After all our philosophical adventures, let me finally introduce you to the curious case of Haruhi Suzumiya, an intelligent girl who, nevertheless, acts completely nuts. Haruhi has both good looks and the desire for romance, yet she blows away her chances at it in the most spectacular ways. She’s fairly athletic, has an artistic sensibility,… Read More Haruhi’s Five Ways, Way V: The Finality of Haruhi Suzumiya
Premise one, premise two, conclusion. Measures, data, ciphers. For quite some time, that’s all we get from Yuki Nagato of the one-member Literature Club, whose clubroom is invaded by Haruhi’s crazy SOS Brigade. Unfazed by the fact that she’s been “inherited” along with the clubroom’s equipment, the stone-faced girl reveals herself to our protagonist as… Read More Haruhi’s Five Ways, Way IV: The Participation of Yuki Nagato
What do Itsuki Koizumi, Mikuru Asahina, St. Justin Martyr and St. Thomas Aquinas all have in common? Well, not much! Yet, there’s the fact that they have all been part of my collection of articles on the Haruhi franchise and the Thomist tradition. With the groundwork laid by these illustrious figures, now it’s time to… Read More Haruhi’s Five Ways, Way III: The Necessity of Kyon
Stop me if you have heard this one before. There’s this shy, beautiful girl in another class at school. She used to be in a different club, but she switched to yours. She’s kind and funny, if a little clumsy, and you can sense in her fears and hopes, immaturity and the sparks of a… Read More Haruhi’s Five Ways, Way II: The Causation of Mikuru Asahina
It’s not necessary to wax philosophical about Haruhi Suzumiya’s SOS Brigade to enjoy the clever, absurdist humor of the franchise. Yet, as the Brigade searches out the mysteries of the Universe, how could I resist joining them? Thus, in these coming weeks, I’ll be engaging with some of Koizumi’s philosophical theories from my own Thomistic tradition. How,… Read More Haruhi’s Five Ways, Way I: The Motion of Itsuki Koizumi
Phantasy Star IV is the platonic ideal of the JRPG. Dragon Quest may have laid the foundations for the genre, and a lot of Final Fantasy entries have certainly pushed it further, but PSIV is the one I’d point to if someone wanted a sample of what it was all about. It’s got satisfyingly crunchy… Read More Phantasy Star IV and Ultimate Explanations
Juni Taisen is not the kind of show I typically watch. It is full of violence, cussing, and a very dark atmosphere. And the show is devoid of hope, as every episode demonstrates that nobody is safe no matter how strong they are. The main concept that kept me on the edge of my seat… Read More Juni Taisen, Ox, and Doing What’s Right