Suzumiya Haruhi Season 2 Episode 4 : Endless Eight III

ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT
ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT
ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT
ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT
ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT ENDLESS EIGHT

(Revised schedule here.)

And we waste another fifteen minutes on the last two weeks of August and again finding out that they’re in a time loop. Again. Plus fifteen, and they still can’t solve it. Again.

Okay, four episodes – that’s taking it too far. Endless Eight as a story just doesn’t have enough actual material to warrant that long a stretch. Yes, it drives in the point of the story, and I suppose 16000 is a nice number to finish off at, but the obvious point remains:

This is getting very tiresome, boring, pointless, drab, dull, flat, monotonous, repetitious, routine, spiritless, stale, tedious, trite, unexciting, uninteresting, wearisome, drudging, ho hum, and unvaried. [1]

Last hope is that, Episode 4 really is the damned last one, and the show can bloody well move on from animating essentially the same story four times.

PS: 2chan has pointed out the irony of having an Ending Theme called “止マレ!” Also, apparently every episode had different staff for scenario, storyboard, and screenplay. KyoAni sure is having fun…

PPS: And a Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei CM aired right after, too.

Suzumiya Haruhi Season 2 Episode 3 : Endless Eight II

(Revised-yet-again schedule here.)

Well, everyone was right that Endless Eight wasn’t over and has a part 2. But I’m guessing not many people thought it would fill three episodes.

Yep – the episode ends with Kyon trying to figure out how to solve the time loop (with Chekhov’s Homework just sitting there, too).

For the detractors who assume that KyoAni would just recycle animation for all three parts, Episode 3 actually used previous scenes drawn from different angles or with changed details – it is the same story essentially, but they definitely didn’t take the easy way.

Anyway, the story continues off Endless Eight I – they run through pretty much the same events again, with Kyon starting to deja his vu. The club sans Haruhi meet and the truth is revealed; they’ve been looping the last two weeks of August (15498 cycles and counting) because Haruhi isn’t completely satisfied by her summer.

With Season 2 having a pretty big focus on Nagato in general, she of course is one point of concern for Kyon, considering that she – being unaffected by time – has literally been through the two weeks 15000+ times.

KyoAni did a fair job contrasting the two episodes. The first was entirely slice-of-life, and the second showed that facade cracking to reveal the serious side of the plot. Overall, Season 2 is shaping up to be exactly what it should be: a continuation of all the comedy, drama, and general wackiness of Season 1. It’s not out to break new grounds, but the plodding of old grounds is doing quite well.

Suzumiya Haruhi Season 2 Episode 2 : Endless Eight

New OP : Super Driver

*tap tap*
*stomp stomp*

The second new episode continues the finest Haruhi tradition, mixing a slice-of-life comedy with heavy sci-fi elements, except that’s a lie, as this episode has none of the time issues that make the “Endless” part of the title. My only guess is that it’s a two-parter.

EDIT: The current theory is that the next broadcast of Endless Eight, or the next episode, will basically be an ‘Alternate’ SideB-esque episode where the time-loop will be dealt with.

In any case, it’s Haruhi as you would expect; pretty art, Deadpan Snarking courtesy of Kyon, and the soundtrack is definitely worth a mention.

Perfect size is perfect.

The story is exactly the same – Haruhi assembles a list of “things to do in the two weeks before summer vacation is over” and they get on it: the pool, Obon, fireworks, insect catching, working part-time, stargazing, the batting centre, fishing, test of courage, a movie, the beach, bowling, karaoke, and on it goes… and I have just described the entirety of the episode.

There were several focus shots on Nagato, which is a pretty obvious nudge towards “Endless Eight II” sometime in the future. Hopefully. Like, next week.

69 *dumb snicker*

In any case, this would make the previous airing schedule bogus, or at least misplacing an episode or two.

What I’m heading off to right now.

Suzumiya Haruhi S2 Episode 01 : 「私はここにいる」

It’s been longer than I care to remember since I read the novels (or watched the first season)… so I’ll do what I usually do and judge this by its own merit.

Overall, it’s probably not the “Season 2″ that usually comes to mind, but more a ‘continuation’ of the first season. Not that there aren’t any differences – both the art style and the voice actors’ performances feel slightly different. It’s too early to tell if it’s an improvement, but for my part, I barely noticed it.

As for the actual aesthetics, it’s the usual high standard that Kyoto Animation sets. The soundtrack seems to have been completely ported over from Season 1, which is unfortunate – whatever works, I guess. The new ending theme, “Tomare!” is nothing special, though the animation sequence is solid. Assuming the rerun continues with no changes, the new opening will rear its head somewhere around June, along with ‘Endless Eight’.

My opinion of Haruhi didn’t really change with this – it’s interesting and worth the time, but has nothing going for it past that initial interest. Hopefully, the thickening of the plot will liven things up.

Suzumiya Haruhi Season 2 Broadcast Schedule + New ED

Meep. [2chan]

August 14th: As KyoAni’s episode scheduling is now reaching enigma levels… screw it.

05/21 – 08: Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody
05/28 – 09: Mysterique Sign
06/04 – 10: Remote Island Syndrome (1st)
06/11 – 11: Remote Island Syndrome (2nd)
06/18 – 12: Endless Eight I
06/25 – 13: Endless Eight II
07/02 – 14: Endless Eight Endless Eight Endless Eight Endless Eight Endless Eight Endless Eight… III
07/09 – 15: Endless Eight
07/16 – 16: Endless Eight
07/23 – 17: Endless Eight
07/30 – 18: Endless Eight
08/07 – 19: Endless Eight
08/14 – 20: The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya I
08/21 – 21: G
08/28 – 22: O
09/03 – 23: D
09/10 – 24: K
09/17 – 25: N
09/24 – 26: O
10/01 – 27: W
10/08 – 28: S

Upd: New ED – 「止マレ！」

(This makes the whole “Life pending” entry before a little pointless in hindsight, eh?)Day of Sagittarius

A Dervish Mind

As everyone and their mother should know, Suzumiya Haruhi season 2 has been as good as confirmed. Now the Legion can die happy, knowing that it is coming.