Friday 19 June 2009

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Season 2 - Episode 2 (aka Episode 12)

New episodes of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya are like buses - You don't get any for years and then they all start turning up at once. So, with Kyoto Animation still intent on maintaining chronological order for all episodes, we've had to wait a little while from that first new episode (episode eight of the series in full) until the second brand new instalment titled "Endless Eight", which slots in here as episode twelve of the show as a whole.


While it may be brand, spanking and indeed new, I think it's only fair to classify this particular episode as filler - With school out for summer, there's nothing at all for the SOS Brigade's members to do to pass the time... Until Haruhi intervenes that is. With a couple of weeks of the holiday left, she assembles the group with an ambitious plan of fun (yet surprisingly normal) activities for them to partake in until the end of the summer.

So, we get to see Haruhi and company at the swimming pool (read: fan service), catching bugs, going to an Obon festival, messing around with fireworks (kids, don't shoot fireworks from your bikes!), playing baseball and so on. In essence, this is The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as a slice of life series - It's almost as though an episode of K-ON! has somehow been injected into it. Surprisingly, this also seems to make Haruhi very happy despite its lack of weirdness, although there is an melancholy to the end of the episode, leaving us with the feeling that there are still things which Haruhi wished to do.

As filler goes this was a passable episode, but after the joys and wonders of that first new episode I found it a little difficult to get too enthused about this effort. Still, this should mark the beginning of a concerted period of new episodes, so the next few weeks should (if the rumours are correct) sate our The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for a while well and truly.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

have you read the novels my friend?

if not dont spoil it now and prepare yourself for next week :D

Flick said...

Haha I agree with anon, there is more to this episode than just filler. That said I love the idea of "slice-of-life" Haruhi. The still images of bug-catching were actually my favourite part of the episode. We even got Kyon fanservice! ^____^

Unknown said...

I get why you say filler, but even not knowing (as I do now) that there is more to the story than meets the eye, I loved this episode. It did the characters justice with lots of trademark SHnY humorous touches. Both new episodes have made me feel: yes, this is how you do anime.

Anonymous said...

even if it was filler, it was still good, although this whole re-airing thing is getting on my nerves! why cant they just air all new ones and call it season 2?? its been 3 years. but.. as it goes any haruhi is good haruhi!

Anonymous said...

Sorry but, it's definitely not filler. There are nine light novels you should probably read if you like the anime because they fallow the same storyline.

Those of you who didn't pay close attention to this episode will regret it whenever the following one comes out.

Anonymous said...

haha these episodes are not fillers but it gets tiring seeing the same shit for 3 episodes yes 3 episodes its all the way up to episode 4 of season 2 a.f.k fansubs are doing haruhi. I've read all the light novels and not to spoil much the anime has done some variations to this part of the novel. http://a.scarywater.net/afk/ subbing group http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Suzumiya_Haruhi if you want to read the light novels.