Well, I’ve done it. Never thought I’d manage it in such a short time but I’ve watched the entire series in chronological order! It actually gave me quite a different take on the series - some of my opinions on the show have changed while some haven’t. I’ll skip on the screenshots because I’m sure you’ve seen enough of those already…
All good things must come to an end. So must bad things…and things in between. Okay, everything ends sooner or later. What worried me was that anime endings vary between the “hmm…” and the “wha…?” and given its patchy track record in entertaining me personally, Haruhi Suzumiya gave me quite serious cause for concern. Thankfully it was really quite good.
The series is almost at an end and perhaps because of the awesomeness of ep #12 this instalment, on the face of it at least, is a bit of a non-event. It’s one of those exposition, ‘infodump’ type of episode that delivers little action and comedy but the explanations it offers pretty much make up for all that.
The long-awaited explanation as to why Haruhi is the way she is finally is revealed to us, which finally gives the viewer a reason to try to understand her. It stems back to a cruel realisation in her childhood, presumably giving rise to the show’s title in the process. A typical enough realisation for a normal kid, but with the mindset and powers of Haruhi it’s quite a significant event.
Blimey! I’ve said it before but it really needs repeating: when Haruhi Suzumiya is good, it’s very, very good. When it’s not, it’s just plain mediocre. As the series nears the end of its run I’ve begun to find it interesting and engaging again, and it’s episodes like this one that make me glad I ignored the hype and backlash because this instalment, well, rocks.
Ah, the fog of war. Not unlike the fog created by the clash of fandom and the backlash of criticism that results. Write a review on a show like this and you end up sounding like you fall into one of the two camps. I’m trying to stay objective. Please, believe me!
I’ve heard rumours that the reason why episode 9 was dull was that the studio were saving money for episode 10.
I feel inclined to believe them.
Where very little happened last time this episode makes up for it, and then some! It all begins with a day at school in which Haruhi is complaining about how nothing much is going on in the strange happenings department; after the series’ progress lately I can’t help but agree, except for the fact that this is the fourth ep chronologically. Anyway, true to form, weird stuff happens. A lot. Unfortunately, it’s poor old Kyon who’s at the reveiving end - I won’t give details because it will only spoil the fun for you, but quite honestly there is more fun to be had here than there has been in ages.
In this episode not much happens. No, really. This episode is outstanding in its uneventfulness. Entitled Someday in the Rain, it makes a point of being uneventful. Maybe that’s the joke, but I wasn’t really laughing: quite honestly there was no humour I hadn’t seen in the show before and for the most part it was pretty weak.
Opinion seems to be divided on this show at the moment. Most viewers either love it or hate it but me being the awkward old bugger that I am, I sit on the fence. As disappointing as the series has been of late, this was a good episode as it resolved and unfinished story arc so I’m happy with the way it’s going for the time being.
After the cliffhanger that was the end of episode #6 I was looking forward to the continuation of the ‘closed circle’ story arc. Upon starting episode #7 however, I realised that the story jumps straight back into the high school setting with what appears to be a completely unrelated theme. Honestly, I had to check the episode title and compare it with the listings on ANN to make sure I was watching the right one. I know the show is out of the ordinary and zany but there doesn’t seem to be any justifiable reason for it.
The title of this episode, Lone Island Syndrome (part 1), is enough to tell us that this is part of a longer story arc than the ‘weirdness of the week’ structure that the series has shown so far. It begins on a ferry on a summer’s day as Kyon and Itsuki discuss the theory of the ‘closed circle’: a murder-mystery plot device in which the characters involved are in a situation that cuts them off from the outside world, invariably resulting in strange occurances taking place. Not surprisingly Haruhi has wasted no time in calling up a meeting to announce an SOS Brigade trip in search of a Closed Circle situation. Hence a short holiday on a remote island that belongs to a relative of Itsuki’s.
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