Haruhi Suzumiya

Very true. I agree completely.

So I watched the first episode and...... it's cute but man Kyon really underwent Mundanization. Honestly I hope when Funi does the dub (and the inevitably get the old cast back...... right?) they take some liberties with the script and "punch it up" to get Kyon closer to his old snarky self.

Other than that, Nagato saying turkey like "tahkey" is really cute to be honest, and when everything went Star Trek when Haruhi passed Nagato on the street I swear to god those were some stock lens flares from Video Copilot Optical Flares.

Edit: Also I can't be the only one who noticed when Asakura grabbed Kyon's face that they deliberately made a visual call back to when she stabbed him in the prime!Universe. Also when she sliced that ... whatever that vegetable is she's singing Hare Hare Yukai.

edited 10th Apr '15 1:48:40 PM by RoboZombie

There are severals call backs to the Kyoani's production, yes.

Oddly enough, Yuki's fixation with turkey here is weird, as this is Japan, where going to KFC is actually an acknowledged Christmas practice...

Yeah, that's why Yuki's so insistent on it (and why they're having such a hard time finding a turkey). Imagine a high school club in Minnesota deciding they wanted roast boar for Christmas or somesuch.

The new opening is really aping on the old show. Nostalgia motherfuckers.

And I'm a sucker for it.

I just realized how glad I am to see Haruhi animated again. Nice to see her in all her glory. Asakura and Tsuruya dancing with the trio is weird. Otherwise, that was the Christams episode.

Okay, now I'm totally confused. I thought Haruhi was supposed be kind of grumpy until she meets Kyon. So they're changing her character too?

She was grumpy because North High isn't what she was expecting thanks to what John Smith told her.

This universe that meeting never happened, she didn't go to that school, and never had those expectations. Instead she goes to the prep school Kouyouen and is slightly more normal than her old self but still has most of those eccentricities, like her movie self, but they are slightly more down to earth and playful, fitting the setting.

edited 11th Apr '15 12:10:20 PM by Memers

She was grumpy in middle school too, before she even met John Smith. She was just generally unsatisfied with living in an ordinary world (until Kyon told her to make it interesting herself). If you make her less grumpy, then you change her entire motivation. She's a completely different character at that point.

Don't worry, she's still eccentric. She enlists Yuki's help with the Santa sign rather than Kyon's in this universe.

Basically in this universe Haruhi never goes through a stage of melancholy, or if she does it does not last very long. Even though she's in Kouyouen she's not depressed. As seen in this episode she's downright lively.

she still met Kyon, when both of them were younger, and he helped her with the famous I am here message. She realizes this, and that he's the one who helped her, but has yet to do anything or act upon that knowledge in any meaningful way.

I thought the OP was of little worth. Some references to KyoAni, but it was mostly in the style of Yuru Yuri, but without the same flair.

Haruhi shows up, but I don't think she will have any of the same impression. The original had a mix of pent-up energy, aloof mystery and downright dangerous tendencies that made her so compelling to me. That could never happen with this tone.

Otherwise, it worked. I just wish Nagato had some reason to be unable to say it outright. And Ryouko being the most mature of the lot is without a doubt the change that needs the most getting used to.

Episode 2. In which there's snow.

I don't think you'd say you'd get a rare item. I think you'd say what rare item you got. But, talking for the audience, not what's natural.

Can't help but notice that in the OP, the title character is leagues behind three of the five girls. And also behind the fourth.

They're so energetic.

Not at all an upcoming obvious surprise.

Somehow, this Ryoko is more powerful than the other one. Or the other other one.

It's understandable that she doesn't have a lot of confidence considering all the other girls in the room.

She's rather aggressively helpfully unhelpful.

I think they lack teeth.

I don't think it's the mustache that's the odd part.

Unusual to see her blush. I don't mind.

Speaking of unusual, she's her usual self.

If that's how blurry she sees without glasses, she should see enough for the task. Non-blind visually impaired people aren't usually as blind as people think they are.

Orion. And Sirius, I believe.

Actual effort.

Good going, Ryoko.

I sometimes sneeze when I head outside. Although that's even if it's warm. Never sneezed because it's cold. Then again, anime characters catch a cold if they even look at rain or anything wet too closely.

Dynamic Entry! Could use some work on the landing, though.

I don't find that particularly odd to get used about Ryoko. And since Cannot Spit It Out = Shrinking Violet = Moe, that's what's happening, no matter reasons. And also to keep the "tension" going.

She was making a lot of effort to see that blurry message, tho.

Having Haruhi back made Episode 3 feel really Suzumiya-chan-like and that makes me really happy.

I know nothing of the source material, but I hope Haruhi gets lots of time in the spotlight, Kyon just isn't the same without Haruhi to bounce off to.

I was just thinking that during this episode—promoting Yuki to main character doesn't really work so well when the original show revolves so heavily around a central relationship like Haruhi and Kyon. I'll admit in the original Haruhi is more of a side character/antagonist for a lot of the story, but regardless she's still the force which pushes again Kyon for all of it. Haruhi with Haruhi is just a whole lot of status quo.

Oh wow, they didn't forget the sliders part of Haruhi's declaration this episode.

Haruhi continues to be a force of nature not even Ryoko or Tsuruya can measure up against. Koizumi continues to be that guy that licks Haruhi's boot. More like the original now aside from Yuki herself.

So Haruhi's complete takeover of the show is complete. Kind of a disappointment, really.

What I found funny with Haruhi here is she still somehow completes◊ whatever it was Kyon was thinking◊. That's... amazing, given the foundations of THIS storyline.

Haruhi still runs against the limitation that, as a student from a different school, she can't really intervene in the Literature Club's activities. She DOES disappear for chapters at a time in the manga, if you remember.

edited 18th Apr '15 6:03:42 PM by MyssaRei

I've never read the manga, so I don't remember.

Well, she does. Haruhi doesn't appear a whole lot in the Yukichan manga at all. When she does figure in a chapter though, she usually steals the spotlight, admittedly.

edited 18th Apr '15 6:06:02 PM by MyssaRei

Weren't people complaining earlier about how this isn't Melancholy without Haruhi running everything?