And so Nagato’s valentine drama resolves in the most predictable way possible. This whole arc was definitely a bit of a disappointment, and as I said in my review, it seems to demonstrate the limits of this show’s dramatic reach. Hopefully I’m mistaken, but there are far more tired and rote shows than there are unique and engaging ones, and this episode did not give me much hope for Yuki-chan. We’ll have to see.
My full review is available here. Notes below!
The classic dramatic slow-mo pass-by
“Her Melancholy” lol episode title
Asakura is mad, of course
And Koizumi shows up
“We got the same chocolates”
Kyon being dense. This show’s articulation of this kind of drama is very standard. Eh
Nagato ran away, they’re looking for her, etc
“What’s wrong with giving him chocolates? It’s just a holiday event.” Haruhi as selfish as ever
And Asakura actually calls her out, which is nice
“You’re someone who can act to make what you want happen! You wouldn’t understand!” Wow, Asakura’s actually tearing it up in this scene
“Just sense what’s going on!” Daamn, Asakura
And Asakura’s mad at herself for blaming Haruhi. NO, KEEP BLAMING HARUHI!
“Okay, enough reflecting on my actions. As long as I don’t make the same mistake again, that’s all that matter. I forgive myself!” Asakura’s great
Might have to explain the difference between courtesy chocolate and romance chocolate. “Giri” and “honmei,” right?
“This is a day to be considerate, whether you’re a giver or a receiver, right?” Koizumi still emotionally intelligent
“When the devil is about to kidnap the heroine, what’s the hero doing running away?” Haha, yes Asakura
“Even if she’s timid, there are times when she shouldn’t run away.” Good
But Nagato hasn’t given up
This week in cute Nagato moments, Nagato looking for the chocolate she dropped
She left to let Haruhi be alone with Kyon while giving him chocolate? Please
“Are you in love with him?” “Well, I don’t dislike him.” Well great
Kyon being crazy dense
Nagato finally gives him the chocolate
Nagato feeling very bashful about him eating her chocolate
“Who wouldn’t notice when the girl giving chocolates is blushing so hard it makes even those watching feel embarrassed?” So I guess even Haruhi is more emotionally intelligent than Kyon
Asakura is also able to be frank with Haruhi
“You might actually be a masochist.” Asakura throwing some good shade
Every scene of this is moving slowly through obvious motions, and there’s not enough of what the show is good at
And of course Tsuruya fucks it up and jumps in at exactly the wrong time. Cliches ahoy
And of course he trips and falls on her chest, and of course “I won’t forgive him” from Asakura
So Haruhi’s remembering when she first met “John Smith,” who was Kyon at his actual expected age then
And now Asakura and Haruhi are friends
The John Smith scene confused me. If this is supposed to be an alternate universe where Haruhi has no powers, then Kyon wouldn’t have any reason to use that name the first time he met her, would he? Its not like he had to keep his identity a secret to keep her from discovering that he time traveled, because in this universe he was the correct age for the time.
Also, why is the show’s title “the disappearance of…” rather than “the melancholy of…” if Nagato is going to be around for the whole show?
Also also, why are we supposed to like Nagato over Haruhi in this version of the series? This Nagato has almost nothing in common with the original. What’s more, she’s an incredibly bland character. Her defining traits are “shy, passive, likes video games, likes Kyon.” She’s basically a female version of the bland male protagonist from every paint-by-the-numbers anime rom-com ever. At least Haruhi’s character has interests and weaknesses (aliens: lack of friends at other school).
Harrumph.