Christmas time is here, weird girls from other schools and cheer. Joy for all and children call, their favorite time of year. It’s the long awaited [not that long!] Christmas party for the literature club of North high. With decorations and cake, and turkey. They eat, they’re happy, and then it’s off to Yuki Nagato’s flashback land. In which we discover that the literature club was in danger of being dissolved and she’d almost given up hope on it.
When out of the dark of the night comes Haurhi Suzumiya. Trying to capture Santa, Christmas eve the year before the party we are having right now.
Similar to when Haruhi met Kyon in the main timeline making a symbol to bring attention to the aliens. Well this time she enlists Yuki to help her draw a symbol to bring in Santa. So she has Yuki help her, in the process. Haruhi gives her solid advice on her situation as well, giving her the push she needs to become more confident and pass out flyers for the club.
She passes them out, get’s Asakura and Kyon to join and saves the club from being shut down. End flashback. I actually really like the parallel of how Yuki and Haruhi meet in this world, to how Haruhi meets Kyon [or John Smith, because time travel] in the stories main timeline. It is a nice throwback for the fans and maybe it has some significance to how each timeline flows.
I could start discussing the idea of world/time travel and the balance of the universe and string theory and such. I think i’ll save that for a review of something rooted a little more heavily in time travel then Haruhi though.
So, Kyon and Yuki begin talking outside after the flashback and we see her almost confess her feelings to him. Too bad that gets ruined, well, it’s far too early in the series to wrap up the romance plot. So, we finish the party and cut to when it’s time to clean up from the party. Yuki and Kyon are walking towards the school together, when suddenly…in front of them.
IS HARUHI SUZUMIYA!
Where did she come from? Why is she there? Why did she pop up out of nowhere? Well, that’s where episode three picks up. Now, episode 2, was very cute. However, it was slow. especially when compared to episode three, which has a lot going on in it. Or, as much as you could expect from a series like this. Episode three, picks up answering our questions.
It seems that once again, Haruhi was out trying to capture Santa and as a result, got cold. Very cold, like not really hypothermia because she had a sleeping bag and such but really cold anyway, cold.
So, she asks Yuki and Kyon to take her somewhere to warm up and thus, they go to a nearby cafe’ and let her begin warming up. She assumes, as most would, that Kyon and Yuki are a couple. Yuki knocks that down pretty quickly, equating him to a total stranger. Kyon is pretty hurt by that and asks if she’s not in a relationship with him to at least refer to him as a friend.
She is very happy to be able to call him such. They get a text from Asakura summoning them back to the clubroom and since they’re heading in the same direction, Haruhi says she’ll walk with them. They leave the cafe, as they begin walking. Haruhi realises she’d left her things in the park.
Everyone heads to the park in a hurry, hoping that her stuff would still be there. Upon arriving, they find, that yes…it’s still there. In fact, any normal person would be pretty freaked out to go near it.
I would be, I mean, there’s like…rope and other things for capturing Santa Claus and I don’t honestly know what she intends to do with Santa if she ever does catch him. It kind of freaks me out though.
This part of the episode shows the beginning of a rivalry between Haruhi and Kyon that I think is absolutely amazing.
This was the episode of laying down idea pairings and getting the original group together, plus a few extra. This episode introduces Itsuki to the group as the transfer student at Haruhi’s school that she’s beginning to lose interest in, but he’s totally in love with her. I’ll be honest, main timeline? I don’t ship this couple at all, but I almost feel bad for Itsuki in this time.
They unofficially join the club as members from the other school. Haruhi kidnaps Mikuru [what else is new?] however, this time Tsuruya is there to defend her. The boys get beaten up in the process.
It’s a messy event, the previously quiet literature club is getting rather lovely. I think that Valentines next episode will be even more of an absolute mess. You know, it’s surprising how easy i’ve gotten used to this animation switch. There are times I don’t notice it, which means, I should probably not go back and watch the old Haruhi series any time soon. At least until I’m done watching this, so, the opening and ending.
The opening has a lot of the same charm to it that the first opening to Haruhi had and I really enjoy it. However, the ending lacks the same flare that the Hare Hare Yukai or even the second seasons ending had. It’s just a little, mundane. Not bad, just not up to the flare you’ve come to expect from the music in a Haruhi series.
I hope for more fun from the future episodes, and maybe some more throwbacks/tie ins to the original series. Though, I could do without Asakura moving to Canada….if you get that, good job. If not, ….-shrugs- anyway, until next time!
~Midnight