Defending Haruhi, wrapping up Higurashi: Dice Killing Chapter, and final thoughts on Hatsukoi Limited
Tagged: otaku . impressions . final look . Haruhi Suzumiya . Higurashi . Hatsukoi Limited
Source: unknown
Haruhi Suzumiya 2009 has come under a lot of fire recently, so I decide to stake my position on the side opposite everyone else. I can't deny it; I'm liking the intricacies and ingenuity of it all. Plus, my final thoughts for HiguRei (main storyline) and Hatsukoi Limited arrive a little late but blame that on my new love for the Nintendo DS... fine, blame it on laziness and apathy as per usual. It's a combo post, but I promise each section has a tiny bit of merit to make up for their length.
Endless Eight, it's all in the title
I've been going back and forth on this one. Even as of a day ago, I wasn't too sure where I stood. But after EE 4, I get it now. Of course, it's a bit early to be talking. There's obviously more to come. And I may come to eat my words in a few weeks. But that's the risk (and fun) of running your mouth with sharp opinions. So here goes:
I fully approve of what KyoAni is doing with Endless Eight.
Not only do they have my approval, but they also have my respect! Where do I start? I've mentioned before on how it's a brilliant (yes, crazy like a fox) marketing move, how I personally don't mind rewatching good content, and how I appreciate ballsy moves like this one.
But before EE 4, that all was just a slight counterbalance to what I found to be an awkward direction. But now I get it. It is a very artistic and unusual direction. We are a part of that recursion. We are affected by it like the very characters we are watching. And more and more, I am being drawn into their plight. I love it!
KyoAni has handled this in a very precise way. I hadn't really seen that until EE 4. Sure, one could applaud their reanimating and reframing of every single scene. But in view of a larger portion of the complete work, I can see more to the puzzle. The episode changes slightly over each iteration.
At first, it was happy slice of life nonsense. Then, we're hit by mild deja vu, leading up to the big reveal. The third iteration appears to be exactly the same as the second one, but the deja vu increases and the tone darkens, if ever so slightly. This is a what I missed before. EE 4 now provides a starker contrast to ep#2, and I love the darker, seedier direction.
That direction nailed the mood and feel of EE 4 perfectly. The episode was easily my favorite yet of the Endless Eight arc. But we had to go through those past iterations in order to get here emotionally. For me, that's worth it. The inner-artist in me is blown away by this move.
And so, I now come down firmly in support of Endless Eight's adaptation.
HiguRei, the best ad Umineko could ask for
Loved it.
The tension never let go. The dialogue kept me on edge throughout. And not one bit of action was needed. Not one bit of bloody desecration or outright hysteria was needed. It was plainly well written and conversed. Once again, the artist within loves this unique approach, this less taken and harder to trek path.
And again, we have an example of great marketing. I don't think I would have been half as psyched about Umineko's premiere if Rei wasn't so fresh on my mind. Sure, episode 2 of Ryukishi07's newest work would have done the trick for me regardless... but Rei started my own personal hype train all by itself.
Hatsukoi Limited, where running away has never been so manly
m.3.3.w was a little slow in subbing the final episode; it couldn't have worked out any better. I truly have to thank them for the unintentional results. To me, the male characters' get-away lasted much longer. Thus, the end of it had more substance and weight than it would have had under normal viewing conditions.
Does the series finale then deserve such praise, seeing as it didn't earn it via normal watching? Well, it was quite a good finale anyways. For a series that's still a work in progress, it had a nice cut off point. If the show never picks up again, it won't be the end of the world; though I do want more!
My favorite episode is still the one highlighting Chikura's relationship with the talented painter, Renjou. In one single episode, that couple stole away the crown from my previous favorite pairing of Kei and Kusuda... if only for an episode. In the end, KxK ride off with the prize, a true couple and thus a rare sight in the anime world. And Hatsukoi rocks a bit more thanks to that.
And if it's done like this, then Shinji you must run away.
July 11th, 2009 at 2:53 AM ET
Comments
1) Omisyth
There's a fine line between brilliance and stupidity, and I think that spending three episodes recycling content is crossing that line.
2) FlameStrike
Heh well I don't approve of it, but I don't hate it either. People getting too emotional about it are being stupid imo.
3) ghostlightning
While Haruhi S204 was very difficult for me to watch, I am very sympathetic to your views on it. It's a risky conceit, but after thinking about it I deem it a virtuous one.
Re HatsuLtd, the ending for me is the not the opposite of manly, but it isn't it either. It was an unbearable watch for me and I wish I had stopped watching at episode 10, easily the high point of an otherwise light and entertaining fanservicey (and how delicious!) show.
4) Seantaku
Thank you!!!
I LOVE the Endless Eight arc. It's so different and so brilliant. I feel like I am Kyon except for the fact that now I know whats going on and he doesn't. I have avoided reading reviews of the show (besides ur blog) because I'm sure there is a lot of hate out there.
This arc REEKS of Haruhi (but in a good way). This whole series screws with your mind! The first season was aired out of order for crying out loud. Because that's what Haruhi is!
It's different and it doesn't care what people think. Brilliant! And kudos to KyoAni for taking on such an amazing task..
5) Baka-Raptor
In an ironic twist, I actually find myself defending Haruhi as well. So far, the only episode I'd call unnecessary was EE 3. From what I've seen so far, the arc needs a minimum of four episodes:
- a slice of life episode (EE 1)
- a revelation of the recursion episode (EE 2)
- a hint episode (EE 4?)
- a solution episode (EE X)
I can't think of any way to squeeze that into fewer episodes. And depending on the source material, it may need more episodes. As long as there's some sense of progress, however small, between episodes, I have no problem with it.
6) RP
I think the biggest part about E8 that bugs me is that it's gotten to the point where it's gimmicky. I think Nagato being bored is a minor subplot, so I don't think the goal of us empathizing with her is strong enough to justify the repetition. Also, when you build a story up like this, the payoff has to be worth it. You're prepping people for an epic payoff. But when they get around to animating it (and I think they can fit the resolution within the last 3 minutes of an episode), I think everyone's going to be like "WTF? I waited 5-X episodes for that?"
Re: HiguRei/Umineko, did you notice Maria was watching what looked like the first episode of HiguRei? I liked the Dice Killing arc, although it left me a bit wanting. But when Hanyuu revealed her motives at the end, it dawned on me that the arc could've been more powerful if they focused on Hanyuu. That is my one major critique.
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ Omisyth
But then you must ask yourself, what is so stupid about this move? Will it turn fans away from Haruhi? Really? I doubt that. Even if people stop tuning in for a few weeks -- and I doubt even that -- then they will come back when Endless Eight is over.
If anything, the amount of buzz this move is generating creates enough free advertising that pushes this direction clearly into "crazy like a fox" (brilliant) territory.
@ FlameStrike
Question: Is it stupid to get emotional about anime, or just this one specific move? I'm just wondering if you're the laid back viewer in general, or if just in this case you don't feel the need to get all up in arms?
@ ghostlightning
I mean, the move is certainly not the end of the world. Once this comes to pass, Haruhi will continue on as usual (or as usual as Haruhi is capable of). Viewing it that way, the eventual finality and passing of the arc make me more able to experience the bold move in a more positive light.
Hatsukoi ended on boys going on a journey to become men! lol, maybe not exactly. But I have no clue what you mean by "unbearable watch."
@ Seantaku
Yes, what you said. I think it's wonderful that a studio out there took such a crazy yet nuanced approach. There aren't a whole lot of other bloggers out in favor of this move, but there are a few who see and understand both sides of the coin. Speaking of...
@ Baka-Raptor
I don't think EE 4 was necessarily the "hint episode," as the "problem" has been there since episode 1. On enough rewatches, I'm sure most will figure out what must be done.
But EE 4 is done in a much darker tone, and the issue of time repeating comes across as less playful and more a full blown problem. So you could say that the arc could use this episode regardless.
What KyoAni is then doing is filling in the gaps between those key episodes to create a more subtle, nuanced, and -- the problem to many -- prolonged gradient between the fun summer, the dark problem, and the final solution. I'm guessing patience is a virtue most anime viewers don't have. Also judging from what is popular and what isn't, subtlety might not go too far with the larger demographic.
@ RP
Nagato being bored is simply one aspect of the arc, including Mikuru flipping out, and so on. Repeating the Endless Eight content has probably less to do with us having to empathize with her and more to do with us being apart of this issue of time repeating.
As for the resolution, I don't know for 100% what it is, but I'm 99% sure what I think is the issue needing to be solved is the actual holdup. I like it. I think it's quite clever. But since I could be wrong on what is needed to be done, I'll have to bite my tongue on that one for now.
On Umineko, I caught that someone was watching Higurashi, I just never went back to see what episode it was. I totally forgot to do so by the end of the episode. And what a nice end it was. Umineko is popping now.
And even though Dice Killing Chapter was led by Rika, Hanyuu was still a major focus. I'll be sure to read your post on the finale and get back to you on this there.
7) RP
I could be wrong, but I think Maria was watching episode 1 from the OVAs. It looked like Keichi's "sea bear" was hanging loosely on the screen. ;-)
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ RP
Actually, I can't pin down the episode at all, now that I go back and look. It isn't Rei #1, even though the head of the swan suit appears. But I can't seem to pin it on any other episode either, and I've gone back and looked at a lot of them. The final screenshot we get is of a girl with short purple hair (?) wearing a school uniform with a tie (Hanyuu wears a bowtie) standing next to the teacher while Rika looks on with stars in her eyes.
Can anyone pin down this scene, as stupid crap like this drives me crazy? It may very well not be from any episode, instead being original animation for Umineko.
8) Glo the Legend
Okay, as far as the Endless Eight episodes, i have o idea what I think. After Ep 1, I thought "dumb". After 2, I thought "Awesome". After 3, I thought "dumb". And after 4, I'm beginning to think awesome again.
Honestly, I like how KyoAni is doing this. Who would think to make a bunch of similar/almost exactly the same episodes? No one. It's unique, it awesome. I like it. Of course, I will continue to say it sucks on my ISSS, because I'm just going to repeat the same review over and over, in order to kind of mimic what KyoAni is doing. Why? Because I'm too lazy to actually write a new review every time, when the episodes are so similar.
And of course, there has been some progression with the episodes, as an airplane was hinted at last episode (God knows if that means anything).
Bottomline: I like what KyoAni is doing.
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ Glo the Legend
For EE 1, I enjoyed the slice of life aspect. After 2, I was more than anything surprised they didn't resolve the arc. After 3, I was a little confused and worried at what KyoAni was doing. But now that I've seen 4, it clicks 100% and I love it.
9) thekungfukid (new blog!)
I thought the EE could have wrapped up in 4 episodes easily and still maintained that sense of drama and distress. I mean they had that impact when Yuki said how many times they had repeated the time loop. And we got everyone's reaction to the situation. Great. But to me it loses it effect when it gets shoved down our throat over and over. Since I'm not totally against it yet I'll wait for part 5 since 4 added some clues but if it goes past that I just can't support it anymore.
10) MacGuges
Yes! Someone else who gets it! In fact, I should thank you for expressing what I've been feeling, and I've been able to gain a more concrete understanding of what's going on. KyoAni has demonstrated before that they have a special understanding of the otaku perspective. What we know, intuitively if not explicitly, is that the temple of anime is built on vividly outrageous characters. When KyoAni adapts a set of novels like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya they do not want to simply transfer the events & dialogues from books to TV.
Can you imagine how Haruhi would react if she saw them doing that?
I've seen projected schedules for the second season by otaku who've read the novels already, and felt non-plussed. What does it mean to read a story as if it were a series of parcels at a warehousing distribution center that one needs to relocate from train cars to a fleet of trucks? Isn't that a little impersonal? What if those parcels contained your entire household? Would it be natural to feel a bit apprehensive about some callous strangers hauling around the contents of your life? Imagine if you were a head of state, or a royal monarch... This is brand management raised to Art.
Kyoto Animation knows that they've got Haruhi Suzumiya herself to bring to anime. They extend the SOS Brigade to include all her fans, just as they did with the first season. KyoAni has been simulating a relationship with this very dominant person since the very first episode, when she took over the direction herself. Even after relinquishing that role to them, she continued to insert herself by reordering the episodes. Now she's at it again.
You may blame KyoAni now, but we know who's truly at fault. But Haruhi is more practical - and compassionate - than she appears at first. I believe the animators recognized a value in expanding this particular story which originally was much shorter. This arc's not just about showing how revealing how obsessive Haruhi is. The resolution rests on an important character point which in the novel may pass so quickly some readers could overlook it. The hidden information here is so subtle that neither Haruhi nor her best friends were prepared to recognize it.
And so that's why this Endless Eight is so cool.
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ thekungfukid
Saying that this arc is being "shoved down our throat over and over" is a bit too theatrical now, isn't it...
In order to have subtle differences, the majority of content must be repeated. Then, there needs to be enough repetitions for those subtle differences to naturally evolve. To many out there, the necessity to repeat this content over several episodes is too much of a negative for the positive qualities of this direction to overcome.
For me (and a few others here!) the repetition is more than made up by the artistic method on display here. And truth be told, the repetition itself doesn't really bother me all that much. I mean, I rather enjoy this episode of Haruhi and don't mind watching it again.
@ MacGuges
Very well put! Both you and Seantaku above touch on a topic that I hadn't really put into my post. This sort of thing is what Haruhi Suzumiya herself and this very series are all about. The original work and it's star character are quirky. They're unique. And so should their adaptation be those things.
Excellent point! Damn good write up too. Thanks for sharing it here.
11) Daisekihan
"What KyoAni is then doing is filling in the gaps between those key episodes to create a more subtle, nuanced, and -- the problem to many -- prolonged gradient between the fun summer, the dark problem, and the final solution. I'm guessing patience is a virtue most anime viewers don't have. Also judging from what is popular and what isn't, subtlety might not go too far with the larger demographic."
This is the sort of statement that I find irritating. I understand the concept of trying to make you feel the characters helplessness, I get how the subtle changes in perspective and tone are supposed to invoke the feelings of deja vu. I just think that its a failed experiment---the effect you're describing could have easily been achieved in three episodes. I'm not angry at Kyoani (though I do think this was a ploy by Kadokawa to extend the series and make more money), but I'm not particularly fond of being told don't appreciate subtlety and I have no patience.
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ Daisekihan
Sorry, but I thought it would come across that I was not speaking about everyone taking issue with Haruhi in that quote. Understanding why KyoAni undertook this direction and disagreeing with its overall effect are perfectly fine with me. I think it worked, but it's perfectly fine if you think otherwise. I don't take issue with that.
What I do take issue with are all the people saying "KyoAni / Kadokawa are trolling us." That's just plain stupid and juvenile. And I see way more of that than people making honest critiques of the arc. This is not a "ploy" by some "evil" company to "troll" the fans. These anime producers are not 12-year-old forum dwellers like many of the people making these silly claims act like.
This was an artistic gamble. Simple enough. If you think it didn't work and you make an honest argument against it, I'm more than happy with that response. But to blather some nonsense on the company in charge hating the fans... I mean, come on.
12) MacGuges
For us to say that we admire the decision to make Endless Eight an arc of eight episodes doesn't oblige us not to criticise those individual episodes. The studio could still drop the ball. I don't think Michael meant that anyone who complains is unsubtle and impatient.
It amuses me to consider that many fans who complain about these Endless Eight episodes would also be Naruto fans. How many of them complain if that studio uses eight episodes to show a battle?
One of the great things about Japanese animation, I believe, is that its artists do sometimes show the confidence to buck the market. Otaku often demonstrate entitlement, that the artists serve their expectations, without also demonstrating compassion for the commercial constraints their obsession places on their favorite artists. Certainly the KyoAni artists chose their occupation because they enjoy it, just as certainly that their art depends on their commerce, but to live that compromise isn't easy. The anime industry today certainly wouldn't feel their life is an "endless summer", do they? And yet, in 2009 they are making this kind of season of Haruhi Suzumiya.
I suggested before that the studio was adopting the role of Haruhi to otaku as SOS-Dan, but today another parallel feels unavoidable.
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ MacGuges
Very good point on otaku entitlement versus artistic freedom versus commercial constraints. KyoAni is probably one of the few studios with enough clout, money, and fan support to try a bold move like this. It's funny how people knock them for only doing adaptations and sticking closely to them. Then when they try something a bit different, the studio comes under even more fire. Talk about mixed messages...
13) Seinime
I call this:
- a test for the fans
- a judgment of the pretend fans
- Kadokawa/KyoAni getting revenge for their crappy summer spent animating series non-stop.
Not hating or liking, but who doesn't need some controversy in the internet from time to time. So boring and nothing to debate about without it.
Re) Michael is LoHP
@ Seinime
lol at number 3.
I'm not one for internet controversy, but look at me go. Ugh. Oh well, I guess we all get wrapped up in it. The debate is certainly fun though.