Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu – 04

Operation Imitation Shoujo Manga!

It’s still up in the air whether or not this is Nagato Yuki-chan’s world. Sources say it is, but sources also warn of other sources of heavy gravity in the vicinity, namely our not so Melancholy Haruhi…

Well, we’ve gone from one out of season holiday to the next. But that is all in the service of showing us the passage of time; from Christmas to Valentine’s, things have largely stayed the same in the Literature club’s room. Both Haruhi and Koizomi still sneak in with their equally out of season PE wear, and the boys are there to serve the whims of the girls. Haruhi has wasted no time as Executive President, showing everyone where the pecking order stands. This is something that I think we can agree that Asukara is both aware of, and active in doing what she can to support the club’s shy President, our titular heroine..

Supporting the shy is a full disclosure sport in the club-room…

But who can fault either Asukara or Tsuruya when you have such fun playmates as these; this was a full pitched battle with the hope that insecurity would be the only casualty. But alas, this was not to be. This is the full flowering of that great adventure called youth, and it’s the very thing the franchise loves to celebrate. Now with Valentine’s Day on the horizon, the next quest turns to defeating that annual threat, the Making of the Home-made Chocolate. This is not an activity for the weak of constitution, nor is it the work of the dojikko. At least not without further support in the dungeon known as the Home Kitchen.

Sometimes you slay the beast, and sometimes you pick up the pieces of early defeat

So far Yuki-chan has show great strides in defeating some mookish monster’s in her path. Overcoming her shyness to expand her club, branching out to new friends to keep the club active, happy, and celebratory. She’s also been very accommodating to Haruhi and Koizomi’s entrance; a mixed bag result as it strengthens and increases her circle of friends, but brings with it a problem I’ll get to in a moment. And now, she’s cleared the next level and earned the Home-Made chocolate uncommon item drop.

I have to admire Asukara for sticking up for her friend. As I’ve said in recent coverage, I much prefer this version to the other one. Both can teach you that you don’t melt chocolate in the microwave, but only this version can do it will less (read:no) of any kind of cutlery. Having said that, I still am quite attached to how they’ve built this universe’s background. We would not be able to appreciate how far the character’s have gone from field without knowing the field beforehand. This is the role she mostly played in the original. It didn’t take much for her to break from it. So, with that in mind, what is this Asukara’s cue to play more towards her very very serious form?

…because other character’s are playing near to the original form in all the ways that count…

I’ve stated the opinion that Haruhi called all the character’s around her in Melancholy. Kyon is no exception. In fact, he’s the first on the call sheet. But, as we know, the paradigm of Nagato Yuki-chan is one without Haruhi as “insert definition here”. All in all, this only means that she has to do her own leg work. I would be inventing things whole of cloth if I thought she was hunting Kyon from the get-go. This is just how the cards played out. She’s just being herself. In any paradigm, she just has to seek out the unusual, and isn’t afraid to broadcast that desire hither and yon. In addition to that, her meeting the boy has probably become a happy accident. One that both seem willing to explore a bit further…

…life has a way of happening after all…

…and it tends to happen while Yuki-chan is busy making other plans. So far she hasn’t been terribly earnest. She isn’t far away from distracting herself with a video game, missing all the cues around her in the process. In her original form she could count the neutrinos passing by in distant star-systems while “relatively” enjoying the pages of the Hyperion series. But then she missed out on all that human emotions had to convey. She has a chance to get it right this time, but it certainly isn’t going to be as easy as a rare item drop on her portable gaming rig, and not while she is merely wishing in one hand…

I love how the flashed the images on screen like a horror movie…sudden and horrible in her eye

This show, despite all appearances, and it spite of the derision, is working very hard at adverting and clinging to it’s new found narrative tropes. And despite being the distaff cousin of a larger, more popular franchise, it’s not afraid to tell it’s story at it’s own pace, and at it’s own discretion. For newcomers, it’s very likely to be a well-received romcom, but for long time fans, it continues to offer a fresher take on the formula. This isn’t last decade’s Haruhi and I’m very glad to see that.

Haruhi’s entry into this new world is not something to take for granted. She’s a force to be reckoned with even without the powers that subconsciously informed her. When she isn’t sucking all the oxygen out of the room, she’s still attractive, charming in her own brash yet sincere way, and demanding in ways that aren’t quite as rude or pushy. She’s earnest, open, and completely honest with herself. She’s not afraid of the moment. I love how this episode in particular is readily able to enforce that and provide a stark contrast to Yuki’s inherent shyness. So are we on the path of more Rejection of Nagato Yuki-chan or have things only just started to show some spark? Or are there other surprises?

Next Time: Her Melancholy

Bouken Deshou Deshou?