About Me

Newfoundland, Canada
I've been a big anime fan for about 10 years or so now. My five all-time favorite animes at this point are, in no particular order... Puella Magi Madoka Magica, El Hazard: The Magnificent World, Love Live!: School Idol Project, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. However, there are hundreds of anime shows that I like. The main purpose of this blog is to provide meta-commentary on anime, and the anime industry - to try to cast a critical, though appreciating, eye upon this entertainment genre that I believe has tremendous potential, but can also be easily wasted. I have always been a fan of animation in general - in the 80s, I grew up on western cartoons like He-Man, She-Ra, Transformers, and G.I. Joe. Through out the 90s, I was a hardcore comic book fan, for the most part. I'm also a big fan of Star Trek. Right now in my life, though, anime is my principal entertainment passion.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

My Take on Kyon X Haruhi.


So... as a big fan of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime, and as a big fan of the character of Haruhi Suzumiya, what do I think of the popular, and likely canon, pairing of Kyon and Haruhi?

Well, if you've actually read all of my posts on the matter over on Anime Suki's Haruhi subforum, you know that I've kind of wobbled on this; moved back and forth on it a lot. I'm certainly not a KyonHaruhi shipper, but nor am I passionately tied to either of the possible in-universe alternative pairings (by "in-universe" I mean characters strictly from this anime, novel, and franchise).

From what I can gather, Anime Suki's Haruhi subforum is overwhelmingly pro-KyonHaruhi. So much so that I was once mildly flamed on that subforum for the mere suggestion that the novels could conceivably end with the establishment of an alternative pairing. So if Anime Suki is any indication (and it probably is, I think), then this is the preferred pairing of the anime's fandom by far.

So, why then, do I feel... uneasy about it? Why do I not quite get the appeal to this pairing in particular? Why am I pretty 'meh' over it?

Well... let's see if I can explain.

I do like Kyon and Haruhi a lot as close platonic friends, and as a comedic duo. On that level, they resonate nicely with me. There's a sharp contrast between the two that helps both grow as individuals, and which also makes them anime's version of the comedian (Haruhi) and the straight man (Kyon). However, while the comedian and the straight man are nice to see as crime fighting duos in law enforcement movies (Lethal Weapon, Men In Black, etc...), I don't quite picture two such personalities as making a good life-long romantic pairing.

One image that I simply can't shake from my mind, when it comes to this pairing, is the image of a thoroughly emasculated, whipped, and submissive adult Kyon getting bossed around day and night by an unmatched adult Haruhi Suzumiya. That's simply not my image of a good long-term relationship.

Sighs Part 4, which I've chosen not to review in a minutia review since Ascaloth did a better job of it than I think that I can do, does in fairness provide one possible point of light to shine through that horrifically one-sided relationship darkness. That being, of course, the famous scene where Kyon stood up to Haruhi and actually managed to get her to stop mistreating Mikuru, if only for a brief respite.

And, if we get to see more of Kyon effectively reigning Haruhi in (as opposed to his numerous ineffectual attempts to reign her in) then perhaps I'll see this pairing in a more positive light. As is, however, that image of a monstrously mismatched marriage is persistent within my mind.


Now, I don't actually fault Kyon for being the way that he is when it comes to Haruhi. Due to Haruhi's powers and Kyon's awareness of them, and due to Haruhi having a more assertive and domineering personality than him, and due to Haruhi's frequent mood swings and emotional instability, I can't really blame Kyon for not taking Itsuki up on his suggestion to hug Haruhi from behind and say "I love you" to her. It's not hard to see why Kyon would be more than a bit hesitant to romantically confess to Haruhi even if he does hold deep romantic feelings for her. One false move could be disastrous, and Kyon knows this.

... But, still, that is the problem. Kyon is holding back, and for perfectly legitimate reasons, but... he's still holding back. The only exception, really, being the one time he kissed Haruhi... and even that can be explained away within Kyon's mind as a necessary action to get Haruhi to not destroy the Earth ("Snow White"... nice subtle hint there, Mikuru, lol). And for Haruhi, it happened in a dream, meaning that it doesn't signify to her that Kyon has romantic feelings for her.

Kyon's understandable restraint towards Haruhi has two effects for me - nice subtle moments, but also awkwardness. It means that there's not really any sparks flying between these two. There's just no chemistry there, for me. This is compounded by the fact that the two have such widely diverse personalities; Kyon frequently strikes me as almost having a wet blanket effect on Haruhi. That's fine to a degree, but what makes Haruhi such an awesome character to me is, in very large part, her bold and relentless personality.

And while I can like nice subtle moments (such as the frequently referenced pony tail scenes), a good romance has to be more than just subtlety in my opinion. You need some real bells and whistles to compliment the subtle moments.

The episodes most frequently sited as providing good KyonHaruhi scenes are Live Alive, Someday in the Rain, and the one with the kiss in it.

Live Alive has some splendid friendship moments between Kyon and Haruhi, but there's nothing there that strongly stands out as romance to me. It's just more of the same subtlety that can be taken as cute friendship as easily as it can be taken as serious romance. Put it this way: If these were two girls acting and talking to each other this way, would it strike you as yuri, or just as good friendship? I believe that K-On has the answer to that. ;)


As for Someday in the Rain, I recently read it raised over on Anime Suki that Haruhi giving an umbrella to Kyon for the two to walk under has a very strong romantic 'Oomph!' to it within the Japanese culture. Kaisos and Ithekro even seemed to suggest that this one small gesture on Haruhi's part (and Kyon's acceptance of it) means that KyonHaruhi is a done deal. Well... I have a couple issues with that...

1) If so, why aren't Haruhi and Kyon talking to one another as girlfriend and boyfriend in later novels? Someday in the Rain doesn't seem to have altered the standing of their relationship at all from where it stood before

2) I'm sorry but... this is an awfully lame way to establish a romance, in my view. For Heaven's sake, if KyonHaruhi is the way that the franchise goes it better involve a spoken romantic confession at the absolute least.

It's a charming moment to be sure, but real romance goes farther than this.


All of the above being said... it's not easy to go against the flow, and it's not easy to feel like you're taking away from a passionate shipper's enjoyment of a particular pairing. So, to any KyonHaruhi shipper reading this, don't let my words detract from your appreciation of this pairing. I'm mainly trying to explain why I'm personally still not sold on it... mainly as a seque into what I like in a romance.

So, what is it that I like in a romance? ;)


These are the seven key elements...

1) A good developing stage. It should involve more than love at first sight, but it shouldn't take forever either. Some bashfulness and hesitancy is cute, even for strong-willed characters like Haruhi. But after a year or two of being friendly with one another, it really is time to get on with making it an established romance. The developing stage is a good point for subtle scenes.

2) Two characters with similar personalities but complimentary skill sets. If the personalities are too different, it clashes nastily for me. If the skill sets are identical, it makes the characters seem redundant to each other to me. Thankfully, Haruhi and Kyon do have complimentary skill sets. Their personalities, however...

3) A particular hook. Say the guy is really good at being upbeat and cheerful, and the girl needs added self-confidance in her life. Or say the girl is great at school and the guy needs help with his studies.

4) A good romantic confession scene. See Hitagi in Bakemonogatari for a modern example of a good romantic confession.

5) Some real sparks flying. Dancing with one another. Sharing laughs with each other. Kissing each other. Energetically celebrating shared successes. Each showing real congratulations and happiness for the other's successes. Being cheeky. Acting like an item. You don't need to actually show sex, but you usually need to show a lot of the above.

6) And, finally, after sparks have flown for awhile, you can have them settle into 'casual love' (or you can have 'casual love' flow into 'real sparks flying'). For 'casual love', I again reference Bakemonogatari with Hitagi and Araragi (man, that is such a good canon pairing - a lot can be learned from it). Check out how casually Hitagi calls Araragi her lover, and shows concern over his future. Folks, this is how real people talk to one another once they're firmly in a committed, long-term romantic relationship.

7) An equal partnership, and strong mutual respect.

If a romance has five or more of the seven, I'm game. Six or more, and I love it. Four or less... and I'm not sold yet. Which is why I'm not sold on KyonHaruhi yet. Maybe one day.


So, am I a shipper for any alternative pairings?


Definitely not in Haruhi's case.

Itsuki? Too fabulous. ;) In all seriousness, too much of a yes man.

Taniguchi? Taniguchi loathes Haruhi, and it shows. ^_^;

Kunikida? They're about the same height, which is neat, but aside from that, no way.

The CCP? Maybe if I was really heavily into S&M... ;) ^_^; Heh!

Either of the girls? ...I've played around with the idea of Haruhi/Mikuru, but I can only see it working long-term if Mikuru grows a spine.


So, yeah, in-universe, Kyon is definitely Haruhi's best option, I have to admit that. But as for Kyon...


I kind of like the idea of Kyon and Mikuru (big).


I get a chuckle out of the idea of Mikuru (big) going back in time to help the teenage boy that eventually becomes her husband. It kind of would explain why Mikuru (big) told Kyon that he could steal a kiss from her sleeping younger self too. ;) However, until Mikuru (normal) grows a spine, I'm not really that interested in her with anybody.


Kyon and Yuki had some really nice cute moments in Novel 4. Yuki is an exception to my "sparks must fly!" rule, because her personality is so reserved in general. So, I'd be willing to forgive an understated romance of subtlety between her and Kyon.


"Laws of Tsuruya" really made me like Kyon and Tsuruya. But that's such an unlikely possibility that I don't know if it's even worth considering. I'm totally game with any fanfics that go with this pairing, though.


Right now... I kind of like KyonYuki best. No one pairing is totally sold on me yet though.

I should clarify that "sold on me" doesn't mean "I accept it". I accept that KyonHaruhi is the most likely course for the novels to take. But I'm not sold on it in the sense that I just don't find it compelling on a romantic level yet. Sorry, but I don't.

Here's one final reason why. My conception of Haruhi's ideal boyfriend is...


1) Somebody with a personality to match her own. Somebody charismatic and dynamic. Somebody who's usually upbeat and in high spirits, like Haruhi herself is. Basically, somebody who Haruhi can revel in exciting activities and past times with. Clearly having fun together. That's the key.

2) Somebody, though, that's a bit more focused than Haruhi, and can help her refine her energy, so to speak. This is the hook that I'd like to see in Haruhi's boyfriend - not somebody that simply holds her back and keeps her in line; but rather somebody that shares her enthusiasm and zest for life and shows her how to channel it in logical and productive ways.

3) In turn, it would be nice if Haruhi could do something to help her boyfriend out in his maturation process.

4) Somebody who shares Haruhi's interests, at least to a degree.

5) Somebody that Haruhi truly likes and respects and would consider an equal partner in a romantic relationship with her.

6) Somebody that conveys Number 5 to me. I see them in a scene together, and I can tell that they're on an equal footing with each other.


In Haruhi's universe, there's nobody even remotely like this sadly.


Through out anime as a whole?

There's a few. Anybody who's read my The El Hazard of Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic knows one person in particular that I'm thinking of (don't attempt to read that fanfic unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands, lol ;) ). For a more modern example... Battler from Umineko comes to mind.

Can Kyon eventually fit the above six, or at least most of them? Well, he has 3 and 4 in spades, and a little bit of 2. That's all for now, though.

KyonHaruhi is close to good for me, but it's not quite there yet. Maybe one day it will be.

Any comments would be appreciated... even flames from KyonHaruhi shippers, lol. :D

14 comments:

  1. I'm a Kyon/Haruhi fan, but in a sense, it'd be awesome if it happened someday, but both the characters need to grow up and mature first. If Haruhi gained a little more respect for boundaries(while still having fun), and Kyon loosened up, it'd be awesome.

    The main problem with pairing off Haruhi is most of the main characters are hiding secrets from her, and secrets don't make for a good relationship ground.

    I'd see Haruhi/Itsuki if Itsuki didn't seem so worried to contidict Haruhi. But as much as I hate to say it, there's more romantic tension between Kyon and him then him and Haruhi. >.<

    Probably the closest match I'd see of the characters in their current state is Haruhi/Yuki. Seriously.

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    1. I disagree. They'd make a good pairing. While Haruhi is very bossy and stubborn and Kyon is passive and SEEMS to be controlled and emasculated, Kyo nis the only character who haas any influence on Haruhi's actions and emotional state. He's the only one not scared of being erased from existence and his serious, no nonsense attitude is what keeps her grounded. Think about it, if Haruhi really stopped to consider the consequences of her actions the TMHS world would suck. Trust me, I know from experience. I live a kyon life with my gf (the greatest girl in the world lol) and we're real happy. There's a lot of arguing, mind you but we never get bored, and the post-arguement make up session as totally worth it... ;)

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  2. Janette - Yeah, your first paragraph sums it up nicely. Haruhi needs to respect boundaries a bit more while Kyon needs to loosen up. Those two things alone could allow this pairing to have some real sparks flying.

    Haruhi/Yuki is an interesting combo! I haven't thought of that one in awhile. :)

    Big thanks for becoming my first follower, Janette! I really appreciate it. :)

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  3. I'm a Haruhi x Kyon fan, but I think there's no way they're going to end up together. If only because there's been so little actual progress in the books IIRC. It'd require Kyon to take the first, big leap, and I just dont see that happening.

    I get the appeal of Yuki, but I can't see anything happening with her. I know she's the stoic type, but she needs to show at least SOME emotion to spark things.

    And Kyon x Mikuru I suppose is possible, but Mikuru's so meek and useless, I have a hard time seeing that being a successful relationship (future Mikuru may be a different story).

    Hmm, as for other possibilities, I don't know about Battler, but in the same universe, how bout Maebara Keichii? I feel like he hits all 5 of the points you mentioned.

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  4. RP - Keichii is an interesting possibility! It helps that him and Haruhi both love baseball, and playing outrageous games, and are good at them.

    Nice thinking.

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  5. I bet by the end of it all we will just be given a "They probably end up together but we won't commit one way or the other." That is basically what we have right now. I think what you said in your blog post is true they they really are supposed to be foils for each other and Tanigawa doesn't want to make the story a strict "Love Story" just because their is a main male and female lead.

    Kyon has expressed his attaction to Haruhi many times, but always prefaces it by how she frustrates the hell out of him. what you have to look at in the show and in the novels is what other characters say. They always catch him looking at her for too long, everyone assumes they are dating, etc, etc. I think those are bigger clues to what is going on romantically in the series. Kyon is the narrator of the story, but it doesn't mean we can trust what he is telling us.

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  6. I happened to think of a kind of devious thing to do, that might actually fit in with this whole series: end the story without revealing any romance and leave all the shippers hanging.
    But then everybody would hate that.

    I'd also like to point out that there is a chance that Haruhi could mature enough for stuff to happen with Kyon. What kind of character would she be if she ends up staying the same??????

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  7. I mean to say, there has to be character development, right?

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  8. First of all, I'm going by the fact that it's not over yet. It probably won't be for some time. The series is on-going, so here's how I think it is:
    -I think the entire first book is epic foreshadowing. When Kyon starts out saying he doesn't believe in all of those things, but that it'd be nice for some of those things to happen, only if he wasn't the "main character", I feel as if the author was trying to foreshadow there. When he sees Haruhi for the first time, he says how beautiful she is and la-di-da, but then she goes to make all of the statements about the very things he was first thinking of.
    -Haruhi starts talking to him because she feels that he understands her; and to a sense, I think the author of this book is truly trying to show you that he does, but in a different kind of way. The whole series they're wondering why she chose him to be by her side, why did a normal human-being like Kyon even matter? Because he understood her, and from that moment, she formed some type of feeling for him; as did he for her, just from the fact that she would talk to him and that he responded (even though he could have chosen to avoid it, he just kept going back for more).

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  9. -After getting to know her and establishing the club, he makes it seem as though he truly despises Haruhi. But, I think there are certain examples, the subtle ones that you kept bringing up, that prove his care for her. There are more than just the pony-tail references, the kiss scene, and the umbrella; you just have to look at it from a different lighting. For example, when Haruhi always makes Kyon treat the club or her to lunch/dinner/anything, she is acting as a normal girl would with her boyfriend, but Haruhi-style. She won't ever flat-out say it. She takes Kyon along on her adventures and such because she does honestly care for him, but she doesn't know how to show it in a "normal way" she doesn't like "normal". In the episode where they go off looking for abnormal activity throughout the city, Haruhi is seen getting jealous of Kyon and Mikuru, even of Kyon and Yuki. Each time, you notice that she pouts when they pick group members, and she just wanted to end up with Kyon, but for some reason, finding phenomenon was more important to her. After Koizumi shows Kyon what closed space is, and after Haruhi double checks the areas of town where they checked for phenomenon, you can tell that there's going to be another closed space incident. Especially one that involves Kyon due to her jealousy. Even though Haruhi ends up thinking it was all a dream, throughout the entire "dream", she seems so happy just to be with Kyon and in the world she dreamed of. In fact, it was by her wish that she would end up in this very world alone with Kyon (hehe rhymes). Before it kisses her, in her "dream", he tells her how pretty she was in a pony-tail. The next day she comes to school in a pony-tail, HALF-BELIEVING that what she dreamed of was true. When Kyon comments on her pony-tail, she doesn't move or say anything, but at that moment Kyon is smiling and possibly even captivated by her. Those subtle moments make a huge difference in a relationship. Even though she treats him like crap, those moments do strengthen a relationship more than you can imagine.

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  10. -I don't believe a KyonXMikuru relationship is possible in the least bit. If you recall, Mikuru asks Kyon very early in the series not to get to close to her. For whatever reason, it is most likely that he will not end up with her. In fact, she may already know that Kyon ends up with Haruhi, or something completely different happens. In the end, Kyon would most likely be hurt in some way.
    -In The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, Kyon goes through a life without Haruhi. He even makes a statement that he wouldn't even be a supporting character in the world without her. This somewhat shows his care for Haruhi, because in the real world of Haruhi Suzumiya, he's her right-hand-man. Or left if she's left-handed. Just kidding. When he goes through all of the trouble to set up another SOS Brigade, he still wants to go back and be with the Haruhi he knows. And when he gets back, he finds out that she stayed by his side through the entire time of his hospitalization. That kind of "subtle moment" holds a very deep meaning to it. Who would stay by someone's side making sure that the person they cared about was ok, for four or five or however many she did just because they were good friends? Not many people would do that, it's much deeper. And though she still said she only had to because it was her duty as the brigade leader, she really just said it because she couldn't truly express her feelings for Kyon.
    -Anyhow, I simply believe, and completely support, that Haruhi and Kyon WILL end up together in the end. That her harsh and dominant treatment towards Kyon is her own way of saying "I like you, I really do". And that his pessimistic attitude and show of despise towards Haruhi, though it may seem like he honestly means it, is just another way of trying to act tough through it all and to continue holding back. As he is. I don’t believe that he is holding back because of the consequences either. I feel that he is simply holding back because that’s how this love story is meant to be.

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  11. -The following doesn’t really have anything to do with Kyon and Haruhi being together:
    -Also, I'm starting to believe that she didn't just choose Kyon because he simply understands her. But, also because he levels her out... Her conscience, as you said. I don't completely believe that in this story Haruhi is the center of the universe at all. And if she is and all of her wishes could come true if she wanted, that the same goes for Kyon. I believe that anything Kyon wishes for that has to do with Haruhi, time-travellers, espers, and aliens comes true just as well as anything Haruhi wishes. He probably doesn't know or understand it because all he wants to be is an ordinary human being. That's how I believe this story is going to end up.

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  12. In the end, Haruhi and Kyon will end up together. You'll see :D

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  13. I have the impression they'd end up together, they seem to have more of an unspoken understanding of each other than individually they do with each other. But absolutely, as they are right now they wouldn't work; they have to grow and mature a lot more (especially Haruhi).

    It's much like my impression of Misaka & Kuroko in "A Certain Scientific Railgun". I actually think they'd make a better couple than Misaka & Touma, but it requires M & K to mature (again, Kuroko needing to learn to chill-out and show herself to be the supportive partner). Touma is a really good character, but his own particular power/curse would doom a long relationship with Misaka (I could go into a whole long explanation, but instead I'll eventually finish and post the fanfic that explains it).

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