Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody : Synopsis and Review

In this post, I'll be reviewing SUZUMIYA HARUHI NO YUUTSU 2 episode 1: Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody.

[Screenshots: click for larger view]

Plot summary:

The episode opens with Haruhi mentioning about Tanabata day to Kyon. Then she explained the importance of Tanabata celebration in Japanese culture. Hence she decided that SOS Brigade should throw a party just to celebrate the meeting of two stars Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair).

Then, during their daily meeting at the club room, Haruhi entered with a stalk of bamboo in her hand and several wishing cards in the other. She insisted everybody to write their wishes for the future and then hanged them among the bamboo leaves. Then using theory of relativity (yup, you read me right!), she explained in detail that the wishes could only reach Vega and Altair within 16 to 25 years and therefor everybody must NOT write wishes that would take place less than 16 years in the future.

After everybody wrote on the wish cards and hanged them among the bamboo leaves, Haruhi suddenly became melancholic and dejected. Then Mikuru secretly slipped a note to Kyon asking him to meet her in the club room right after everybody went home. Then Nagato also slipped a secret note to Kyon. Eventually, after everybody went home, Mikuru explained that she wished to take Kyon 3 years back. Back where he first met with Haruhi. When Kyon agreed, suddenly he fell asleep.

When Kyon opened his eyes, he was sleeping on Mikuru's lap and they were at a park exactly three years ago. Then, out of the blue, Mikuru suddenly fell asleep. Apparently, the time-divergent (adult) variant Mikuru was trying to communicate with Kyon on what to expect. She instructed him to go to the nearby field.

Next, with Mikuru on his back, Kyon walked to the nearby field and then he saw the young Haruhi climbing the gate to the field. When she saw Kyon walking, she immediately urged him into helping her. Haruhi couldn't identify Kyon's face since it was night time and it was dark. Next, she made Kyon drew something on the field exactly like she ordered using some chalk she had prepared before hand. While drawing the strange sign Kyon realized that a message in a weird language. It was actually the message that Taniguchi once told him about. And what's so interesting was, it was written by himself.

After he finished the task, Kyon and Haruhi had a conversation about alien, sliders, time travelers and espers. To Haruhi's surprise, Kyon believed her and told her that he knew someone who believed in those stuffs back in his high school. In addition, he introduced himself as John Smith and Mikuru was her narcoleptic sister. Then, Haruhi left without even thanking him. To Kyon's surprise, this was the exact moment that triggered Haruhi to choose North High where she would later in the future.

After that, he woke Mikuru up and she was in panic when she realised that she had lost her TPDD. TPDD was actually the device that helped her to travel through time. At that moment, Kyon recalled that the secret note given by Nagato. Turned out, the note was the strange message that he drew on the field. That note actually led them to meet Nagato, the present variant, who was in stand-by mode for three-year long.

After explaining the predicament, Nagato led them to a room and asked them to sleep on seperate tatami. Both of them slept but only for less that 30 seconds. Nagato had actually manipulated time and space continuum. She helped them to return to the present time by freezing the time inside the room. Mikuru realised this when she checked her atomic-clock wrist watch and apparently, they had returned to their own period.

After what he had gone through, playing chess could really ease off the nerve...

The Verdict.

After 3 years hiatus, despite of many negative feed backs, I believe this first episode has justified the wait. I like it because it answers some of the weird things done by Haruhi in season 1. Maybe not all. But it does answer several questions, like:

• What or who actually influenced Haruhi to choose the high school? (It was Kyon, of course! After their short conversation at the field.)
  

• Why did she say, she was only interested in meeting aliens, time travelers as well as aliens and people who have the same interest as her? (Because, Kyon told her that the school was swarmed with that kind of people. And he mentioned that he knew a person who has the same interest.)
  

and...

• Why did she ask Kyon: 'have we met before?' when they had their early conversation in class. (Of course they had met before! However, it was dark and she could recognise his face, though.)
  

• Next, this episode reveals to us on who is the real 'culprit' who wrote the strange sign on the field as mentioned by Taniguchi in Season 1.

Too bad, the next episode will only be aired on 18th June. Maji de?! I really can't wait that long for it. Sheesh!

In this episode as well, we can see that Haruhi is a very intelligent student when she utilises theory of relativity in explaining her idea about the speed that the wishes will take to reach Vega and Altair.

Other than that, I would like to comment is the ED theme. It seems that it doesn't have the similar impact like the first season Hare Hare Dance... However, I do enjoyed the montage. It is very dazzling and it complements the whole theme mood of the series. The graphics are so fluid and realistic.

For the first episode, sadly enough, there is no OP theme. Well, it looks like we have to wait for it in the next episode. I hope it would be a blast! At least something catchy....






[Note]
Haruhi's wishes are, the world will rotate in the opposite direction and the world will revolve around her.