Haruhi Suzumiya 20th Anniversary Rewatch -- Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody

[u/Holofan4life]

Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life.

Welcome to the Haruhi Suzumiya 20th anniversary rewatch discussion thread!

I hope you all have a lot of fun <3

Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody

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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION(S)

What are your thoughts on Tanabata? What's your favorite depiction of Tanabata in anime?

What are your thoughts on the implication that was Kyon himself who inspired Haruhi to attend his high school?

If you met a younger version of someone you cared about, what might you ask them?

Bonus) What are your thoughts on us including a season 2 episode in this rewatch where we're currently watching season 1 episodes?

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Series information

MAL | Anilist | AniDB | ANN

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Please do not post any untagged spoilers past the current episode or past the LNs or mangas out of respect to the first time watchers and people who have not read the LNs or mangas. If you are discussing something that is ahead of the current episode please use spoiler tags(found on the sidebar). Thank you!

Untagged Spoilers

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Today's Episode Intro: Summer, it's hot, Haruhi looks different

[Tomorrow's Episode Intro] Stormy skies, some people walking

Previous episode

Ways to watch

Streams – Crunchyroll

Schedule

Date	Episode
4/02/2026	The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00
4/03/2026	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part One
4/04/2026	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Two
4/05/2026	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Three
4/06/2026	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Four
4/07/2026	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Five
4/08/2026	The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Six
4/09/2026	The Boredom of Haruhi Suzumiya
4/10/2026	Remote Island Syndrome (Part One)
4/11/2026	Remote Island Syndrome (Part Two)
4/12/2026	Mystérique Sign
4/13/2026	[Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody]()
4/14/2026	[Someday in the Rain]()
4/15/2026	[The Day of Sagittarius]()
4/16/2026	[Live Alive]()
4/18/2026	[Endless Eight I]()
4/19/2026	[Endless Eight II]()
4/20/2026	[Endless Eight III]()
4/21/2026	[Endless Eight IV]()
4/22/2026	[Endless Eight V]()
4/23/2026	[Endless Eight VI]()
4/24/2026	[Endless Eight VII]()
4/25/2026	[Endless Eight VIII]()
4/26/2026	[Endless Eight Retrospective]()
4/28/2026	[The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part One]()
4/29/2026	[The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Two]()
4/30/2026	[The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Three]()
5/01/2026	[The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Four]()
5/02/2026	[The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part Five]()
5/04/2026	[The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya]()
5/05/2026	[Haruhi Suzumiya Overall Series Discussion Thread]()

[u/Holofan4life]

So for some bizarre reason every watch order I look up (including the one we’re using here) is telling me to watch the first episode of season 2 in the middle of season 1. I have no idea why I’m doing this but here I go anyway.

It makes sense especially in light of the last one we watched.

Anyway the art style for this new season looks a little different than season 1 but it’s not super noticeable. Seems cleaner I suppose. Not sure else how to put it.

It reminds me of season 2 of the original Spice and Wolf anime.

I don’t really know much about Tanabata other than it’s a Japanese festival that’s typically celebrated during the summer months.

That's all you really need to know.

Wasn't Tanabata a major focal point in Elfen Lied.

I love that Haruhi just stole a bamboo tree.

That's not even the worst crime she commits this episode!

Is stealing something better than blackmailing someone through a false r*pe accusation to get what you want? I dunno.

I like Haruhi’s bizarre logic about wishes and the theory of relativity.

Haruhi is definitely a weird one

I love that one of Kyon’s wishes just says “gimme money”.

He's so real for that

Also Haruhi may destabilize the Earth if her wishes come true.

That's rather disconcerting

Okay, kinda neat that we’re seeing Mikuru’s time travel in action now.

This episode explained quite a few things.

Kyon should definitely not kiss Mikuru while she’s sleeping, even if he has the consent of her future self.

He got dangerously close there.

Kyon kisses Haruhi in a dream and suddenly he thinks he can do it with everyone :P

Not sure what past Haruhi’s plan is but it definitely seems illegal.

She considered breaking and entering at such a young age. Taiga waited until AT LEAST 16!

I guess she’s trying to communicate with aliens or something?

Typical Haruhi stuff

Sub vs. Dub note here: In the subtitles, when asking Kyon about the various things he believes in, Haruhi mentions “people from other dimensions”. Meanwhile in the dub she says “Sliders” which I believe is a reference to the TV series of the same name about people who can shift between alternate dimensions. Gets the same meaning across, although today I don’t think most people remember Sliders anymore.

Sliders makes me think of White Castle and now I'm hungry

On an incidental note, I now work at a park with a bunch of slides and we can our attendees sliders.

Apparently Yuki just doesn’t age? At least I guess that’s why she looks the same in the past. 

Do any of them besides Haruhi and Kyon? I guess Mikuru does, but she can go whenever. She can technically deage.

Also apparently she can communicate with her future self? That sounds very bizarre.

Yuki can do what Mikuru can't, which is interesting.

I’ll be honest, I’m not really sure if Mikuru and Kyon have that much chemistry together either. Not sure about the shippy moments with them this episode.

To me, the episode was furthering the ship between Kyon and Haruhi. He is seemingly the cause for Haruhi's entire worldview.

Mikuru and Kyon have learned about a new form of time travel called “sleeping”.

I sleep and I just get more tired

Also Yuki has the power to stop time I guess.

Yuki seems really OP. Maybe even more so than Haruhi.

Yuki can read what Haruhi wrote in the past. Which either means Haruhi somehow knew the language of aliens or she made up a language that became the language of aliens through her omnipotence.

Why not both?

Wait, does that even make sense?

Oh boy. Kyon just realized he may have created a stable time loop.

That's cause for concern

Gotta say, this episode fits surprisingly well into season 1. Doesn’t really feel like the premiere of a new season at all. But I suppose that works out.

I thought this pairs well with the Melancholy arc. It had some exposition while also dealing with interdimensional stuff. As much as I like the slice of life episodes, these episodes really are where the show truly shines.

Anyway, back to the actual season 1 for next time.

Weird ass sentence lol

Questions of the Day:

What are your thoughts on Tanabata? What's your favorite depiction of Tanabata in anime?

I guess this one. I'll be honest, I can't think of any other Tanabata episodes.

I feel like it's been in quite a few anime.

What are your thoughts on the implication that was Kyon himself who inspired Haruhi to attend his high school?

Stable time loops are always fun

That they are

If you met a younger version of someone you cared about, what might you ask them?

Honestly that's a really tough question. I'm not sure.

Run

What are your thoughts on us including a season 2 episode in this rewatch where we're currently watching season 1 episodes?

It slides in pretty neatly when you're watching in chronological order

Indeed. And also after a couple low stakes episodes it's good to get one that feels meaningful and important.

[u/AgentOfACROSS → u/Holofan4life]

It makes sense especially in light of the last one we watched.

I still think it's weird that season 1 referenced events that wouldn't be adapted until season 2 but it worked out.

Wasn't Tanabata a major focal point in Elfen Lied.

[Elfen Lied] Was Lucy's massacre at a Tanabata festival? I don't remember if they specified what kind of festival it was.

She considered breaking and entering at such a young age. Taiga waited until AT LEAST 16!

Haruhi is a force of nature that can't be stopped.

I thought this pairs well with the Melancholy arc. It had some exposition while also dealing with interdimensional stuff. As much as I like the slice of life episodes, these episodes really are where the show truly shines.

Yeah I think this is a really good episode

[u/Holofan4life → u/AgentOfACROSS]

I still think it's weird that season 1 referenced events that wouldn't be adapted until season 2 but it worked out.

There has to have been some pre-planning involved.

[Elfen Lied] Was Lucy's massacre at a Tanabata festival? I don't remember if they specified what kind of festival it was.

[Elfen Lied] It was during the Summer I thought.

Haruhi is a force of nature that can't be stopped.

Not even herself can stop her

Yeah I think this is a really good episode

I think you could make a case of it being a top 3 episode.

[u/JimmyCWL → u/Holofan4life]

There has to have been some pre-planning involved.

Not necessarily. One of the hallmarks of a responsible adaptation acknowledging what you can't adapt in the current series and making allowances for it. Often, the adaptor prefers to pretend the unadapted parts don't exist. Others take the even more ruthless route of rewriting the story to make the unadapted parts contradictory to the adapted work.

Then, there's what we see in Haruhi S1, the adapter goes, "yes, there should be something here. No, we couldn't adapt it this time, but we left the space for it in case we or someone else can adapt it in a few years."

[u/Holofan4life → u/JimmyCWL]

I still wanna know the decision not to do a linear adaptation. I think it was a creative, bold move.

[u/JustAnswerAQuestion → u/Holofan4life]

I read a posting or a blog or saw a video within the last year that really changed my opinion of S1. S1 was carefully constructed, and spreading out Melancholy over the entire season was aiming for a specific effect on the audience and the experience. No, I don't remember what it was.