Anime: Now Completely Under Siege

Faces of Anime's Past and Present, Reflecting a Troubling Future...

This blog will be one of the most important ones that I ever write. It reflects fears that I've had concerning the anime industry for some time now. Two recent (but in some ways looming) events now come perilously close to confirming that those fears are justified. The picture above is presented here for multiple reasons. For one, these faces are those of prominent anime characters, from animes that can effectively serve as two bookends of a period of incredible growth in the anime industry. 

From 1995's El Hazard: The Magnificent World to 2009's The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie, anime has been a place of grand and compelling narratives, and of entertaining and psychologically fascinating characters, able to rival the best that other entertainment genres and mediums could muster. It is true that there were great animes both before, and after, the dates of these two animes, but I personally feel that 1995 to 2009 is where you find the bulk of great animes, and where the industry had both the quality and quantity of material to put it on par with even the best that other narrative mediums could offer. 

But that may sadly be about to end...

The Moe/Star Trek Connection AKA Defending Moe Part Two

 

To boldly go where no otaku has gone before...

  

As many of my readers know, I've been a part of multiple fandom communities over my life. Currently, my main entertainment passion is anime, which is why this blog exists. There was a time, however, when Star Trek was not only my main entertainment passion, but was also what captivated the imagination of a young Grade 6 student, who would make a point to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation each and every weekday evening at 8:30 PM just before heading to bed to prepare for school the next day.

Capt. Jean-Luc Picard was a noble hero to me, and a fictional character that I looked up to, and enjoyed cheering on in episode after episode of TNG. In fact, I had an Elementary Teacher that even looked and acted a bit like Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, and he tended to treat me as a student wunderkind, not unlike one Wesley Crusher, I must admit. ^_^;; 

Kanon 2006 Review

What Dreams May Come...

Back in 2006, I was not active in the online anime fandom. I was already an anime fan, but I was watching few animes apart from those that were recommended to me by my cousin who had been an anime fan before me. These animes tended to be of an action-packed (i.e. fighting) sort, and not of the romantic tearjerker variety. These animes also spread across several years, if not decades. They were not strictly from 2000 or after.

So it's only been within the last twelve months or so that these slice of life, school life, and harem mixtures have entered into my anime watching world, starting with Clannad. When reading this review, please keep that in mind. I saw Clannad (and Angel Beats! and True Tears and Sola) before I saw Kanon 2006. This means that, for me, Kanon 2006 is inevitably measured against some excellent romantic animes, a couple other prominent Jun Maeda and Key works, and animes of elaborately, exquisitely, excellent production values. Nice visuals are nice, and good audio is good, but I'm not going to spend too much time on them here. Because, I have to admit, I've grown accustomed to high production values in the top romantic comedies of anime.

With all of this in mind, I am not "wowed" by Kanon 2006 as much as many of the people who watched it more or less "live" were. I may very well have been wowed by it if I had watched it back in 2006, but unfortunately I only watched it recently. This is somewhat unfair to Kanon 2006 perhaps, but on the other hand, it could speak to how well (or poorly) it has aged.

Angel Beats! Final Thoughts, Final Review

My friend Archon Wing, of Anime Suki fame, was a bit bedeviled by the ending of Angel Beats! As such, I hope to do like Otonashi, and be a spiritual healer that can help Archon Wing come to peace with Angel Beats. In so doing, it may be necessary to exorcise some demons. And hence here is my final writeup on Angel Beats.

Well, the conclusion to Angel Beats! more or less confirmed my thinking on what was the true core narrative of this anime. It does, however, undermine that narrative slightly by Otonashi basically having second thoughts at the last moment. Perhaps Otonashi is brought down to Earth (figuratively, of course ;) ) by having his personal desire to spend an eternity of love and fellowship alongside Kanade start to override his previously impeccable sense of self-sacrificial helping of others.

I can forgive Otonashi his moment of selfishness, as the poor guy has gone through a lot, and was always very caring towards others throughout the anime. And Kanade is very beautiful, powerful, and kind.

Plus... something just struck me, good reader. Something just came to me.

Perhaps there is a hidden meaning in Otonashi's temporary panic at the thought of losing Kanade.

Maybe Otonashi actually did have his own personal issue to deal with after all. Maybe his issue was learning to accept a life without romantic love, just as Yurippe had to move on by accepting what happened to her beloved siblings.

The healer himself had his own wounds to heal, and so he belonged in the world of Angel Beats! after all. He did not just accidentally show up there due to amnesia.

Well... I'm putting that idea out there. Make of it what you will. I could be wrong, but who knows. As I wrote on Anime Suki, Angel Beats! leaves a lot to personal interpretation and fan speculation.

This is not necessarily a negative. It means that you'll get out of this anime whatever you invest into it. And it means that you can craft your understanding of this anime to perhaps compliment your own personal views on philosophical and/or spiritual matters.

The core narrative is that of the healer and peacemaker Otonashi coming to this world and helping the SSS Brigade and Tenshi. That is the heart of this story. But the body you fashion around it is up to each individual viewer.

And with that in mind, Maeda does expect a lot of his viewers here.


The anime does a blatant bait-and-switch, as its stated and marketed premise only has relevance for the first few episode, and later becomes the story of Otonashi helping out his friends in a fashion similar to how Tomoya helped out his. As with any bait-and-switch, not everybody will like the switch. Personally, though, I did like this one, and I think it makes some sense.

But there's only so much you can get away with in presenting a fictional story, I believe. And I think that Maeda may have forgot that.

With this in mind, Angel Beats! reminds me of Code Geass, in that both were complex amalgamations of a vast variety of different elements that appeal to different types of anime fans.



Code Geass had military conflict that would resonate well with Gundam fans. It also had mechas that would appeal to mecha anime fans in general. Code Geass had a theatrical "just as planned!" main protagonist that would appeal to fans of that character type, such as Death Note fans. Hence, Code Geass incorporated into itself familiar elements of established popular animes. Code Geass also had definitive school life and moe elements. It had comedic moments that are distinctively anime in nature. It had a slight harem-esque feel to it. It had loads of fighting action in general. Code Geass did cast a very wide net, and it was commercially successful because of it. And, I would argue, its first season was also very tight, and a great watch. It managed to put it all together in a captivating and coherent way, and it was a great anime because of it.

However, Code Geass R2 went a bit off the rails, I would argue. I think that there may come a point when an anime crosses a line of sorts. When an anime incorporates too many different elements into itself, and like a juggler adding on extra balls to his juggling act, it just can't manage to balance all those different elements together in order to make a strikingly sensible seamless final work.

Code Geass R2 started to tire its own juggler out by going with the episode ending cliffhanger plot twist, each and every week, in the early going. This was loads of fun, but it also strained the suspension of disbelief of many viewers almost to the limit. And then, about halfway through Code Geass R2, the anime gets increasingly philosophical and metaphysical. All sorts of weird trippy stuff is going on. And that, I think, is when suspension of disbelief was broken for many Code Geass R2 viewers. Amping up the metaphysical aspects of the show in a very post-modernist way essentially meant that Code Geass R2 had to juggle yet another ball, and that was one ball too many. It was just trying to do too many things at once. It just had too much going on all at once. And hence the balls were dropped. Many would argue that the finale of Code Geass R2 managed to pick the balls back up and give a stupendous final juggling act, but that's a discussion for another day. Today I focus mainly on Angel Beats! And I delve back into Code Geass R2 because I think that Angel Beats! is similar in that it perhaps was trying to juggle too many balls at once.


Engaging action scenes takes time and effort and focus to sell the viewer on them.

Character development takes time and effort and focus to sell the viewer on it.

Romance requires time and effort and focus to sell the viewer on it.

Comedy requires time and effort and focus in order to set up the jokes (or humorous situations) and deliver the punchlines (or slapstick situational humor).

Moe requires time and effort and focus in that it requires presenting the moe characters behaving and dressed in a certain way.

And steeping one's fictional world in its own special sort of metaphysical or supernatural reality requires time and effort and focus in order to ensure that the viewer gets a good idea of how this reality operates in this fictional world. Some sort of set rules need to be established, or at least implied, and they need to be conveyed in a clear and accessible way. Bleach is a good example of an anime world steeped in several supernatural elements and realms, but it presents those elements and realms carefully, and in a gradual piecemeal fashion that makes it easy for the audience to slowly adapt and adjust to how everything works in Bleach.


Now, the viewer's focus can only be divided so many ways. And the story's focus can only be divided so many ways as well. So you can have some of the above listed elements (engaging action scenes, character development, romance, comedy, moe, metaphysical and philosophical elements), but if you have all of those elements, you run the risk of overwhelming the viewer, and making it difficult for him or her to make sense of it all.

And, well, Angel Beats! has all of the elements that I listed. Much like Code Geass R2, it probably has one element too many, and hence for some viewers, the metaphorical balls are dropped.

When you factor in how Angel Beats! incorporates all of these elements into a 13 episode time-frame, it's no wonder that many viewers are, like Archon Wing, left scratching their heads. There's just too much going on within too short a time frame. The anime jumps haphazardly from one element to the next to the next, and it all begins to blur for many viewers.

It also doesn't help that Angel Beats! has a fairly large cast, and didn't even try to keep juggling its full cast in its final episode...

Don't worry Girl De Mo, TK, and Yui; I won't forget you dudes and dudettes. Especially not you, TK, as your surprisingly good English for a subbed anime was always cool and groovy to me!

So, to make sense of the incredibly multifaceted work of Angel Beats!, the viewer needs to keep in mind two things:

1. The real core story is that of the spiritual healer Otonashi bringing peace in the midst of conflict, and bringing spiritual healing to his new found friends.

2. You need to use your imagination to fill in the gaps. For example, I find that it's helpful to imagine that some romances were building up "behind the scenes".


The core story of Angel Beats! is a good one, and there's a lot of fun to be had in watching this anime. This anime also occasionally reaches the same sort of heartfelt touching moments that previous Maeda works achieved.

But perhaps is just tries to do too much in too little a time frame. Like Code Geass R2, it just crossed the line.


That's not to say that either Angel Beats! or Code Geass R2 are bad animes. Both have definitive strong points, and for fans that care more about characters than plot, their weaknesses may be virtual non-issues.

But if an anime is aiming for a strong plot that is accessible to a lot of viewers, it needs to have a clearer and more limited focus than the highly ambitious Angel Beats! and Code Geass R2 animes.


All of this being said, Angel Beats! will almost certainly be a rousing commercial success. And that will likely mean it will have some influence on future anime works, just as previous prominent anime works influenced it.

I think what some animation companies may take from Angel Beats! is that there's a real audience out there for a show that combines action, moe, high production values, and certain character designs and types.

Simply put, I don't think that Yurippe will be the last character to be designed with Haruhi Suzumiya in mind. I think that a future anime that features a HaruClone as an action hero in a less multifaceted production could sell very well, and be as excellent and tight as Code Geass' first season was. Perhaps this time the HaruClone could be leading a rebellion against something like, say, Britannia. ;) And the story could stay focused on, and revolve around, that conflict, and not get too caught up in other elements that could distract the viewer from this core story.

I hope to see an anime like this one day, and I may even write some original fiction in this vein, if anybody is interested in reading that, of course.


But, long story short, Angel Beats! was a fun and interesting ride while it lasted. The ending felt a bit abrupt, and while it was very nice in parts it also wasn't a particularly satisfying conclusion. Nonetheless, I'm glad I watched this anime, and I'll give it 8/10 overall.

An ambitious work that just tried to do too much in too little time. But a work that was quite imaginative, and often very fun to watch.

And I now bid adieu to Angel Beats!, as it disappears and hopefully will lead to Haruhi Suzumiya being reincarnated in yet another anime some day. ;)

Looking back on Endless Eight, One Year Later

On the request of Dr. Casey of Anime Suki, I've decided to do a write-up on the one year anniversary of the beginning of the endless recursion of time. Itsuki Koizumi aptly called it an "Endless Summer", and that is what this arc proved to be for many fans of the the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya anime. While Dr. Casey's request spurred me to give further thought to Endless Eight, it is those thoughts themselves that leave me convinced that Endless Eight is worth revisiting at this time.

For one thing, the impact of Endless Eight on the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya franchise is a bit clearer now than it was almost a year ago.

Domestic (i.e. sold in Japan) Haruhi 2009 DVDs sold markedly worse than Haruhi 2006 DVDs did. While the global recession is unquestionably a factor here, as can be seen in how some prominent anime sequels tended to do worse in 2009 than their originals did in earlier years, I still hold that E8 is part of the reason for this decline in sales. I hold this viewpoint due in part to how Haruhi's anime is a more prominent one than any of the other ones that had relatively unsuccessful sequels in 2009. Hayate the Combat Butler, for example, is popular, but it's not on the level of Melancholy. Melancholy's level of popularity is around the level of that of Bakemonogatari and K-On!, and both of those sold perfectly well in 2009, even in the midst of a global recession. In short, I believe that Kadokawa and Kyoto Animation's choice to do eight episodes of Endless Eight, as opposed to spreading out its allotment of 14 new episodes over more than just three distinct sections of the Haruhi novels, likely cost them a few thousand DVD sales.

That being said, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie somewhat ironically represents a resurgence for the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise. Instead of making Haruhi's anime disappear out of the collective consciousness of anime fans to a further extent, it caused Haruhi's anime to regain much, if not all, of its lost popularity. At least in Japan. The theatrical release of that movie also makes it a bit clearer why Kadokawa and Kyoto Animation decided to go with eight episodes of Endless Eight.

In its totality (including the re-airing of Haruhi 2006 episodes) the Haruhi 2009 airing was clearly intended to reconfigure the Haruhi anime into a precise chronological order. Unlike the chaotic and scrambled ordering seen in the Haruhi 2006 airing, the Haruhi anime would now aim to present the story of the novels in its actual order of plot events. This reordering effort, combined with how the Disappearance movie was slated for early 2010, meant that the 14 new episodes of Haruhi 2009 could be spread out over only Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody, Endless Eight, and Sigh. This was true barring anime original content, anyway.

In a very literal sense, Endless Eight was filler. You could even say that it was akin to a subordinate keeping the boss' command chair warm until the boss returns. Amusingly, Endless Eight was likely intended to simply kill time, rather than making a particular point of time endless.

At some level, I actually appreciate the vision that I now think was behind the choice to air eight episodes of Endless Eight. At the very least, that vision is understandable.

Haruhi 2009 had three principle goals, I believe. Now I hasten to add that this is largely speculation on my part. I obviously have no connections whatsoever to anybody at Kyoto Animation or Kadokawa. But even so, I think that if the Haruhi fan puts himself or herself in the proverbial shoes of the Haruhi anime producers, and tries to figure out why they did Haruhi 2009 the way that they did, that it is possible to arrive at a likely answer to that. And that likely answer includes the following three principle goals:



1. Bring the actual novel source material-based Haruhi anime back into focus, and ensure that anime fans do not move on from it.


The Melancholy of Haruhi-Chan, Nyoron Churuya-chan, and even numerous Haruhi references in Lucky Star, all helped to ensure that Haruhi never drifted too far from the minds of your average anime fan. However, all of these were short comedic spoofs. They bore little resemblance to the actual Harui novels. The Haruhi 2009 airing was meant to bring Haruhi fans back into the canon world of Kyon and Haruhi Suzumiya. To refamiliarize them with the core narrative that is the driving force of the Haruhi franchise. This goal is probably a big part of the reason why the episode ordering was reconfigured into chronological order.

With this in mind, Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody was an excellent start for the new episodes, as its events are a focal point for the novels. It is in Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody that we find out about John Smith, and it's in Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody that we see a particular past point in time that recurs in the novels almost as often as a certain two weeks in August recurs in the anime.



2. Promote the Upcoming Disappearance Movie


Without the Haruhi 2009 anime, the Disappearance movie would have been released with there having been four years since actual Haruhi novel material had been adapted into anime form. It may have been a bit more difficult to get people interested in watching a movie for a property that had not aired source material-based content in almost half of a decade. The Haruhi 2009 anime certainly served the purpose of wetting the appetite of Haruhi fans to see more novel-based anime content.

One thing I've learned about the anime fandom over the years is that, with precious few exceptions, its focus is almost always on the new and the fresh. Older animes can become quickly forgotten, especially without regular updates. This is even true of popular animes. Fate/Stay Night and Mai HiME were both very popular animes, but I haven't seen either talked about a lot in awhile. They finished airing a few years ago. Some of this is just human nature, of course, but it speaks to the importance of not letting your anime franchise stay out of the public eye for too long, if you hope for that anime franchise to have lasting success.

Also, on a more basic level, the Haruhi 2009 episodes were commercials for both the Haruhi 2009 DVDs, and the Disappearance movie. It gets the brand of Haruhi Suzumiya out there, and is helpful in a basic marketing sense.



3. Humanize the Characters of Haruhi Suzumiya and Yuki Nagato


Make the alien and deity seem more down-to-Earth and easy to relate to, in other words.

This is a somewhat new observation that I've made, upon just recently reflecting on Endless Eight. The part dealing with Yuki Nagato is old news, as E8's staunchest defenders pointed that part out a year ago (i.e. talking about how eight episodes of Endless Eight enabled the audience to more easily identify with Nagato and sympathize with her seemingly endless plight). It's probably true that the Endless Eight portion of the anime was designed, in part, to make fans of this anime series feel a tighter connection to Nagato, and to make us focus less on Nagato's otherworldly deadpan nature and reality altering powers, and more on the personable being laying beneath the often cold exterior. To show that, beneath all the highly technical monotone language and cosmic abilities, Nagato is still a real being with actual emotions that we can relate to. She is more akin to the Silver Surfer of Marvel Comics than to a truly emotionless alien interface. Indeed, it often seemed like she was getting drained or tired from the Endless Eight experience just as we were.

The part dealing with Haruhi Suzumiya is a completely new observation on my part, and I don't think that I've seen it dealt with a lot. After looking at some E8 screenshoots through various online image searches, and after thinking back on the events of E8, it occurs to me that E8 presented the character of Haruhi Suzumiya in a very different light than how Haruhi 2006 tended to do so.

Haruhi Suzumiya Version 2006 was bossy, brash, decidedly theatrical, highly eccentric, occasionally abusive, and even sometimes displaying a streak of megalomaniacal villany...




Notice how sharp, and angular Haruhi's features are. Notice her domineering poses and vaguely conceited mannerisms. The character designs and art style of Haruhi 2006 brings out the esoteric manipulative trickster in Haruhi. She is like the norse God of Mischief Loki. And her focus is ever on finding the alien or supernatural, or on expanding her SOS Brigade.

I've always felt that one of the key strengths of Haruhi's character is that she has an unique and playfully dynamic personality within a "girl next door" character design. This can be a very alluring combination. However, this can also be a double-edged sword.

While I personally like this side of Haruhi's character, I can understand why many dislike or even loath it. Sexually abusing meek girls and engaging in shady extortion scams isn't exactly laudable behavior. Focusing a lot on searches for the alien and supernatural is not particularly easy for the average viewer to relate to either.

Now... keep in mind the Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. For this anime movie to have the desired impact on its viewers, it helps if:

1) The viewers miss Haruhi's presence just as Kyon does. They view her disappearance as more of a curse to be lamented over than a blessed relief to be thankful for.

2) The viewers agree with the decision that Kyon ultimately makes in that narrative.

The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya movie has been roundly acclaimed, and received very warmly by fans and critics alike. However, a few criticisms are there, and these tend to relate a great deal to simply the decision that Kyon makes in that movie. Simply put, the fans of the anime who like Yuki Nagato a lot and dislike the character of Haruhi Suzumiya, tend to not be entirely pleased with the basic plotline of the movie. It's an issue with the source material itself, really, and it's an issue rooted in character and shipping preferences.

I think that Haruhi 2009, and especially the Endless Eight portion of it, was intended to head off such potential critiques. It was meant to drastically soften the image of Haruhi, while making her easier for the average viewer to relate to. Case in point...



There's a stark contrast between Haruhi Suzumiya Version 2006 and Haruhi Suzumiya Version 2009, isn't there, good reader? Notice how soft and supple Haruhi's features are. Notice her child-like and innocent poses, and her friendly, serene mannerisms. She is now like the latest cast member of K-On!. She is like the actual "girl next door', who just wants to have fun and hang out with her friends. The SOS Brigade feels like a real group of close friends in E8. And consider what Haruhi does for fun in Endless Eight.

Swimming, dressing up in fancy clothes, taking part in local festivals, watching and setting off fireworks, stargazing through a telescope, bug-catching, bowling, taking batting practice, karaoke singing, eating ice cream and eating at restaurants with her friends. This is the very picture of normalcy for a teenage girl. These are commonplace popular recreational activities. It is eminently easy to relate to.


What I've wrote above may surprise some people as I've long been a critic of the artstyle and character design changes that Haruhi 2009 brought to the fore. I've also long been a fervent supporter of the artstyle and character designs of Haruhi 2006, which I loved then and still do love. However, I think I see what Kyoto Animation was aiming for with these changes now. It was not just Haruhi's appearance that was "K-Onified", but it was also her overall presentation. Haruhi was to become less Loki and more Yui, in appearance and personality alike. I'd hate for that to happen on a permanent basis, but as an one-time attempt to fully flesh out Haruhi's character and make her more likable to more viewers of the anime, perhaps it was worth it.

After all, a strong argument can be made that Endless Eight is Haruhi at her best, or at least nearest the point of a normal energetic friendly teenage girl. However, one episode of Endless Eight would easily be forgotten, and not leave much impression. Eight episodes of Endless Eight, however, can start to leave a profound impression. It can really change how people view the various members of the SOS Brigade.

In the case of Haruhi and Yuki, I believe that E8 was intended to humanize both. It was intended to increase the popularity and relatability of both characters. This is, again, to help ensure that the Disappearance movie would be well-recevied. The audience will now understand why Yuki did what she did in that movie a bit better. They may also feel sorry for her, which adds to the emotional poignancy of the movie. More of the audience will now also hopefully understand why Kyon wants so badly to reunite with Haruhi, and why he works so diligently to regain the SOS Brigade that he knows. Perhaps more of the audience will share in Kyon's desire to see Haruhi return.


So... did Endless Eight succeed in achieving these three goals? By and large, I would say that yes, yes it did. It's efforts with Haruhi was undermined somewhat by the Sigh section, which arguably features Haruhi at her worst. However, Haruhi in the anime adaptation of Sigh is portrayed in a bit of a better light than how she was in the novel source material, I would argue. This further supports my view that Endless Eight was intended, in part, to soften the image of Haruhi Suzumiya in the minds of anime fans.


Because Endless Eight succeeded in its goals, I now look back on it with less resentment than I felt when it was originally airing. Of course, a lot of my harsh critiques of Endless Eight that I made at the time were made without knowing when it would end, and when Disappearance would follow it up. A real fear existed that Endless Eight might take up all but one of the 14 new episodes of Haruhi during 2009, and also that Kyoto Animation might be actively avoiding adapting Disappearance. If those fears had been realized, than the anime's handling of E8 would have been absolutely disastrous for this anime franchise.

However, we did get to enjoy five episodes of Sigh, and we did get a Disappearance anime movie less than 12 months after Haruhi 2009 aired. And that negates a lot of the criticisms that were made of E8 while it was actually airing.


That being said, I still believe that E8 would have been better off if there had been more variation between the various time loops shown in the anime. Parts 1, 2, and 8 of Endless Eight were all fine, but Kyoto Animation should have spiced things up a bit more for Parts 3 through 7. Adding in a neat unexpected wrinkle for each of those middle parts. That is still how you do a Groundhog Day narrative right, in my opinion.

However, most if not all of the Endless Eight episodes were finely crafted with solid animation. Each showed evidence of a lot of hard work being poured into it by the animation staff. Neither episode was bad in and of itself. It was simply a case of repetitiveness leading to the whole being less than the sum of the parts. That was what I felt, anyway.

E8 was certainly a memorable event, and one that lended itself to many fanworks, including ones that I enjoyed making. As an inspiration for comedic fanworks, and humorous scathing reviews, Endless Eight was excellent. ;) And given that offerings of the anime world over the last 12 calender months have been pretty slim pickings for me, I can honestly say that I found most of E8 more enjoyable than a lot of the other animes that I did watch over the past 12 months.


My one remaining worry, though, is that E8 may yet turn off North American audiences. We will see how the North American release of the Haruhi 2009 season box set does. That box set does have a relatively inexpensive price point, and hence it may sell Ok.

In any event, the Disappearance movie provides a good launching pad for future Haruhi anime offerings, which I hope we will not have to wait long for.


In conclusion, E8 was very much hated, but I can say that it's aged better than similarly loathed sequels/prequels like the Batman and Robin movie, and Star Wars Episode 1. Those movies continue to live on in infamy for the Batman and Star Wars fanbases, but I think that E8 will be remembered by the Haruhi fanbase as just a silly little bump on the road, comparable to the stereotypical "low point" for bands or singers that tend to come up on VH1 Behind the Music specials. Maybe it's good for a long-running anime franchise like Haruhi to have a low point, as it fits nicely into an overarching anthology story like those Behind the Music specials. Comebacks are always great to have, and you can't have a great combeback without a memorable low point.

I'm just glad that this particular lowpoint wasn't truly endless. ;)

And, thankfully, it looks like while Kyoto Animation might have lost Haruhi's "lightning in the bottle" phenomena with the three year layoff, controversial art style changes, and eight episodes of E8, it has managed to do like Kyon and recapture a real spark in its hand thanks to Disappearance...

Number 2: Haruhi Suzumiya!

Fiction is one of the greatest inventions of the human mind.

It can creates wondrous worlds in our minds that have swirls of creativity as grand as a cosmic spiral.

Bubbles of ingenuity percolate to the surface of our thoughts, and pop with a sparkling light, like a Christmas gift unwrapping itself to reveal interesting intriguing ideas within.

Images intensely imprint upon the individual psyche, and give way to imaginations that exhilarate the human spirit, and captivates the human soul.


This ties into Haruhi Suzumiya in two ways; two ways that weave a mobius strip, as each way ties back into the other.


1) Haruhi Suzumiya is, of course, a fictional character. She herself was one of those bubbles of ingenuity, perculating to the surface of the thoughts of an excellent light novel writer by the name of Nagaru Tanigawa. She herself is an infinitesimally small piece of the puzzle of that human invention called fiction.

But... she is nontheless one of the more important such pieces, I would argue.

Every so often in the world of fiction, there is a new character that takes the world by storm. There is a character that defines, if not transcends, the fictional genres or mediums that the character becomes popularized within. This character so impacts the world of fiction that, for some people, it can become oddly difficult to imagine what life was like before that character even existed.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Alice in Wonderland.

Dorothy in Oz.

Superman

Batman

Mickey Mouse

Bugs Bunny

Mario

And, I believe, that a strong case could be made for Haruhi Suzumiya being to anime what these characters are to their own respective fictional genres and mediums.

Consider that an entire anime (other than her own) exists in large degree to spoof and promote her; that anime being Lucky Star.

Consider that even the most casual anime fans could recognize her by the slightest of glances.

Consider the memes that have sprung from her anime, such as the endlessly copied hare hare yukai dance, and the dreaded Mikuru Beam, killer of the likes of Captain Falcon and Perfect Cell.

Even something as broad as moe is said by many to have been popularized by the anime that is experienced though the thoughts and eyes of Kyon, but revolves around the melancholy and whims of Haruhi Suzumiya.

This, of course, is very much a mixed blessing.

Superman is beloved by many... but disliked by many as well. Some view him as the pinnacle of superhero comics. Others view him, and the trends that he created, to be holding comic books back.

Haruhi Suzumiya is much the same. And later on in this blog entry, I will look at the controversies that surround her like the various signs surrounding the SOS Brigade in the Super Driver OP.

First, however, I return to the mobius strip...


2) Haruhi is the creation of a real person's imagination... but her character is one with an immense imagination itself. The creation of imagination is the holder of vast imagination herself; fiction reflects back on reality.



This screen shot from the OP of the 2006 airing of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, features Haruhi gazing up into the enchanting nightime sky... searching with such longing eyes for... what? What is she looking for, or looking at, you wonder? And then an hand extraordinarily reaches down to grasp Haruhi's hand... and Haruhi's eyes and mouth light up in a blaze of white glory.

This symbolism reflects the interpretive talents of Kyoto Animation at its finest. As much as I've been critical of Kyoto Animation, it does deserve some acclaim for its moments of sheer ingenious brilliance.

But... all of this aside, what is Haruhi looking for or at?

With apologies to Star Trek, I would say that Haruhi is looking for the Undiscovered Country.

Above all else, Haruhi is a pioneer.

She craves the unknown... the uncharted... the unexplored... the untried.

This, I believe, is a big part of what drives her character.

She desires newness.

New areas distinct from the commonly known. New beings to interact with. Future or alien civilizations to become immersed within. Different kinds of existences represented by those that can slide through dimensional doors, and those with extra sensory perceptions... espers, to be short. ;)

And, in her frustration in not finding that (or so she thinks), she was going to destroy the world itself and remake it into something new, to achieve her whims.

But one man stopped her.

One man dragged her back from the brink.

One man is the anchor to her majestic sailing vessel.

That man is Kyon.


Kyon is (in)famous for constantly being led around by his tie. He appears to be whipped, some would say. But the truth of the matter is that his tie, and how Haruhi uses it, is symbolic of the bind that these two complimentray characters have forged for the benefit of each other.

An anchor needs a ship and a crew to show it new worlds... to drag it along even if it would rather go nowhere and lazily stay in place. And, over time, the anchor enjoys a more interesting existence because of it. Even when the opportunity arises for the anchor to forget about that demanding ship and crew, the anchor still longs to return to the voyage that it was already on...

And the pioneering voyager needs the anchor too. The anchor keeps the sailing vessel grounded when the passionate ocean waves grow too high and out of control. When tumultuous times and typhoons threaten to rip the sailing vessel asunder. The anchor then assures the sailing vessel of success, even when the hull is almost breached with the punch of angry waves...

Kyon is the anchor to Haruhi Suzumiya's sailing vessel and crew. Or, you could think of the rest of the SOS Brigade as the crew. This, I think, is at the core of Kyon and Haruhi's relationship. Kyon needs the adventure and excitement that only Haruhi can bring, and Haruhi needs the man who's generally grounded in reasonableness and sensibility to keep her vessel safe when the storms of her desires grow too great.

Deep down inside, I think that they both reliaze this, and that is why they are virtually inseperable.

Haruhi, I think, revealed as much when she openly questioned (to Kyon) the way that she was living her life, back in the episode Live Alive.


But... as important as the anchor is, it is still the sailing vessel that determines the course of the story. It is the sailing vessel that captures the imagination; that points and leads to brave new worlds and unpredictable adventure.


Haruhi is a creation of a real man's imagination, but she creates with her own imagination as well... and all the time, literally and figuratively.

The mobius strip is now complete... but that doesn't mean it always leaves a good impression...





From what I've heard and read, this picture above sums up a lot of the Haruhi haters criticisms against her.

Here's a funny story, to take a perhaps needed break from all the high-falutin' poetic language of this blog entry so far... ;)

This image above was two firsts for me.

It was, honestly, the first "motivational image" I ever saw. It was also the first image of Haruhi and/or Mikuru that I ever saw... before I was even introduced to their anime. When I first saw this image, I had no idea of who these two girls were. For all I knew about them at the time, I thought it was just one young slender lesbian Japanese teenager sexually forcing herself upon an unwilling weaker teenage girl.

I did know, however, that the image left me with some negative first impressions, to be frank...

Sometimes, inside jokes, and tongue-in-cheek self-depreciating humor, can be great. But it can be lost on the uninitiated, as I was at one time, as it pertained to anime.

And I think that this particular side of Haruhi... the side of the malevolent Mikuru molester... is what hurts Haruhi's image as much as anything does.

It's part of the reason why I actually disliked Haruhi quite a bit in the early going.

But, of course, as I watched further and further into the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and also when I read further and further into the Haruhi novels, I gained a vastly more complete image of the character of Haruhi Suzumiya.


And, one of those amazing aspects of Haruhi, is just how multifaceted she is.


Haruhi can carry herself like a great villain...




Haruhi can convey distressing disquieting displeasure...



She can be loudly cheerful and the life of the party...


She can be genuinely caring and sweet...


She can be surprisingly, smoothly, softly responsive...


She can help others in a culturally relevant way while still being true to her individual flare...


She can betray a piercing thoughtfulness that lies within an outer bombastic style...


There are many faces and sides to Haruhi Suzumiya...


And here's the key...

She has the eccentricities of the typical anime schoolgirl... within a look and overall personality just like that of a real life girl next door.

Haruhi has numerous anime trope features to her. I will not deny that.

She plays some tropes staight, subverts some tropes, and even does both with some tropes.

But the key thing is... the character incorporates tropes into herself; the tropes don't define the character.

That's a key distinction, and one that I want to raise as it pertains to "Haruhi is a tsundere" debate.

Let me make a confession here that may surprise people.

In the sense of tsundere as a trait, one of Haruhi's character traits is tsundere. Yes, I admit that.

But I wouldn't call Haruhi a tsundere as an archetype, becomes she's so much more than that alone. A tsundere is just a small part of what she is... it's one facet or side to her complex very well developed character.

There is also how she's very demanding, but also impeccably loyal, to all of her closest friends... not just love interests. ;)

There is how she longs for the extraordinary, yet embraces enriching exquisite cultural traditions and festivals.

There is a restlessness to her that, I will admit, is probably typical of many a teenage girl, yes.

And so, there is another mobius strip sense to Haruhi's character... the combination of the commonplace eccentricities of the anime school girl, with the commonly known features of the real life girl next door, to arrive at an unique character.

And by grounding those eccentricities in a girl that's drawn to look like the picture perfect presentation of pleasant but typical youthful femininity, those eccentricities don't make the character feel too unreal.

Haruhi feels a bit more real because her character design, and because even much of what motivates her and inspires her actions, is so simple, streamlined, and realistic.


And yet, while she is realistic, she often comes across as larger than life.

There is such exuberant electrical energy to almost everything that Haruhi does. There is a vigor of youth that simply explodes from her as each of her whims is instantaneously grabbed for, pulling by the viewer's tie almost hard enough to choke him or her.


And when you roll all of the above together, and you do it to the crisp and clean and sleek and anatomically refined and ideally lined and shaded artwork of Haruhi's 2006 episodes, you arrive at a subtle sexual sensuality that pivots and thrusts the character over the top...


Is it any wonder why beautiful cosplayers dress up as her?


Haruhi is a character that balances strength; real strength, with vibrant femininity. That can, of course, be very alluring to many men and women alike.

And speaking of men... Kamina and Simon had to find a way to channel chaotic spiral power, and to their monumentally mighty manly credit, they found a way to do so!

But while Kamina and Simon can merely seek to tap into spiral power... Haruhi Suzumiya is spiral power, personified. ;)






Most of what I've wrote in this blog entry so far comes close to the sum of the full appeal of Haruhi Suzumiya. I humbly hope that I have managed to do justice to this character, and to why so many like her, and love to cosplay as her (as even a cursory search for "Haruhi Suzumiya" at Deviant Art will show).

However, I also recognize that some may think that I've gone too far in speaking well of her; that I'm exaggerating her good points and downplaying her flaws.

If so, I understand why some would say that, and I even understand why many folks don't like her. Once a character reaches the prominence of a Haruhi Suzumiya, they tend to be "love or hate" characters. Again, I return to Superman... most either love him, or wish he wasn't there at all.

Cultural phenomena characters tend to be trend-setters and all-encompassing symbols for entire industries. They can feel suffocating, no doubt... just as suffocating as Mikuru Asahina no doubt often finds Haruhi Suzumiya. ;)


But, one of the good things about Haruhi is that it's her bad points that tend to make her entertaining and challenging (in a good way) to fully understand; while it's her good points that humanizes her and makes her feel more likable and real.

Ultimately, Haruhi is a pioneer, not all that much unlike a Columbus or a Polo, leading her committed crew and adored anchor to the desired undiscovered country...



Here in this blog entry I have outlined some incredible strengths for this character, and reasons for why she is tied for No. 2 on my Top 10 Favorite Anime Characters of All-Time list.

Why does she not hold that position alone, though, given this glowing appraisal? Or even come in at No. 1?

Well, while Haruhi has some significant pros over the character that tied her, as well as over my favorite anime character of all-time, she lacks some of their poignancy as clearcut characters with timeless roles.

I classified Haruhi as chaotic evil, but that was partly to fit in all nine moral alignments into my Top 10 list (to be honest), and also since she does in fact cause chaos and evil to others at times; occassionally even intentionally.

However, while Haruhi can play the villain she is not a "full-time" villain that is the best anime villain of all-time, in my opinion. Nor is she a great "full-time" hero or heroine that soars in the skies and conjures up images of the personality of Superman.

Haruhi is perhaps more complex than both, but because of that, she doesn't have quite the same straight-line, goose bumps-raising, impact during moments of intense conflict.

Haruhi merely wants to find the undiscovered country... the man who tied with her for No. 2 wants to conquer it.

Some people aren't looking for anything logical.

They can't be bought, reasoned, or negotiated with.

Some men... just want to watch their enemies burn... ;)


And a villainy as dark and twisted as that, especially in a character that you find yourself sympathizing with, can be a real sight to behold, and its a villainy like that which I will delve into in my next blog entry...


For now, though, I conclude this write-up on Haruhi Suzumiya, one of my three favorite anime characters of all-time, who tied for No. 2 on this Top 10 list.

For her sake, I hope that she finds her undiscovered country, and that its beauty trumps even this...

No 2: ...TIE! Haruhi Suzumiya & Katsuhiko Jinnai!!

The beloved rulers of the omnipotent Bugrom Empire in my

El Hazard of Haruhi Suzumiya
fanfic.

Top Ten Countdown - Number 2, Female: Haruhi Suzumiya

Moral Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Supporting Quotes - "I've decided that Mikuru is my toy!"

"Unleash the fires of hell on them!!"


Top Ten Countdown - Number 2, Male: Katsuhiko Jinnai

Moral Alignment: Neutral Evil

Supporting Quotes - "The law must serve my purposes!"

"Ha ha ha ha! Attack! I order you to crush them!!!

To many of my closer anime-watching friends, Katsuhiko Jinnai must seem to me what Troy McClure is to The Simpsons. ^_^;;

There's no question that Jinnai is an old and sustaining favorite of mine, and a character that I tend to put in a very large percentage of my fanworks. He's the only 90s anime character to not merely crack my Top 7, but also to come in as high as sharing the Silver Medal of Olympian levels of anime entertainment value, along with Haruhi Suzumiya.

And, indeed, these two are like the top pairs skating team at the upcoming Winter Olympics in my Great Native Land of Canada; how fitting that they could represent Japan together. ;)

I not only like using each of them, I love using them together. And, indeed, for two characters from two different animes of two very different anime eras (mid-90s and the last decade respectively), I find that these two have a lot in common, and serve as great complimentary and reflective foils to one another. Hence, why they're the co-stars of my largest fanfic ever; co-stars with a fair deal of chemistry and dynamism between them, I would argue.

They also appear in this AMV, which I think is a fitting tribute AMV for this dastardly dynamic duo sharing the Number 2 spot. ;)


At this point, many of my fellow Haruhi fans at Anime Suki who aren't familiar with the 1995 El Hazard anime may feel lost.

Well then, here's a few words from Jinnai...

KJ: Hello, I'm Troy McClur... er... Katsuhiko Jinnai. You may remember me from my role as the President of Kyoto Animation in these two spoof videos!


Yes, folks, when I compared the people at KyoAni and Kadokawa to a classic anime villain... Katsuhiko Jinnai is who I had in mind. ;)

Who else but the devious prankster Jinnai could concoct a scheme as incredibly bold as releasing eight episodes of Endless Eight? Causing such unstoppable pandemonium to force others to accept his every whim is very consistent with Jinnai's modus operandi.


Of course, this is also rather true of Haruhi Suzumiya, is it not?

Whereas I felt that the E8 arc shows that KyoAni's top dogs had the mind of a Jinnai, the Sigh arc made clear that Haruhi takes after the people who run KyoAni in how she handled the making of her movie. ;)


So, here, you have two magnificently megalomaniacal masters of conquest and victory, regardless of what computer nerds (be they Makoto Mizuhara or the CCP) need to be ran over when they get in their way.

Alas, both of them are set back by eyes... the Eye of God in Jinnai's case, and the ever-critiquing eyes of Kyon in Haruhi's case; each "Eye" causing critical catastrophes (or risking thereof) through giving rise to attacks on the targets of its displeasure. In Jinnai's case, it meant the almost complete annihiliation of his Bugrom forces. In Haruhi's case, it meant the almost complete annihiliation of her mood. ;)

However, neither of these two anime characters succumb easily. It didn't take much for either to recapture his or her spirits, and push forward in causing ever more problems for their immediate surroundings.

These two are also, in their own way, determinators.


They are both decidedly determined domineering leaders. They carry themselves as though they were royalty, sitting upon thrones or having pyramids outlining their rank of command.


And they certainly both love playing military commander...





They both know how to party when they win...






Perhaps most importantly, they both love bugs... ;)




Oh... and they both share the ability to point like Phoenix Wright... ;)



So... in conclusion a rather fitting pair to share the terrific Number Two spot on my favorite anime characters of all-time thread.


However... these two characters each deserve their own separate write-ups, for while there's a lot of characteristics that they share in common which I like, each also has his or her own unique appeal to me.


That, friends, is what I will delve into with my next two blog entries.

One will be a write-up on Haruhi.

The second will be a write-up on Jinnai.


I hope that you, faithful readers, will join me for both. :)

Here's a piece of commissioned artwork for my El Hazard of Haruhi Suzumiya fanfic which I think is fitting to close out this blog entry with...