It was a normal day just like any other day. I found myself reading through the myirad and random posts on the front page of reddit, whilst preparing to watch another episode of Haruhi 2009.  As I wondered through the various postings of a troubled world and nation, I came to the realization that I had done this before.

…because, I had, every day, for the last year. It’s basically been work, internet, television, and then anime. I’ve manage to sneak a book in every once in a while, but I haven’t managed to actually finish one.

But, all that is besides the point here. I would really like to get angry over the Haruhi mess that is Endless Eight, but I just don’t have the wherewithal. I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t been awaiting, with a childlike anticipation, for the next season of Haruhi. I’ve grown a little less vigilant in awaiting each new episode, and I find that to be a very sad thing, indeed.

The odd thing–I’m sure it has been pointed out–is that we regularly re-watch the same anime repeatedly. It’s not unusal for an anime fan to compulsively digest something they enjoy over and over again. For that matter, it isn’t really that odd for us to re-watch a movie, reread a book, or re-imagine an event in our live. It’s all about examining and finding new ways to see these things along with gaining new insight.

That is the prerequisite, though. There has to be some insight. Lately, I’ve found Haruhi to be lacking. I’m sure many will argue that the Endless Eight arc is full of tiny hints that tell of a larger…something. No doubt, there are many people who have noticed subtle changes between the episodes that in themselves tell something, but overall mean another.

Is it interesting? Yes.

Is it artistic? Yes.

Could it have been accomplished in one episode? Unfortunately, Yes. In hindsight, we should have expected something of this nature to amuse and confound our tastes. After all, this is the show that aired “out of order,” the first season. To which, many were peeved.

I guess, the fact that I’m still watching it speaks volumes for the show.

On another note, I’ve been fairly pleased with Yuki’s emotional range throughout Endless Eight.

Here we see Yuki is surprised to be stopped by Kyon. Sure, it’s happened about 15K times, but she’s still a bit surprised each time, which shows through her excellent body language. Yuki knows how to emote.

Yuki is giving that, “so, what’s up?” look. Excellent animation.

Notice, the posture and body positioning. It says, “I’m waiting to leave.” You can tell a lot of thought went into this one scene.

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Linked to lk’s blog, in his recent repeated post on Endless Eight and rewatchability. I meant to link to him originally, but I forgot when I first posted last night.