I’ve been struggling with how I feel with Kyon’s actions in the previous episode.
:(
I know there have been a lot of people who think that Kyon should have just smacked Haruhi. Rabbitpoet wrote a very good post in Haruhi’s defense. I think what can be gleamed from the spat between Haruhi and Kyon is that people say and do things they don’t mean in the heat of anger. I doubt Haruhi really thinks Mikuru is a toy. I doubt Kyon would typically want to hit Haruhi.
Looking at the situation beforehand, I can sympathize with Kyon. I love Mikuru abuse, but even I was starting to feel uncomfortable. However, my frusteration wasn’t with Haruhi but with Mikuru and her inability to set boundaries. All she does is say “Hai!” and go along with it.
Still, it would be upsetting to see someone you care about being treated like that. I think Kyon getting angry was justified, even if Haruhi probably didn’t understand what his problem was. Mikuru was okay with it. So what was the problem?
However, how Kyon handled his anger was completely inappropriate. In my opinion, it is never okay to hit another person. The damage that physical abuse does stay after the argument has cooled down, and accomplishes nothing. He should have handled his anger better. He could have left, gone for a walk, and then come back. I could rattle off a million things that Kyon could have done that would have been better then trying to punch Haruhi.
The end of the episode was cute though. Happy Haruhi is a good thing.
Have some Mikuru abuse. No idea where the picture came from, I found it on lj.
I know I shouldn’t be, since she hasn’t changed at all, but I’m pretty frustrated by (or maybe I’m just tired of) Mikuru’s uselessness lately. But thinking about future Mikuru and how much more confidence she had, maybe Haruhi’s “training” efforts have paid off. Without Haruhi, would Mikuru have forever been a shy, passive, unconfident girl?
I still am not quite sure hiw she gets from point a to point b.
I think one thing to keep in mind is that these characters are still teenagers. They don’t yet have a good sense of how to effectively resolve conflicts. Many adults don’t.
And ultimately, one of the consistent themes of this show is that Haruhi ultimately gets her way, for better or for worse.
Well, she doesn’t always get her way. Mikuru didn’t get to keep her laser beam eyes.
The problem with leaving and going for a walk and coming back is that it would have NOT stopped Haruhi’s abuse of Mikuru.
Kyon’s goal isn’t to simply let off steam – it’s to stop Haruhi from abusing Mikuru.
Kyon tried reasoning with Haruhi – granted, they were both angry, so it wasn’t exactly Jean-Luc Picard level diplomacy ;) – but he still did try reasoning with Haruhi.
The result?
Haruhi: I’ve decided that Mikuru IS my toy!
… Just what is Kyon supposed to do at that point? He’s tried reasoning with her, and she still holds Mikuru to be her toy anyway. How is he supposed to stop Haruhi’s abuse of Mikuru? Words aren’t working; Koizumi and Yuki are useless here; Tsuruya is, in this case, part of the problem… so what does he do?
Keep in mind that at THIS point, it’s not only about saving Mikuru, it’s also about teaching Haruhi a lesson for her own good (that’s how Kyon sees it anyway – his narration reveals as much). In Kyon’s mind, Haruhi probably comes across as an utterly spoiled Princess who needs to be brought down a couple notches.
So… again, what does he do?
I wouldn’t have punched Haruhi if I was in his shoes… because I don’t believe that a guy should hit a girl except in necessary self-defence… but I still have to admit that Kyon’s situation here is far from an easy one.
True, it’s not easy, but there’s not much Kyon can do either when Mikuru is consenting to what’s happening to her. In the end, I feel it comes down to to that, you can’t save someone who won’t help themselves.
Haruhi has no idea her point of view is wrong, simply because Mikuru agrees to everything. So what is she suppose to make of Kyon’s sudden anger? Of course, one could argue Mikuru doesn’t fight back because Haruhi wishes it that way…
Interesting content Good.