Finally my last post in the Yuki-centric reblog of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I’ve done retro-blogging of anime series before but this is my first time blogging a series episode by episode not once but twice. X_X The previous post for this episode concentrated on Haruhi’s jealousy - actually upon reflection, this episode is about how Haruhi’s jealousy no longer endangers the fabric of reality. Although she’s still visibly annoyed by Mikuru’s sweetness towards Kyon and Kyon’s protectiveness towards Mikuru, she’s more or less learnt to take it in her stride and continue doing things her way. Anyhows, back to praising Yuki:
In The Day of Sagittarius, Haruhi declared that Yuki was the SOS Brigade’s indispensable silent character. It’s pretty ironic that Haruhi has no idea that she’s the Brigade’s Goddess of Victory for the baseball game in Boredom (homing mode), DoS (search mode) and Live Alive (Mark Knopfler mode); she was also the safety officer during the filming of The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina without whom there would be plenty of damage to life and property from Haruhi’s actualization of the Mikuru Beam. Kyon had thought of Yuki as part of the furniture of the Literature Club room and, in the above scene, Haruhi is ordering Kyon around but Yuki is the only member who is not mentioned by her at all. Nor is she conscripted into the making of the DVD cover or omake.
Another Haruhi diversion: My favourite line of this episode as it’s delivered with just the right balance of megalomania and lechery by Aya Hirano, truly a great among seiyuu. Dame deshou, Hamada-san. Haruhi’s pretty much right as well since Itsuki is the resident Yes Man and Yuki is the resident No Commento person.
Censorship by the book! And by Yuki’s head too. The whole thing is made even funnier given how Yuki shows more interest in deciding which book to read next than to what’s happening around her. Haruhi, of course, is having lots of fun now that she’s figured how to get around Kyon’s protection of Mikuru and is on a Mikuru Molestation Binge.
St Nagato-chi points the way. Blessed be Tsuruya for bestowing such a cute nickname on Yuki! I recall that there was some unhappiness that Yuki didn’t say a word during this episode and at the seeming pointlessness of having several minutes of her just reading with the radio blaring random homages in the background. While I did feel a bit bad that Minori Chihara had been bumped off a pay cheque (seiyuu being paid by the episode), I thought it was wonderful as this episode was very much a “slice of normal life in the SOS Brigade” and this kind of mundaneness and silence was just sooo Yuki. Fanart and doujin that show her smiling, laughing or being grumpy is cute but I think it does violence to the integrity of her characterization in the context of what we’ve seen so far: if other parts of the light novels become animated, we may see much nuances of her expression - particularly Vol. 4 The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya whom I’m sure all fellow adherents of St Nagato-chi will be clammering for.
Kyon wakes up covered by two cardigans. There is the possibility that the first was courtesy of Mikuru but the way the narrative developed, with Yuki suddenly standing up just before the scene transition, hints that it was her first proactive action of the whole episode. It would also make this episode the perfect bridge to Disappearance (blush, form, shirt tug!!).
Hoping to see another season of Haruhi and her merry friends!
SHnY Vol.04 Chap.02
—- —-
Nagato was pulling my sleeve with her fingers. The tug was very soft, just like how much force one uses to pick up a baby hamster that was just born.
~~~~ ~~~~
MOE!
I am 85% confident that Vol.04 will be the main structure of the next season of SHnY.
Cheers.
YEAH YUKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII OMG!
>>> radio blaring random homages in the background.
I have heard that the contents of the radio broadcast was very funny and was shocking enough to startle Yuki.
@ Skane
I think this passage might be better.
SHnY Vol.04 Chap.02
___________________________________
Nagato fixed her eyes on me, and…
…Gave a faint but certain *smile*.
I was literally dazzled.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For the book selection bit, I was under the impression that Yuki has finally learnt to be more sensitive about Mikuru’s routine cosplay rapes. The least she could do was to turn away from looking instead of her usual book-reading nonchalance which screams apathy.
Maybe I’m reading too much. :)
[Snark]
Mikuru is her love rival. She has no need to be sensitive to the buxom vixen who dazzled Kyon.
[/Snark]
To wontaek,
Yuki turned to face the radio when the host was discussing on the various ways to cook bears. It was quite simply, just too weird.
>>> Mikuru is her love rival. She has no need to be sensitive to the buxom vixen who dazzled Kyon.
The following passage makes me think, that deep down, the girl Kyon really digs is Haruhi.
Suzumiya Haruhi:Volume5 Endless Eight
—————————————————————————-
With the night breeze gushing about, I looked at Asahina-san and Haruhi, sleeping next to each other. Those two made for decent competition as they were right now. Maybe some people might find Haruhi more outstanding. Hmm… Definitely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As I recall Tsuruya-san has only ever addressed Kyon, Mikuru, and Nagato-chi by name for the audience to hear. I wonder if KyoAni is insinuating that as Kyon is marked as the Property of Haruhi-sama, that Tsuruya has a mild interest in Yuki given the more affectionate nick name. Then again I may be just picking up Mr. Zyl’s habits.
Here’s to the second season.
>>> various ways to cook bears.
One of these days, I hope to dine on real bear paw dish made by real professionals. That would mean that I need to make couple of million dollars, though.
@wontaek, Skane
Speaking of bear, there’s this scene in Azumanga when Yomi gives Sakaki a souvenir gift of canned bear stew because she heard that Sakaki liked bears. LOL
@Stripey
Hmmm… yes, you do tend to give characters the benefit of the doubt. Always hard to know what Yuki is thinking - which is one of her charm points.
@Crusader
Well, Tsuruya-san (like Mikuru) is a year senior to Kyon and Yuki. I just love how Tsuruya is completely unfazed by anyone in the SOS Dan and can come and go as she pleases. Wild card she is. As for yuri, Haruhi x Mikuru seems more likely than Tsuruya x Yuki. :)
There is something about the cover of that book that Yuki-chi was goingto take but replaced, screaming…lillies.
Then she thought, who needs a yuri book when you have LIVE going on?!
Might as well enjoy two things at once, Meh!
Yuki is really pushing the 1st position button of fave fem chara.
>>> Yuki is really pushing the 1st position button of fave fem chara.
Too bad she lost to Haruhi in Korean Moe Tournament in the quarterfinal. Don’t blame me, for I voted for Yuki in that match.
I forgot to add this. To add insult to the injury, Haruhi lost to Eri in the semifinals. in couple of hours, they should announce whether Shana or Suiseiseki will be Eri’s opponent in the final match. Yuki’s chance is much better in Japan’s SaiMoe Tournament, though, for percentage of Haruhi novel readers among Korean voters is lower compared to Japanese voters.
Reading “The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi” (my favourite volume, thus far) and getting introduced to a Yuki Version 2.0 (or should I say 0.5? depends on which version one prefers, I suppose) unleashed a horde of speculative questions that even now are still dancing around in my head like a troupe of diseased leprechauns. For example: how would Nagato-chi react to being touched? (And I don’t mean anything intrusive, o ye filthy of mind . . .) Her face was as expressionless as ever when Haruhi grabbed her by the shoulders and offered her as a prize to the Computer Society President in DoS, which appears to suggest that she really wouldn’t give a damn if someone attempted to manhandle her. Still, I find myself wondering how she’d respond if Kyon places a friendly hand on her shoulder (”What’re you reading? Mind if I glance over your shoulder for a bit?”) or if LOL Fang-tan bounces into the club room and gives Nagato-chi’s hair a playful tousle (”Ooh, your hair’s all nice and purple”). She just doesn’t seem like the sort of person-cum-humanoid-interface who’d slap someone’s hand away or give a lecture on personal space.
I’d better stop here, I’m beginning to ramble on aimlessly . . .
After reading some more of volume 4 of Suzumiya Haruhi, I think Kyon qualifies as time traveller and dimensional slider now, thus worthy to attend Haruhi.