I’m stuck without my home computer, so I am going to have to do a text based review of this, the triumphant return to the Haruhi world. Adjust your reading glasses and…begin!
This episode picks up right along with the old season. It could even be part of the old season, which, considering the time bending design of the release of the first season, could in fact be the case (OK, I actually read that the first and second season are concurrent, we’ll see if that holds up). Best of all, this is one of my favorite type of episodes, a time travel episode! And not because that means it’s a Mikuru-centric episode. Despite the popularity of the female cast members, my favorite character remains Kyon, and every episode is Kyon-centric. I love the fact that Kyon is the calm in the midst of the Harhui storm, taking whatever comes along in stride. Need him to travel back in time three years? Sure, why not? Need him to sleep in a room while you adjust time/space around him? He’s there. Need him to walk a random road and help the first person he sees? He’s on it. I love that Kyon maintains a sharp mind and wit while anyone else would have the screaming heebee jeebees by this point.
The plot is fairly simple. Haruhi is uncharacistically excited about Tamabana, a Japanese holiday where you hang wishes on trees for the gods to read (I think - look it up). Haruhi puts her own twist on it, concluding that the two gods that answer Tamabana prays reside on two distant stars, 16 and 25 light years away. Thus the wishes must be for events to take place 16 or 25 years in the future. Just a normal day in the SOS brigade.
After Haruhi takes off seeming disappointed that the gods didn’t personally come by to answer her pray, Mikuru takes Kyon three years into the past for no reason she is willing to share. As usual, Kyon is all “sure, why not” and goes along, only to be KOed for the trip so he doesn’t learn any time travel secrets. Mikuru then gets the KO treatment as grown-up Mikuru (from Season 1) asks Kyon to head down the road and help the first person he comes across. This is, of course, a middle school aged Haruhi breaking into her middle school at night. Kyon is forced to help her create the chalk alien message she became famous for (again, see Season 1). At the same time, he ends up suggesting to an impressionable Harhui that the high school he attends may in fact have aliens, time travelers, and espers (but no sliders - whatever that is).
I’ll skip over the filler “we’re stuck in the past, oh noes!” storyline and return to the present. Here we dissect the meaning of the trip. Kyon points out that his meeting of Haruhi may have influenced her decision to attend their high school, thus violating the prevailing theory of causality yadda yadda yadda whatever. This also leads to the fact that Haruhi admits loving Tanabana because of a pleasant memory she had during that holiday, once again re-enforcing the importance of Kyon in her world (there is no indication she realizes that middle school stalker Kyon and this Kyon are the same person). Finally, to drive the point home, Kyon plays chess with Itsuki rather than the normal go. Itsuki points out that the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. Not said is that despite this, the king is the most important piece. That, I feel, is the central theme of the show, is that even if Haruhi is a god, she is uncontrollable and unstable without Kyon, even if he doesn’t realize it. I’m hoping this season explores why.