Nagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu – 05
…in which Asakua reverts to form and kills everyone!
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Oh, I am so kidding about that. But darn it if she didn’t get close. I think this episode was as much about her character growing a bit in as much as it was for our title character. |
Courtesy chocolate vs. the other kind
There are so many rules in anime land for the giving of chocolates on Valentine’s. Some of them are written, some of them are, for the most part, unwritten. But no matter, all rules must succumb to the courts of both drama and comedy. Thou we’ve seen this play many times before, it’s great to see this franchise take it’s own spin on the proceedings. It really is a very simple set of devices, but the interplay tells us a great deal about what the characters are thinking and feeling.
The Anger of Ryouko Asakura-san
…same mood, different faces…
I’ll let you in on a small secret. I really like this version of Asakura, perhaps even more so than the previous. While it is very certain, her less-than-mild alternate packed a great deal of punch…and knives….and reality altering….and there is a great deal to be said of that, this Asakura approaches more of what a character actually is. She was a dangerous prop the first time around, and she did facilitate a great deal of the action, and indirectly brought both Yuki-chan and Kyon to each other’s attention, in a manner that was above and beyond the weirdness happening around them. This one is no slouch in those departments. But at the same time she isn’t just a mere actor of a much larger concern.
I loved how wrapped up she was in this mission. It’s just as if she had just as much to gain from it as her nearly self-appointed charge; her investment level is total despite her claiming other-wise in previous episodes. She’s the fierce and loyal guardian she was toward the end of the Disappearance film, but toned down in major ways; thou her near strangling of Kyon at the end of this episode shows she still the mama-bear. But where is that rebellious streak she had at the beginning of the Haruhi franchise? Both versions of her had a thing for killing Kyon; but I suppose this versions mission statement has been changed? Regardless, she leaves an over self-reflective approach by the side and peruses this new mission with the same old zeal.
The Crossroads of the Two
So, are these two at an understanding?
But let’s get back to the serious business of chocolate; and the specific case of it’s giving and receiving. When confronted with how she has acted, does Yuki-chan put on an act? Is the story she told what she wish she would have done? It’s fairly clear that her story doesn’t match with how it went down. But this is an interesting way to get inside her head. It probably is an unspoken wish of her’s to be exactly as she claims. Demure, leaving a moment alone, not interfering. But I think you can tell she would probably like to be a bit more assertive. I felt that she was pretending a bit too much here. She’s changing a bit, so most of the strings are still up for grabs.
Haruhi, for her part, is in the same boat. She’s not being totally honest with herself in so far as how she feels about Kyon. She knows full well she has competition. In another universe she would barely have the concern (well unless she’s given the chance to stay in the hospital waiting for someone to recover from a stabbing) but she does have her point of fascination in him, and she’s not willing to let it go easily. She’s not willing to express it easily, and uses the courtesy chocolate as her “in”. But it feels like she’s fielding players for a game, not creating the magic baseball bat.
…and it all goes off without a hitch…
It’s the simple things that count, and the expression of how you feel counts for quite a lot. I loved every single aspect of this scene; from Yuki-chan’s admission of pride in making her home-made chocolates, to the peanut gallery commentary given by both Asakura and Haruhi from their high vantage point. Not only was Yuki-chan proud, she still pulled it back, staying close to character. She couldn’t help but take some shame in using commercial chocolate instead of from-scratch. She also played around with her nerve at Kyon eating them right away. She couldn’t win for losing, but patience played off in the end. Well, it had some pay-off she didn’t quite count on. It was nice for us to see the change-over with Yuki-chan falling and Kyon catching, not so nice for her to be on that sort of receiving end.
But from the peanut gallery we get a bit more nuance. This really isn’t the characters of old. Haruhi is right in that she does put up with the mild ribbing she get’s from Kyon and Asakura, but she’s a lot more functional in this universe. So how much did she screw it up? Did she try to get a leg up on Yuki-chan and fail? Does the order of the giving matter? Or is it, as Yuki feels in the end, important to just give and receive without putting much on it?
So, John Smith is there, and so is a younger Kyon….interesting…
I’ve said quite a bit already, so I’ll make it a short wrap up. This series continues to be it’s own animal, but it doesn’t forget where it came from. So far, I’m enjoying both of these. It’s fun to watch them as they conform to new motivations and situations, yet still stay somewhat the same. Asakura is cut from the same cloth as Yuki, so to speak, to speak of their alternate characters, it’s just the mission they used to serve is, if not gone, then changed drastically. But, they keep leading us on with Haruhi’s past. Is it changed? How much? It’s gonna get interesting…
Happy White Day!
About skylion
All around nerd that enjoys just about any anime genre. I love history, politics, public policy, the sciences, literature, arts...pretty much anything can make me geeky...except sports. Follow me @theskylion
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I liked this one a lot better than the previous two. A crack or two in Haruhi’s all-conquering personality. A wonderfully supportive character in Asukara (if only her “Nagato-san” wasn’t always translated as “Miss Nagato”). And a Yuki Nagato who can pull herself up off the floor and get back to the business at hand… almost. While it’s certain that she ran away in the first place because of her fear of Haruhi winning Kyon, she seemed completely sincere in her later statements that she wasn’t.
This was almost exactly what I wanted from the show.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…I still think she was talking the talk for the most part. But it felt more like a “self” pep talk.
Oh, goodness. How long can the cracks in Haruhi last?
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I think I would much rather see a Haruhi like this, with some actual self-doubt (even as she tries to bluster through them) piling up. I’m sure there were some moments like that in the first series (although I can’t remember anything specific) but the cumulative effect was nil.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…there was no self-doubt pile up with her, she was literally incapable of having it..
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
Of course it was courtesy chocolate. With a name like ”Showa”, I just get the feeling that it had been in the shop since 1989 or before 😉
Overall nice resolution to the previous week.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…I looked up that chocolate brand, hoping to find a treasure trove of information…but it’s a silly “no trademark” label.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
I don’t remember Asakua’s eyebrows being Mugi-level…
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…protractors are serious business…
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Ehhhhh you might like this new version, but I’m not a fan due to her pushy attitude to get Yuki confess to Kyon, its like WHOA GIRL CALM THE FK down and let Yuki take it at her own pace, but I get it she HAS to motivate her friend or she won’t do it! That and can she be any more loud? Seriously…
Valentines day in anime always makes my head hurt! It is always the same old busted story “OH MY GAWD I GOTTA GIVE SENPAI MY HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE?! EHHHHHHH!” LOL maybe I have the wrong idea but damn they really love to over complicate things…
Fun jab did you notice the scene where Yuki and Haruhi were sitting on the stairs? Haruhi was one step above Yuki and by that you could say Haruhi is one step ahead of Yuki for catching Kyon <3 LOLOOOLOL
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Oh, she doesn’t have to motivate her, per se. Just make sure she’s stays on target, uses the Force, etc.
Valentines is srs bsnss.
Ah, but Haruhi yielded that extra step at the end.
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Well, I like the anime version of Valentines much better than the RL North American version. It feels much more sweeter ^^ No idea what the RL Japanese version is like, if it’s even remotely anything similar to the anime version.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I sidestep these sorts of things by not celebrating any holidays. Seems much safer that way…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Not… even… Christmas?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Well, Thanksgiving and Christmas more or less, for the most part, kinda. But not the rest…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Well, Christmas is the only holiday that matters. Because presents.