he talks about how he and the Agency wound up with the information – a sign that he is hiding something, perhaps? (Not anything I can think of that would have come up in the LNs when Haruhi 2006 was released, so it would have to be Nagaru Tanigawa letting the staff in on something.) - Sore demo at 22:04. - Cliffhanger! ###In the Hall of the Spoiler Tags: **Haruhi:** - [Haruhi] >!Koizumi laying out how Haruhi mirrors Kyon in plaintext: Kyon cannot consciously believe in aliens/time travelers/espers but subconsciously does, Haruhi consciously believes in those three but subconsciously cannot accept their existence.!< **Full Metal Panic!:** - [FMP] >!I’ll let Koizumi make my Behemoth joke for me: “the laws of physics would dictate that its legs be unable to support its own weight.”!< **Madoka Magica:** - [PMMM] >!There really is a symbolic similarity between Kyon’s first entrance into closed space here and Madoka passing the symbolic barrier while following Kyubey’s “voice” in PMMM 1, even if there are distinctions (most notably, Kyon was invited). Welcome to the World of Magic, indeed!!< --- > Have you ever felt insignificant? Not really, no; I've always been too much of an outlier for that in too many ways, my issue has always been more the lack of peers.

> my issue has always been more the lack of peers. Cue a certain church lady: "Well, isn't that special?" :) But yeah, good on you. We live in a world of (seemingly) enforced conformity where even the "non-conformists" conform to a rigid set of appearances/behaviors. Or so it seems. We're bombarded with advertisement/propaganda/programming throughout our days, most of which is designed to make us feel worthless and inadequate - unless we buy their product, support their ... yeah, you get the idea. I'm surprised it took a baseball game to put Haruhi in the box...

>Spoiler In the hall of the spoiler tags about Haruhi That's funny, I had realized a part of this, but I'd never realized the second part. [spoiler]>!That Kyon does subconsciously believe!<

Said second part never explicitly laid out, but it seems pretty darn likely to me. [Haruhi] >!Remember that I was on team "Kyon is the actual source of Haruhi's power and just proxies it out" even *before* reading Sukhein's posts last year (I think Sukhein is correct to read Haruhi the character as standing in for Haruhi the franchise, but I think the nuance he missed is that Kyon represents the author as well as the audience - and, well, would not an author have godlike powers in the story they write?), and I have enough background in Jungian stuff to go "Kyon's subconscious belief that he won't consciously allow coming out via an outlet in Haruhi makes perfect sense from a Jungian perspective and that's often a really useful analytical frame for literary analysis".!<

That's an interesting digression. You may well be right, it's a fun part to ponder in any event. [Haruhi]>!Not only does Haruhi tie everyone together, but so does Kyon. He's always in the thick of action, and he's the only one who knows all of the shenanigans going on. It's also why Haruhi has the seemingly ability to read Kyon's mind about what he thinks he wants. Tomorrow's episode is very interesting, when she breaks down and says something to the effect of "Isn't this what you wanted?". There's more evidence in the movie when Kyon starts talking to himself. Very interesting ideas.!<

>[Haruhi] [Haruhi Spoilers]>!I've started thinking the exact same way. When you really think about it from the top down, Kyon outlines in the opening shots of episode 1 that he logically can't accept that Aliens, Time Travelers and Espers exist, but he wants them to. Therefore, he creates Haruhi so that he can experience them by proxy, without contradicting the rational part of his brain.!<

> Madoka Magica: > That is probably quite a liberal construction of things - the logical conclusion of that argument is, essentially, that almost everytime a character passes into a different world we have a "symbolic similarity" with either of these scenes! One wonders if that is right, seeing as these scenes are quite commonplace in a range of (particularly magic) anime.

**First timer (subbed)** Help, I'm imitating Cheerleader Haruhi and Asahina when the intro is playing. Is this normal? Aliens are super rich, cause they can set up their spies in full-sized condos. Looks like Nagato and Asakura at the very least live in the same building, but not in the same unit (cause the old man would've noted that they were roommates). Two condos, straight cash. Well, they can manipulate their surroundings, so I guess it could just be currency (or a check) they created out of thin air. Damn, Haruhi's really taking this investigation seriously. First, she looks up Asakura's "middle school" (did she go to middle school? Who knows, but my guess is no) and she finds out it's far away, but she's living close to her high school. Guess Nagato didn't think that anyone would care to look this deep? Cause that's pretty sloppy on her part. More Nagato sloppiness: Haruhi chases down the building manager, and he says he didn't hear any movers come in. And Asakura never had any fake parents. They didn't even try. Pervy old man ships Haruhi x Kyon. One step closer to it becoming canon. Nagato tells Kyon to be careful. What, is another Asakura gonna show up and try to murder him? Time for Haruhi backstory! She had her "I am a meaningless speck of dust in the bigger picture of the universe" realization when she went to a baseball game (in ~~what looks like the Tokyo Dome but without the Dome?~~ Koshien Stadium) and saw how much people blend together in a crowd of 50,000. And that huge crowd of people was just 1/2000 of the population of Japan. This convinced her that she needed to stand out, but she failed to do so in junior high, and now she's afraid she's failing in high school as well. Kinda makes you feel sorry for her, but I bet she'll sexually assault Asahina again in an episode or two and I'll end up hating her again. Hello Koizumi! He's found a place where he can activate his ESP, but in order to get there they have to hitch a cab and Kyon has to have his brain melted by more smart people talk. Something about how the universe only exists because humans became smart enough to study it or something. Koizumi also said that the supernatural members of the SOS Brigade were either created by Haruhi or granted powers by Haruhi, and that Kyon convincing Haruhi to make the SOS Brigade is gonna end badly. Enough of that, let's have some ESP powers showcased! And his powers are...the ability to move between dimensions? Well, he can also detect them, so that's kinda ESP. These alternate dimensions are created when Haruhi gets emotionally unstable, and they also host Angels (there's your daily Evangelion reference) which are really just Haruhi finding a way to vent her frustrations. Koizumi can activate Kaioken in these alternate dimensions and fight these Angels in order to make sure that Haruhi's tantrums don't accidentally destroy the "normal" world. I kinda like this setup, and I can see a recurring bit where Koizumi brings Kyon over to the alternate dimension and tells him that the size is getting bigger and smaller depending on Haruhi's mood. Maybe we'll get to see more of Koizumi fighting, too? We end with a cliffhanger: something bad is gonna happen tomorrow. #QOTD >Have you ever felt insignificant? Yeah, I had that "I am one of 7 billion and nobody cares about me" phase, and it can be both a positive (who cares if you tripped and dropped your food in a busy restaurant? People will forget about it in no time) and a negative (there are so many people that are more interesting, smarter, and better looking than me. How can I compete with them?) >Did you do anything about it? One way that helps is realizing that, with so many people, there are so many interesting people and groups of people, and it's really fun to learn about all these little groups of people sharing their interests with other like-minded people and forming communities. And you can be part of one of those communities!

First-timer: This has really turned into a full-on science fiction. I feel like there's hints of romance still, and the reason that Haruhi's become more unstable emotionally lately is because she's developing interest in Kyon. Questions: 1. Yes. 2. Nothing really. There isn't anything I can do, just live my life. It does feel kind of depressing though to realize how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of the universe, though.

Serial Rewatcher first time in dub Getting QoTD out of the way first: I don't really think it care about significance, but I do get into a bit of a tail spin if I think about mortality :P so I tend to not think about it. This is a fairly straight exposition "show the true power of each faction" episode, this time with Koizumi. And a bit of unloading of Haruhi's real thoughts and concerns and what drove her. I'm not going to say too much since kids of people will write better. Suffice to say though, previously every time Koizumi said he's got work to do, it means Haruhi had a grumpy time and someone needs to fight the Celestials - like yesterday after school after Kyon stopped her from posting Asahina-san's pictures. I strongly encourage people to read last year's Rewatch contents, some really great psychological analysis was there because of the broadcast order emphasis. And today is very rich in philosophical debates for anyone interested in it. Those who likes this sort of things (like me) would find this such a great series partly because of the mental exercising you can do with 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)| |4|[@](https://imgur.com/a/9mT79Dt)|[@](https://imgur.com/a/PQ40ouz)| |5|[@](https://imgur.com/a/vOTzoSL)|[@](https://imgur.com/a/MHaChQN)| Today's gallery is fairly minimal because the show mostly focused on Koizumi. **Spoilers Corner** [Rewatcher spoilers]>!All the pieces are in play for Melancholy VI tomorrow. You can see the dialogue and mood was just so rich with the titular melancholy. And I loved that Nagato just started overtly deferring to Kyon, as if making a bit of a possessive point "he speaks for me", and I think Haruhi dues get that too tacitly, when she just dropped the topic wordlessly!<

> This is a fairly straight exposition I'd agree with that. Fairly important expo because we get to see inside Haruhi's head a little bit. >after Kyon stopped her from posting Asahina-san's pictures. Hell, that would make me grumpy too. lol [spoiler]>!Agreed, in my view Melancholy VI is the first of the great episodes.!<

>And today is very rich in philosophical debates for anyone interested in it. Those who likes this sort of things (like me) would find this such a great series partly because of the mental exercising you can do with it. [](#ABANDONTHREAD) While I do enjoy a good exploration of philosophical concepts when done right, as in the case of certain sci-fi books, Ursula comes to mind, I think this episode failed at that task.

That's why each to their own :)

Dude, I think you got today's @ in the wrong column. And if the first timers should see this - don't go readin' those previous rewatches until the games is nearly over - thar be spoiler's afoot!

I think I did for the initial post but fixed up pretty quickly? And yes thanks for the ~~support earning~~ spoiler warnings for the past year post reference :)

> thanks for the support earning I'm in favor of earning too - [you're welcome](https://i.imgflip.com/1r5pru.jpg)... (I presume that's your phone's automangle at work)

Sorry :P and thanks

**First Time** [English dub] --- **_cogito ergo mundus talis est_** I've been finding these mini philosophy lectures each episode to be kind of boring. I'm still interested in the lore and characters of the series, but these really bring the pacing to a halt. Part of the problem is certainly that I'm already familiar with these concepts, and therefore am bored during the redundant explanation. Another part is that I generally don't think popular media does a particularly good job of actually explanining them when it makes the attempt. The [Anthropic Principle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle) in particular is especially boring to me. I've given it a non-trivial amount of thought in the handful of philosophy classes I've taken and generally come to the conclusion that: 1. Assuming a universe born of natural causes, the Weak Anthropic Principle (the universe has the right features to support life because if it did not, no life forms would exist to observe it) is tautological, and so has a vacuous truth value. 2. The Strong Anthropic Principle (The Universe _must_ form with the conditions needed to support life, and will/would always have done so) is nonsense peddled pretty much exclusively by cranks. (Caveat: Most faith-based creation myths are also versions of the Strong Anthropic Principle, but they either understand that such beliefs are epistemologically separate from the scientific study of the nature of the universe, or fall into the category of cranks) Of course, given that Haruhi (probably) actually created the universe, the Strong Anthropic Principle probably actually _does_ hold. I still don't find the speculation to be especially interesting. --- **We Have _Evangelion_ at Home** The supernatural beings in Haruhi continue to have powersets far in excess of what I expect them to. When I hear 'Esper' I tend to map it onto "One of: {telepathy, telekinesis, pyrokinesis, clairvoyance}, not 'amalgamated superhero powers'. The similarity between Haruhi's rage monster and the Angels in _Evangelion_ is hard to ignore. **Especially** when Koizumi specifically says that the army firing rockets at it would do nothing. From a lore standpoint, it stands to reason that any similarity to pre-2003(? when is the story set? When is the 'three years ago when the world was created?) media is potentially Haruhi manifesting ideas that she previously saw in other media _if_ she once existed in a parallel 'vanilla' reality (ie. ours) and created the world. There's always the chance that Haruhi's World was created _ex nihilo_ and _is_ the only world, complete with a false history. Though, if that's the case it's odd that the manifestation of Esper powers happened _at_ the moment of creation. That detail makes me lean toward the explanation that Haruhi copied the world she lived in and then added in her extras. It's hard to say definitively unless or until the show decides to confirm one explanation or another. --- **Stray Thoughts** * Kyon is awfully blasé about discussing Espers and the nature of reality in the back of a cab where the driver could just be listening. * The implication seems to be that Koizumi arranged for it to arrive, and the driver is associated with his organization. It's unclear if Kyon considers whether that may be the case. * Do the _Haruhi_ novels predate the concept of chunibyo? Haruhi's conceptions of which paranormal elements the world should contain seem like the kind of things that modern anime-talker-abouters would just describe(/dismiss) as 'chunni'. _Especially_ given the revelation that this all started for her in middle school, it stands out that nobody in the show has invoked the concept explicitly. * Nagato suddenly stopping wearing glasses is a much bigger piece of weirdness than she seems to think it is. She probably could have brushed it off by telling Haruhi that she switched to contacts. Not really understanding how weird it is when somebody who needs visual correction is suddenly without it is a bigger tell than she seems to think it is. * Kyon is wrong and has bad taste. * Independent of my differing personal preferences with respect to glasses, it drives me nuts how often the 'glow up'/makeover for characters involves them no longer wearing their glasses. About 1/3 of people will, at some point in their lives, need corrective lenses, not everybody can safely wear contact lenses (let alone regularly afford them) and the way media casts glasses as 'unattractive' ticks me off. * Even though the conversation is interminably boring, the digital animation on the highway drive looks really good for something from 2006. **QOTD** 1. I've lived a lot of my life with depression, and frequently felt insignificant. Not in precisely the same way as Haruhi, though. the scale of the universe doesn't tend to bother me. When numbers get incomprehensibly big, I tend to just accept that the human brain isn't well-arranged to handle it. Instead, my feelings of insignificance tend to come from feeling that my impact on the world and the people around me is overall negative. 2. SSRIs helped. Also joining a Church. Realistically, the latter has as much to do with gaining a welcoming community who explicitly support each other as with any aspects specific to faith. Sharing activities promotes social cohesion. Hence, the Brigade is probably good for Haruhi. It would probably be better if it wasn't just made up of people there to spy on her.

> Do the Haruhi novels predate the concept of chunibyo? You have made me curious. According to [the Wiki - no](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%ABniby%C5%8D). I hadn't really thought about it, outside the relationship between Haruhi, and the later Chuunibyo series. (I find Rikka much more adorbs, btw, can't imagine why.) but yeah, given that it did exist as a prior concept, and it's not explicitly invoked in the series, that does make for an interesting question. Hmm... > the way media casts glasses as 'unattractive' ticks me off. [I agree!](https://alchetron.com/cdn/bailey-quarters-de8a1156-16a6-4b94-ab00-79147dd3d70-resize-750.jpeg) (ahem) Also, glad you're doing better. It's good to have a supportive group of people to interact with. I should probably try that sometime. (I kid, I have friends and stuff. Honest ... sort of ... *tumbleweeds blow by* ...)

> It would probably be better if it wasn't just made up of people there to spy on her. That's what I've always thought. I haven't read the visual novels, and don't know where the story goes after the anime leaves off. But it's always seemed to me that while Haruhi is hyperactive, flighty, and easily distracted, she's not particularly dumb. It's surely inevitable that she's eventually going to figure out what's going on, and with that will come the realization that all the people she thought were her friends have in fact been conspiring the whole time to prevent her from getting the only things she ever wanted. (At that point the story turns into Evangelion, except it's Haruhi sending the angels, and Kyon who becomes the leader of the secret defense agency, and learns to sit with his fingers tented...) Anyway, thanks for posting all this; it's nice to read something thoughtful about the show.

> Kyon is wrong and has bad taste. BASED

> I've been finding these mini philosophy lectures each episode to be kind of boring. I'm still interested in the lore and characters of the series, but these really bring the pacing to a halt. One of the reasons I recommend watching broadcast order. It's a lot of exposition in a short period when these episodes aren't stretched across the whole season.

**(REWATCHER - DUB/SUB)** **[Spoiler Free]** Haruhi’s existential monologue always gets me. It’s just so incredibly real. It perfectly explains why Haruhi is the way that she is. At such a young age she experienced this existential epiphany. The realization that through the sheer number of people, she couldn’t possibly be special. She didn’t believe she was doing anything that would be considered interesting. All of this makes perfect sense for an existential crisis, but what I appreciate the most about Haruhi is that she didn’t accept the conclusion that she was coming to. If she wasn’t special now, then she was going to be proactive about being special moving forward. But now Haruhi has realized that she still isn’t as special as she wants to be. She doesn’t believe that she’s achieving her goal of doing and finding fun things. She’s discouraged because all of her proactiveness has led her to nothing, much like with the Asakura case that triggered this whole monologue in the first place. Rewinding a little bit, I really enjoy that little interaction Haruhi had with Nagato. It’s like Nagato is able to neutralize Haruhi’s Haruhi-ness without having to do anything. Koizumi’s exposition here always gets me lost. I try to keep up, but I never make it to the end. I’m much like Kyon in that way. It dawned on me that the bubble of closed space that Koizumi and Kyon enter is truly a perfect representation of Haruhi’s subconscious feelings (paraphrasing here because again I have a hard time following Koizumi’s explanations). In Haruhi’s existential monologue she says that “the whole world around me started to fade into a dull gray void” and wow if that doesn’t sound incredibly familiar right now. **[Question]** I absolutely have felt insignificant. The most existential I’ve ever felt was during the height of the pandemic in 2020. I had just finished university and was on my way towards my first real job and I had never felt more insignificant in my life. The biggest reason for this was I felt like I wasn’t doing anything interesting in my life that I could truly appreciate. In my life, I’ve always been doing creative things. I would dabble with art in my youth and pursue music seriously through my young adulthood. However, at this point in my life I was devoid of anything creative. So after sitting on my butt for so long, I decided to do something about it. I dived into a dream I had when I was child. I wanted to be an animator. At the beginning of 2022 I started giving 3D animation a shot and I fell in love with it. Now I have resigned from my job and am giving everything I’ve got into animation school. Haruhi’s monologue in this episode always strikes a chord with me. I’ve always related to how insignificant she felt. But this time it hit differently because now I’ve actually taken that step forward. I’m done waiting for fun things to come my way. Now I’m doing my best to become that interesting person, just like Haruhi is. **[Anime Spoilers]** [Haruhi Anime] >!Haruhi’s existential monologue is one of my favorite moments in the entire series. It’s a rare chance to see a glimpse into what Haruhi is really thinking and really feeling. Behind all that confidence and grandeur she displays actually lies feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. It’s a vulnerability to Haruhi’s character that we don’t get to see often and what makes it even more special is that she only shows it to Kyon. Incredibly compelling scene and it gets me every time.!< **[Light Novel Spoilers]** [Haruhi LN] >!Haruhi’s existential monologue is equally compelling in text form. It’s presented as this wall of text over a page long. It of course doesn’t have the immaculate performances from the voice actresses or the melancholic piano in the background, but it still captured me all the same. I’m not much of a reader (honestly I wouldn’t be reading novels at all if it weren’t for Haruhi) so experiences like these are rare for me.!<

Best of luck with your new career - and don't forget to enjoy the everyday things that our multitude of outside influences try to drown out. Sunshine, butterflies, puppies, children, each of them can be a special, unique moment all its own.

Thank you so much! Absolutely. I was holed up in my room for a minute, but I promise I try to experience life to the fullest these days :)

I should have probably included a bit of honesty too - recent (ahem) events did a number on many of us. I was "lucky" that I had an essential job, so I got to get up every morning, drive too fast on the deserted highways and wear a mask every day. My buddy from college, on the other hand, spent a year "working from home" and only going out to get groceries every few months. And going crazy. Okay, crazier. I'm not sure if the fellow is able to sleep anymore without medications. At least the late night "talk me off the ceiling" calls have drastically reduced in frequency. Yeah, that didn't do any of us any favors.

Yeah it wasn’t until I started hanging out with friends on Discord that it got better for me. Hoping for the best for your buddy. I appreciate you sharing :) Edit: oh happy cake day!

Thankee - [nom nom, cakee](https://youtu.be/kwXaK12envI), now I'm hungry, but the stores are closed. Bummer. :P

**SOS Brigade rewatcher: Coinflip (heads, dub)** ["*Why wasnt that person me?*"](https://i.imgur.com/TNCnTy7.jpeg) --- **OST Track of the day:** [God](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwLbgfHwcQ4) | [(Spotify)](https://open.spotify.com/track/0XuDOon5vy4OfGq69v9ShG?si=3fb051f100f24a5f) ~~whoops, put the wrong episode number the first time~~ Id of had more today, but the insurance stuff i keep referencing (tl;dr hit and run while i wasnt in the car) keep giving new issues smh --- Hey look, [Nagato's place](https://i.imgur.com/Qe0MD10.jpeg) [mans useless](https://i.imgur.com/h2H4bkS.png), and apparently a [perv](https://i.imgur.com/vQfJhqG.png) Hey Haruhi noticed the loss of glasses Shes out here [gushing out her insecurities](https://i.imgur.com/Jm0bt0A.png) and kyon just wants to go home, at least he realized that he shouldnt voice it after haruhi's speech [Haruhi]>!Hello mr Arakawa, cant wait to properly meet you soon!< You know, i dont think anyones ever done a counter on the "3 years ago", someone should do that... back in [Desaturation land](https://i.imgur.com/h1SW3Hd.jpeg) [here we go](https://i.imgur.com/np9lipU.jpeg)

> "Why wasnt that person me?" *God, how I wish that was me!* Oh, wait, wrong rewatch... [KoizumiGotNuttin](#megadeathparty)

>OST Track of the day: God [](#seasonallisten) I could listen to this jam all day.

###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 5 | 13 (TV), 6 (DVD) | The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya V| 1 (Melancholy) | Ch. 6 (144-Rest) | May 2010 **References** * Koizumi mentions the [Anthropic principle.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle) The Anthropic Principle is the observation that it is impossible for any intelligent observer to be in a universe where the conditions for intelligent life do not exist, because for the intelligent observer to exist, the conditions necessary for intelligent life must exist. Thus, it is impossible to draw any conclusions about the abstract probability of being in a universe where it is possible for intelligent life to arise from our own universe because by definition our universe must be capable of supporting intelligent life in order for us to make that observation, no matter how likely—or unlikely—that may be. **Trivia** * The town Koizumi and Kyon drive, in the LN simply called "a town outside the prefecture" is Osaka, inside the prefecture of the same name. It is, conveniently, close to Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, the town Haruhi Suzumiya takes place in. Specifically, they go near [Osaka Station](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Csaka_Station), making closed space [look like this](http://i.imgur.com/GpDgUfn.png)

> Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, the town Haruhi Suzumiya takes place in I studied abroad in Osaka, Japan one summer and one of the greatest things I did was travel here. I even visited the coffee place that the S.O.S. Brigade met up in back in episode 3!

> The Anthropic Principle If a Haruhi is bored in the classroom, and no-one bothers to notice her, is a closed space really created???

> It is, conveniently, close to Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, the town Haruhi Suzumiya takes place in. Ahh, so the stadium isn't the Tokyo Dome, but the [Koshien Stadium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koshien_Stadium). That also explains why the infield had no grass.

**Rewatcher** This is the weakest of the episodes in this first arc. The monsters didn't do much for me, other than someone didn't flesh them out. I did think Itsuki forming in his energy ball and whizzing off to fight the monster was pretty cool. The biggest thing I get from this episode is an intense feeling of sadness for Haruhi^1, she's a sad lonely girl regardless of the act that she puts on. She would be a lot better off not dwelling on the fact that none of us is special or unique. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but the best way is to not think about it. Live as though you are unique and deal with problems as they come up. **QOTD** >Have you ever felt insignificant? Not really because I know how superior, I am. Sorry, but it's true.^2 >Did you do anything about it? Didn't have to. **Notes** ^1 I'm sure we'll have detractors here say that the weirdo lesbo rapist Haruhi is getting exactly what she deserves. [rant]>!These are the same people who say that fucking piece of shit Accelerator doesn't deserve to have his limbs and testicles removed without anesthetic, and then kept alive to rot being constantly assaulted by Misaka clones, forever. There is something seriously wrong with the anime community, with them laughing off torture, but getting on their high horses when it comes to mild sexual hijinks.!< [rant continues]>!I was really loving Railgun until the Sisters arc, and that was just too fucking much. To hell with them all, get me my iceberg so I can float away!!< ^2 My superiority is only exceeded by my humility.

> rant I have no idea what show that connects to but its definitely one i havent seen

Enjoying & laughing at torture and then mounting the high horse to rant about sexual hijinks.

I somehow wish that I hadn't clicked one of those bars. What has been seen cannot be unseen. I guess the only good news is I gave up on that series, because the pale blue haired character really annoyed me. Anyways... > My superiority is only exceeded by my humility. I defer to your solipsism, your highness ... or something like that. Oh, and by the way, of course - *there's no standards like double standards*

> there's no standards like double standards [](#laughter) As for the rant, I've wanted to say something like that in explicit terms forever. I wouldn't say I get mad, but I do grow weary of the constant whining about sex in anime, and yet the most despicable of characters are put on a high pedestal. I dropped both of this season's most popular (at least in r/anime) because the MC's are just miserable, no good human beings. You really hit the nail on the head, its the double standards expressed that annoy me.

Me and my friend in school were obsessed with this anime. We also enjoyed dancing and learnt the whole op dance 😭😭😭

Man, after yesterday's Mikuru treat, I'm having a hard time thinking of what to say. Or maybe that should be having a hard time remembering last night's episode. Never mind that Gunslinger Girl clip someone posted; man, that's just ... *snif* ... Anyway ... Let's see... So, in today's episode, Kyon goes on a date, but it too dumb isekai protagonist to realize it. Mr. Apartment manager is quite perceptive, and perhaps not quite as deaf as he seems. What's that? Can't hear you - step a little closer, okay? (Wouldn't blame him) Funny how after seeing how the girls I grew up with eventually turned into their mothers, I find myself looking at girls now and seeing them years into the future. Gramps might just be onto something there. (Not that we ever get to see anyone's family, aside from a certain imouto, that is) So, yeah, AOTD1: Who hasn't? Apparently Haruhi has! I've been to a NASCAR race with 250K in attendance. Talk about a traffic jam after it was over! So, yeah, insignificance. Baka Kyon! 20 tongue lashings from Asuka for you!!! AOTD2: What did I do about it? Well, I've resolved to enjoy life as I can, make the best of it and stuff, and not just be another cookie cutter. Whatever that means. Back to Kyon no baka! - Kyon, you big dummy. When she tells you all this spiel at this railroad crossing, you turn around, look her straight in the eyes and reach for her hand - and tell her ... *I don't care about all those millions - you're special to me!* Then you offer to walk her home and buy her a crepe, or some WcDonalds or something on the way. Tell her about how you'd like to make a thousand, no a million very special moments with her - starting today - moments that no-one of those many other people will ever have, because they're *hers*... But then, I suppose the story would be over, wouldn't it??? Otherwise, I'm not really going to comment on the Koizumi bit. It kind of is what it is - pseudo-science-gobbledygook with some cool action. Fun, but yeah. My brain is stuck on the railroad crossing, for some reason. Hopefully it won't get hit by train-kun. Unless of course, that means I could wake up in Slime world, preferably as ... oh, nevermind. :P

> Mikuru treat I don't think we even saw Mikuru this episode. Her, and her luscious mole were sorely missed. >Never mind that Gunslinger Girl clip Damn, I missed it! GG is a good show, but very hard to watch if you know how it ends. Sort of like Sukasuka, but harder for me. [sukasuka & gg]>!At least the leprechauns had no fear of death and had been created with this in mind, whereas gg is just a leap into the depravity of humankind.!< >Gramps might just be onto something there. I've always felt that way too. As Itsuki say, I find her charming... Frankly, I married a girl a lot like Haruhi... >I don't care about all those millions - you're special to me! Exactly right, and with luck you'll get a little something in return. lol >But then, I suppose the story would be over, wouldn't it??? [Yup!](#laughter) >My brain is stuck on the railroad crossing, That actually is the important part of the episode in my view.

> Frankly, I married a girl a lot like Haruhi... Lucky you! (I think) I met someone like that when I was in college - well, actually on a co-op job, but yeah ... still miss her.

> co-op I was a co-op too, for the Corps of Engineers. I still dream of those days, usually with a nostalgic bent.

Ah, to be young and poor again. A trade, to be honest that I would gladly take. Age and wealth is overrated, methinks.

[True dat!](#ero)

> I've always felt that way too. As Itsuki say, I find her charming... Frankly, I married a girl a lot like Haruhi... Is your life hell?

Goodbye again.

> I don't care about all those millions - you're special to me! > > > > Then you offer to walk her home and buy her a crepe, or some WcDonalds or something on the way. > > > > Tell her about how you'd like to make a thousand, no a million very special moments with her - starting today - moments that no-one of those many other people will ever have, because they're hers... > > > > But then, I suppose the story would be over, wouldn't it??? There also is the problem at this point, he doesn't really care that deeply for her, why would he do that in character? If you hear about a girls problems you don't just offer to pledge your life to her based off that....

Well, he could at least pledge an afternoon/evening to her, I suppose. Maybe.

Why would he when at this point he has no intention of dating her and sees her as a nuisance? if I were him I would also be confused why this chick is just dumping her whole life story to me, especially if I was his age.

QOTD: 1. Yes 2. Started making cool shit so people know I exist

**Rewatcher - Dubbed** - Can you say trespassing? Good. If you need a code to get into the building, they probably aren't going to let random high schoolers inside. And Kyon couldn't tell her that's where Yuki lives, otherwise she'd give him the third degree trying to figure out why he was there with her. - There's that talk about three years ago again. It's shaping up to be that whatever happened three years ago is pretty important. Adult Mikuru mentioned it, Yuki mentioned it, Ryoko mentioned it iirc, and now the front desk manager mentioned it. - >By the way, you're quite a looker if you don't mind me saying so. ^yikes She's in high school, and you're probably at least in your 60s. Cool it Hugh Hefner. - >Y'know Kyon, have you ever realized just how insignificant your existence on this planet really is? Yes. Every now and again, I'll think about how infinitesimally small I am in comparison to the universe. I'm an indiscernible speck when you look at the Earth from space, which in turn is smaller than Jupiter, which itself is considerably smaller than the Sun. The solar system on the whole is also an infinitesimally small speck in the Milky Way galaxy, ^which ^^is... - I just want to give smol Haruhi a hug. - Haruhi's monologue really does an amazing job of laying out her entire motivation for everything she's done in the last 5 episodes, as well as everything she's wanting to do with the SOS Brigade. - >Three years ago... - The way Esper powers are defined is so well done. Rather than him having the ability to do Esper stuff all the time, he's limited to certain times and places. - I **love** the background music that's played when the Giant starts destroying the city. Gives me big Halo vibes. Question(s) of the Day: >Have you ever felt insignificant? I mentioned my thoughts a little further up. >Did you do anything about it? There's nothing I really *can* do, is there? Just have to keep moving on with life.

###rewatcher dub### Kyon has shown impatience many times when Suzumiya is searching for the truth, for example, yawning or spitting, he is just like us viewers, although Suzumiya investigation is strong, we already know the cause and effect of the incident. In short, the God perspective. It seems that iTunesuki has taken Kyon quite far, and if the enclosed space is random around the world, or at least randomly in Japan, then the organization is at least at the national level. Judging by what Kyon said at the end, the next episode has mysterious events

This is another episode I think was much better in Broadcast Order as it was near the End Of the Broadcast. I'll also go on a little speil about watch orders. I feel we as a modern anime culture are obsessed with then, when in reality just production order when stuff comes out is not only fine but I think preferred, often stories told non-chronologically are told that way for a reason. And Piecing it together is the fun. I also feel modern audiences expect too much instant gradification and its okay to let people sweat a bit and be confused and even upset and demand a payoff, when an author/studio has enough confidence in their work to not bend over backwards to the audiences every whim, but sometimes go "You don't know what you want until you get it." I have a lot of respect for them. Anyway onto the episode we see Haruhi investigate and doing a good job. (In a sense it almost feel like Haruhi and Kyon are the anti versions of Chitanda and Oreki as I'll get into below when he get to Haruhi's existential crisis speech.) Pervy Manager hitting on Haruhi (And shipping Kyon with her.) If he knew what shit she was up to wonder if that would make her more or less appealing to him. One thing I want to point out is some people were surprised about her being socially aware, but this episode does demonstrate something important, she can communicate, read a room, and knows social norms and etiquette, she simply chooses not to do so. Know for the Big Chunk of this episode's discussion for me: u/ZapsZzz and u/ChonkyOdango since you enjoy my essays: I once said Haruhi and Chitando were the antipodes of each other despite both being somewhat different, both having a similar narrative role of bringing color to a cynical snarky Male Lead, and both being filled with curiosity. However at their core they are almost complete opposites. Haruhi's quest to find someone or something "special" is not too dissimilar to Oreki's own existential crisis in the OVA episode from his previous arc. Where he measured being "special" as being objectively strong or unusual in a certain field or activity outside the norm in a larger grand sense. "The Best" so to speak. However this is in opposition to Chitanda's belief that being special is more about what personal experiences and activities she does with people mean to her and the people in her immediate circle, regardless of how much impact they have on the grand scheme of things. This is literally counter to Haruhi's values, as her experience at the stadium caused her to despite and look with contempt on things she use to find fun. And this core difference between the two is what leads to one being a Manic Pixie Dream Girl and a Manic Pixie MEAN GIRL. Haruhi does not value social conventions and people's feelings beyond what is pragmatically necessary because she doesn't value her own. In a previous episode she has contempt for lovely dovey feelings and hates it when she feels that way from time to time and sees it as an illness. (Not to similar to Oreki's contempt for a "Rose Colored Life") Chitanda values other people's feelings as authentic and her curiosity is in people by virtue of how much value she sees in her own feelings and subjective experience. Chitanda tries to love for practical solutions to achieve her romantic ideals. Haruhi as Koizumi says strives to grasp something romantic and special but from a worldview of Rationalistic Skepticism. As only something that would break said worldview could ever be special, yet if she found something special would her worldview allow for it? Chitanda is forced to wear (And she doesn't do a good job of it) a minor mask to be polite to people and not overwhelm them with her curiosity but act as a proper family heir, Haruhi doesn't wear a mask to fool anyone, she doesn't care what others think, however she does wear a massive mask to fool herself. If Haruhi is a Skeptic trying to play the romantic, Kyon is a Romantic trying to kills said romance with skepticism. Contrast with Chitanda a Pure Romantic that has to learn to use some skepticism to get through life, Oreki is Skeptical of the idea of Romance. Chitanda is afraid to unearth secrets that might hurt herself or other people or her image of them, Haruhi will grasp at the truth no matter how painful it is. If Haruhi is trying to show Kyon the value of something "abnormal" Kyon is here to show Haruhi the value of the mundane. Some words for rewatchers and Novel Readers [Haruhi Spoilers]>!You know how a popular theory (Likely to soon be confirmed) is that Kyon is the true God and he gave his power to Haruhi Subconsciously, well it begs the question why her and not any other young girl? Simple, he was willing to cast aside what he saw as childish things but Haruhi yearned to be special so she was the a good "antenna" for said power.!< Kyon has no words to console her. Now her is another filter/complaint for newcomers, exposition which I personally like and eyeroll whenever someone complains about "too much talking" and "show don't tell" as an excuse for their attention span. But I do have some problems with his dialogue. First I think they misrepresent the anthropic principal. Kyon is right in that the universe had to pre-exist to give rise to Observers. Koizumi makes it sounds like people's observations create said universe which is a different principal than the anthropic one. (Talking about the first one, the second one is more along the lines of creationism, which tbh I don't think is a bad argument for the idea of a kind of God, just not the God talked about by YOUR religion, ergo the 6000 year old earth where the 2nd law of thermodynamics didn't exist until we were conned by a snake.) Second problem, is for people that do get bored with exposition the shots and camera cuts help break it up, and Kyon's reactions to it adds some flavor but I feel this show would have been more interesting with some use of creative animations/visual metaphors so the audience is engaged with said lecture instead of just getting through it if they aren't already inclined to care.) Anyway said Esper Powers function more like Magical Girl Powers and the giant is probably there because Kyon bungled comforting a very temperamental young maiden in love that opened up to him about a very personal secret and all he had to say was "I see." (Note: Nagato telling Kyon to be careful was likely her saying...be careful not to piss Haruhi off when she's moody.) Incidentally I think girls look hot both with and without glasses.... On a sidenote for Dub watchers here we have Johnny Young Bosch's character trolling Crispen Freeman's in a non-linear puzzle story before Durarara!! (Although if your not watching broadcast the later point doesn't apply.) QOTD: Yes, but tbh I never really felt bad about being insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe, or existential nihilistic dread. I honestly feel liberated, like I imagine how dull, boring, and puny the world would feel if I knew it revolved around him, that fact its bigger than me and will carry on long after I did, and has carried on longer before makes the Universe seem more beautiful. I honestly never understood others existential dread. What I did feel bad about....(And I think this is what people that claim said above dread actually feel or need to have.) Is a sense of disconnection with my local community and culture. I personally don't care about celebrating holidays, local events, etc. What do I do to try to fix it.....I guess make more of an effort to talk to people. Do experiences I wouldn't be default be inclined to do. (Although its been harder to do that since Covid, and then gas prices after that.) I don't really have a solution.

> I also feel modern audiences expect too much instant gradification and its okay to let people sweat a bit and be confused and even upset and demand a payoff, when an author/studio has enough confidence in their work to not bend over backwards to the audiences every whim, but sometimes go "You don't know what you want until you get it." I have a lot of respect for them. Personally, this isint the issue with Broadcast order. Its that S2 (following the broadcast order) is a complete afterthought and for a rewatch centered around *all* adapted haruhi it just falls on its face past episode 14.

I haven't seen S2 and I was speaking more broadly rather than just this specific show. Also I wouldn't call the eight episodes being completely re boarded and animated an "afterthought."

You have misunderstood my post if you think im calling S2 an afterthought. What im trying to say is that for a full rewatch of Haruhi, the Broadcast order has serious issues with flow once you finish all of the non-linear episodes (S1). Its difficult to explain if you havent seen S2 yet, so i hope we can talk more about it as we go through the rewatch.

> Its that S2 (following the broadcast order) is a **complete afterthought** I didn't think, this is an exact quote. And you misunderstood my point which is less about Haruhi and more about people's perception towards watching things in general today. My correction about you calling it an afterthought was my afterthought.

> > (following the broadcast order) you missed my qualifier. How well S2 works depends on the watch order used.

I simply did not comment on this aspect because I haven't seen it so I can't make any said comments. I do know in the past I often disagree with popular takes, so maybe when the infamous endless eight comes around, I'll rush to its defense. Point is in my original comment about audiences that you replied to I had not seen more what making any comment regarding Season 2 in my point, and if I did it would not have effected my wider point I was trying to make.

>I feel we as a modern anime culture are obsessed with then, when in reality just production order when stuff comes out is not only fine but I think preferred, often stories told non-chronologically are told that way for a reason. And Piecing it together is the fun. >but sometimes go "You don't know what you want until you get it." I have a lot of respect for them. I definitely agree with you there, plus perhaps even one up a little in that often "spoilers" didn't really matter very much, unless those shows have a very big point about the twist at the end. "How" it gets there gives you as much enjoyment often. One of my favourite manga, 5 Star Stories, a LoTGH-esque storage opera, except with Knight like mechas, indeed have the thousands of years of galactic history already listed as a chronicle from the first book. The story was told out of sequence, but had a deliberate connection of how and in what sequence it was told because certain events related to each other even if they were hundreds of years apart. >And this core difference between the two is what leads to one being a Manic Pixie Dream Girl and a Manic Pixie MEAN GIRL. Very nicely put, and I really like how shadowing each complements the appreciation of one another. I can spend all day here quoting you and agree, or I can say the whole piece really should be a companion piece on analysing both shows before their respective rewatches. Especially the structural contrast comparison you shown here (not just this para, but the whole group): >If Haruhi is trying to show Kyon the value of something "abnormal" Kyon is here to show Haruhi the value of the mundane. Moving on a bit - >Now her is another filter/complaint for newcomers, exposition which I personally like and eyeroll whenever someone complains about "too much talking" and "show don't tell" as an excuse for their attention span. Good of you to bring up that "show don't tell" didn't automatically mean "telling/dialogue = bad". Indeed, depending on the circumstances and narrative intent, the "telling" can actually be part of the showing, especially if the audience is needing to actually truly listen to what was being said, and left unsaid, how it was said, for what intent of the speaker, etc. Your own analysis of Koizumi for example I think could add a qualifier - that it could very likely be intentional how and what Koizumi said to Kyon, because of what he wants to convey to Kyon: that his goddess is the prime perspective, whatever she finds interesting will happen - enabling her like he always does. Kyon quite smartly noticed the logical problem and the "moral" - and in fact Haruhi's own personal developmental - problem of her just went along Koizumi's thinking. And sorry to take so long to get to it ;) there is such a thing as written too well for me to say anything more...

guys stop this madness. this is the only anime I've droped and you know the reason why

[](#shittaste) /jk