First Impressions / Suzumiya Haruhi

Summary:
Haruhi and Kyon visit Asakura Ryoko’s apartment, which Kyon finds out is in the same building as Yuki’s place. They get past the building’s locked front doors by waiting for a lady to come out and then rushing in while the doors are open. Since Ryoko’s apartment 505 is locked and empty, Haruhi decides to go ask the manager of the building about it. Though the man is a bit hard of hearing, he reveals that even though there were no movers, the room just suddenly became empty. He remembers that Ryoko had moved in three years ago, but that he never saw her parents. What’s more, the apartment was paid for in one lump sum. Haruhi takes this information and leaves with Kyon. By chance, the two run into Yuki outside as she is returning home. Yuki responds to Haruhi’s questions about living here and about Ryoko by nodding and shaking her head. Haruhi also asks about her glasses, but Yuki doesn’t answer and just looks at Kyon. After Haruhi starts walking off again, and Yuki finally opens her mouth to give Kyon a warning about being careful.
Haruhi doesn’t know where they’re going next, and she stops beside some train tracks. Turning around, she asks Kyon if he’s ever felt like he leads a tiny existence on Earth. Haruhi admits that she’s had this feeling before and goes into her story. When she was in the sixth-grade (elementary school), she had gone to a baseball game and seen all the masses of people. Her father had estimated around 50,000 people, which was a lot until Haruhi learned that Japan had 100 million people; all those people in the stadium made up only a small fraction of the population. Because of this, everything Haruhi did in her daily life didn’t feel special anymore. She knew that there had to be a person leading an extraordinary and interesting life, but why wasn’t that person her? Haruhi had decided to change herself so that she wasn’t just waiting for something to happen. But in the end, there still wasn’t anything.
After this long speech, Haruhi and Kyon part ways and head home. As Kyon rides up to his house, Itsuki walks up to him. Itsuki wants some of Kyon’s time to talk about something concerning Haruhi, and takes him for a taxi ride. Along the way, Itsuki explains that he’s going to show proof that he is an ESPer. He then starts talking about the the Anthropic Principle and eventually works his way back to the topic of Haruhi. According to him, Haruhi has the ability to make wishes and desires come true. The reason Yuki the alien, Mikuru the time-traveler, and Itsuki the ESPer appeared is because Haruhi wanted them to. Itsuki then recalls that three years ago, he suddenly figured out that he had a special ability and knew how to use it. There were others like him, all with special abilities given by Haruhi. But the girl with this power also finds that this world is uninteresting. Itsuki reminds Kyon of what he had said before about Haruhi being able to create and destroy the world. Kyon suggests that Itsuki should just reveal to Haruhi who he really is, because then she’d be really happy and wouldn’t do anything to the world. However, Itsuki thinks that if Haruhi starts thinking that ESPers are commonplace, then the whole world would become that way. As for why she hasn’t figured out what everyone is yet, Itsuki thinks that Haruhi is internally conflicted because her common sense tells her that those kinds of things don’t exist.
Haruhi has been calming down in past months, but a tornado is developing again. According to Itsuki, this is because of Kyon inspiring Haruhi to create the club, but that’s not the only reason. The taxi stops and the two get out at a busy intersection. They go about halfway on the crosswalk when Itsuki asks Kyon to close his eyes. Kyon does so, and Itsuki pulls him into a bleak world – a closed space. One of Itsuki’s abilities is entering closed spaces, and he estimates this one to be about 5 kilometers in radius. Nothing has changed in the outside world, which is separated from this one. As the two guys go up to the top of a department store, Itsuki further explains that the closed spaces occur randomly, but they’re also connected by the fact that they appear when Haruhi’s mind is unstable. Itsuki’s abilities include being able to influence Haruhi’s reasoning – if this world is like an acne created in Haruhi’s mind, then he is the acne treatment. Itsuki then points Kyon to something happening before them: a giant creature that looks like it’s made of blue goo rises up in the middle of the city.
While the monster starts to destroy the city, Itsuki explains that this giant arises when Haruhi’s irritation reaches a critical limit. The giant is relieving Haruhi’s stress by mangling its surroundings – the closed space is created so it doesn’t do this in the real world. However, Itsuki’s comrades – with similar powers as him – soon attack it. They look like bright red lights buzzing around the blue giant, and Itsuki joins them in the fight. The red lights succeed in slicing off one of the giant’s arms, and then cut apart the giant piece by piece. As quickly as it started, the battle is over and Itsuki returns to Kyon on the roof. But there’s one more thing Kyon gets to see: the termination of the closed space. The sky on this world starts to crack, and then the entire world goes back to its normal state. During the ride back home, Itsuki says that the blue monster is referred to as a person of god – a shinjin. Itsuki’s abilities are active inside the closed space, when the shinjin appear. The objective is to not let these shinjin cause destruction because that will enlarge the closed space, all the way to the point where it could cover the entire world. When the taxi delivers Kyon back home, Itsuki asks him to pay attention to Haruhi’s attitude. This reminds Kyon of how Yuki had warned him earlier to be careful.

Preview:

Wow, that was a lot of complicated explanation on Itsuki’s part. Certainly not the most exciting episode of Haruhi, but I wouldn’t call it boring either. This being the next to last episode, they’re now explaining Haruhi’s motivations – revealing how insignificant she felt at one point – along with clarifying everything there is to know about closed spaces and the monsters inside of them. Haruhi’s speech had the most effect on me, especially if you think about what she said in a grander scale (you being one person out of many billion on this Earth). In contrast, a lot of the stuff Itsuki said in the beginning didn’t make that much sense to me, including how the 「人間原理」 (ningen genri – Anthropic Principle) relates.
Anyway, the final episode next week! I’m not quite sure what to expect in a finale for a series like this, but I’m keeping my hopes high 🙂

50 Comments

  5. NOOOOO
    i can’t believe it, is this the end of suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu? though i wouldnt be surprised if they ended the series off with a kiss or a preview to season two which might just come out like a week after the first ends ^^XD

    madmaxy
    Reply

  6. Little Haruhi is sooo cute!!!!!!!! I loved the piano piece that went with it.

    And that battle with the Shinjin was quite fast, just like it is in the novel. I find the novel more thrilling to read than this episode, including better scenes of Haruhi’s dialogue and Itsuki’s dialogue – it was suppose to be after sunset in the book for me, which felt better than sunset.

    The animation on the highway is superb, however, but it’s kinda paradoxal how short the aftertrip was, and I’ve never seen Japanese highways, so I don’t know if they look like that or not. Reminds me of The Matrix. 🙂

    Pakxenon
    Reply

  7. “Han ~

    Already the last one next week… ;__;
    And I already know what will happen in this episode…

    /me wish/pray for a second season…”

    What will happen ??? can yu tell me ? XD please please ^^

    SanDo
    Reply

  8. The circle is now complete both Haruhi’s now have a kid form. Isn’t Haruhi-sama adorable. Final ep next week, I really hate Kanon for this atrocity at ending this at 14, I demand more.

    Crusader
    Reply

  9. If KyotoAni don’t do a second season I’m going to cry. Lots. Lots, lots and lots.

    I’ve never wanted another season as much as here.

    By the way Omni, how are you doing? Feeling better?

    Ale
    Reply

  11. The animation through the taxi windows was a triumph. Check out the view through the cab windows of a truck behind Itsuki. Hirano Aya’s voice work was superb. I was so moved by her expressive tones of voice. One more episode: I don’t hate Kanon, but I do long for a second season. And yes, Japanese freeways look exactly like that.

    hashihime
    Reply

  13. so , now that fate is done , blood + is second on the poll .
    next week , haruhi ends , so in 3 weeks , blood+ will be first in the poll ! YAY
    yea….sadly haruhi will end….but…blood+ still goes on XD

    Maybe Zegapain will make it’s appearance in the poll as well .

    and..yea..i do know that whay i say has nothing to do with today’s haruhi episode 😛

    kurotsuki
    Reply

  29. deepest episode so far now I get specially wel why this series is caled the Melancoly…. poor girl, this is soo melancholic
    and snow white next episode….? ok ok I haven’t read the novel so Ican’t say but by the spolierish time traveler that I won’t mentiong I’m getting an idea of what’ll happpen….
    I bet I’m going to hear GOD KNOWS at the end credits (or somewhere near the end of the next episoded ^^)

    RickaZ
    Reply

  31. Agghhh! already the last episode????? Say it isn’t so!! Me want 2nd season!!!!!!

    But anyways the last episode BETTER BE GOOD. I’ll be looking hard for that scene that Adult Mikuru was predicting, where she told Kyon to remember “Snow White” when a critical situation arises.

    Anyways this episode was good too!

    Shadowfox
    Reply

  32. Agghhh! already the last episode????? Say it isn’t so!! Me want 2nd season!!!!!!

    But anyways the last episode BETTER BE GOOD. I’ll be looking hard for that scene that Adult Mikuru was predicting, where she told Kyon to remember “Snow White” when a critical situation arises.

    Anyways this episode was good too!
    by Shadowfox June 26th, 2006 at 2:47 pm

    Trust me, if u cannot miss it.

    linkinstreet
    Reply

  35. um.. its actually 14, not 24. If you look at the new anime list, according to animenfo, “NHK ni Yokoso” will be replacing SHnY on july 9.

    I do hope there will be a second season.

    Anony
    Reply

  38. Actually the schedual for next season doesn’t incude ANY shows taking the place of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu. “NHK” won’t be out until the next season of shows starts. that means Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu is 24 episodes. not 14.

    Hudson
    Reply

  39. Next season meaning… July 9th at 12:30 am. Ya.

    Leaving episode counts aside (it IS 14 – 14 is the finale), I thought Itsuki would be consumed in a ball of opaque red light. I had no idea it was transparent. o_O

    Pakxenon
    Reply

  41. I believe what Itsuki was trying to say about Haruhi and the Anthropic Principle is that just like the existence of the Universe is only possible because humans had become self-aware of the Universe, the existence of aliens, time-travellers, and espers is because of Haruhi’s desire to see them. If Haruhi did not exist or did not wish it, then aliens, time-travellers, and espers might not have ever existed at all.

    It’s something along the veins of “If I don’t see it and have never experienced it before, then it could not possibly be real or exist”. Only when you see it in the flesh or learn about it then does that “existence” really exist, regardless of whether or not it may have existed at all in the first place.

    Fat Cat Lim
    Reply

  42. I forgot to add:

    Itsuki’s comment about us being a clown standing on tiptoes on the edge of the cliff probably means that considering how the world today could drastically be different if there had been a slight change in gravitational field or evolution billion of years ago. If the existence of aliens, time travellers, and espers indeed only became real after Haruhi desired it so, then it is almost somewhat like a joke that humans are living so precariously today where a slight deviation in the law of physics could drastically change how we live today.

    For example, like Itsuki said that if Haruhi knew of the existence of espers and think of them as a common occurence, then it would completely bend the law of physics and plunge the universe into chaos. For every wish Haruhi makes that comes true, it will have to conform to the law of physics or at least conform to them in some way unbeknownst the current knowledge pool of physics. Otherwise, the world as we know it would be totally shaken. Thus the idea of how much the world today could have been so easily changed by a slight change in environmental factors relates to Itsuki’s analogy of the tiptoeing clown at the edge of the cliff – that how close the world is to being destroyed just by the will of a single girl.

    Fat Cat Lim
    Reply

  43. Haven’t heard this much explaination since the last episodes of Key the Metal Idol. I’m not a big fan of this kind of nuclear bomb attack; it’s like the deus ex machina of the novel world: in your face, unexpected, and kind of cheap.

    gnec
    Reply

  45. Wow, just when I don’t think this series could be any better, it comes at you from a completely new direction. For such a wacky show at times, it also has amazing depth.

    BTW, maybe nobody thought it worth mention, but I like the little touches. Like the Apartment number being 505. Almost have to wonder if not only was it a shout-out to the SOS-Dan, but Apt 707 as well.

    Tensai
    Reply

  47. > Well we’ve seen neither the talking cat’s arrival, nor the frog outfit so I keep hoping there will be a second season coming very very soon

    I thought the frog costume was in “Someday in the Rain”, ep.. 9? Or am i just remembering the novel? Haruhi was shooting pictures ostensibly for the DVD cover, when someone pointed out that the frog costume hadn’t been used in the film – which is why I find it amusing that the frog costume was used on the cover of the actual DVD 🙂

    The talking cat is from the film so we won’t know the answer to that (along with other things from the film like Mikuru’s eye changing colour then Yuki jumping on her, Yuki and Itsuki fighting) until they show the making of it, and I don’t think they’ll have time with only one ep left. Maybe there’s a change of an OVA “making of” episode?

    Shiroi Hane
    Reply

  48. it’ll be a coupla months after the events of Yuuutsu VI / VII before they start discussing what to do for the school event ( the same event where Haruhi sings ‘God Knows’ & ‘Lost My Music’ ) and decides on making the yet unnamed short film ( we know it as Asahina Mikuru’s Adventure Episode 00 , prolly the author’s tribute to Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope – , cuz even George Lucas never thot any more would be made ).

    Haruhi as a series demands our attention like no other series simply for all the goodness that’s been written in between the lines , waiting for us to get to them… for a story that seems oddly , just reconstructions of recollections from one guy’s young adulthood… it brings to mind the questions of the aftermath and what ever happened to them all afterwards.

    tonbo
    Reply

  49. There might be an episode 15, there’s a chapter in the third volume of the novel that hasn’t been turned into an anime epsiode yet.

    And they didn’t animate the entire “Making Of Asahina Mikuru’s Adventure” That made up the whole second volume of the novel.

    wings of words
    Reply

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