Lan presents a collection of videos and clips from the Internet, mostly related to Anime, Manga, Japan, film and music. Reviews and general thoughts are also presented.
Thursday, 20 December 2012
My Top 10 Charts as of end of 2012
Anime series:
01. Samurai Champloo
02: Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN
03: His and Her Circumstances / Kare Kano (then into manga vols 8+)
04: Cowboy Bebop
05: Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex
06: Fullmetal Alchemist (2nd TV series universe)
07: Cardcaptor Sakura
08: Ergo Proxy
09: Trigun
10: Macross Frontier
Manga or Japanese novel series:
01: Haruhi Suzumiya (novel series)
02: Spice and Wolf (novel series)
03: Nagasarete Airantou
04: Kare Kano
05: Love Hina
06: Excel Saga
07: Oh My Goddess!
08: Detroit Metal City
09: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Murakami novel)
10: Tetralogy of the Rat (Murakami novel series)
Anime movie series:
01: Whisper of the Heart
02: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
03: Kiki’s Delivery Service
04: My Neighbour Totoro
05: Akira
06: Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
07: Evangelion + Petit Eva ~Evangelion@School~
08: Tokyo Godfathers
09: Princess Mononoke
10: Howls Moving Castle
Friday, 14 December 2012
The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 8- Wandering Shadow
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Wandering Shadow- the second (and last) short story of "The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 8).
Set in early March 2004.
A girl named Sakanaka visits the SOS Brigade as their second client. She is a girl from class 1-5, the same class as Haruhi and Kyon. Her problem is that she believes there is a ghost haunting her neighbourhood, that causes the dogs that enter a certain area to act scared, and of which eventually fall sick.
Haruhi forces the shrine maiden costume on Mikuru and they all head off to Sakanaka's house via the local train. Sakanaka retrieves her dog, a West Highland White Terrier, and they all set off on a dog walk. Haruhi and Mikuru make so much fuss over the dog its almost like they have forgotten about the objective. They near the river when the dog stops in its tracks. Sakanaka explains that this is as far as he will walk, and its been this way for a week, and not just for her dog, but for other dogs too. Koizumi jots their position down on a map, then decides the group should walk back and approach the river side from another street. He then jots down their position yet again once the dog stop walking. They repeat this process one more time. The three points on the map form a curve, which Haruhi then deducts must form a circle which then indicates the area that dogs do not like. Sakanaka walks her dog home, whilst the SOS Brigade go off to investigate the centre point of the circle, which turns out to be near the row of cherry trees and the bench where Mikuru first admitted to Kyon who she really was, nearly a year ago.
Haruhi forces the shrine maiden dressed Mikuru to recite Buddhist incantations on the area. However they are interrupted by a jogger with his dog who seems unaffected by the area. Haruhi forces Kyon to explain who they are and what they are doing, and the guy explains that his dog too didn't want to enter the area about a week ago, but 3 days ago he pushed his dog to walk in and the dog felt OK after a while.
The SOS brigade give up, coming to the conclusion that whatever was in the area may still be scaring these dogs, but thats only because of whatever was there a week ago.
The case is deemed as unexplained until a few days later when Sakanaka didn't show up at school. Having phoned her, Haruhi informs the others that Sakanaka's dog fell ill and that the vets dont know whats wrong.
They visit Sakanaka's house once more. Yuki inspects the sick dog but pretends not to know whats wrong in front of Haruhi. She later tells Kyon that she would be able to sort it out with the help of Shamisen, his cat. She explains that there are damaged data lifeforms in the riverside area, and they are infecting dogs in order to expand their own memory capacities.
The next day the SOS Brigade visit the Sakanaka household once more, this time with Shamisen. Koizumi also brings along what he calls 'window dressing' to avoid alerting Haruhi to the supernatural; a stereo playing calm music, incense, and lastly the curtains must be drawn. This is to make Yuki's work seem like some sort of ancient Chinese or folk ritual healing technique that she once stubbled upon in a book. Another sick dog from a few doors down is present for the healing technique. Yuki speaks in code without the others being able to see her or hear her, which freezes the data lifeforms. She then transfers them into Shamisen. Any living being would have sufficed, but Yuki chose Shamisen because if anything went wrong, she would be able to deal with the situation better than if say one of them acted as the host.
The dogs recover and everyone is happy.
Later Kyon wonders if the cave cricket in "Mystérique Sign" and the data lifeforms can be attributed to Haruhi. He also wonders if in the ancient past, these data lifeforms attached themselves onto humans, which would later make them an intelligent species. Kyon also asks Yuki if humans revert to data lifeforms when they die. She struggles on how to answer him and instead replies "thats classified". Kyon then wonders if she pulled her first joke.
Koizumi did not do a proper clean up job when explaining to Haruhi what happened, and therefore she is still convinced there is a ghost in the area by the river. She decides the SOS Brigade should conduct a ghost hunt at night using cameras in a few days time.
---
7-10. The author well and truly put the nail in the coffin of Emiri Kimidori being a legitimate client for the SOS Brigade. So naturally the next story should be about their next customer, yet first legitimate client.
Thinking about it, this is the second time Haruhi has been present throughout a supernatural event. The first time was getting trapped in a mansion on the snowy mountain.
Its a shame White Day wasn't covered in this short story, but maybe it will be in the next.
Up next: The Dissociation.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Set in early March 2004.
A girl named Sakanaka visits the SOS Brigade as their second client. She is a girl from class 1-5, the same class as Haruhi and Kyon. Her problem is that she believes there is a ghost haunting her neighbourhood, that causes the dogs that enter a certain area to act scared, and of which eventually fall sick.
Haruhi forces the shrine maiden dressed Mikuru to recite Buddhist incantations on the area. However they are interrupted by a jogger with his dog who seems unaffected by the area. Haruhi forces Kyon to explain who they are and what they are doing, and the guy explains that his dog too didn't want to enter the area about a week ago, but 3 days ago he pushed his dog to walk in and the dog felt OK after a while.The SOS brigade give up, coming to the conclusion that whatever was in the area may still be scaring these dogs, but thats only because of whatever was there a week ago.
The case is deemed as unexplained until a few days later when Sakanaka didn't show up at school. Having phoned her, Haruhi informs the others that Sakanaka's dog fell ill and that the vets dont know whats wrong.
They visit Sakanaka's house once more. Yuki inspects the sick dog but pretends not to know whats wrong in front of Haruhi. She later tells Kyon that she would be able to sort it out with the help of Shamisen, his cat. She explains that there are damaged data lifeforms in the riverside area, and they are infecting dogs in order to expand their own memory capacities.
The dogs recover and everyone is happy.
Later Kyon wonders if the cave cricket in "Mystérique Sign" and the data lifeforms can be attributed to Haruhi. He also wonders if in the ancient past, these data lifeforms attached themselves onto humans, which would later make them an intelligent species. Kyon also asks Yuki if humans revert to data lifeforms when they die. She struggles on how to answer him and instead replies "thats classified". Kyon then wonders if she pulled her first joke.
Koizumi did not do a proper clean up job when explaining to Haruhi what happened, and therefore she is still convinced there is a ghost in the area by the river. She decides the SOS Brigade should conduct a ghost hunt at night using cameras in a few days time.
---
7-10. The author well and truly put the nail in the coffin of Emiri Kimidori being a legitimate client for the SOS Brigade. So naturally the next story should be about their next customer, yet first legitimate client.
Thinking about it, this is the second time Haruhi has been present throughout a supernatural event. The first time was getting trapped in a mansion on the snowy mountain.
Its a shame White Day wasn't covered in this short story, but maybe it will be in the next.
Up next: The Dissociation.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
 |
| I've caught up with the Haruhi novels for now. The next volume should be released next June! |
Wednesday, 12 December 2012
The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 8- Editor in Chief, Full Speed Ahead!
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Editor in Chief, Full Speed Ahead!- the first short story of "The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 8).
Set in late February 2004.
Koizumi informs Kyon that Yuki has been called into the Student Council office, and that they should also tag along. At the end of the school day Kyon walks there, meeting Yuki and Koizumi who have already arrived. The president is a tall second year. He is accompanied by Emiri Kimidori who is acting secretary. He coldly threatens Yuki to close down and vacate the Literature Club room. Because the SOS Brigade has not been officially registered by the council, this is their way of dealing with them. He claims that the literature club has done nothing to justify its existence this past year, and that at least one thing is required. He then takes another shot at Yuki, saying that quietly reading does not qualify a literature club. Kyon seems to think he can see an internal rage brewing within the mute Yuki as she simply stands there absorbing this jerks abuse. Haruhi, having caught wind of whats going on from Mikuru, turns up and barges through the Student Council room door. She starts taking over the conversation. She considers this president bloke as the biggest villain to her brigade, but eventually he settles things with them having to publish a literature club newsletter which would contain an anthology of essays and stories. They have a week to produce 200 copies of the newsletter and 3 days to distribute them, from a table in the main hallway without using any eccentric marketing techniques (an example being bunny girl costumes), otherwise the Literature club and therefore the SOS Brigade are disbanded, having to vacate the premises.
Haruhi and Yuki retire to the club room. Koizumi and Kyon hold back. The Student Council president takes off his glasses, sits at his desk and puts his feat up, then takes out a cigarette and lights it up. He considers it a pain having to put up such a charade. It is explained that he is an associate of the Agency, standing for school president sometime last year with Koizumi pulling the strings all the way. In fact this whole stunt is to keep Haruhi from getting board.
In Mystérique Sign, we were lead to believe that Emiri Kimidori's memories were manipulated by Yuki for the sake of saving the computer club president, but its now revealed that she is in fact yet another alien humanoid interface, sent to observe Haruhi. However her position changed after The Disappearance so she observes Yuki instead, and in between time she has since joined the Student Council.
Assigning herself with armband that says 'Editor in Chief', Haruhi spends the rest of the week getting the SOS Brigade to work as a literature club. She writes down the names of 4 story genres on paper cut outs, and places them face down in the palm of her hand. Everyone each then take one. Mikuru gets assigned with writing a fairytale, Koizumi gets a mystery story, Yuki gets a fantasy horror story, and Kyon gets a romance story (much to his disappointment). In a later conversation with Koizumi, Kyon is told that he was destined to write a love story because Haruhi wished it so, but this may not be true because at some point Haruhi tells Kyon that she wished Koizumi didn't pick up the paper with 'mystery' written on it, saying it was too obvious and boring for him.
Haruhi is desperate for material, so runs about the school on a daily basis seeking as much help as she can. She ropes in Taniguchi, Kunikida, Tsuruya, a manga artist from the art club, all the members of the computer club (for once they were more than happy to write geeky articles with video game and tech reviews) as well as others.
Yuki is the first to finish her story. Haruhi made sure that sci-fi wasn't a choice of what to write about given how easy Yuki would be able to write such a story, so being stuck writing outside her depth, this was Haruhi's way of pushing her personality up a notch. The result is a set of three one page incomprehensible short stories, which are sort of poetic and cryptic, yet may be a way of Yuki emphasising her emotions on paper.
Mikuru spends the whole week concentrating all her efforts on her fairy tale. After many rewrites and tweaks from Haruhi, it is finally finished. Haruhi decides it wouldn't be good enough to publish because it needs accompanying illustrations. Mikuru then spends the rest of the week drawing pictures, seeking help from the art class and reference material. Her final story combines several fairytales and a rebellious princess.
Koizumi decides to write a written version of the two mystery games he set up for the SOS Brigade.
After much deliberation and discussion with Koizumi, Kyon ends up writing a story about a date he had just before starting high school, with a girl named Miyokichi. He prints it out and gives it to Koizumi to read. He advises to give it a proper ending, otherwise it would come across as more of a mystery than a love story. Kyon does just this, and prints it out. Only he doesnt want anyone to read it, and is not absolutely happy with it. Haruhi barges in and sees Kyons manuscript. She sits herself down and reads it. She too isn't happy with its ending and pulls Kyon close by his tie. She demands why the ending is abrupt and forces him to admit that it was a true story. She starts beating him up for details about his date. Kyon tries to protect something in his top pocket and she catches wind of this. They scuffle whilst she tries to prise the piece of paper away from him, and they trip up with her landing on top of him. Mikuru walks in and gasps, apologising for interrupting them and runs out again.
Haruhi gets the piece of paper and its revealed that Miyokichi is actually a friend of Kyon's sister, and he had only taken her to the movies so that she would get her chance of watching an adult horror movie. She's a sixth grader that passes for a late teenager in both looks and mannerisms, hence why she got away with it.
Tsuruya's story, although not told, is described as being totally unprecedentedly hilarious. Kyon even says that it would probably make even Yuki smile or chuckle, if in private of course.
Haruhi even writes a passage which according to Mikuru when she reads it, is the fundamental principles of time-plane theory. She says in her time its one of the first things taught, but the original author of the theory was shrouded in mystery. Kyon wonders whether Haruhi's friend the genius boy, will sometime read the newsletter and learn the theory off by heart.
The SOS Brigade finishes the newsletter on time, with all 200 photocopies being produced and picked up. It turns out that Haruhi's running about all week acted as free advertising for them.
---
8-10. The best feature of this short story was the simple fact that we readers read the entire and unabridged stories from Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina and Kyon. Mikuru's illustrations were also used for each page of her fairy tale.
Up next: Wandering Shadow.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Editor in Chief, Full Speed Ahead!- the first short story of "The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 8).
Set in late February 2004.
Koizumi informs Kyon that Yuki has been called into the Student Council office, and that they should also tag along. At the end of the school day Kyon walks there, meeting Yuki and Koizumi who have already arrived. The president is a tall second year. He is accompanied by Emiri Kimidori who is acting secretary. He coldly threatens Yuki to close down and vacate the Literature Club room. Because the SOS Brigade has not been officially registered by the council, this is their way of dealing with them. He claims that the literature club has done nothing to justify its existence this past year, and that at least one thing is required. He then takes another shot at Yuki, saying that quietly reading does not qualify a literature club. Kyon seems to think he can see an internal rage brewing within the mute Yuki as she simply stands there absorbing this jerks abuse. Haruhi, having caught wind of whats going on from Mikuru, turns up and barges through the Student Council room door. She starts taking over the conversation. She considers this president bloke as the biggest villain to her brigade, but eventually he settles things with them having to publish a literature club newsletter which would contain an anthology of essays and stories. They have a week to produce 200 copies of the newsletter and 3 days to distribute them, from a table in the main hallway without using any eccentric marketing techniques (an example being bunny girl costumes), otherwise the Literature club and therefore the SOS Brigade are disbanded, having to vacate the premises.
Haruhi and Yuki retire to the club room. Koizumi and Kyon hold back. The Student Council president takes off his glasses, sits at his desk and puts his feat up, then takes out a cigarette and lights it up. He considers it a pain having to put up such a charade. It is explained that he is an associate of the Agency, standing for school president sometime last year with Koizumi pulling the strings all the way. In fact this whole stunt is to keep Haruhi from getting board.In Mystérique Sign, we were lead to believe that Emiri Kimidori's memories were manipulated by Yuki for the sake of saving the computer club president, but its now revealed that she is in fact yet another alien humanoid interface, sent to observe Haruhi. However her position changed after The Disappearance so she observes Yuki instead, and in between time she has since joined the Student Council.
Haruhi is desperate for material, so runs about the school on a daily basis seeking as much help as she can. She ropes in Taniguchi, Kunikida, Tsuruya, a manga artist from the art club, all the members of the computer club (for once they were more than happy to write geeky articles with video game and tech reviews) as well as others.
Yuki is the first to finish her story. Haruhi made sure that sci-fi wasn't a choice of what to write about given how easy Yuki would be able to write such a story, so being stuck writing outside her depth, this was Haruhi's way of pushing her personality up a notch. The result is a set of three one page incomprehensible short stories, which are sort of poetic and cryptic, yet may be a way of Yuki emphasising her emotions on paper.
Mikuru spends the whole week concentrating all her efforts on her fairy tale. After many rewrites and tweaks from Haruhi, it is finally finished. Haruhi decides it wouldn't be good enough to publish because it needs accompanying illustrations. Mikuru then spends the rest of the week drawing pictures, seeking help from the art class and reference material. Her final story combines several fairytales and a rebellious princess.
Koizumi decides to write a written version of the two mystery games he set up for the SOS Brigade.
Haruhi gets the piece of paper and its revealed that Miyokichi is actually a friend of Kyon's sister, and he had only taken her to the movies so that she would get her chance of watching an adult horror movie. She's a sixth grader that passes for a late teenager in both looks and mannerisms, hence why she got away with it.
Tsuruya's story, although not told, is described as being totally unprecedentedly hilarious. Kyon even says that it would probably make even Yuki smile or chuckle, if in private of course.
Haruhi even writes a passage which according to Mikuru when she reads it, is the fundamental principles of time-plane theory. She says in her time its one of the first things taught, but the original author of the theory was shrouded in mystery. Kyon wonders whether Haruhi's friend the genius boy, will sometime read the newsletter and learn the theory off by heart.
The SOS Brigade finishes the newsletter on time, with all 200 photocopies being produced and picked up. It turns out that Haruhi's running about all week acted as free advertising for them.
---
8-10. The best feature of this short story was the simple fact that we readers read the entire and unabridged stories from Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina and Kyon. Mikuru's illustrations were also used for each page of her fairy tale.
Up next: Wandering Shadow.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Saturday, 8 December 2012
The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 7
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Set a few days after the Setsubun festival, early February 2004.
Kyon knocks on the club room door like usual. Theres no answer so he feels free to go in. After waiting a while for someone else in the brigade to appear, he hears a sound coming from the corner of the room in the broom closet. He ignores it at first, but then another sound emanates from it. He walks over to investigate and upon opening it, discovers Mikuru hiding inside. She seems confused but somehow relieved that Kyon found her. Someone knocks on the door to the club room. Kyon goes to reply but Mikuru panics and pulls him inside by his tie and shuts the door closing them tightly inside. Kyon is pressed tightly against her voluptuous body, and starts to fantasise before being brought back to his senses by the severity of Mikuru asking him to stay quiet.
A second later and the club room door opens. In walks in another Mikuru. This Mikuru looks around and wonders whats going on. Through the gap in the closet door, Kyon starts to watch this second Mikuru undressing from her school uniform into the maid costume, but the Mikuru he's pressed up against forces him to look away. Soon they hear the club room door opening once again. The other Mikuru addresses Yuki standing at the doorway. Yuki, upon entering the room, stares at the closet. She's not only sussed out whats going on, but starts to make a plan to relieve the situation. She asks the maid Mikuru to follow her out the room. Once that happens, the two in the broom closet burst out. This Mikuru seems surprised that Kyon doesn't recognise when she's from, so she informs him that she's from 8 days from now, and was told to travel back in time without knowing why. She tells him what he will be doing over the next 8 days, but nothing seems to indicate why he would send her back in time, or why she was given the instant go ahead to do so from her superiors. Kyon asks her if she ever met her future self these past 8 days and she says she didn't. Kyon thinks this would cause problems and decides to get her the hell out of the school building. Before leaving however, Kyon stops off at the school locker room. He opens his locker to find a second letter from adult Mikuru, informing him to look after this future Mikuru.
He takes her to his house for a bit, and afterwards decide to go to Yuki's apartment to ask for her guidance. They ask Yuki for her help but tells them that she will never synchronise with her past or future versions of herself ever again, due to her own volition. She explains she no longer wishes to be forced down a life path that is already determined. She wishes to not know anything and be free to make her own choices. In other words she's becoming more human. Yuki cannot help them, but invites them to stay for dinner. Dinner consists of tined curry with nothing added in the mix. They spend a pleasant but normal time together and decide that Mikuru should stay there. Kyon then goes home.
Next day Kyon receives another letter in his shoe locker. Its directions to a location for himself and future Mikuru to visit that same evening at 6:15pm. That evening Kyon visits Yuki's apartment once again, and Mikuru answers the intercom. Mikuru meets Kyon outside and she tells him she feels uneasy around Yuki. She says she can somehow sense Yuki's presence all the time and wonders if Yuki may be jealous of her personality (this is later denied by Yuki).
Kyon shows Mikuru the message in the letter. It tells the two of them to be at a specific location at 6:15. The instructions say that they must play a prank by nailing down a tin can in an exact spot on a footpath. They get to the place in time and do as the instructions says, then hide and wait until the specific time. Some bloke walks up to the can and kicks it, hurting his foot so badly that he needs medical attention. Kyon and Mikuru walk over and offer help to the guy by walking him to the main road and hailing a taxi for him to go to a hospital.
After this event, Mikuru will not accept staying around Yuki's apartment for another night, so they come up with a plan B by asking for Tsuruya's help.
Kyon remembered Tsuruya's words during the mountain trip and feels like it would be OK for them to confide in her. After arriving at her place they call on the intercom. There is no reply, but they are instead greeted in person by Tsuruya herself, dressed up in a kimono.
Kyon comes up with some ridiculous plan on saying that this version of Mikuru is her twin sister called 'Michiru'. Tsuruya laughs it off and accepts things as they are without asking questions. Later after having tea together Tsuruya accepts to having 'Michiru' stay round hers until needed. She then sees Kyon out, and he asks her if she thinks the members of the SOS brigade aren't normal. Tsuruya explains that she has no idea whats really going on with the brigade members, but firmly believes that they are not quite human, not like herself or Kyon. She says she has no wish to become a member either. The example she uses is of a baseball game, where she considers the SOS brigade as the players, with herself being a spectator of the team, cheering them on from the stands; and she prefers being in the stands than on the field.
Tsuruya leaves Kyon telling him to go do his best at saving the world, then laughs it off.
Kyon walks down the road, meeting Koizumi by what he calls a 'coincidence'. Koizumi explains he's in on the act of there being two Mikuru's around, and tells Kyon not to force Tsuruya in on their problems. Apparently the 'Tsuruya clan' are a prestigious rich family in Japan which sponsor Koizumi's 'Agency'. He then says that Tsuruya herself is in line to become head chief someday.
Next day Kyon gets another letter in his locker. This time adult Mikuru has assigned them to interfere with the SOS Brigade treasure hunt that is supposed to be happening that weekend, according to what 'Michiru' told him about anyway. The instructions ask Kyon and 'Michiru' to interfere with the treasure hunt by moving a stone by about 3 meters for unexplained reasons.
Kyon walks to class after reading the letter. Haruhi is still acting melancholy, looking out the window avoiding his eye contact. He asks her whats wrong, but she claims she feels totally normal, though she does cut herself off mid sentence. She doesn't seem to care that Kyon isn't going to be able to be at the club room later that evening either. Before leaving school that day, Kyon talks to a melancholy Taniguchi who is on cleaning duty. He tells Kyon how envious he is. Kyon thinks that his gloominess is reminiscent of Haruhi's mood. Kunikida pops up and explains that Taniguchi was recently dumped by his girlfriend from Kouyouen Academy, and for weird circumstances (that I have a feeling may a focal plot point sometime down the line). Kyon then wonders if Haruhi's also love sick. Then waves it off.
That evening Kyon meets up with 'Michiru' round Tsuruya's house. They need to follow the directions in the letter, but she doesn't need to use them because she knows it from memory. They arrive at a flat part of a mountainside and find a stone that needs to be moved according to the letter. Apparently the brigade are suppose to dig up the earth and find nothing. It takes the two of them a while to move the boulder. It starts to rain upon arrival back at Tsuruya's. Tsuruya tells Mikuru to have a bath together with her, and with a straight face, invites Kyon along too so that she could scrub his back. Kyon accepts this as a joke. She asks no questions as to what they did or where it was, and makes a point about not caring either way.
Just before they part ways, Tsuruya hands Kyon a scroll, telling him that its an old treasure map that she mentioned to Haruhi one time, but she's only recently retrieved it from storage. She explains it was made from a Tsuruya ancestor that liked to play practical jokes, and that this one was probably meant to be a practical joke on the clans family in the distant future.
Next day Kyon receives 3 more letters in his locker, relating to things that need to be done in a few days time. Kyon finds an expectant Haruhi in class demanding him to hand over the Tsuruya treasure map scroll. Apparently Tsuruya phoned Haruhi in advance, explaining that 'she happened to bump into Kyon as he was walking Shamisen outside her house, and gave him the scroll then' (Kyon started a lie to explain away his absence from the club, and started saying his cat Shamisen was sick and needed looking after).
That evening during club time Tsuruya joins them to talk them through the treasure map and to generally hang out.
On the day of the treasure hunt, they take a long route to the mountain by bus. Kyon and Koizumi spend all day digging anywhere that Haruhi deems as the best place to bury objects, namely, flat surfaces. They then get to the position Kyon visited before. Kyon is worried about whether Haruhi will notice the disturbed ground from where the stone was previously positioned, but Yuki sets the picnic mat there and sits down on it, so it seems that she knew to make sure no digging would take place here. Kyon didnt even tell her anything and still she knows! lol.
Haruhi looks out and sees that it would be quicker to get home by walking down the hill. So they do just that.
Watching Haruhi waltz ahead, Kyon and Koizumi talk about her recent mood swings. Kyon is convinced that she gets in a depressed like mood and asks him about it, only for Koizumi to deny noticing any strange behaviour from her. Kyon also chats with Yuki and finds out that Haruhi never cared for finding treasure, she just wanted a fun picnic.
They all go home and as soon as Kyon goes indoors he phones 'Michiru' regarding the letters instructions for the next day. Haruhi's plan is to do more city patrols and the timing is going to be tight. Kyon then phones Yuki but strangely her phone is engaged. He phones later and asks her to rig the short straw pulling so that he ends up with Yuki to walk around the city on numerous occasions. This has to be rigged because 'Michiru' told Kyon too much information about the future, and now things need to be ensured so that events end up exactly as she said. Whilst still on the phone to Yuki, he asks out of curiosity who she was speaking too when her phone was engaged. She answers the name Haruhi Suzumiya. Kyon is slightly shocked, and tentatively asks what it was about. Yuki is apprehensive and tells him that she cannot disclose any details. Kyon wonders whats up but isn't too worried.
The day of the city patrol takes place. Haruhi draws tooth picks at their local cafe to decide who patrols with who. Kyon and Koizumi go together in the morning session, then Its Kyon and Yuki in the afternoon session, as per Kyon's prearrangement with her. During their time together, he leaves her at public library and meets up with 'Michiru', as arranged over the phone.
Kyon and 'Michiru' do as instruction letter 3 says, and that is to find a data stick hidden in a flower bed in a certain location at a certain time. They search for half an hour without luck, only for a tall stranger to waltz up to them holding it in his fingers. He asks them if they are looking for it in a sly evil manner.
Kyon is not happy with this guy out of instinct, and Mikuru doesn't seem to know him. This prick then hands the data stick over and walks away, like he's still a threat in their future. Both seem to think he's from an enemy faction from the future.
Kyon sees 'Michiru' back to Tsuruya's home before going back to the library and picking up Yuki.
Yuki and Kyon then meet back up with Haruhi. She suggests that they should do another scout of the city tomorrow as well. After being dismissed by Haruhi for the day, Kyon buys a small turtle as per the letters instructions, and does so at a nearby pet centre. The cashier also throws in a carry case sized tank for the little guy. The letter says he needs to obtain a turtle (any will do) so that he can throw it into the river at a certain time the next day. He wonders what all these instructions mean.
Kyon then visits 'Michiru' again around Tsuruya's house, and gives her the turtle to look after until tomorrow.
The next day arrives, and they all start by visiting the cafe. Naturally, Yuki and Kyon end up together for the scouting mission. Just like the day before, Kyon drops her off at the public library and walks to the river. Once he arrives he meets up with 'Michiru' whose just been given a lift down from the Tsuruya mansion. She's also got the turtle with her.
They walk down to a good spot by the river to throw the turtle in. Its around two minutes until he's suppose to throw it. He takes out the small turtle and goes to throw it when he's stopped by a boy. Its the same boy that lives close to Haruhi, who almost got run over by a van last month.
He asks if he can take care of the turtle. Realising that his instructions only told him to throw the turtle in the river and gave no ideas about what to do next, Kyon throws the turtle in the river and then walks in to retrieve it, and gives it to the boy along with the tank and the instructions on how to take care of it. He then tells the boy not to tell Haruhi about any of this.
Kyon and 'Michiru' walk to the main road when a speeding van stops dead in front of them, with the side door opening at double quick speed and people reaching out and snatching 'Michiru' right before Kyon's eyes before speeding off again.
Kyon is distraught and instinctively reaches for his phone and dials the first number that he can reach. Haruhi picks up the other end and Kyon frantically tells her that Mikuru has been kidnapped. Haruhi hears the severity in his voice but she is standing right next to her. So she calls this a practical joke to Kyon and hangs up.
Koizumi phones Kyon after telling the others he needs to visit the lavatory. He instructs Kyon that he has his people on the case. Next thing a black taxi pulls up in front of Kyon. Inside is Arakawa in the driving seat, and Sonou Mori in the back seat. This time round they are dressed in office clothes instead of butler and maid.
Arakawa steps on it and the car chase is on. Mori reveals to Kyon that the kidnappers are a group that consist of espers hostile to the Agency, time travellers who wanted to use 'Michiru' as a bargaining chip with the future authorities, and an entity of aliens different from the Data Overmind. She also reveals that the purpose of 'Michiru' being in this time period was to make sure they didn't kidnap Mikuru right in front of Haruhi. Arakawa and Mori eventually corner the kidnappers on a mountain side, along with help from the Tamaru brothers who this time round are police officers in their own police car.
The van is also the same one that tried to run over the boy last month.
The people in the van dismount. They are all teenagers around Kyon's age. One of them is the same creepy bastard Kyon and 'Michiru' met a few days previous. Another one of them that seems to be the leader is a girl, who is equally as evil. They give up 'Michiru' and are allowed to walk free down the mountain. They claim that they expected their plan to be stopped due to predetermined events, but wanted to try nonetheless.
Kyon takes 'Michiru' into the taxi. She was put to sleep as soon as she was kidnapped. Arakawa drives them to the library where they meet Yuki. She reveals to have letter number #5. Yuki follows the letter's instructions by waking 'Michiru' up from the drugged sleep. Kyon then sends her back to the future as per the letters instructions.
The next day, Haruhi calls the SOS Brigade to assemble and try to dig up the mountain again. This was never mentioned by 'Michiru'. Haruhi brings them to the flat area where the stone is, and asks Kyon and Koizumi to dig. This turns into a nice surprise for the boys, as the girls had secretly gotten together last night to made chocolates for them, placing them in a tin and burying it early that morning. Kyon remembers what day it is, February 14th. Valentines Day. This explains why Haruhi was acting melancholy at the beginning of the month, as she was making an epic plan for handing out chocolates. She also expects an equally as epic White Day a month later from the boys.
Kyon meets adult Mikuru at the appointed time at their usual bench in the park. She tells him that the man who kicked the can and went to the hospital was supposed to meet a woman there and raise a family with her. The strange pen drive type object was supposed to give someone the idea about time travel, while the boy who saw the turtle be thrown in the river saw the ripples it made in water and used this memory to make a theory about time travel, leading to the invention of the TPDD. Adult Mikuru explains that time travel means having to constantly make sure that past events turn out the way they should. This leads us readers to consider a few stupid things. Apparently now there can be more than one future, and that Mikurus future timeline is not as predetermined as it should be for a time travel story. And its not like there are multiple futures in this series, maybe just a handful.
Adult Mikuru warns Kyon that he will soon have to make a choice that could severely change the future. Kyon realises that this future Mikuru had been toying with her past self, forcing her to watch history as it happened. He tries to show his resentment against her, only to find that she has disappeared back to her future, leaving a box of valentines chocolates for him.
Next in this story, Kyon tells Tsuruya of his suspected position for finding real treasure, right underneath where the stone was originally positioned. Tsuruya goes there and digs up a 300 year old pot with some type of futuristic titanium-cesium alloy rod with circuits inside. This is most definitely a plot point in the future. Tsuruya deducts that it must be from an alien or time traveler.
At school, Haruhi begins a lucky prize draw out in the courtyard for someone to win a Mikuru valentines day chocolate. Mikuru is dressed as a shrine maiden for this, but is quickly taken to the club room and forced into her school uniform and basically thrown into the broom closet with Kyon frantically telling her to go back in time to 8 days ago. As soon as she does so, 'Michiru' arrives in the closet from traveling from 2 days ago from the public library (she can now be considered 'Mikuru' again instead of 'Michiru').
---
6-10. These Haruhi novels were once one of the most solid time travel stories out there, but unfortunately now its basically just 'wibbly wobbly timey wimey', which is shit. Time travel should include one path, where there is only one future, one outcome. It shouldn't make my head hurt. Adult Mikuru may be protecting her past which is being changed without her knowing about it. Surly if the past is changed then it never happened and wouldn't be in her memories, unless the future is fixed no matter what happens in the past, which is a bollox explanation.
This volume was epically big, and not much happened really.
Up next: Editor in Chief, Full Speed Ahead!
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Set a few days after the Setsubun festival, early February 2004.
Kyon knocks on the club room door like usual. Theres no answer so he feels free to go in. After waiting a while for someone else in the brigade to appear, he hears a sound coming from the corner of the room in the broom closet. He ignores it at first, but then another sound emanates from it. He walks over to investigate and upon opening it, discovers Mikuru hiding inside. She seems confused but somehow relieved that Kyon found her. Someone knocks on the door to the club room. Kyon goes to reply but Mikuru panics and pulls him inside by his tie and shuts the door closing them tightly inside. Kyon is pressed tightly against her voluptuous body, and starts to fantasise before being brought back to his senses by the severity of Mikuru asking him to stay quiet.A second later and the club room door opens. In walks in another Mikuru. This Mikuru looks around and wonders whats going on. Through the gap in the closet door, Kyon starts to watch this second Mikuru undressing from her school uniform into the maid costume, but the Mikuru he's pressed up against forces him to look away. Soon they hear the club room door opening once again. The other Mikuru addresses Yuki standing at the doorway. Yuki, upon entering the room, stares at the closet. She's not only sussed out whats going on, but starts to make a plan to relieve the situation. She asks the maid Mikuru to follow her out the room. Once that happens, the two in the broom closet burst out. This Mikuru seems surprised that Kyon doesn't recognise when she's from, so she informs him that she's from 8 days from now, and was told to travel back in time without knowing why. She tells him what he will be doing over the next 8 days, but nothing seems to indicate why he would send her back in time, or why she was given the instant go ahead to do so from her superiors. Kyon asks her if she ever met her future self these past 8 days and she says she didn't. Kyon thinks this would cause problems and decides to get her the hell out of the school building. Before leaving however, Kyon stops off at the school locker room. He opens his locker to find a second letter from adult Mikuru, informing him to look after this future Mikuru.
He takes her to his house for a bit, and afterwards decide to go to Yuki's apartment to ask for her guidance. They ask Yuki for her help but tells them that she will never synchronise with her past or future versions of herself ever again, due to her own volition. She explains she no longer wishes to be forced down a life path that is already determined. She wishes to not know anything and be free to make her own choices. In other words she's becoming more human. Yuki cannot help them, but invites them to stay for dinner. Dinner consists of tined curry with nothing added in the mix. They spend a pleasant but normal time together and decide that Mikuru should stay there. Kyon then goes home.Next day Kyon receives another letter in his shoe locker. Its directions to a location for himself and future Mikuru to visit that same evening at 6:15pm. That evening Kyon visits Yuki's apartment once again, and Mikuru answers the intercom. Mikuru meets Kyon outside and she tells him she feels uneasy around Yuki. She says she can somehow sense Yuki's presence all the time and wonders if Yuki may be jealous of her personality (this is later denied by Yuki).
Kyon shows Mikuru the message in the letter. It tells the two of them to be at a specific location at 6:15. The instructions say that they must play a prank by nailing down a tin can in an exact spot on a footpath. They get to the place in time and do as the instructions says, then hide and wait until the specific time. Some bloke walks up to the can and kicks it, hurting his foot so badly that he needs medical attention. Kyon and Mikuru walk over and offer help to the guy by walking him to the main road and hailing a taxi for him to go to a hospital.
After this event, Mikuru will not accept staying around Yuki's apartment for another night, so they come up with a plan B by asking for Tsuruya's help.
Kyon comes up with some ridiculous plan on saying that this version of Mikuru is her twin sister called 'Michiru'. Tsuruya laughs it off and accepts things as they are without asking questions. Later after having tea together Tsuruya accepts to having 'Michiru' stay round hers until needed. She then sees Kyon out, and he asks her if she thinks the members of the SOS brigade aren't normal. Tsuruya explains that she has no idea whats really going on with the brigade members, but firmly believes that they are not quite human, not like herself or Kyon. She says she has no wish to become a member either. The example she uses is of a baseball game, where she considers the SOS brigade as the players, with herself being a spectator of the team, cheering them on from the stands; and she prefers being in the stands than on the field.
Tsuruya leaves Kyon telling him to go do his best at saving the world, then laughs it off.
Kyon walks down the road, meeting Koizumi by what he calls a 'coincidence'. Koizumi explains he's in on the act of there being two Mikuru's around, and tells Kyon not to force Tsuruya in on their problems. Apparently the 'Tsuruya clan' are a prestigious rich family in Japan which sponsor Koizumi's 'Agency'. He then says that Tsuruya herself is in line to become head chief someday.
Next day Kyon gets another letter in his locker. This time adult Mikuru has assigned them to interfere with the SOS Brigade treasure hunt that is supposed to be happening that weekend, according to what 'Michiru' told him about anyway. The instructions ask Kyon and 'Michiru' to interfere with the treasure hunt by moving a stone by about 3 meters for unexplained reasons.
Kyon walks to class after reading the letter. Haruhi is still acting melancholy, looking out the window avoiding his eye contact. He asks her whats wrong, but she claims she feels totally normal, though she does cut herself off mid sentence. She doesn't seem to care that Kyon isn't going to be able to be at the club room later that evening either. Before leaving school that day, Kyon talks to a melancholy Taniguchi who is on cleaning duty. He tells Kyon how envious he is. Kyon thinks that his gloominess is reminiscent of Haruhi's mood. Kunikida pops up and explains that Taniguchi was recently dumped by his girlfriend from Kouyouen Academy, and for weird circumstances (that I have a feeling may a focal plot point sometime down the line). Kyon then wonders if Haruhi's also love sick. Then waves it off.
That evening Kyon meets up with 'Michiru' round Tsuruya's house. They need to follow the directions in the letter, but she doesn't need to use them because she knows it from memory. They arrive at a flat part of a mountainside and find a stone that needs to be moved according to the letter. Apparently the brigade are suppose to dig up the earth and find nothing. It takes the two of them a while to move the boulder. It starts to rain upon arrival back at Tsuruya's. Tsuruya tells Mikuru to have a bath together with her, and with a straight face, invites Kyon along too so that she could scrub his back. Kyon accepts this as a joke. She asks no questions as to what they did or where it was, and makes a point about not caring either way.
Next day Kyon receives 3 more letters in his locker, relating to things that need to be done in a few days time. Kyon finds an expectant Haruhi in class demanding him to hand over the Tsuruya treasure map scroll. Apparently Tsuruya phoned Haruhi in advance, explaining that 'she happened to bump into Kyon as he was walking Shamisen outside her house, and gave him the scroll then' (Kyon started a lie to explain away his absence from the club, and started saying his cat Shamisen was sick and needed looking after).
That evening during club time Tsuruya joins them to talk them through the treasure map and to generally hang out.
On the day of the treasure hunt, they take a long route to the mountain by bus. Kyon and Koizumi spend all day digging anywhere that Haruhi deems as the best place to bury objects, namely, flat surfaces. They then get to the position Kyon visited before. Kyon is worried about whether Haruhi will notice the disturbed ground from where the stone was previously positioned, but Yuki sets the picnic mat there and sits down on it, so it seems that she knew to make sure no digging would take place here. Kyon didnt even tell her anything and still she knows! lol.
Haruhi looks out and sees that it would be quicker to get home by walking down the hill. So they do just that.
Watching Haruhi waltz ahead, Kyon and Koizumi talk about her recent mood swings. Kyon is convinced that she gets in a depressed like mood and asks him about it, only for Koizumi to deny noticing any strange behaviour from her. Kyon also chats with Yuki and finds out that Haruhi never cared for finding treasure, she just wanted a fun picnic.
They all go home and as soon as Kyon goes indoors he phones 'Michiru' regarding the letters instructions for the next day. Haruhi's plan is to do more city patrols and the timing is going to be tight. Kyon then phones Yuki but strangely her phone is engaged. He phones later and asks her to rig the short straw pulling so that he ends up with Yuki to walk around the city on numerous occasions. This has to be rigged because 'Michiru' told Kyon too much information about the future, and now things need to be ensured so that events end up exactly as she said. Whilst still on the phone to Yuki, he asks out of curiosity who she was speaking too when her phone was engaged. She answers the name Haruhi Suzumiya. Kyon is slightly shocked, and tentatively asks what it was about. Yuki is apprehensive and tells him that she cannot disclose any details. Kyon wonders whats up but isn't too worried.
The day of the city patrol takes place. Haruhi draws tooth picks at their local cafe to decide who patrols with who. Kyon and Koizumi go together in the morning session, then Its Kyon and Yuki in the afternoon session, as per Kyon's prearrangement with her. During their time together, he leaves her at public library and meets up with 'Michiru', as arranged over the phone.
Kyon is not happy with this guy out of instinct, and Mikuru doesn't seem to know him. This prick then hands the data stick over and walks away, like he's still a threat in their future. Both seem to think he's from an enemy faction from the future.
Kyon sees 'Michiru' back to Tsuruya's home before going back to the library and picking up Yuki.
Yuki and Kyon then meet back up with Haruhi. She suggests that they should do another scout of the city tomorrow as well. After being dismissed by Haruhi for the day, Kyon buys a small turtle as per the letters instructions, and does so at a nearby pet centre. The cashier also throws in a carry case sized tank for the little guy. The letter says he needs to obtain a turtle (any will do) so that he can throw it into the river at a certain time the next day. He wonders what all these instructions mean.
Kyon then visits 'Michiru' again around Tsuruya's house, and gives her the turtle to look after until tomorrow.
The next day arrives, and they all start by visiting the cafe. Naturally, Yuki and Kyon end up together for the scouting mission. Just like the day before, Kyon drops her off at the public library and walks to the river. Once he arrives he meets up with 'Michiru' whose just been given a lift down from the Tsuruya mansion. She's also got the turtle with her.
They walk down to a good spot by the river to throw the turtle in. Its around two minutes until he's suppose to throw it. He takes out the small turtle and goes to throw it when he's stopped by a boy. Its the same boy that lives close to Haruhi, who almost got run over by a van last month.
He asks if he can take care of the turtle. Realising that his instructions only told him to throw the turtle in the river and gave no ideas about what to do next, Kyon throws the turtle in the river and then walks in to retrieve it, and gives it to the boy along with the tank and the instructions on how to take care of it. He then tells the boy not to tell Haruhi about any of this.
Kyon and 'Michiru' walk to the main road when a speeding van stops dead in front of them, with the side door opening at double quick speed and people reaching out and snatching 'Michiru' right before Kyon's eyes before speeding off again.
Kyon is distraught and instinctively reaches for his phone and dials the first number that he can reach. Haruhi picks up the other end and Kyon frantically tells her that Mikuru has been kidnapped. Haruhi hears the severity in his voice but she is standing right next to her. So she calls this a practical joke to Kyon and hangs up.
Koizumi phones Kyon after telling the others he needs to visit the lavatory. He instructs Kyon that he has his people on the case. Next thing a black taxi pulls up in front of Kyon. Inside is Arakawa in the driving seat, and Sonou Mori in the back seat. This time round they are dressed in office clothes instead of butler and maid.
Arakawa steps on it and the car chase is on. Mori reveals to Kyon that the kidnappers are a group that consist of espers hostile to the Agency, time travellers who wanted to use 'Michiru' as a bargaining chip with the future authorities, and an entity of aliens different from the Data Overmind. She also reveals that the purpose of 'Michiru' being in this time period was to make sure they didn't kidnap Mikuru right in front of Haruhi. Arakawa and Mori eventually corner the kidnappers on a mountain side, along with help from the Tamaru brothers who this time round are police officers in their own police car.
The van is also the same one that tried to run over the boy last month.
The people in the van dismount. They are all teenagers around Kyon's age. One of them is the same creepy bastard Kyon and 'Michiru' met a few days previous. Another one of them that seems to be the leader is a girl, who is equally as evil. They give up 'Michiru' and are allowed to walk free down the mountain. They claim that they expected their plan to be stopped due to predetermined events, but wanted to try nonetheless.
Kyon takes 'Michiru' into the taxi. She was put to sleep as soon as she was kidnapped. Arakawa drives them to the library where they meet Yuki. She reveals to have letter number #5. Yuki follows the letter's instructions by waking 'Michiru' up from the drugged sleep. Kyon then sends her back to the future as per the letters instructions.
Kyon meets adult Mikuru at the appointed time at their usual bench in the park. She tells him that the man who kicked the can and went to the hospital was supposed to meet a woman there and raise a family with her. The strange pen drive type object was supposed to give someone the idea about time travel, while the boy who saw the turtle be thrown in the river saw the ripples it made in water and used this memory to make a theory about time travel, leading to the invention of the TPDD. Adult Mikuru explains that time travel means having to constantly make sure that past events turn out the way they should. This leads us readers to consider a few stupid things. Apparently now there can be more than one future, and that Mikurus future timeline is not as predetermined as it should be for a time travel story. And its not like there are multiple futures in this series, maybe just a handful.
Adult Mikuru warns Kyon that he will soon have to make a choice that could severely change the future. Kyon realises that this future Mikuru had been toying with her past self, forcing her to watch history as it happened. He tries to show his resentment against her, only to find that she has disappeared back to her future, leaving a box of valentines chocolates for him.
Next in this story, Kyon tells Tsuruya of his suspected position for finding real treasure, right underneath where the stone was originally positioned. Tsuruya goes there and digs up a 300 year old pot with some type of futuristic titanium-cesium alloy rod with circuits inside. This is most definitely a plot point in the future. Tsuruya deducts that it must be from an alien or time traveler.
At school, Haruhi begins a lucky prize draw out in the courtyard for someone to win a Mikuru valentines day chocolate. Mikuru is dressed as a shrine maiden for this, but is quickly taken to the club room and forced into her school uniform and basically thrown into the broom closet with Kyon frantically telling her to go back in time to 8 days ago. As soon as she does so, 'Michiru' arrives in the closet from traveling from 2 days ago from the public library (she can now be considered 'Mikuru' again instead of 'Michiru').
---
6-10. These Haruhi novels were once one of the most solid time travel stories out there, but unfortunately now its basically just 'wibbly wobbly timey wimey', which is shit. Time travel should include one path, where there is only one future, one outcome. It shouldn't make my head hurt. Adult Mikuru may be protecting her past which is being changed without her knowing about it. Surly if the past is changed then it never happened and wouldn't be in her memories, unless the future is fixed no matter what happens in the past, which is a bollox explanation.
This volume was epically big, and not much happened really.
Up next: Editor in Chief, Full Speed Ahead!
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Sunday, 11 November 2012
The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 7- Prologue (part 2)
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
The Prologue to The Intrigues (novel 7), (part 2):
Set on Tuesday 3rd February 2004.
Its the end of the day in the club room. Due to circumstances, only Kyon and Koizumi are present. Itsuki uses this rare alone time to talk about Kyons time travel to the 18th December. He uses the white board to illustrate how time flowed during Kyons experience. He also goes on to say that the 3 days afterwards (where Kyon fell down the stairs) may never have happened, and that they could be fake memories.
Haruhi barges through the door followed by Mikuru and Nagato. They have been shopping for food to celebrate the Setsubun festival. Haruhi questions the strange diagram on the white board before Koizumi quickly dismisses it as a doodle and wipes it off. They then spend the rest of the afternoon throwing beans out the top storey window (a local custom to cleanse evil spirits) and eat Fukomaki facing a certain direction (also a part of local traditions).
Despite having fun doing things like this, the next day Kyon notices that Haruhi is not happy with something, but its so subtle that he wonders if he is the only one to notice it in her.
---
5-10. This story starts from the English publication of The Intrigues from page 22 line 11! XD
Otherwise there's not much to say about this, apart from that the next storyline looks to be centered around Haruhi's restlessness.
Up next: The Intrigues.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
The Prologue to The Intrigues (novel 7), (part 2):
Set on Tuesday 3rd February 2004.Its the end of the day in the club room. Due to circumstances, only Kyon and Koizumi are present. Itsuki uses this rare alone time to talk about Kyons time travel to the 18th December. He uses the white board to illustrate how time flowed during Kyons experience. He also goes on to say that the 3 days afterwards (where Kyon fell down the stairs) may never have happened, and that they could be fake memories.
Haruhi barges through the door followed by Mikuru and Nagato. They have been shopping for food to celebrate the Setsubun festival. Haruhi questions the strange diagram on the white board before Koizumi quickly dismisses it as a doodle and wipes it off. They then spend the rest of the afternoon throwing beans out the top storey window (a local custom to cleanse evil spirits) and eat Fukomaki facing a certain direction (also a part of local traditions).
Despite having fun doing things like this, the next day Kyon notices that Haruhi is not happy with something, but its so subtle that he wonders if he is the only one to notice it in her.
---
5-10. This story starts from the English publication of The Intrigues from page 22 line 11! XD
Otherwise there's not much to say about this, apart from that the next storyline looks to be centered around Haruhi's restlessness.
Up next: The Intrigues.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 6- The Melancholy of Mikuru Asahina
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
The Melancholy of Mikuru Asahina- the fifth (and last) short story of "The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 6).
Set sometime in mid-late January.
Kyon arrives at the club room after school like usual, and knocks on the door. Theres no answer so he feels free to walk in. He's hit upon the sight of Mikuru sitting on a folding chair clutching a broom, looking spaced out. He's never seen her look this sad- ever, and calls to her. She snaps out of it and recognises his presence. Still, she appears down and he keeps an eye on her. She tentatively asks him for a favour but is interrupted by Yuki walking into the room. She quickly changes the subject and goes off to make some tea, but they are out of water. She then tells them she will get some, but Kyon stops her because it would be wrong for her to prance around school dressed as a maid. He leaves with the kettle, but she follows anyway. At the water fountain, she asks Kyon to join her this coming Sunday to shop for tea leaves. Kyon, ignoring her depressed state, fantasises over the event and considers it a date.
Sunday arrives and they meet up near the station. They travel to the shopping district and go into a small family run store with a tiny cramped cafe in the basement. This is the store that according to Mikuru sells the best tea leaves. Its cafe even brews its customers bought tea for them.
Kyon notices that Mikuru has been checking her wrist watch a little too often, but he doesn't press her about it. It's getting towards twilight outside when she suggests they should take a walk. They walk around for ages and still she constantly checks the time. Kyon hears her talking under her breath 'its not time yet'. Eventually they get to a crossing point, and are waiting for the green man to appear so they can cross when they both notice a boy shoot out into the middle of the road. Not only that but a speeding truck is racing towards him. Unconsciously, Kyon runs into the road and sweeps the boy away from the speeding truck within millimetres of being hit himself. Mikuru runs over to them and lectures the boy about not looking out for cars before running onto the road.
Mikuru makes the boy swear a pinky promise with her regarding not doing anything like this ever again before he continues running off.
Mikuru and Kyon walk off and she starts to cry. Her crying gets worse and she buries herself into Kyons sleeve. She explains that she considers herself useless because of the lack of communication she receives from her superiors about her missions. She explains that the boy they just saved will go on to be a very important person in the development of time travel, and that the person in the car that tried to run him over was a time traveller from another faction that attempted to change the future. She also explains through sobbing that she used Kyon because its against the rules for time travellers to interfere with the past, so she brought him along to stop whatever it was that was supposed to happen, not that she knew what was supposed to happen or to whom.
They go to the park and sit on the same bench as they did at the Tanabata festival 3 and a half years ago when adult Asahina made her fall asleep on his shoulder. Kyon feels her head hit his shoulder once again, only this time she's burying her head into him, quietly sobbing once again. Kyon tries to comfort her but has no idea how. He tries to explain to her just how important she is but he stumbles in his words. She realises through unspoken words that he's tied down to revealing more about her future and whats going on. During his bumbling she places her index finger to his lips, then to hers, and thanks him for making her feel better.
Back at school and the club room, Haruhi talks about a boy she knows and how he said he saw Mikuru and Kyon together on Sunday. Apparently he knows their faces from the school festival. Haruhi grins and demands Kyon to 'fess up. Both Kyon and Mikuru look like they are caught red handed. Even Yuki is interested.
---
7-10. Mikuru has been lost deep in thought ever since her experience of traveling back in time to December 18th. Events don't add up for her. She contacts her superiors who tell her nothing. She could ask Kyon but its against her own rules if she tried to get answers from seemingly unexplainable time travel. Therefore, she spends the rest of January confused, deep in thought, and also melancholy because she feels purposely left in the dark.
The most memorable scene for me was the chat between Kyon and Mikuru on the park bench. It was just so atmospheric in the twilight in the stark dead of winter. Especially with her being as depressed as she was. She never asked Kyon to try and explain what happened on the 18th December, but in the end she didn't need too. Kyon's stuttering were enough to tell her that Kyon cannot talk to her about it, which confirms that she shouldn't worry about it, especially because he did tell her how important she is.
Up next: the prologue to The Intrigues (part 2).
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
The Melancholy of Mikuru Asahina- the fifth (and last) short story of "The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 6).
Set sometime in mid-late January.
Sunday arrives and they meet up near the station. They travel to the shopping district and go into a small family run store with a tiny cramped cafe in the basement. This is the store that according to Mikuru sells the best tea leaves. Its cafe even brews its customers bought tea for them.
Mikuru makes the boy swear a pinky promise with her regarding not doing anything like this ever again before he continues running off.
Mikuru and Kyon walk off and she starts to cry. Her crying gets worse and she buries herself into Kyons sleeve. She explains that she considers herself useless because of the lack of communication she receives from her superiors about her missions. She explains that the boy they just saved will go on to be a very important person in the development of time travel, and that the person in the car that tried to run him over was a time traveller from another faction that attempted to change the future. She also explains through sobbing that she used Kyon because its against the rules for time travellers to interfere with the past, so she brought him along to stop whatever it was that was supposed to happen, not that she knew what was supposed to happen or to whom.
Back at school and the club room, Haruhi talks about a boy she knows and how he said he saw Mikuru and Kyon together on Sunday. Apparently he knows their faces from the school festival. Haruhi grins and demands Kyon to 'fess up. Both Kyon and Mikuru look like they are caught red handed. Even Yuki is interested.
---
7-10. Mikuru has been lost deep in thought ever since her experience of traveling back in time to December 18th. Events don't add up for her. She contacts her superiors who tell her nothing. She could ask Kyon but its against her own rules if she tried to get answers from seemingly unexplainable time travel. Therefore, she spends the rest of January confused, deep in thought, and also melancholy because she feels purposely left in the dark.
The most memorable scene for me was the chat between Kyon and Mikuru on the park bench. It was just so atmospheric in the twilight in the stark dead of winter. Especially with her being as depressed as she was. She never asked Kyon to try and explain what happened on the 18th December, but in the end she didn't need too. Kyon's stuttering were enough to tell her that Kyon cannot talk to her about it, which confirms that she shouldn't worry about it, especially because he did tell her how important she is.
Up next: the prologue to The Intrigues (part 2).
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Saturday, 3 November 2012
The Intrigues of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 7- Prologue (part 1)
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
The Prologue to The Intrigues (novel 7): part 1.
The first part of The Intrigues prologue acts like a short story that completes The Disappearance arc. Read up until the middle of page 22 when it starts spoiling events that happen in the next short story; The Melancholy of Mikuru Asahina.
---
Its January 2nd 2004, the day they return home from the mountains. Kyon has been living besides himself ever since the incident of getting trapped in a mansion by an unseen enemy. He cannot put it off any longer and decides the moment he returns home to sort out events left unfinished from December 18th. He phones Mikuru, who has only just arrived home herself, and informs her that she needs to go back in time with him. She says she would need days to sort out the clearance from her superiors, but Kyon's insistent, so she contacts them right there and then. All Kyon can hear over the phone is Mikuru's soft breathing for 10 seconds, but then she speaks to him sounding surprised that not only has she been given the clearance, but they are telling her to listen to Kyons instructions and do as he says. The author missed a trick here. Mikuru should have asked Kyon whats going on, and his reply should have been "thats classified". lol that would have been funny. Oh well.
Kyon tells her to meet him around Yuki's apartment and then he phones Yuki to tell her whats going on. They meet up and have a cup of tea whilst Kyon gives them the run down. He purposely omits information about adult Mikuru. Kyon doesn't make the same mistake twice and remembers to make sure everyone is wearing their shoes before they leave for the 18th. Whist putting his shoes on he spots adult Mikuru's high heals, but does not take them with him. This must be because Mikuru would ask questions if he did. Mikuru activates her TPDD and the three of them travel back.
They are standing near North High at night. Very close nearby the Kyon of the past is pointing a gun at a whimpering glasses clad Nagato, with adult Asahina standing just behind him.
Kyon informs Yuki that they are standing too close, but she informs him that they are shielded from their past selves. Mikuru asks who the woman is (she's staring at her back), but then out of the shadows Asakura runs out and stabs Kyon of the past. Kyon of the present notices something he didn't remember from the ordeal, Asakura is twisting the knife deep into his body as vigorously as she can. *shudders*
Seeing Kyon of the past fall to the ground, Miruku of the present runs to him but hits the invisible barrier. She demands Yuki to lift the barrier and she does. Mikuru then runs to his side, ignoring the fact that kneeling right next to her is her older self. Current Yuki stops Asakura and deletes the knife. Kyon waltz's up to the scene and recites his memorised lines. Kyon of the past passes out and Asakura disintegrates. Kyon picks up the gun and points it to glasses clad Nagato, of whom is now trembling on the ground. Adult Mikuru puts her younger self to sleep and current Yuki heals Kyon's wound.
Yuki then demands Kyon to hand her the gun which he does, and she points it to the other Nagato and pulls the trigger. It makes no sound nor light, yet glasses Nagato blinks twice and slowly stands, taking her glasses off. They stare at each other for a while until her past self demands synchronisation. Yuki refuses. When asked why she simply says "I do not wish too" with obvious emotion in her voice. Yuki then demands her past self to reset the world back. Adult Mikuru helps her younger self onto Kyons back and the four of them travel through time again, leaving past Nagato alone and lonely with an unconscious Kyon.
Time travel out of this time frame proves a bumpy ride for Kyon. Adult Asahina explains that they cannot be present for Nagato's time realignment because it takes a hell of a lot more effort to make the amendments then what they previously experienced from before. During the time travel journey they all experience a snippet of the three days absent from Kyons memories; an ambulance outside North High along with ashen faced Haruhi and Asahina escorting the paramedics with Kyon in a stretcher, whilst Koizumi is on his cell phone, no doubt organising hospital arrangements. Nagato is not there.
Time travel starts up once more. Adult Asahina informs them that they are traveling back to their respective time frames. Her last words inform Kyon that he can give her sleeping younger self a kiss if he likes. After this adult Asahina disappears and Kyon, Mikuru and Yuki arrive back in Yuki's apartment. Yuki establishes the fact that they had been away for approximately 60 seconds.
Kyon helps the sleeping Mikuru into a futon in the spare room. He downs whats left of the tea and thanks Yuki for her help before leaving.
Kyon feels completely satisfied that he can start the new year without having to sort out unresolved problems of the past. He sleeps well that night.
---
8-10. If I were head writer of the Haruhi anime, I would make this one episode long. I read bits of the continued prologue and yes it talks about The Disappearance, but its set in mid-late January as a conversation with Koizumi. I will cover this later on.
EDIT: 3/Feb/2015
I cannot believe I haven't mentioned this, but stop reading from page 22 line 10! Line 11 onwards will be read later on! XD
Up next: Random Numbers.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
The Prologue to The Intrigues (novel 7): part 1.
The first part of The Intrigues prologue acts like a short story that completes The Disappearance arc. Read up until the middle of page 22 when it starts spoiling events that happen in the next short story; The Melancholy of Mikuru Asahina.---
Its January 2nd 2004, the day they return home from the mountains. Kyon has been living besides himself ever since the incident of getting trapped in a mansion by an unseen enemy. He cannot put it off any longer and decides the moment he returns home to sort out events left unfinished from December 18th. He phones Mikuru, who has only just arrived home herself, and informs her that she needs to go back in time with him. She says she would need days to sort out the clearance from her superiors, but Kyon's insistent, so she contacts them right there and then. All Kyon can hear over the phone is Mikuru's soft breathing for 10 seconds, but then she speaks to him sounding surprised that not only has she been given the clearance, but they are telling her to listen to Kyons instructions and do as he says. The author missed a trick here. Mikuru should have asked Kyon whats going on, and his reply should have been "thats classified". lol that would have been funny. Oh well.
Kyon tells her to meet him around Yuki's apartment and then he phones Yuki to tell her whats going on. They meet up and have a cup of tea whilst Kyon gives them the run down. He purposely omits information about adult Mikuru. Kyon doesn't make the same mistake twice and remembers to make sure everyone is wearing their shoes before they leave for the 18th. Whist putting his shoes on he spots adult Mikuru's high heals, but does not take them with him. This must be because Mikuru would ask questions if he did. Mikuru activates her TPDD and the three of them travel back.They are standing near North High at night. Very close nearby the Kyon of the past is pointing a gun at a whimpering glasses clad Nagato, with adult Asahina standing just behind him.
Kyon informs Yuki that they are standing too close, but she informs him that they are shielded from their past selves. Mikuru asks who the woman is (she's staring at her back), but then out of the shadows Asakura runs out and stabs Kyon of the past. Kyon of the present notices something he didn't remember from the ordeal, Asakura is twisting the knife deep into his body as vigorously as she can. *shudders*
Seeing Kyon of the past fall to the ground, Miruku of the present runs to him but hits the invisible barrier. She demands Yuki to lift the barrier and she does. Mikuru then runs to his side, ignoring the fact that kneeling right next to her is her older self. Current Yuki stops Asakura and deletes the knife. Kyon waltz's up to the scene and recites his memorised lines. Kyon of the past passes out and Asakura disintegrates. Kyon picks up the gun and points it to glasses clad Nagato, of whom is now trembling on the ground. Adult Mikuru puts her younger self to sleep and current Yuki heals Kyon's wound.Yuki then demands Kyon to hand her the gun which he does, and she points it to the other Nagato and pulls the trigger. It makes no sound nor light, yet glasses Nagato blinks twice and slowly stands, taking her glasses off. They stare at each other for a while until her past self demands synchronisation. Yuki refuses. When asked why she simply says "I do not wish too" with obvious emotion in her voice. Yuki then demands her past self to reset the world back. Adult Mikuru helps her younger self onto Kyons back and the four of them travel through time again, leaving past Nagato alone and lonely with an unconscious Kyon.
Time travel out of this time frame proves a bumpy ride for Kyon. Adult Asahina explains that they cannot be present for Nagato's time realignment because it takes a hell of a lot more effort to make the amendments then what they previously experienced from before. During the time travel journey they all experience a snippet of the three days absent from Kyons memories; an ambulance outside North High along with ashen faced Haruhi and Asahina escorting the paramedics with Kyon in a stretcher, whilst Koizumi is on his cell phone, no doubt organising hospital arrangements. Nagato is not there.Time travel starts up once more. Adult Asahina informs them that they are traveling back to their respective time frames. Her last words inform Kyon that he can give her sleeping younger self a kiss if he likes. After this adult Asahina disappears and Kyon, Mikuru and Yuki arrive back in Yuki's apartment. Yuki establishes the fact that they had been away for approximately 60 seconds.
Kyon helps the sleeping Mikuru into a futon in the spare room. He downs whats left of the tea and thanks Yuki for her help before leaving.
Kyon feels completely satisfied that he can start the new year without having to sort out unresolved problems of the past. He sleeps well that night.
---
8-10. If I were head writer of the Haruhi anime, I would make this one episode long. I read bits of the continued prologue and yes it talks about The Disappearance, but its set in mid-late January as a conversation with Koizumi. I will cover this later on.
EDIT: 3/Feb/2015
I cannot believe I haven't mentioned this, but stop reading from page 22 line 10! Line 11 onwards will be read later on! XD
Up next: Random Numbers.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 6- Where Did The Cat Go?
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Where Did The Cat Go?- the fourth short story of "The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 6).
Set on new years eve 2003, the day after Snowy Mountain Syndrome, this is the story of the winter version of the murder mystery, with the same people that were on the remote island last summer.
The SOS Brigade have to wait until the afternoon before starting the Murder game. They all decide to stay indoors because Haruhi insists that Yuki needs time to recover, and it would be better if they all had fun together.
As part of the murder game, everyone has to stay in the living room from 2pm-3pm, then have a 5min break before spending another hour in the room. They use this time to have fun with a homemade SOS Brigade board game, where Kyon ends up landing on tasks that requires him to do push ups and other exercises. They also play a game of Fukuwarai, a game much like Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but they have to use a picture and cut outs of a face, and in this case, the faces are similar to the participants. Tsuruya ends up in hysterics during this game.
The murder investigation then properly starts. Itsuki assigns himself as the games master, Keiichi Tamaru pretends to be dead in an out building, while Yutaka Tamaru and everyone apart from Arakawa and Mori serve as suspects. A snow storm outside serves as an ideal prop because it would cover up the murderers tracks leading back to the lodge. Shamisen the cat is also used as a prop because he is locked inside the out building along with the murder victim, despite the fact he was inside the living room with the others for much of the previous 2 hours.
Haruhi and Tsuruya end up as joint winners because they conclude that Itsuki must be the killer because he was the only one to have left the room during the time that Shamisen was away, and must have been using a fake Shamisen to fool everyone.
Haruhi goes to the bag that Itsuki has been using for the board games and out pops a new cat, one that looks identical to Shamisen but is female. He explains he spend months finding a lookalike calico and training it, and even went as far to dye the cat in places to make it as close looking to Kyons cat. Her name is Shamisen 2.
Haruhi liked the game so much that she declares that she wants next years summer game to be set in a castle overseas, and Tsuruya declares that she could arrange it. Itsuki sighs.
They have a party that night and see the new year in with the phrase "Omedetou Gozaiimasu!"
They plan on playing a Japanese style game of badminton tomorrow, and visiting a shrine when they get back home.
Welcome to 2004.
---
7-10. Not a bad short story, not as great as I was expecting, but fun none the less.
Up next: The Prologue to the Intrigues (part 1).
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Where Did The Cat Go?- the fourth short story of "The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 6).
Set on new years eve 2003, the day after Snowy Mountain Syndrome, this is the story of the winter version of the murder mystery, with the same people that were on the remote island last summer.
The SOS Brigade have to wait until the afternoon before starting the Murder game. They all decide to stay indoors because Haruhi insists that Yuki needs time to recover, and it would be better if they all had fun together.
 |
| Yuki Nagato inspecting her abstract Fukuwarai portrait |
The murder investigation then properly starts. Itsuki assigns himself as the games master, Keiichi Tamaru pretends to be dead in an out building, while Yutaka Tamaru and everyone apart from Arakawa and Mori serve as suspects. A snow storm outside serves as an ideal prop because it would cover up the murderers tracks leading back to the lodge. Shamisen the cat is also used as a prop because he is locked inside the out building along with the murder victim, despite the fact he was inside the living room with the others for much of the previous 2 hours.
Haruhi and Tsuruya end up as joint winners because they conclude that Itsuki must be the killer because he was the only one to have left the room during the time that Shamisen was away, and must have been using a fake Shamisen to fool everyone.
 |
| Joint winners Tsuruya and Haruhi |
Haruhi liked the game so much that she declares that she wants next years summer game to be set in a castle overseas, and Tsuruya declares that she could arrange it. Itsuki sighs.
They have a party that night and see the new year in with the phrase "Omedetou Gozaiimasu!"
They plan on playing a Japanese style game of badminton tomorrow, and visiting a shrine when they get back home.
Welcome to 2004.
---
7-10. Not a bad short story, not as great as I was expecting, but fun none the less.
Up next: The Prologue to the Intrigues (part 1).
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Thursday, 25 October 2012
RANTS: Orange Dolphin pay as you go ate my credit
Topping up £10 gives you 100MB for a month. After the month is passed it eats your credit up in seconds. Ever since I got the phone i have only ever used up 33.11MB.
I installed a statistics app to make sure i would never go beyond that 100MB when not in range of my home router.
This message is made clear and simple so people reading this dont fall into the same trap.
Solution: Permanently turn off mobile internet after that month has passed. Top up when needed then feel free to turn mobile internet on for a month.
I installed a statistics app to make sure i would never go beyond that 100MB when not in range of my home router.
This message is made clear and simple so people reading this dont fall into the same trap.
Solution: Permanently turn off mobile internet after that month has passed. Top up when needed then feel free to turn mobile internet on for a month.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 5- Snowy Mountain Syndrome
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
Snowy Mountain Syndrome- the third (and last) short story of "The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 5).
Much like how Remote Island Syndrome started, things start out at the bleakest point in the chapter, that being that the SOS Brigade are lost wading through thick snow in the middle of a snow storm. Then the flashback starts.
This flashback takes us back before Love at First Sight. It starts during the SOS Brigade Christmas hot pot party, starting right where The Disappearance left off on December 24th.
When Kyon walks into the club room, he finds Tsuruya among the usual brigade members. Haruhi has invited her as a guest because she has invited the SOS Brigade to her family's villa to go skiing to see the new year in. Kyon thinks that Mikuru must have mentioned something about Haruhi's winter vacation plans to Tsuruya sometime in the last 5 months. Koizumi then chimes in by saying that Tsuruya is providing the setting, but he is planning the event, which will be another detective game involving the same people that were on the remote island.
The hot pot goes well. Afterwards they continue their party around Yuki's apartment, where Kyon and Haruhi play a game of Twister. Unfortunately not much else is mentioned about this party.
Fast forward to the 30th December. Kyon's packing to leave very early in the morning, and his sister finds out. She clings to his bags and demands to go too. Unlike last time, Kyon allows her to tag along. The cat Shamisen is also needed so he tags along in a carry cage. Everyone meets at the station and boards a train which takes them deep into the mountains. They are met at the mountain station by Butler Arakawa and Mori the maid, where they then board a truck driven by Mori to a short journey to Tsuruya's family lodge. There is a ski slope a short walk away and Haruhi is raring to get out there. Tsuruya explains that the complex used to be privately owned by her family, until they sold it 10 years ago. Hence why its not very busy or popular by the tourists.
Yuki takes to the slopes with no fuss. Mikuru gets into it after a bit of practice. Tsuruya teaches Kyon's sister how to ski, but they end up building snowmen. Haruhi gathers the official SOS brigade members to ski together, but out from nowhere an unexpected snow storm turns up. They stick very close together because the snow comes down so hard they cannot see that far ahead. Yuki leads the way but after a while she informs Kyon that they should be back by now. After half an hour of walking and getting lost, Haruhi spots artificial light in the distance. They walk towards it, which turns out to be a huge western style mansion with its lights on in every room. They knock on the door but nobody answers. They decide to go inside otherwise it would mean freezing to death. Haruhi and Kyon inspect the house for residents whilst the others stay in the lobby. Every room is devoid of people.
Haruhi has a heart to heart with Kyon alone on one of the upper floors. Its the first time shes had a chance since Someday In The Rain. She suspects Kyon of becoming intimate with Yuki. Kyon makes a story up on the spot about how shes feeling emotionally wrecked due to family issues which could see her being transferred from school in a few months for the start of their second year. He strains the point that she lives alone but her family want her back. Its a lie but Haruhi buys it.
They go back to Mikuru, Koizumi and Yuki in the lobby. Kyon is taken to one side out of earshot of Haruhi. Apparently they have been gone 3 hours, whilst it seemed like only 10mins or so for Kyon. The group decide that its best to stick together. They end up making sandwiches, deciding on the rooms to sleep in, and eventually Haruhi and the two other girls take a lavish bath together. Its during this time that Kyon talks to Koizumi about events that happened and things that still need to be sorted out from the Disappearance arc. Koizumi says that he feels like Yuki's power may be slipping because she's becoming more like a typical high school girl, and the same goes for Haruhi too. hummmm........
We learn that Yuki's connection to the Integrated Data Sentient Entity has been severed, and that the mansion is a trap designed to keep them locked in there together forever, which means its not Haruhis fault this time.
That night, each member has a dream of seeing a fake duplicate of another SOS brigade member in his/her room. Its implied that said duplicate is coming onto each person. Kyon has a dream about Mikuru coming onto him, Haruhi has a dream about Kyon, Mikuru has a dream of Haruhi (lol), Koizumi has one with Kyon for some reason ( :X ) and Yuki has one about Kyon.
In each case the real person chases the duplicate out of the room. They then wake up and begin to continue chasing them out into the hallway. They all simultaneously open their doors to find each other standing there at the exact same time. They then explain each of their dreams to each other.
I would like to point out here that Haruhi is coping quite well under the circumstances. This is her first proper adventure with the SOS Brigade, discounting the time She and Kyon had that adventure in the school grounds with the Celetrials blowing everything up.
Yuki collapses right there and then in her doorway, saying that things have taken a toll on her. Haruhi takes charge and concludes that she has a fever. She orders everyone about to collect things to aid her.
After Kyon collects an ice pack from the fridge, he finds Koizumi wondering what on earth a maths equation is doing placed on the front door. They deliberate what its all about for a while until Haruhi turns up. She nags at them to get a move on, but then she too helps them figure out how to solve it.
In a nutshell according to Haruhi, Yuki was muttering a word that sounded like "Kyon", but Koizumi realises must have been the word "Yon", or four in Japanese. This is the answer they need to solve the maths problem. Koizumi explains that the dreams they had was all done by Yuki on purpose to determine the answer of four. Anyway, they sort out the riddle and the door opens.
A second later they all find themselves back on the ski slope on a beautiful day. Haruhi broods over Nagato, despite the fact that Nagato is now back to normal. Koizumi, Kyon and Yuki refuse to speak of their adventure whilst Haruhi talks about it to them as if it was as real as anything. Mikuru slips up and agrees with Haruhi about the experience. This leaves koizumi to start explaining some ridiculous story about group hypnotism. Haruhi buys it, eventually, though sort of doesn't because she carries yuki back to the lodge on her back, and forces her to rest in bed.
Personally I think this adventure has shown Haruhi to cope well with strange goings on happening around her. I would bet that she's ready to know exactly what she is now.
Tsuruya explains to Kyon that her intuition tells her that she knows the SOS Brigade is mysterious, and that its members are not normal humans, apart from Kyon that is. Kyon feels like she should become a full time brigade member.
---
9-10. As I mentioned this chapter is interesting because Haruhi is active during when all the weird stuff is going on. She copes really well, including during the moment when things go from the mansion back to reality.
Tsuruya explaining to Kyon that she 'knows' about the club activities is interesting. I'm now expecting her to join in next time something weird happens. Haruhi would cope too, but I doubt she will join in until the end of the series, though she kinda proves here that she wont freak out about it when she learns the truth.
Kyon keeps mentioning Sliders. He's expecting one to turn up, which makes me think that this may happen soon.
Up next: we are continuing with the snowy retreat story in Where Did The Cat Go?
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Snowy Mountain Syndrome- the third (and last) short story of "The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 5).
Much like how Remote Island Syndrome started, things start out at the bleakest point in the chapter, that being that the SOS Brigade are lost wading through thick snow in the middle of a snow storm. Then the flashback starts.This flashback takes us back before Love at First Sight. It starts during the SOS Brigade Christmas hot pot party, starting right where The Disappearance left off on December 24th.
When Kyon walks into the club room, he finds Tsuruya among the usual brigade members. Haruhi has invited her as a guest because she has invited the SOS Brigade to her family's villa to go skiing to see the new year in. Kyon thinks that Mikuru must have mentioned something about Haruhi's winter vacation plans to Tsuruya sometime in the last 5 months. Koizumi then chimes in by saying that Tsuruya is providing the setting, but he is planning the event, which will be another detective game involving the same people that were on the remote island.
The hot pot goes well. Afterwards they continue their party around Yuki's apartment, where Kyon and Haruhi play a game of Twister. Unfortunately not much else is mentioned about this party.
Fast forward to the 30th December. Kyon's packing to leave very early in the morning, and his sister finds out. She clings to his bags and demands to go too. Unlike last time, Kyon allows her to tag along. The cat Shamisen is also needed so he tags along in a carry cage. Everyone meets at the station and boards a train which takes them deep into the mountains. They are met at the mountain station by Butler Arakawa and Mori the maid, where they then board a truck driven by Mori to a short journey to Tsuruya's family lodge. There is a ski slope a short walk away and Haruhi is raring to get out there. Tsuruya explains that the complex used to be privately owned by her family, until they sold it 10 years ago. Hence why its not very busy or popular by the tourists.
Yuki takes to the slopes with no fuss. Mikuru gets into it after a bit of practice. Tsuruya teaches Kyon's sister how to ski, but they end up building snowmen. Haruhi gathers the official SOS brigade members to ski together, but out from nowhere an unexpected snow storm turns up. They stick very close together because the snow comes down so hard they cannot see that far ahead. Yuki leads the way but after a while she informs Kyon that they should be back by now. After half an hour of walking and getting lost, Haruhi spots artificial light in the distance. They walk towards it, which turns out to be a huge western style mansion with its lights on in every room. They knock on the door but nobody answers. They decide to go inside otherwise it would mean freezing to death. Haruhi and Kyon inspect the house for residents whilst the others stay in the lobby. Every room is devoid of people.
Haruhi has a heart to heart with Kyon alone on one of the upper floors. Its the first time shes had a chance since Someday In The Rain. She suspects Kyon of becoming intimate with Yuki. Kyon makes a story up on the spot about how shes feeling emotionally wrecked due to family issues which could see her being transferred from school in a few months for the start of their second year. He strains the point that she lives alone but her family want her back. Its a lie but Haruhi buys it.
They go back to Mikuru, Koizumi and Yuki in the lobby. Kyon is taken to one side out of earshot of Haruhi. Apparently they have been gone 3 hours, whilst it seemed like only 10mins or so for Kyon. The group decide that its best to stick together. They end up making sandwiches, deciding on the rooms to sleep in, and eventually Haruhi and the two other girls take a lavish bath together. Its during this time that Kyon talks to Koizumi about events that happened and things that still need to be sorted out from the Disappearance arc. Koizumi says that he feels like Yuki's power may be slipping because she's becoming more like a typical high school girl, and the same goes for Haruhi too. hummmm........
We learn that Yuki's connection to the Integrated Data Sentient Entity has been severed, and that the mansion is a trap designed to keep them locked in there together forever, which means its not Haruhis fault this time.
In each case the real person chases the duplicate out of the room. They then wake up and begin to continue chasing them out into the hallway. They all simultaneously open their doors to find each other standing there at the exact same time. They then explain each of their dreams to each other.
I would like to point out here that Haruhi is coping quite well under the circumstances. This is her first proper adventure with the SOS Brigade, discounting the time She and Kyon had that adventure in the school grounds with the Celetrials blowing everything up.
Yuki collapses right there and then in her doorway, saying that things have taken a toll on her. Haruhi takes charge and concludes that she has a fever. She orders everyone about to collect things to aid her.
After Kyon collects an ice pack from the fridge, he finds Koizumi wondering what on earth a maths equation is doing placed on the front door. They deliberate what its all about for a while until Haruhi turns up. She nags at them to get a move on, but then she too helps them figure out how to solve it.
In a nutshell according to Haruhi, Yuki was muttering a word that sounded like "Kyon", but Koizumi realises must have been the word "Yon", or four in Japanese. This is the answer they need to solve the maths problem. Koizumi explains that the dreams they had was all done by Yuki on purpose to determine the answer of four. Anyway, they sort out the riddle and the door opens.
A second later they all find themselves back on the ski slope on a beautiful day. Haruhi broods over Nagato, despite the fact that Nagato is now back to normal. Koizumi, Kyon and Yuki refuse to speak of their adventure whilst Haruhi talks about it to them as if it was as real as anything. Mikuru slips up and agrees with Haruhi about the experience. This leaves koizumi to start explaining some ridiculous story about group hypnotism. Haruhi buys it, eventually, though sort of doesn't because she carries yuki back to the lodge on her back, and forces her to rest in bed.
Personally I think this adventure has shown Haruhi to cope well with strange goings on happening around her. I would bet that she's ready to know exactly what she is now.
Tsuruya explains to Kyon that her intuition tells her that she knows the SOS Brigade is mysterious, and that its members are not normal humans, apart from Kyon that is. Kyon feels like she should become a full time brigade member.
---
9-10. As I mentioned this chapter is interesting because Haruhi is active during when all the weird stuff is going on. She copes really well, including during the moment when things go from the mansion back to reality.
Tsuruya explaining to Kyon that she 'knows' about the club activities is interesting. I'm now expecting her to join in next time something weird happens. Haruhi would cope too, but I doubt she will join in until the end of the series, though she kinda proves here that she wont freak out about it when she learns the truth.
Kyon keeps mentioning Sliders. He's expecting one to turn up, which makes me think that this may happen soon.
Up next: we are continuing with the snowy retreat story in Where Did The Cat Go?
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Thoughts: Oh My Goddess!
Yeah I dunno what happened. I decided in the summer just to read them all in one hit. So i did. I tried to blog my way through them, and kept a review in edit which was on the permanent back burner. It needed to be completed, so i did it just now. My love for the series diminished completely. Fujishima just keeps retconning things to the point that it ends up being nothing like the original vision. Im not saying its a bad series, its just been overdone. Things would have worked better if it just ended, and not come out with boring lack luster events. This series was all about K1 and bell's relationship, which may be getting sorted out now after the hell arc, but things still dont feel right. The movie did it better.
REVIEW: Oh My Goddess!- Manga volumes 29-
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
The Polka-Dotted Cat and the Broom Race arc (continued):
Belldandy and chibi Hild are still racing. Bell damages her broom and starts to slow down. Watching on TV at home, Velsper comes up with an idea to help out. As Hild and Belldandy passes overhead, K1 thwacks the poor hairy cat with a baceball bat into the sky, which is timed perfectly so she can join Belldandy. the cat uses itself to stabilize the part of the brush that is damaged, so the broom can get back to full power.
Eventually Hild looses because Gluhende Herz is apparently a short range racer.
As the loser, Hild has to tell them what to do to sort out Velspers problem. She needs to name her recently acquired angel. Thats it.
Urd and Skuld spend the next chapter pestering Velsper about what name she has chosen for her angel. After chacing the cat around town, belldandy reminds urd that the naming process requires 2 goddess witnesses and must be done by the time the sun sets after the name is chosen. The cerimony begins and the name velsper chooses is 'Wasp of the Blue Lance'.
Urd: First Class Goddess Candidate arc:
Peorth informs Urd that she has been chosen to become a first class goddess. apparently its one of the resons Peorth is on earth in the first place.
Urd was originally turned down when they were kids. After passing a test from belldandy a spell is cast upon urd which sees her first class powers unlocked, which is immense. Urd is tested a few time.
One of the tests is to make K1 truly happy by the time its sun set.
The scene then changes to the past and to the time that Urd was originally rejected. I personally thought she was rejected because of racism, but it turns out that it was because of another reason. Either way young urd told young belldandy
that it was because she 'lied'.
Belldandy and K1 are walking around town. Urd causes it to rain in the hopes of the couple foring to find shealter in a love hotel.
Sex isnt on the mind however for belldandy and she asks K1 if its alright for her to use her powers to make the rain stop. K1 then buys an umbrella and they walk out into the rain. Its the act of being forced to shair an umbrella that makes K1 truly happy, which then makes Urd pass this test. In the end though urd chooses to stay a second class goddess, not because of being able to lie, but because she doesnt want the power to protect the universe, but the power to protect her family. i also suspect that having too much power may be a bad thing for if the devil in her turns it to the gods disadvantage.
The "I love You" arc:
Peorth and later on Chihiro try to teach K1 to say the three magic words to Belldandy. Peorth tells K1 that he has a "limiter on his heart" which is holding him back. So she tries to help by forcing him to ignore it. K1 practices saying it to Peorth and Belldandy walks in the room.
Its painfully obvious that they were just practicing, and nothing comes from it.
Peorth is teasing him. he ends up next to bell and is about to confess his true feelings to her when Urd forces him to swallow a pill. K1 goes to say how much he loves her, but the word forces her to collapse in emotion. this is urds pill at work.
skuld interfeers and he says the l word to her too, which makes hr collapse too. in the end, the other goddesses get caught in the trap too.
The Gate arc:
Peorths time on earth is over, but she cant get back. The gate functionality is wrong. it turns out that he gate is a living being, in the shape of a girl. It/she explains that she is on strike because she wants experiance living a life like everyone else do. all she ever gets is a copy of peoples memories when they pass through her, but he says she wants to create her own memories.
they let her have fun, and she even kisses peorth which is funny. but she next wants to kiss the others. she kisses urd and skuld, and wants to kiss bell and k1.
things are sorted out when K1 says love to her. yup, his spell is still in effect. in the end she turns back into a proper looking gate, but will only allow Peorth passage under a certain speed because shes just rebooted, or something.
Miss Gate is transfered to another plane so she woulnt be board.
Beach Vacation arc part 1- The Lorelei:
Chihiro decides its time for a beach vacation, leaving Otaki and Tamiya to run the shop.
K1 and Bell are on the beach. K1 cannot swim and starts to drown, and notices a mermaid like creature in the water at the time. Bell saves him and the issue of his lack of ability to swim is brought up with the others.
Back at the inn K1 collapses due to a song he hears.
Something causes him to run about frantically to find Bll to tell her how much he loves her.
That night a song forces him to sleep walk to the beach to meet a mermaid like creature called a Lorelei. But the goddesses follow.
The female Lorelei tries to kidnap K1. Belldandy starts brewing up another one of her jellousy storms, this appears to be more powerful then in past situations. Other Lorelei turn up and explain something about a love festival.
A song is sung, K1 is treated and everything is normal again. Male lorelei turn up and the females make for a quick exit. Why would they retreat if they are celebrating a love festival? Maybe im thinking too much into this.
Beach Vacation arc part 2- Motor contest:
Chihiro asks K1 what sort of motor he would like to build. She asks her local friends for help, and soon enough they are building two different vehicles, to be swapped for their test drive. Urd and Skuld interfeer. K1's is built for fun, whilst Chihiro's is built for speed. Bell learns that the other two goddess have sabotarged the bikes, so goes off on Chihiro's bought bike to rescue them, which she customises along the way using her power. She really hadnt have bothered because things are fine. Chihiro rides her custom bike home, and fails to notice it changing back along the way. FFS.
Back home, Otaki and Tamiya have made a mess of whirlwind. Stuff happens regarding a bike.
Sentaro makes Skuld control her powers a little better.
Volume 35:
Sentaro was worried about moving, but it turns out to be nearby.
The next story is about a old style camera that holds memories.
Megumi gets dumped.
Volume 36:
Everyone looses there memories due to something to do with skuld and urd. Things are sorted out when K1 recites his wish to Bell.
Volume 37:
Chrono arc:
Goddess Chrono arrives in town. Apparently the songs of the world are being deleted. They have adventures around town to find and repear the program, or something.
Volume 38:
Oh yeah, she also has a thing against cats.
The Hell arc:
The longest arc ever. this should mark the end of the tired series.
Hild gets overthrown, and its up to the gang to go into hell and sort it all out, defeating demons one at a time.
Volumes 39,40,41,42,43:
Still in the hell arc. nuff said.
---
Go here http://lanssidequest.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/thoughts-oh-my-goddess.html
Volume 29:
The Polka-Dotted Cat and the Broom Race arc (continued):
Belldandy and chibi Hild are still racing. Bell damages her broom and starts to slow down. Watching on TV at home, Velsper comes up with an idea to help out. As Hild and Belldandy passes overhead, K1 thwacks the poor hairy cat with a baceball bat into the sky, which is timed perfectly so she can join Belldandy. the cat uses itself to stabilize the part of the brush that is damaged, so the broom can get back to full power.
Eventually Hild looses because Gluhende Herz is apparently a short range racer.
As the loser, Hild has to tell them what to do to sort out Velspers problem. She needs to name her recently acquired angel. Thats it.
Urd and Skuld spend the next chapter pestering Velsper about what name she has chosen for her angel. After chacing the cat around town, belldandy reminds urd that the naming process requires 2 goddess witnesses and must be done by the time the sun sets after the name is chosen. The cerimony begins and the name velsper chooses is 'Wasp of the Blue Lance'.
Urd: First Class Goddess Candidate arc:
Peorth informs Urd that she has been chosen to become a first class goddess. apparently its one of the resons Peorth is on earth in the first place.
Urd was originally turned down when they were kids. After passing a test from belldandy a spell is cast upon urd which sees her first class powers unlocked, which is immense. Urd is tested a few time.
Volume 30:
One of the tests is to make K1 truly happy by the time its sun set.
The scene then changes to the past and to the time that Urd was originally rejected. I personally thought she was rejected because of racism, but it turns out that it was because of another reason. Either way young urd told young belldandy
that it was because she 'lied'.
Belldandy and K1 are walking around town. Urd causes it to rain in the hopes of the couple foring to find shealter in a love hotel.
Sex isnt on the mind however for belldandy and she asks K1 if its alright for her to use her powers to make the rain stop. K1 then buys an umbrella and they walk out into the rain. Its the act of being forced to shair an umbrella that makes K1 truly happy, which then makes Urd pass this test. In the end though urd chooses to stay a second class goddess, not because of being able to lie, but because she doesnt want the power to protect the universe, but the power to protect her family. i also suspect that having too much power may be a bad thing for if the devil in her turns it to the gods disadvantage.
The "I love You" arc:
Peorth and later on Chihiro try to teach K1 to say the three magic words to Belldandy. Peorth tells K1 that he has a "limiter on his heart" which is holding him back. So she tries to help by forcing him to ignore it. K1 practices saying it to Peorth and Belldandy walks in the room.
Volume 31:
Its painfully obvious that they were just practicing, and nothing comes from it.
Peorth is teasing him. he ends up next to bell and is about to confess his true feelings to her when Urd forces him to swallow a pill. K1 goes to say how much he loves her, but the word forces her to collapse in emotion. this is urds pill at work.
skuld interfeers and he says the l word to her too, which makes hr collapse too. in the end, the other goddesses get caught in the trap too.
The Gate arc:
Peorths time on earth is over, but she cant get back. The gate functionality is wrong. it turns out that he gate is a living being, in the shape of a girl. It/she explains that she is on strike because she wants experiance living a life like everyone else do. all she ever gets is a copy of peoples memories when they pass through her, but he says she wants to create her own memories.
they let her have fun, and she even kisses peorth which is funny. but she next wants to kiss the others. she kisses urd and skuld, and wants to kiss bell and k1.
things are sorted out when K1 says love to her. yup, his spell is still in effect. in the end she turns back into a proper looking gate, but will only allow Peorth passage under a certain speed because shes just rebooted, or something.
Volume 32:
Miss Gate is transfered to another plane so she woulnt be board.
Beach Vacation arc part 1- The Lorelei:
Chihiro decides its time for a beach vacation, leaving Otaki and Tamiya to run the shop.
K1 and Bell are on the beach. K1 cannot swim and starts to drown, and notices a mermaid like creature in the water at the time. Bell saves him and the issue of his lack of ability to swim is brought up with the others.
Back at the inn K1 collapses due to a song he hears.
Something causes him to run about frantically to find Bll to tell her how much he loves her.
That night a song forces him to sleep walk to the beach to meet a mermaid like creature called a Lorelei. But the goddesses follow.
The female Lorelei tries to kidnap K1. Belldandy starts brewing up another one of her jellousy storms, this appears to be more powerful then in past situations. Other Lorelei turn up and explain something about a love festival.
A song is sung, K1 is treated and everything is normal again. Male lorelei turn up and the females make for a quick exit. Why would they retreat if they are celebrating a love festival? Maybe im thinking too much into this.
Volume 33:
Beach Vacation arc part 2- Motor contest:
Chihiro asks K1 what sort of motor he would like to build. She asks her local friends for help, and soon enough they are building two different vehicles, to be swapped for their test drive. Urd and Skuld interfeer. K1's is built for fun, whilst Chihiro's is built for speed. Bell learns that the other two goddess have sabotarged the bikes, so goes off on Chihiro's bought bike to rescue them, which she customises along the way using her power. She really hadnt have bothered because things are fine. Chihiro rides her custom bike home, and fails to notice it changing back along the way. FFS.
Volume 34:
Back home, Otaki and Tamiya have made a mess of whirlwind. Stuff happens regarding a bike.
Sentaro makes Skuld control her powers a little better.
Volume 35:
Sentaro was worried about moving, but it turns out to be nearby.
The next story is about a old style camera that holds memories.
Megumi gets dumped.
Volume 36:
Everyone looses there memories due to something to do with skuld and urd. Things are sorted out when K1 recites his wish to Bell.
Volume 37:
Chrono arc:
Goddess Chrono arrives in town. Apparently the songs of the world are being deleted. They have adventures around town to find and repear the program, or something.
Volume 38:
Oh yeah, she also has a thing against cats.
The Hell arc:
The longest arc ever. this should mark the end of the tired series.
Hild gets overthrown, and its up to the gang to go into hell and sort it all out, defeating demons one at a time.
Volumes 39,40,41,42,43:
Still in the hell arc. nuff said.
---
Go here http://lanssidequest.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/thoughts-oh-my-goddess.html
Thursday, 18 October 2012
AMV Minis S2 Episode 11
OH MY GOD ITS OUT! The latest AMV Hell Mini is here! :D
Totally worth the wait!
Totally worth the wait!
Tuesday, 16 October 2012
Thoughts: Cross Channel
I would have liked to have done a review for the game Cross Channel, but to be honest in a nutshell its a mind fuck.
I didnt watch Lost, but i would compare it to that because you enjoy the ride, but hate the outcome. true the main character had a bad ending, but this isnt what im talking about here. The game has contradictions, and then some. In fact I wouldnt be wrong in saying it has so many I dont know where to start, and that I think even itself didnt care in the end. No wonder this isnt an anime. I mean it could be, but the writers would need to sort out all these problems before even starting such a project. Its a mind fuck. that is all. Other then that its great. Totally worth it.
I didnt watch Lost, but i would compare it to that because you enjoy the ride, but hate the outcome. true the main character had a bad ending, but this isnt what im talking about here. The game has contradictions, and then some. In fact I wouldnt be wrong in saying it has so many I dont know where to start, and that I think even itself didnt care in the end. No wonder this isnt an anime. I mean it could be, but the writers would need to sort out all these problems before even starting such a project. Its a mind fuck. that is all. Other then that its great. Totally worth it.
Monday, 15 October 2012
The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya- novel 6- Love at First Sight
*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*
This is it!! This is moment I've been waiting/reading for! THE REST OF THE HARUHI SERIES! XD
I'm seriously excited. I love this series and quite frankly could not wait for a possible continuation of the anime, so this is why I'm reading the novels.
---
Love at First Sight- the third short story of "The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 6)
Set near enough on the 26th December 2003, Kyon is clipping Shamisen's claws on his bed, when his sister walks into the room holding the house phone, saying "Kyon-kun, denwa". *shudders* XD
The guy on the other end of the phone is Kyons old middle school friend named Nakagawa. This guy spills his love over the phone, making Kyon think this guy is confessing to him. It actually turns out that he is love with a girl that he saw with Kyon, over 6 months ago. She was apparently in a North High uniform, which tells Kyon that he is in love with Yuki Nagato.
This guy Nakagawa was so overcome by her beauty that it took him 6 months to realise that Kyon was standing next to her in his memories. Wow. Nakagawa goes as far as to ask Kyon to send Yuki a message, and this consists of having a 10 year plan in which he will get into a good enough job before he wants to meet her and marry her. He's asking Kyon for her to wait for him for ten years. :/
Exasperated, Kyon writes all this down word for word.
Classes at North High ended for the winter holidays on the 24th. But despite this, Haruhi's SOS Brigade is still in full swing.
The next day is planned as the spring cleaning day for the club room (Its traditional in Japan to have the annual spring cleaning in time for the new year). Kyon arrives one hour early, in the hope of finding Nagato alone in the club room. Sure enough she's there, and he tentatively dictates Nakagawa's speech to her. Yuki doesn't need a lot of time to decline Nakagawa's request, saying that her self-control mechanism will be unable to remain stable after ten years. Kyon considers his situation and realizes that he is jealous of Nakagawa because he can't stand anyone getting in between him or Yuki; the image of Yuki pulling his sleeve in The Disappearance has left an effect on him. Kyon then goes on to think that he would get jealous if Mikuru had a boyfriend, but would be happy if Haruhi had one because this would take the strain off things.
Kyon scrunches the note into a ball and throws it out the window. The wind catches it, making it land under the Bridge walkway that connects the two buildings. Haruhi just so happens to be walking here at the time on her way up. She sees Kyon throw it and goes to pick it up, and starts reading. With a smirk on her face, she runs up into the club room in 10 seconds flat and pins Kyon against the window, demanding to know whats the big idea.
Koizumi and Asahina walk in and mistake the scene for a lovers quarrel, and promptly walk out again. It takes ten minutes to calm Haruhi down and explain the situation.
After Haruhi reads the note out loud in exaggerated mannerisms, Nagato, who has been quite up until now asks to read the note herself. She studies it then asks if she could meet this guy. This is unexpected.
Club room cleaning gets underway. Kyon and Haruhi take Mikuru's costumes to a dry cleaners, and the guys there look at them with upturned eye brows lol. Kinky indeed.
The rest of the club time is spent sorting the club room out.
Later at home, Kyon gets another phone call from Nakagawa, asking Kyon if he would bring Nagato to his American football game that he's participating in the next day. Kyon does, but naturally also invites the rest of the bridage.
At the ball game (An hour by bus somewhere in the city), Yuki sees this guy playing and under her coat hood, she recites an "incantation" quickly under her breath without anyone else noticing. This causes Nakagawa to suffer an accident during the game and be wheeled out in a stretcher. They decide to follow him to the hospital, but Koizumi wants this time to plan the mountain retreat with Haruhi and Mikuru at their usual cafe.
At the hospital, Nakagawa speaks to Yuki but claims that he can no longer see anything special in her. Later, Yuki reveals that he did not see love in her; instead, he saw the Integrated Data Sentient Entity and interacted with it, while the existence of the Entity overwhelmed him. Yuki's incantation had removed his ability to interact with the Entity.
Kyon thinks about his relationship with Yuki, and asks her if it was a pity that the first person who confessed to her turned out to be a fake. Yuki replies that it was, "...a little bit".
---
8-10. This really felt in tune with how the characters are feeling prior to this. Haruhi even confessed just how special Kyon is to her in this chapter after their rant. And Yuki is opening up even more than before, which is to be expected after the disappearance. During the window cleaning, even Koizumi spoke to Kyon about how fed up he's feeling with having to mask his personality in front of eveyone.
Up next: Snowy Mountain Syndrome.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
This is it!! This is moment I've been waiting/reading for! THE REST OF THE HARUHI SERIES! XD
I'm seriously excited. I love this series and quite frankly could not wait for a possible continuation of the anime, so this is why I'm reading the novels.
---
Love at First Sight- the third short story of "The Wavering of Haruhi Suzumiya" (novel 6)
Set near enough on the 26th December 2003, Kyon is clipping Shamisen's claws on his bed, when his sister walks into the room holding the house phone, saying "Kyon-kun, denwa". *shudders* XDThe guy on the other end of the phone is Kyons old middle school friend named Nakagawa. This guy spills his love over the phone, making Kyon think this guy is confessing to him. It actually turns out that he is love with a girl that he saw with Kyon, over 6 months ago. She was apparently in a North High uniform, which tells Kyon that he is in love with Yuki Nagato.
This guy Nakagawa was so overcome by her beauty that it took him 6 months to realise that Kyon was standing next to her in his memories. Wow. Nakagawa goes as far as to ask Kyon to send Yuki a message, and this consists of having a 10 year plan in which he will get into a good enough job before he wants to meet her and marry her. He's asking Kyon for her to wait for him for ten years. :/
Exasperated, Kyon writes all this down word for word.
Classes at North High ended for the winter holidays on the 24th. But despite this, Haruhi's SOS Brigade is still in full swing.
Kyon scrunches the note into a ball and throws it out the window. The wind catches it, making it land under the Bridge walkway that connects the two buildings. Haruhi just so happens to be walking here at the time on her way up. She sees Kyon throw it and goes to pick it up, and starts reading. With a smirk on her face, she runs up into the club room in 10 seconds flat and pins Kyon against the window, demanding to know whats the big idea.Koizumi and Asahina walk in and mistake the scene for a lovers quarrel, and promptly walk out again. It takes ten minutes to calm Haruhi down and explain the situation.
After Haruhi reads the note out loud in exaggerated mannerisms, Nagato, who has been quite up until now asks to read the note herself. She studies it then asks if she could meet this guy. This is unexpected.
The rest of the club time is spent sorting the club room out.
Later at home, Kyon gets another phone call from Nakagawa, asking Kyon if he would bring Nagato to his American football game that he's participating in the next day. Kyon does, but naturally also invites the rest of the bridage.
At the ball game (An hour by bus somewhere in the city), Yuki sees this guy playing and under her coat hood, she recites an "incantation" quickly under her breath without anyone else noticing. This causes Nakagawa to suffer an accident during the game and be wheeled out in a stretcher. They decide to follow him to the hospital, but Koizumi wants this time to plan the mountain retreat with Haruhi and Mikuru at their usual cafe.
At the hospital, Nakagawa speaks to Yuki but claims that he can no longer see anything special in her. Later, Yuki reveals that he did not see love in her; instead, he saw the Integrated Data Sentient Entity and interacted with it, while the existence of the Entity overwhelmed him. Yuki's incantation had removed his ability to interact with the Entity.Kyon thinks about his relationship with Yuki, and asks her if it was a pity that the first person who confessed to her turned out to be a fake. Yuki replies that it was, "...a little bit".
---
8-10. This really felt in tune with how the characters are feeling prior to this. Haruhi even confessed just how special Kyon is to her in this chapter after their rant. And Yuki is opening up even more than before, which is to be expected after the disappearance. During the window cleaning, even Koizumi spoke to Kyon about how fed up he's feeling with having to mask his personality in front of eveyone.
Up next: Snowy Mountain Syndrome.
Click here for easy navigation around my Haruhi articles
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