First Impressions / Suzumiya Haruhi

Summary:

Yuki leads the group to a spot behind her apartment building to find a cat, and Haruhi picks one out from the ones gathered. She decides to call it Shamisen, and although the cat doesn’t talk like she wants it to, they continue filming with it. After they finish up for the day though and Haruhi leaves, Shamisen surprises everyone by actually talking. This worries Itsuki because it means that more of Haruhi’s movie is making it into the real world, and he thinks that they have to prevent that. To do so, he suggests that they need a movie ending which makes sense of everything, like it being a dream. For the time being, however, Kyon takes home Shamisen. During the next day, Mikuru comes by to give him a yakisoba voucher, but she also tells him that she has a different interpretation of the situation than Itsuki. She thinks that Haruhi has the power to change the present reality, but that doesn’t mean that Haruhi can change the structure of the world, which Mikuru thinks has been like this from the very beginning. Yuki later explains further what Mikuru thinks and warns that there’s no guarantee that anything Itsuki says is true, but Kyon realizes this applies to Mikuru too, and Yuki notes that it’s true for herself as well.

Despite all this, the filming of the movie continues, as do the abnormal occurrences. Itsuki visits Kyon one night to talk about Haruhi, and he addresses the fact that there are many theories out there centered on her. He also claims that Mikuru’s job is to ensnare Kyon because he’s the only one that Haruhi sometimes listens to. Having this talk with Itsuki leads to Kyon figuring out a way to make Haruhi realize that everything in her film is nonsense. He proposes it the next day to Haruhi and gets her approval, and the group finishes filming later that day. That still leaves all the editing work for that night, and Haruhi tries to stay up with Kyon, but both of them fall asleep. When he wakes up though, Kyon finds that the movie has magically been finished, effects and all. They are thus able to present the film, and the end of it features Haruhi reading a disclaimer about everything being fiction. Sometime later, Kyon tries to tell Haruhi about the true identities of Yuki, Itsuki, and Mikuru, but Haruhi doesn’t believe him because it’s too convenient.

Thoughts:

That was a decent ending to the arc, and a decent arc overall, but I’m a little underwhelmed by the disclaimer solution to their problems. It’s clever to a degree, but it left something to be desired, and I find myself a lot more engaged and satisfied with the kind of solutions to abnormal problems that Bakemonogatari features at the end of its arcs. Never mind the fact that a number of questions went unanswered, like who actually finished the movie. I will say though that Shamisen was absolutely adorable, and that scene with him talking and at the same time trying to stay on Yuki’s shoulder was by far my favorite of the episode.

I also liked how they were sowing some seeds of distrust between Itsuki and Mikuru’s factions, but I doubt I’ll remember it very well if it ever comes into play again. I say that, of course, because this should be the final new episode of this broadcast run. Though it might be a little awkward chronologically since the end of this episode had the end of the movie and aftermath, the final four episodes should all be from the original broadcast (Episode 00, Live A Live, The Day of Sagittarius, and Someday in the Rain). I’m planning on still tuning in just to see if KyoAni surprises us with something different, but I don’t think they will.

51 Comments

  5. I’m not too sure, but ” Sometime later, Kyon tries to tell Haruhi about the true identities of Yuki, Itsuki, and Mikuru, but Haruhi doesn’t believe him because it’s too convenient.” I’m pretty sure it’s something that happened earlier in the novels, which is where Haruhi took the ideas of the characters. I watched the episode, but I still can’t follow on more complex conversations.. but did he made it clear that this happened after in the anime? Not that it changes much.

    The next episodes are Episode 00, Live A Live, The Day of Sagittarius, and Someday in the Rain for sure though. It’d be awkward for them to go anywhere else then chronologically after all this. Disappearance takes place in December, while Sigh up to Day of Sagittarius (and someday in the rain) are all in November. I’m still hoping for Disappearance, but it’d suck to stop there as there’s a few other stories related to that too later on.

    Ecchigo
    Reply

  6. This episode was pretty well put together and I liked how it was brought back up that Kyon can’t exactly trust everybody around him carelessly because they still have to obey their own factions along with his special position as Haruhi’s target of affection. Itsuki seemed pretty creepy and twisted in this episode.

    Viruals
    Reply

  7. Wow. So this is how what could be the very last new episode of Suzumiya Haruhi ends. Somehow I can’t a third season being produced after that Endless Eight fiasco. The whole franchise feels so worn out now. Especially when compared to how I upbeat I felt when watching Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody for the first time…

    Marcos
    Reply

  11. @echigo & RmX
    Actually, the epilogue of Volume 1 (And the last episode of the original airing of the anime) is when Kyon says he will tell her of Aliens, Espers, and Time Travelers and they walk to the cafe. We get a brief flashback of that scene with different narration as you see the close up of Haruhi walking up. That’s the same shot as the last episode of season 1.

    In the novel, I believe the interior scene where she tells him not to joke around is at the beginning of sighs, and it is a flashback to something that went unwritten in the first volume. The first volume ends with him saying he will tell her, but it’s not until Sighs that we see it. Here, they put it onto the end of the anime arc, and probably shoudl have explained better that it was a flashback to that earlier point after the shinjin giants began tearing everything up and he kissed Haruhi.

    AW
    Reply

  19. It’s true what Ecchigo says. As far as I remember, at the beginning of Sighs, Kyon is remembering the time he and Haruhi had to go on an investigation together. Meaning the end of Melancholy, where she had to treat him. This was the aftermath of his talk with her, and it was before Sighs.

    Overall, I liked the whole arc, and I’m sure this is just KyoAni trying to mess with us before presenting Disappearance. Even though most hated it (Omni included) I enjoyed the Endless Eight because of KyoAni’s way of retelling the same scenes over and over while finding creative angles, retakes and such.

    TehJawknee
    Reply

  24. I believe that this is the last original episode. Having Kyon telling her the truth, and her not believing it, it the perfect way to end the original eps… And the way she glanced back to see if he was goign to come after her was just too cute.

    draksig
    Reply

  26. “Haruhi declares that everything in her film is nonsense”. But it is very important nonsense- for her! That way her name can be seen in hundreds when titles roll in the end.
    Can i guess who finished editing the movie: Yuki. She also did make Haruhi and Kyon fall to heavy sleep.
    I feel that a 3rd season is coming in next April.

    Savofenno
    Reply

  29. I’m pretty sure they were gonna show ‘The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya’ and a few other short stories, too. Especially seeing as all the pictures we got from the ‘second season’ before it started were for ‘The Disappearance’.

    Aside from that, the last scene was a continuation of the last scene of the episode ‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI’, and was in the light novels the prologue of ‘The Sighs’.

    BK-110
    Reply

  30. outcast: i find it very fun when Kenichi Ogata does the voice of Shamisen! I am thinking of Genma Saotome, The Emperor of All Freeloaders in anime. And what are cats then, if not something similar? I did read in Sankoku that Kadokawa has some regrets concerning treatment of E8. Hope that makes them to produce The Disappearance and more.

    Savofenno
    Reply

  31. OMNI: If they do NOT turn up with something new after the next four episodes, will you add your Final Thoughts of the season here by then?

    It turns out that this past season was NOT satisfying to me, for obvious reasons. I just hope that IF a third season comes, we won’t have to wait 3 more years, and it will deliver what we expect for once!

    starss
    Reply

  33. @FullMetalQAF: uh, it’s tsuruya, and she’s waitin for mikuru to finish talkin (she was in the scene earlier.

    And for those who are curious, and correct me if I’m wrong, but when I read Sighs a few years ago I think it was explained that the movie editing was done by Haruhi’s powers. She believed that Kyon would be able to do it because he’s so awesome, and the world shifted according to her belief in him.

    matt
    Reply

  34. @matt

    agree.

    Ah man, the arc was awesome. Sucks tho, the english light novel of Sigh is coming next month, but I already know whats gonna happen. Oh well. But I have the feeling in my gut that kyoani is gonna surprise up with disappearance quite soon.

    aznk
    Reply

  35. Someone probably already said, but the conversation between Haruhi and Kyon at the end of the episode(when Kyon teels the truth to her), actually happens way before taht arc. It was from where she get the idea of the charactes (in SighsII Kyon even wonder if it was his fault).

    This scene place just after the 6th episode, the end of Melancholy. If you rewatch it, you can see it is the continuation of that epilogue.

    Really a mistake form Kyoani for not making this clear.

    Heatth
    Reply

  37. …Well, there is still a chance for disappearance, I mean, endless eight was scheduled as one episode, so theoretically, we have no reason to trust, or believe that the other episodes are actually recaps, they may very well be disappearance…

    chad001
    Reply

  38. it was not sometime later, if you notice their clothing that conversation happened at the end of the first melancholy of haruhi suzumiya, where Kyon he says he’s going to talk to her about all those things, he actually did it but she didn’t believe it.

    that’s why she did the cast the way she did, because he told her this before XD

    moscatete
    Reply

  39. The conversation at the cafe is in the prologue to volume 2 (Sighs) and takes place just after the end of volume 1. As moscatete said, they ware wearing the same clothes. As to why they put it when they did in the anime, who knows. They obviously wanted to emphasize it, so they put it last, but they figured the fans have already read the novels and know where it goes, so they didn’t explain it. I still think we may get Disappearance relatively soon, but if not i’m with Brooklyn otaku on more FMP.

    curious one
    Reply

  42. I loved this second season(yes, even Endless Eight) and am sad to see it go. Hopefully there will be a season focusing on Disappearance sooner or later. I just want Tanigawa to finish the tenth Haruhi novel.

    I found on this episode awesome except for the last 3 minutes. That occurred at the end of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya so wth was it doing at the end of Sighs?

    Emphraim
    Reply

  46. @Rex
    They were just some random guys that were around the days before the festival but didn’t actually show up on the festival days. The implication is that they are more distortions from the fantasy world that Haruhi conjured up, or possibly sliders like Kyon says (or both). I hope that answer made at least some sense.

    curious one
    Reply

  50. “Sometime later, Kyon tries to tell Haruhi about the true identities of Yuki, Itsuki, and Mikuru, but Haruhi doesn’t believe him because it’s too convenient.”

    Just for the record, the last scene in the show is a flashback, they just didn’t announce it very well. If you look at the last scene of “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya VI” and the last scene in this episode, you’ll see that both Haruhi and Kyon are wearing the same clothes. The line where Kyon says he’ll talk to Haruhi about ‘aliens, time travellers and espers,’ at the end of “Melancholy VI” is the lead in to the scene at the end of this episode. It’s also why he thinks, “Is this my fault?” a few episodes ago when he learned the roles in the movie.

    But since they didn’t make it clear w/ a date or anything that made it clear that it was a flashback, it’s natural to assume it took place later.

    youngde
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *