A Cyclops Who Likes Anime. A Shameful Cyclops

As I’m scrolling down the list of pre-alphabetic characters, most beginning with [HugeDorkZ] and similar, I am struck with such a tidal wave of loathing for the shows in general, what they may contain and the very thought of me viewing them in particular. Simply envisioning myself sitting down to watch BLASSREITER or Chaos Head (I don’t know what these are about, mind you) overwhelms me with misery. It’s certainly a new development, and I don’t really understand why. Maybe I’ve just hit Critical Bullshit Mass.

It’s summer vacation time! Haruhi makes a list of summertime activities, and they check every item off the list. The festival, fireworks, the swimming pool, working part-time at a supermarket to get a frog suit for the club room. Here and there Kyon notices a feeling of deja vu, but that happens to everyone from time to time, and he dismisses it quickly.

Until Asahina calls him up one night, and he meets her, Koizumi and Nagato. Asahina tried to contact the future, but can’t. There is no more future. They’re stuck in an infinite time loop. The only one who keeps her memories is Nagato; apparently being part of a colossal alien entity which has evolved beyond space-time has its uses. Kyon asks her how many times they’ve relived in this two-week cycle between August 17th and August 31st.

15, 498 times. That’s the current count for how often they’ve lived that particular segment of summer. Of course Haruhi’s behind it, but she’s completely clueless. They spend the rest of the time thinking, as a group (except for Nagato, she doesn’t really care) of how to fully satisfy Haruhi and break their endless summer. They reach the end of the episode with no ideas. Kyon figures he’ll leave his summer homework to the him that breaks the loop and stays in bed.

I really liked the second half of the episode, but the first part was mostly the same exact shit (by and large) as last time. Which was a little lazy. Haruhi did have an (awesome) chinese dress swimsuit which ruled, but by and large I think they could have sped up that whole thing and made this episode and next episode one entity. It would have made the pace a little janky and ruined the impact of the BIG REVEAL but…well I guess if it has all those benefits plus it pads an episode I can understand.

I am so understanding it hurts.

Summer vacation time, right after the trip to the ~Mystery Island~ if I remember correctly. Haruhi’s made a list of summer activities to do, and they do them. All. Without incident. It’s a fun ol’ time going to the pool, catching cicadas, checking out the festival and watching fireworks. Sure it’s pretty funny when Haruhi makes sure Mikuru doesn’t ride on Kyon’s bike, but that’s about it. No friction. No stress. Let’s just all Take It Easy. Kyon makes a halfhearted attempt at his summer homework before throwing in the towel and playing a puzzle game against his sister. That night, he heads off to bed a little earlier than usual, in preparation for the next day. He’s got school tomorrow, after all.

Oh Kyon. You’re in some trouble.

It took me a while to watch this because of all the confusion. What most people have probably figured out by now, unless they’re like me and don’t have anything to do with the anime community, is that they’re re-airing Haruhi in chronological order. What that means is they’re also adding in the parts of the first two novels (and more, if they get that far I suppose) that didn’t make the jump to anime last go around. Which initially struck me as incredibly lazy, almost as lazy as the “new” FMA series. Then I thought about it for a little while, and I suppose it’s alright. I mean, Haruhi’s storyline is convoluted at the best of times, with the time traveling added on top of the first season’s broadcast order shenanigans. So this is fine, although liable to confuse just as many people. The first new episode in the now chronologically correct Haruhi was episode 8, followed by episode 11 (I think) as number two. Yes, we will hit a point where the bulk is new, but for now you’ll have to keep your ear to the ground and see what surfaces. Of course, if (when) they package the initial series and the new episodes together in one insuperable package with a premium pricetag, then I’ll be less understanding.

If you’ve read the novels (or the manga), this is the Tanabata episode, Tanabata being the fairly common holiday in anime where you write what your wishes on the slips of paper and hang them on the tree. Haruhi decides everyone in the SOS Brigade is going to celebrate it this year. Pretty simple stuff, and the first part of the episode is over pretty quickly.

That’s where the time travel starts, and cutting to the chase it turns out Kyon is the one who helped Haruhi draw that chalk message three years earlier, while she was in middle school. He gives his name as John Smith, which will become relevant later on, and accidentally persuades Haruhi to join North High, where there are plenty more interesting people according to him. It’s a fine episode, and a great introduction to the Back to the Future-esque shenanigans that begin to play a pivotal role in the series, in particular that day, three years before the present. You gotta love when strands of story are tied together in surprising ways.

The question which may be on some people’s minds is if it lives up to the last season, which is over three years old now apparently? I don’t know, it’s been a while since I’ve seen it and really, they’re just ripping the story straight from the novel. There’s not much wiggle room, which I think has served the series well so far. Those anime people can really rip a series apart at the seams if given a chance. I liked the episode, and I’m glad Haruhi’s back.

This series is pretty good. A few years back I watched it for a second time. But I don’t think it’s quite time for a third viewing yet.

This episode was about Yui needing to pass the math exam retake or she wouldn’t be able to participate in club activities. Which would knock the club down to 3 members and force them to close. Aside from her constant distraction from studying by learning chords, there wasn’t much metal about this episode.

Which is too bad, because without bringing The Metal this show is pretty goddamn boring.

Beach episode! Well, sort of. The first bit is, which actually takes place after the fact and follows the gang as they attempt to figure out where Fujioka is and what happened to him. The bear, not the person. Beach episodes are always nice because they show the whole gang hanging out and taking it easy. Also Haruka is hot.

There’s also some tormenting of Fujioka by Maki, who’s really the last person you’d expect given her status as the runt of Haruka’s litter of friends. A little Mako-chan thrown into the end completes the episode. Second segment was probably the best.

Sort of a meh episode, if I’m to be honest. A mostly Chiaki & Friends episode. Chiaki works well when it’s the three sisters + more, but she comes off as a little too strong a personality around her friends. Or something. Anyway she can’t swim, they’re cleaning the pool, she steals the hose so they can’t clean it anymore, when Makoto stages a daring theft.

Then Kana & Friends go to a pool outside of school, where she suggests a game of tag and makes Fujioka it. He just stands there since he feels awkward and uncomfortable tagging girls…in the pool…as a guy. This really pisses Kana off and leads to a round table game of tag at Kana’s house where he keeps tagging Touma in the chest. That part is pretty awesome.

Touma’s family realizes she’s starting to act like a little punk. Naoki, the brother close to Haruka’s age, decides to treat her like a boy if she’s going to act like a boy, and it’s pretty funny to see her usually violent, yet successful, tendencies stymied. Kana then gives her a secret weapon: a picture of her acting girly, to remind her brother that she’s a girl when he gets mad. The picture works, but only because it shows Touma reacting nonchalantly to Haruka’s shirt all disheveled and unbuttoned. Oh mama.

We’re also introduced later to Hitomi, a classmate of Naoki who really likes him and can apparently understand everything he feels from his eyes. Which leads to great misunderstandings when he looks slightly past her at Haruka. Oh dear oh dear. Despite the eye-rolling factor being cranked up to 11, I think she’s a good character and I look forward for her future inclusion. She makes a strong case for herself in the last chapter as well. Oh Hosaka.

You know, I was planning to cover this series. Until I watched the second episode, and the beginning of the third.

So far it’s the exact same thing as the first season. Exactly the same. So, you know, maybe I’ll start covering it once it does something different. Maybe.