Nagato Yuki-chan No Shoushitsu

Uhm… Is Haruhiism still popular these days? I’m not too sure about it since I wasn’t really that much of a big fan of that series. Also, I thought ever since that scandal that hit a certain singer-cum-voice actress also brought the series deeper into the wilderness. Not to mention that second season that had a handful of repetitiously repetitive episode that earned the wrath and scorn of all viewers and fans alike. So… Is Haruhiism still around? Maybe not as popular as before but I believe it isn’t all that dead yet. Good news or bad, that is why we’re not getting another season of Haruhi here. Therefore no Haruhiism revival. At least, not directly. Instead, we have an adaptation spin-off of one of the characters in the series. As the title says, Nagato Yuki-chan No Shoushitsu (The Disappearance Of Nagato Yuki) is focused on that quiet alien girl but we’re not going to see an origin series here. This is an alternate universe setting where by Nagato is a shy girl who has a crush on Kyon. Say what?

Episode 1
Kyon joins Nagato in her Literature Club. She is grateful for his membership otherwise the club would cease to exist. He also walks her home and she states her intention of wanting to hold a Christmas party. Ryouko had to interrupt their little romcom to teach Nagato how it’s done to hold Kyon’s hand. First she lets Kyon carry her bags and then warms her cold hands on his cheeks. He can’t drop the bags because they’ve got eggs in them. And that girl, is how you be aggressive with him. While having dinner in Nagato’s home, they forgot Kyon is here as Ryouko helps change Nagato right in front of his eyes. So Kyon is forced to cheer her up. Luckily she believes him that he didn’t see anything. But now she’s asking about her stomach! Kyon knows this route too well. Either answer will land him in hot soup. He says he doesn’t have a belly fetish but Nagato doesn’t know what that means. Better not open another can of worms. Because Nagato wants turkey for the Christmas party, they go shop around for one. Ryouko, I don’t think chicken wings with great discount are going to be turkey substitute. ‘Trouble’ begins when Tsuruya and Asahina are also there. Before they know it, they are in a competition. Tsuruya is willing to give them a turkey but Nagato must compete with Asahina for it. Each time Nagato and Asahina face off each other with whatever weird competition, Ryouko and Tsuruya would interject and show them how it is supposed to be done. Before you know it, the girls start competing among themselves. Better do it yourselves, huh? So it’s a draw? In the clubroom, Nagato tries to visualize what kind of Christmas cake she wants. Multi-tier, huh? Kyon wants to take a look at the cake she drew in the notebook but she is too embarrassed to show it. When she is ready to show him, he notices the multi-tier cake looks like a wedding cake… Ryouko returns with permission to use the clubroom for their party. They thought they made a pun when Nagato also wanted snow in the classroom. You know… Yuki… Get it? Of course this party means something more for Nagato. She wants to use this to convey her feelings to Kyon.

Episode 2
Nagato is so excited about tomorrow’s party that she couldn’t sleep and stayed up late at night playing games. Imagine Ryouko’s wrath the next morning… Scolded like a child. In the clubroom as they test out the artificial snow, Kyon and Nagato start throwing it around and it hit right in Ryouko’s face. Time to get mad again? After all the preparations are done (Tsuruya and Asahina also chipped in), the girls wear their Santa outfit. Nagato somewhat felt relief that she isn’t being compared to Asahina. Flashback recalls Nagato had very low self confidence. Even lower when she received a notice her club will be disbanded if she doesn’t get any new members. Nagato would have accepted that fate if not for Ryouko telling her off that if she needs help, don’t stay quiet and come ask her. She’ll do what she can. The question now is if Nagato is interested to save the Literature Club or not. They can’t get things done unless she makes up her mind. The Christmas party goes well. Lots of fun. Lots of teasing Kyon. Nagato is glad the club didn’t get shut down. That night when she can’t sleep, she takes a stroll only to be raked in by this weirdo, Haruhi to write some alien sign in the snow because she wants to summon Santa! As she didn’t wear her glasses she couldn’t really tell. Nagato wonders why she is doing this so Haruhi says that she is very adamant to prove Santa’s existence. So much so she even brought in a random stranger to help her! Once it’s done, she tells Nagato to come here on Christmas if she has the time. Flashback shows Nagato taking action to distribute flyers for people who joined her club. One of them was Kyon. Then during the party when Nagato and Kyon are along outside and it started to snow. Perfect ambience for you-know-what. Just when Nagato is getting into the groove to confess her feelings, Ryouko had to ruin it when she accidentally opens the window to admire the snow loudly. Bummer. Nagato and Kyon both sit close together in the snow. Weird. But warm. The next day as the duo walk to school, suddenly Haruhi pops out and collapses before them.

Episode 3
Haruhi becomes rough in forcing Kyon to take her to a warm place. Looks like she’s alright. Haruhi thought they were a couple so embarrassed Nagato dismisses it and that they’re club members and total strangers. Could she at least have said they’re just friends? Bummer. Haruhi reveals she is interested in aliens rather than ordinary people when she remembers she left her bag and stuffs at the park. Thank goodness it is all still there. Yeah… Everything! The equipment and the likes. That is when the girls realize and remember each other of that alien sign writing last night. Yeah, too dark to see faces. Worse, Haruhi thought Nagato was a boy then. Haruhi goes on ranting about her desire to find aliens, time travellers and espers and play with them. And she’s saying it with confidence. Amazing person, isn’t she? Or just a big lunatic? Nagato and Kyon realize they’re late for their club. Because Ryouko will blow her top if they don’t start cleaning as promised. Next day, Kyon and Nagato get a shock when Haruhi finds out where their club is and barges in like she owns the place. In order to stem suspicion, she has them borrow their gym clothes so it would look like she is a student here doing some activity. But why borrow Kyon’s gym clothes too? Well, looks like she is going to give it to Koizumi who is her fellow classmate so that he can join them in this club. Kyon suggests Haruhi ties her hair up ponytail style. Really? Sure he has no fetish about this? Too bad Nagato. Your hair is too short… Maybe try growing it out? Sure, but remember to tie it ponytail. I’m pretty sure he has a fetish for this hairstyle… Haruhi introduces Koizumi to the rest. Koizumi talks to Kyon that he is interested in Haruhi. That weirdo? Because of his strange timing when he transferred to school, other students shunned him but Haruhi who thought he might be something special is the only one who talked to him. To her he is just a transfer student. Since he is losing that appeal, he is worried about that. Haruhi makes herself the executive president of the Literature Club and this club’s mystery section. Wait. What? Ryouko also befriends them thinking that they are model students, they wouldn’t do anything bad. Oh really? Haruhi and Koizumi start bringing weird things to the club. One that includes Asahina! Kidnapping! Seems she ‘sacrificed’ the guys to Tsuruya before the teacher reprimanded her for being disgraceful and that allowed Haruhi to snatch her away. With Haruhi in the gang, the Literature Club turns into a noisy club when it used to be such a quiet place. Haruhi versus Tsuruya, Asahina screaming after Kyon saw her panties… Ah, those quiet days…

Episode 4
For some reason, there is another useless competition between Ryouko and Tsuruya each trying to outdo the other by telling embarrassing stories of Nagato and Asahina respectively. They sure know a lot than the person themselves. Later while Ryouko helps Nagato make Valentine chocolates (it got off to a clumsy start but it ended well), Haruhi ‘hijacks’ Kyon and forces him to hang out with her for the entire day. And there’s that seemingly ‘romantic’ scene of them at the river when he catches her hand before she trips and falls into the water. Nagato is so excited about tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day that she stayed up late and played video games. So it is no wonder that Ryouko gives that usual scolding the next morning. In the clubroom, Nagato and Asahina talk about giving guys their chocolate. Hypothetically if Nagato was a guy and she gave her chocolates, Asahina would feel very happy. They are embarrassed when Ryouko and Tsuruya eavesdropped on their ‘confession’! Hate to break this to you, Asahina. But Nagato’s heart belongs to Kyon. So the girls come up with a strategy to let Nagato give her chocolates to Kyon. After school, Ryouko will give Kyon the key to unlock the clubroom and wait inside before Nagato comes in to give her chocolates. They’ll be alone and it will be perfect. Now Nagato needs to mentally prepare herself for this. She better do it after putting her heart and soul making those chocolates. When the time comes, Nagato is outside the door and taking a deep breath. As she opens, she cannot be more shock to see this heartbreaking scene. Kyon receiving chocolates from Haruhi. God, no…

Episode 5
Ryouko can tell something is wrong when Nagato runs out. Then she sees the scene. She really wants to yell to Haruhi but the latter tells her she might be misunderstanding something. With Koizumi coming into the scene, Haruhi passes the same obligation chocolates to him like she did to Kyon. Ryouko and Haruhi try to find Nagato but to no avail. Ryouko chews out at Haruhi but the latter won’t apologize for what she did. But after being angry with herself and crying out a little, it’s back to finding Nagato. They find her sitting on the stairs. Time for Ryouko to lecture her about losing courage. So what is she doing at a place like this? Well? Why did she run away then? She thought it would be courtesy for people to be alone when they give chocolates. Why did she toss away hers? Actually she accidentally dropped it without knowing. Don’t worry, Nagato hasn’t given up on it yet. She asks Haruhi if she likes Kyon. That middle ground answer: “I don’t hate him”. But that doesn’t matter because Nagato notes it’s her turn to give her chocolates. Oh, good timing because Kyon is here. Time to set things right. After summing up her courage, she gives it to him. He wants to eat them now and this puts Nagato in a dilemma if he should. Eventually he does and when a girl puts her heart and soul into making them, there is no way they’re going to taste bad. Ryouko and Haruhi are watching from afar and the former still blames her for that incident because Kyon might also think Nagato’s chocolates are obligation. But Nagato’s mission isn’t over yet. There is one final thing left to do: Confession. Nagato already summing up heaps of courage is about to say those words when suddenly Tsuruya pops up to play a pushing prank on her. She loses her balance but as Kyon tries to grab her, he also loses his footing. His face ends up on her chest. No matter how flat it is, they’re still boobs. Well, you can guess what happens next. And Kyon gets blamed… On White Day, Kyon returns the favour by giving all the girls chocolates. They’re all the same… But Nagato is happy to receive something from him.

Episode 6
The gang are surprised that Haruhi has got a special permission from the teachers to come in as she likes to this school. Well, with permission or not, she’ll still come. She did tell Nagato about it. How come Nagato doesn’t remember? Oh wait… Haruhi entered the clubroom to ask her to sign some documents but since she was busy playing her game she just signed it. Oh, Nagato. Now you give more ammo for Ryouko to fire back. Tsuruya makes her grand entrance by throwing Asahina into Kyon’s face. Faceboobs? Nagato tries to separate them but accidentally snaps Kyon’s neck! Don’t worry. He’s still alive. And then there is some cooked up story about Kyon being a beast on Asahina when he accidentally bumped into her and when he tried to pick up her stuffs, their hands touched. And Nagato believes it… Kyon wants Ryouko to help tutor him but after all that teasing, Kyon thought of asking Nagato but Ryouko didn’t want that to happen and will personally tutor him. It is that or she’ll break your fingers! This scene looked like something romantic in Nagato’s eyes… Ryouko is dressed the part to teach Kyon but with Haruhi coming in and interrupting the lessons, especially talking about the last year’s syllabus he is reviewing, Kyon manages to convince Ryouko to take on the challenge to solve the maths questions by saying that she is some sort of legend and the prestige of this school rests on her shoulders. Unfortunately she can’t even start and pushes the problem to Nagato! Without doing any written calculations, Nagato arrives at the right answer! Care to explain? Uhm… Maybe it’s because we’re so stupid we couldn’t catch all the words as they sound blurted out. Ryouko’s theory: She is terrible in explaining that she sounds like an alien! Maybe this explains it… In another time, Kyon teases Nagato by taking away her game when she is so engrossed in it and not noticing him. She tries to take it back but she lands on him. Better get off before Ryouko sees this ambiguous hugging scene. Oops. Too late. Later, Kyon feeds Nagato (to deepen their friendship thingy) and Ryouko once more comes in thinking that the duo aren’t that bold enough to flirt and sees this. Somebody’s got a lot of explaining and convincing to do. Our executive president barges in to announce a training camp for everyone. Why hasn’t Nagato heard of it? Oh wait… Oh…

Episode 7
Haruhi has got a very detailed itinerary of the trip. But wait. How come there are also reports of the trip too? After convincing the teachers for this trip, this is the report that they will submit. I mean, you don’t want to ruin the fun of your trip by not doing your homework first, right? So what better way than to do it first! And she had done it all for them! Of course, Ryouko thinks this is a good opportunity to get those lovebirds closer. With Kyon arriving late on that day, he is forced to treat them with coffee. Haruhi gets the idea for everyone to draw lots to determine their train seats. Big chance for Nagato? Well, she sat next to Ryouko while Kyon got Asahina. Yeah Nagato, deny it all you want that you were trying too hard. But it doesn’t feel like they’re separated. Despite the narrow walkway between their seats, you can consider them still seated beside each other. So we see the gang doing lots of sightseeing and eating local foods. Then the power spot that Haruhi has been bugging to go turns out to be some temple that gives off smoke believed to increase your power. Well, I thought it was believed to just heal you. Haruhi is trying to hog it all with Koizumi supporting her all the way and Tsuruya wants in so Ryouko has a tough time reining them in. The rest just pretend not to know them and do some normal praying. Want to guess what Nagato wishes for? Nagato buys a charm and puts it on the wish board. She hopes she can continue to remain good friends with everybody. Well, maybe asking for love was too much for her still. Haruhi is now stinking with smoke and she’s bugging to go to the bath now. You get what you deserve.

Episode 8
The gang checks into a hotspring inn. This means a considerable amount of screen time dedicated to the girls in the bath although the fanservice here is more to be a disappointment and teasing more than anything else. Till Asahina drops in but that of course is at the end of it all. Sorry guys, they don’t get the same decent amount of fanservice screen time. Then they play ping pong in which the loser will buy them all milk. Somehow Haruhi has already fixed the game for Kyon to lose. Then it’s karaoke time. Don’t ask why it’s held in the toilet. Asahina sings first and she is definitely not cut out to be idol stuff. Next is Kyon but since he is so passionate going about it, the rest just leave him (Haruhi claims he is boring). Yeah, so into his singing (which isn’t that good either) that he didn’t realize everyone has left the room. Next, dinner time. They get to taste some exquisite beef but it’s not that appetising for me (because I’m freaking bored watching this episode!). You thought it could have end with everyone retiring for a quiet night. Till Haruhi suggests exploring around the inn. Of course Kyon declines so he goes to soak in the hotspring again. Nagato has the same idea. Their lovely private time is ruined when the rest soon joins in to get their money’s worth. And as usual, the girls are being noisy over Asahina’s boobs and Kyon tries to prevent any gay time with Koizumi.

Episode 9
The night is still young. So Haruhi thinks. Yeah. Time to play cards. They play old maid and Nagato loses so she has to go buy snacks. Kyon will accompany her since it is dangerous for a girl to be alone at night and he can help carry the stuffs. Of course, this means a reason for the rest to tail and spy. Suddenly it gets steamy when the lovebirds get close to each other for a kiss. Ryouko freaks out and it seems all this was just her delusion! They’re still in the old maid game. Ryouko loses. By the time Tsuruya and Asahina are ready to join them, Ryouko and Haruhi are already asleep. Tsuruya suggests to Nagato and Kyon that there is an observatory at the hilltop. So along the way the duo go, some romantic moments but nothing too deep. They stumble upon a dinosaur playground first. I guess Ryouko and Haruhi could get up in time to tail them. Not a dream this time. Ryouko feels pretty much worried. On one hand she is happy Nagato is getting close to Kyon but on the other hand feels that her relationship with her has drifted. She realizes she is jealous. But Haruhi laughs at it all. Since Ryouko’s butt is stuck in the slide, Haruhi has to help get her out. The commotion attracted Kyon and Nagato. Busted. With Tsuruya and Asahina finally catching up, they continue their way up and watch the beautiful starry sky. It is perfect when Koizumi brings some snacks (how much does this guy loves soaking in the hotspring?). And of course, some romantic moments between Nagato and Kyon. Holding hands. But that’s about it. With the training camp over and back to school, Ryouko gives Nagato some encouragement and ideas so she has a reason to go see Kyon. I don’t know what is weighing on Nagato’s mind because she didn’t pay attention while crossing the road. As expected… Here comes the car… No wonder the raining setting…

Episode 10
Luckily the car missed. Nagato gets away with a few scratches. But something is amiss… She lacks all the flustering emotions that we know of her. It’s like she’s gone back to the original Nagato we know! The emotionless Nagato! Ryouko is worried when she learns about the near accident. Nagato remains indifferent that it was nothing. Thanks for your concern. Even Kyon is shocked to hear about it but is relieved that she is okay. But Ryouko is still not happy. Nagato has looked depressed since and it didn’t help when Ryouko also scolded her and might have aggravated the situation. Ryouko has Kyon look after Nagato after school since she has some work. But in the clubroom, they’re both reading their own books (Nagato reading French titles?). Their conversation is so minimal that I don’t know what they’re talking about. That or it’s like Kyon is talking to himself. So boring. So gloomy. Like how I noticed this entire episode the rain never stopped. Even when he shows concern, she remains indifferent. No reaction. Thanks for your concern. That’s all. Kyon accompanying her after school feels like he’s accompanying a ghost or zombie. Ryouko cooks for Nagato back home. She tries to start a conversation but the same boring vegetable state of mind. Indifferent. Thanks for your concern. Then Ryouko finally points out one last thing. Who the heck are you? Yeah, that was what I was wondering from the start.

Episode 11
Nagato narrates after the near accident. It’s not that she lost her memories but she couldn’t tell who she was. When she’s acting like that boring emotionless girl, she’s observing Ryouko and Kyon and notices how much they really care about her. So when Ryouko asks who she is, Nagato couldn’t explain because she isn’t sure either. It’s an odd case for her. It’s like she has memories of this girl but felt they weren’t of her own experience. She never said it for fear being alone. Ryouko suggests going to the hospital for a check-up and the doctor didn’t find any abnormalities. She is diagnosed of having some sort of shock from the fall and experiencing amnesia and jumbled up memories. It’s not life threatening by the way. So Nagato tries to continue her daily life like the other Nagato. Only without all that emotions. Though she admits she is not that Nagato, she is also Nagato and wants things to stay as it is. Confused? Ryouko and Kyon are worried for her and decide to keep an eye on her in hopes the old Nagato will return. The duo have more reason to be worried when Nagato aces in a maths problem in class and does pretty decent during PE. The original Nagato never manage an ounce of that. That’s good, right? Eventually since nobody else notices the difference, they think they’re just over thinking it. Nagato even helps tutor Kyon. Since the exam season is near, club activities are suspended so Nagato and Kyon can’t use the clubroom. They head to the library instead.

Episode 12
Here they are at the library and for the first time since, Nagato is putting up some slight emotions. That happy to read? She could have taken forever and Kyon had to remind her that it is closing time. Yeah, why not borrow it since she has a library card? Nagato then starts to remember memories from her other self. Like the library is the place where she first met Kyon. Over the next few scenes, we see her narrating about this dream of her other self that she is having a lot lately. She thinks the other personality is trying to wake up and worries what will happen to herself if that happens. Probably that is the reason why she wears a different set of glasses. Another trip to the library. Yet another dream. She starts thinking about how her heart beats fast when she is with Kyon and the nervousness she feels when around him. Those dreams must have been slowly triggering the awakening. But with this strange feeling, could it be that their consciousness is being confused and coexisting at the same time? When Kyon helps her to get a book she cannot reach, she thanks him with a sweet smile. It’s been a while since we’ve seen that kind of face. More dreams about the time she spent with Kyon. Then she realizes if her other self comes back, would this mean she will disappear? WHAT A FREAKING BORING EPISODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Episode 13
The boringness continues… More of those memories. Or dreams. Whatever. Summer time. Nagato hangs out with Kyon and Ryouko. I don’t know if their conversation was important or not because seriously, I wasn’t paying attention. By the time I realized it was going into one ear and out the other, I’ve already at the scene where by Ryouko mentions about the other Nagato who likes Kyon and if this Nagato understands her feelings, could it mean she also likes him? This makes Nagato’s face goes red. Next morning, Nagato wakes up and knows that this will be the last time her consciousness will be around and the next time the original one will return. So she is in a dilemma to tell Ryouko or not since the original Nagato is probably what she wanted although she didn’t treat either Nagato differently. That night, Nagato calls Kyon thinking that she would be left with regrets if she did not tell him her feelings. So after trolling about the library book she borrowed, that is when she says she loves him. As the original Nagato will return and will be confused, she wants him to be there for her and take her home. Then she loses consciousness. Instantly Kyon rides his bicycle to the library to find Nagato. He is not amused that she is saying things like they’ll never see each other again. He realizes he has been a jerk for taking her granted and not realizing it. When he finds her, he wants her to stop this bad joke but it seems she is sleeping with a calm smile on her face. He says his goodbye and waits till Nagato wakes up. Now this is the flustering Nagato we all know. As expected she is confused and muddled about her current situation. He welcomes her back.

Episode 14
The 2 Nagatos met in the dream. Emotionless one tells the original one it’s time to wake up. She also tells her what happened and the confession she did to Kyon. Ryouko is happy to see her original Nagato back. Nagato wonders why she looked happy yet sad and her reply is that both Nagatos are equally precious to her. Kyon is now acting awkward each time Nagato is around him. Then Haruhi is back after a little hiatus and she already has an activity for the club: Tanabata. She is sure she contacted Nagato about this. Oh, so she forgot again? Looks like the old Nagato is back for real. Haruhi then has the guys for some muscle work by cutting down bamboo trees. Isn’t this illegal cutting it from public property? I don’t know how but she has it all sorted out. While cutting, the guys have to battle mosquitoes! No wonder she has been giving orders from afar… After setting up the bamboo plant in the clubroom, they hang up their wishes. Ryouko and Koizumi are sensible but Haruhi and Kyon just plain weird. Another awkward moment for Kyon and Nagato when he tries to help hang her wishes. Later, Haruhi talks to Kyon and knows something happened between him and Nagato. She lucky guesses the other Nagato has confessed but Kyon puts it as both Nagatos are different people although he feels odd that he feels nervous but she doesn’t remember a thing. Some flashback when Haruhi and Kyon were young. He helped her write a message to aliens at some field. And some other talk that I couldn’t really care about. In the end, Haruhi notes that it was all thanks to Kyon’s help for saving her from despair.

Episode 15
Summer time. This means beach episode. Therefore another excuse for all our main casts to head to the sandy beach of Tsuruya’s summer villa. I guess Kyon’s sister wanted to go so much that she snuck inside his bag. She must be very light… Because Nagato is occupied playing her handheld, Ryouko forces her to go pick up the beach ball she threw to the far edge. Then she makes Kyon go play with her. Both start to feel awkward although they’re trying their best to act normal. Then Kyon’s sister joins in the fun by kicking his brother on his back, making him fall on top of Nagato. Romantic scene ruined when little sister watches and wonders if they’re going to kiss. Your guess is as good as mine. Next, the gang head to the mountains because Haruhi wants to discover strange aliens or creatures under the guise of kimodameshi. Asahina is pretty against it because of the traps Tsuruya set up last year. Scary enough to make her pass out. Though, Tsuruya claims she didn’t do anything. With such contrasting statements, you wonder who to believe. But they pass the day via bug catching. Nagato catches a golden rhinoceros beetle but since that doesn’t count in this cicada game, Haruhi wins and as expected, Kyon is the overall loser. Night falls, Kyon’s sister falls asleep so Ryouko takes this chance to avoid participation by accompanying her. As expected, Kyon and Nagato are paired up and head in last. Don’t get your hopes up about anything romantic because despite Nagato might sound so, it is from her game perspective. Then they hear Asahina’s scream. When they reach her, she has passed out. They realize they are in the middle of a firefly field. So this is the scary thing? Well, she thought they were spirits or something. Tsuruya never told her because it seemed funny and hoped she would realize it on her own. Looks like this year failed too. Although Haruhi is disappointed not to find any rare creatures, at least they get to enjoy this beautiful sight. Kyon and Nagato do so while holding hands.

Episode 16
More of Kyon’s thoughts on his confusion on both Nagatos. That is why he has been awkward with her. That is why when they were holding hands and realized so, he quickly pulled back. Her reaction, he thought it made her feel bad. The next scene… I thought it brings reminiscence of the horrifying Endless Eight arc… Because while Kyon is watching baseball with his sister, he gets a call from Haruhi to meet up at the café to chart all the activities they need to do before summer ends. Kyon thinks of using this chance to clear it with Nagato. Maybe things aren’t getting off to a great start. It started raining and so he thought he could share his umbrella. Then the rain stopped shortly. Nothing more to be said. The gang continue to do all the planned summer activities from baseball to bowling till the final festival fireworks night. Last chance saloon. Still feeling indecisive? Time for a little push from Ryouko. Then it’s time to tell her what he couldn’t then. Kyon takes Nagato away from the crowd as he talks why he never told his feelings because he never thought to be liked by her this way. Of course Nagato couldn’t hear because the fireworks are in session. Then he finally confesses. He believes he would have come to be in love with her. Unfortunately Nagato didn’t hear that too. Fireworks. Want to time your confession better next time? Oh, there is no next time. So he is happy about that? Just saying it and not reaching her? The only words that reach her are those he assures he will go back to being normal around her. Oh sure. Everybody is so fine by that. They return to the rest and Haruhi (who has obviously won her shooting game against Ryouko) wants Kyon to take responsibility by treating everybody for ditching them and going off somewhere himself. Back to school. Everything returns to normal. Back to status quo. The epilogue is also a faint reminder of the Endless Eight arc. Kyon watching TV when he gets another call from Haruhi to meet up at the café. Ryouko wonders if Kyon has finished his homework. That “Oh, f*ck!” look on his face…

OVA
Taking place exactly after the end of the TV series whereby Kyon is being called by Haruhi and the rest to meet up at the cafe to do all the fun summer stuffs. First up on the list is the swimming pool. There is this ridiculous race Haruhi organizes in which the winner will get lots of quality melons. I’m sure Kyon is more motivated by Asahina’s ‘melons’. So motivated that he even abandons his sister and Nagato in his quest but also loses. In the end, everybody just shares it. The more Haruhi does all the summer stuffs, the more Kyon feels the need to remind her about the unfinished homework but it seems he won’t get a chance because Haruhi never gave him one. Time is running out fast… Yeah, from festivals to part time jobs to stargazing, looks like Kyon’s homework is far from ever going to get started… Then when the list is completed, Haruhi feels that since no more is to be done, the final day of summer tomorrow will be everyone’s own free time. Even more depressing is how Ryouko brings up this homework thingy and it seems everyone has already done them! Oh Kyon. You’re the only one left out… Kyon then finally sums up his courage to yell about his unfinished homework. They think he is joking but he gets desperate to copy their homework. This will not do for Ryouko so she agrees to help with the tutoring. Haruhi doesn’t want to be left out so she wants to come to his place for tutoring too.

Turns out that Koizumi and Nagato too didn’t do their homework. Yeah, they just kept silent… Of course when you have the bunch here, it is going to be hard for Kyon to concentrate, right? Especially when Haruhi is looking around, poking her nose in dangerous places. Is under the bed where he hides his porn? Well, luckily she found a video game console and has Kyon hook it up for her to play. Kyon is distracted by it of course but strict teacher Ryouko reminds him of what needs to be done. But what about Nagato? She looks interested too, right? Ryouko explains about Nagato’s ability to get things done in a night when it matters. So she’ll be alright. Nagato thought she is an expert in Virtua Fighter but always loses to Haruhi. One more time? Time for break, I guess. Kyon’s sister brings in some snacks. Koizumi then suggests playing cards. History seems to repeat itself because Ryouko sucks big time at it. Another one more time? Yeah, almost the entire day is gone and the gang schemes to let her win or else this endless game will never end! Eventually Kyon wins and is definitely not appreciated! Morning comes, Kyon realizes he has not made progress in his homework! Panic time. He calls Nagato who has just completed her homework. He wants to come over now and begs to copy her homework. She agrees and will happily wait for him.

The Very Unfortunate Boringness Of Nagato Yuki
As it says. This spin-off is a big letdown thanks to the big boringness and draggy parts. Maybe I am not a diehard Haruhi fan or anywhere close being into Haruhiism so I do not really see what the charm this series has to offer. Maybe there was none in the first place. Just a big rip-off to milk money from what was once a popular and beloved franchise. If I could sum up the synopsis of this entire series in a sentence, it would be about a shy girl who secretly likes her fellow club member but a little accident accidentally caused her split personality to come out and did the confession first before things revert back to normal. Pretty boring, right? And that is pretty much what the entire show is all about. So what if her other split personality comes out? They just toned down the comedic parts from the clumsy Nagato and tone up the seriousness of the drama, that’s all. And thank goodness they just dragged it out into 3 episodes and not that freaking 8 episodes. Thank God…

I don’t know and I don’t think I really bother to find out if this series has caused a great disservice to the Haruhi franchise because personally I think that this atrocity would just bring down the Haruhiism and made it worse. I think more worshippers are going to leave this religion forever. However this isn’t about Haruhi so in a way it would not affect Haruhiism. But since this is related to her, it might. Hence I think that is why all these years there was never anything big on Nagatoism (there is also Mikuruism for your information). Sure, there is that term but I don’t think it would be as big as Haruhiism. And if I am wrong about how small Nagatoism is, then maybe this series was the killer that just killed it. Either way, this series has just gotten from bad to worse in my books. I’ll be sceptical if they come up with another season of Haruhi, Nagato or any other spin-offs for other characters.

Another reason is that perhaps I did not watch that spin-off movie, Suzumiya Haruhi No Shoushitsu (The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi) since I read that both are somewhat related. But still, this anime series itself is already too mediocre for me to think otherwise. With a big majority of the episodes feel like fillers and standalones, mostly about Nagato trying to sort out her feelings about Kyon until that inevitable ‘accident’ happened. So I suppose those ‘real’ episodes are when the silent Nagato version pops up to temporarily take over. Even that as opposed to the original’s Nagato’s persona, I am not sure what it is supposed to achieve other than Nagato telling Kyon about her feelings, something the other one couldn’t do. Once that is over, it is back to those familiar fillers again but this time Kyon the one who is sorting out his feelings since Nagato doesn’t remember much about the confession.

The romance felt like a big miss. I am not sure if I am to be disappointed or just feel nothing about it. Sure, Kyon may have managed to tell Nagato his feelings but since she wasn’t hearing, what is the point? It is as good as confessing to a picture of her. Get what I am saying? Sure, it is good to let us viewers know once and for all whether he has feelings for her and it certainly does. But the point is, why tell us? Tell her! Tell Nagato directly and clearly in her face, damn it! But this romance thingy that we’ve been anticipating since the start of the series did take a little twist. Because it starts off with Nagato who is the one having a big crush on him as we see from her point of view. Then ironically it is her other self that confessed and this sends alarm bells for Kyon and in the end, he is the one who said those ‘magical words’. Albeit it didn’t reach her heart. Heck, it didn’t even reach her ears. So many seemingly romantic moments and chances and in the end it just felt wasted.

Apart from the Nagato x Kyon romance, I somewhat noticed that there are very few scenes that hinted Haruhi likes Kyon and vice versa. That ponytail hairstyle thingy and that flashback. Vague hints of something or is it just to troll us? Or has it something to do and connected with that spin-off movie? Speaking of that Endless Eight reminiscence, that little cameo was enough to evoke those memories and perhaps this is the most ‘shocking’ feeling that ‘woke me up from my near slumber’. I thought they were going to troll us with something about that arc and repeat more boring episodes! Phew. Nothing of that sort happened. Maybe they just wanted to make us think too much. Because we know how many thousand times they went through the loop, right? Could it be that this is one of the versions of the loop? I know that there are disparities if you try to put it together but with this thought you can’t help think about it. Because it ends with Kyon trying to rush doing his homework last minute… *Shivers*. Even with the OVA, he still has not finished it in the end!

Not even the comedic bits in every episode (except for the ‘real’ episodes) could not help save this anime. Sometimes I feel that they are forced and maybe in a way you are forced to eke out a grin. Whether it is the intense competition between Haruhi, Tsuruya or Ryouko, the harassment or violation over Asahina, Nagato’s clumsiness or Haruhi’s antics. Sure, they may be funny in its own way but the melancholy of the series will drag you back into the boringness. And then it repeats all over again. Is it this series’ style and version of Endless Eight? Then those ‘real’ episodes were just too depressing and dragged out. I feel it could have been condensed into an episode but I suppose that will take out all the drama and whatever emotions the producers want us to feel as we ‘discover’ the other Nagato. The other ‘endless’ thing is Ryouko’s sucking big time, losing at any card game. Note to everyone: Never ever play cards with her!

The characters, most of them remain similar to how we knew them in the Haruhi series. Like Asahina the flustering and clumsy girl who is always easy picking for Tsuruya as always, Haruhi eccentric and hyper active girl and Koizumi gladly to always be her yes-man (will he ever get her unrequited love?). Of course there are some differences especially in regards to our titular character Nagato whom is portrayed in a character that is so oppositely different than her silent taciturn type. It was a surprise and ‘refreshing’ to see a different light of her but that is just so much about it because with the way the direction of the series is going and whatever plot it had in mind, it just didn’t matter. Even if Nagato is kinda cute when she blushes. Really. It’s not anywhere you get to see this side, you know. Whatever happened to her other side we will never know. Don’t care. Maybe she was the catalyst to bring Kyon and Nagato closer but taking a look at how it ended, it was more like back to square one. So with or without the other Nagato, things continue to remain the same. Another different in character is Ryouko who was first introduced as a killer in the first Haruhi season but now a close friend to Nagato (ironically, Nagato was the one who killed her then). Kyon feels like he is less sarcastic and having lesser roles to rebuke since it isn’t Haruhi whom he has to rebuke like before but mainly Ryouko, Tsuruya and sometimes Nagato’s goofiness.

Although the art and drawing mainly remains the same, but I noticed there is a slight difference. How should I put it? Do the characters look a little simpler than before? Are the colour hues lighter than before? Not too sure but the studio that produced this series is Satelight (AKB0048, Log Horizon, Fairy Tail, Aquarion series, Shugo Chara and Macross series) compared to Kyoto Animation who did the Haruhi series. Nothing much different that deviates from the original. But maybe just one thing… I think I prefer Haruhi having long hair instead of the short hair that we are familiar with. Yes. I think she looks prettier with long hair!!! Fact!

All the seiyuus have retained their roles for this spin-off. So there is no shock of a change in any voice acting role whatsoever. Just that with Nagato’s shy girl personality, Minori Chihara now has to voice Nagato as the bashful and flustering high school girl in addition to that monotonous and emotionless one who is only reduced as cameo. The opening theme is Fure Fure Mirai by Kitakou Bengei-bu Joshikai (basically made out of the main quintet girls). Your typical lively hyped up anime style song that might make you get up and dance. But sorry, no dance whatsoever like Hare Hare Yukai. No dance at all. Minori Chihara does a solo with Arigatou Daisuki as the ending theme. A slow lovely ballad that perhaps reflects her character’s heart.

Unfortunately you have to be a diehard fan of the series if you want to watch this series. Otherwise, you’ll be just as hell confused as you are bored. I wanted to call this show The Melancholy Of Nagato Yuki but the sad part was I wasn’t really depressed but rather bored. Nagato fans can kill me if they want to. That will put me out of my misery of this series. And I do hope they don’t have to make another season or spin-off again or else I am ‘forced’ to watch it! There! I gave this series a little hope that I might (a very big emphasis on might) want to watch it. If not, I’d be happy for this series to just disappear into the deep and dark corners of my mind, never resurfacing ever again.