With the commencement of Endless Eight, the crazy volume numbers begin…

This actually came out almost a month ago, but the Royal Mails customs clearance process has a habit of adding a few weeks to the shipment time. Still, even if it had arrived in a prompt fashion, I’m not really sure I’d have much to say about it – replace Bamboo Leaf with the first two episodes of Endless Eight, and the no-credit ED with the no-credit OP, and the content on both the disks is the same as what was on the previous volume only with “Part 2” appended onto all the feature names.

But since when was a post about the Haruhi DVD release about the actual content? Never, of course – it’s all about the terrifying game of nerves as you gamble your money on that smallest of chances that you’ll get better extras than everyone else who’s buying the show. Well, not really, it’s about buying the show to watch, but that doesn’t really make much of a post at this stage in the game.

In any case, the score is now DiGiKerot 0, Kadokawa Pictures 2. CURSE YOU CHAIRMAN KADOKAWA!

Yes, once more I’m left devoid of the additional coaster or the super-rare film bookmark. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if these things actually exist, or if they are really just another part of the Epic Asshatery of Suzumiya Haruhi. I’m also wondering if I should risk ordering the next volume from another supplier, in the off-chance other retailers get a better awesome:lame LE ratio.

Still, at least the lame LE is a little better packed this time than with previous volumes. I’m not sure if it’s an attempt to get more people to buy it, something existing to remind you precisely what it is you are silly enough to be getting into buying, or merely a simple way to encapsulate the Endless Eight epic into one convenient unit, but this volume came with an artbox. An artbox just for Endless Eight – nothing more, nothing less. That’s not to mention that it’s the only Haruhi R2 artbox. The other plot-arc’s have not benefited from the same treatment.

Also shipping with it is Haruhi’s Postcard Case, which, just to confuse, has a picture of Yuki on it. It contains sixteen pouches, so it’s just big enough to hold all the postcards from both the first season and the second season release assuming you stick two in a pouch back to back. Finally, for the record, my coaster number this time around is Number 9. Like last months release, it’s unexciting.

No, I’m not talking about the first episode of the new season of Hayate, though as it turns out it’s being released through Crunchyroll very shortly after broadcast for those paying subscribers (and a week later for cheapskates like myself, which suits me just fine). I’m actually going to talk about the rather unusual extra shipping with the Limited Edition of the recent Hayate no Gotoku!! Episode 0 OAV – the Hayate 3D disk.

The Hayate 3D disk is about seven minutes of footage mostly pulled from the accompanying OAV, and is 3D as in one of those features where you are supposed to wear those doofy red/blue lensed glasses in an effort to imbue whatever image you are seeing with a 3D effect – except this is anime, so it’s still 2D. Mostly.
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This is very much one of those posts I’m doing simply because I’ve posted about every other volume, and the next disk is due soon (along with the far more exciting first episode of S.ifr). The omake – a discussion between the twins – isn’t really all that interesting, nor does it have any images worth capturing – there only three or four new images (not all entirely static – one’s an elevator shot). It really isn’t worth expending the effort required to re-watch carefully enough to accurately talk about.

The FP bonus is a continuation of that from the previous volume. It’s probably just as well that the actual episodes on the DVD are 18 through 20, the shit-meet-fan episodes. Kudos to Sunrise for not putting them on the cour boundary with this show like they normally do, though they did end up frustrating a lot of viewers as a result.

Screencap taken purely because it reminded me of Hinanos post the other day. Her parfait lacked the cake and pocky, though, which is probably just as well.

The ads on the DVD has the advert for the Kodomo no Jikan DVDs, which, yes, does make a big issue of the whole “no” removal thing ^^;

Oh, and only two weeks until Live For You! Yay! There was a new trailer with a couple of short clips of the OAV out a couple of days ago if you’ve not seen it yet.

The hypocrisy involved in me posting about this show the day after I complained about how by-the-numbers the Winter anime season looks is not lost on me.

Not that I’m going to let that stop me.
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Hey, I’m being relatively prompt this time! Huzzah!

Anyway, this volume covers episodes twelve through fourteen. For any other 26-episode Sunrise show, this would be the volume where the brown stuff hits the twirly thing. For Xenoglossia, it’s the series of episodes that consistently make you think something really dramatic is just about to happen but, ultimately, doesn’t really.
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