Mikuru Beam
Part of a series on The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. [View Related Entries]
About
The Mikuru Beam is a fictional laser superpower associated with Mikuru Asahina, one of the supporting character portrayed in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. In the very first episode, Mikuru's laser outburst is brought upon by the main character Haruhi, whose unconscious ability to reshape reality to her desires often brings an interesting plot twist in each episode. On YouTube, fans of the anime series began uploading video clips of Mikuru shooting laser beams as early as on the same day the episode aired in April 2006.
Origin
Mikuru Beam appeared in "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00", the first episode in the first season of the TV anime series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya which was aired in Japan between April 2nd and July 2nd, 2006. This is a sort of prologue of the series, and the whole of the footage is a play within a play by a movie directed by Haruhi. (The scene can be seen from 0:52 to 0:55)
The SOS Brigade previews their movie of questionable quality. In the movie, Mikuru Asahina stars as a time-travelling waitress from the future who must engage in fights with Yuki Nagato, who is playing as an alien-magician. Mikuru has sworn to protect a young man, played by Itsuki Koizumi, but a love-triangle ensues with both Mikuru and Yuki striving for Itsuki's affections. Kyon is the narrator of the movie, while Haruhi Suzumiya is the director. The production of this movie can be found in the episodes, "The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya".
Resurgence in 2009
The second season of the TV anime series was shown in chronological order, with new episodes intermixed with the old ones. "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina Episode 00" was re-broadcasted as the 25th episode. Besides, in the 22nd episode "The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya Part III", there is a behind-the-scene moment from the filming session coming from episode 00 showing that the Mikuru Beam was, as far as the show is concerned, more lethal than expected.
Spread
The Mikuru Beam, heavily influenced by moe style because of the character involved, was first reused by Youtube user ansii[2] on April 12th, 2006. His video simply called "mikuru beam" reinterpreted the cute Mikuru Beam as a deadly laser beam of Gunbuster[3] that can destroy nearly everything, somewhat comparable to Falcon Punch. As of July 2013, that first video has over quarter million views, and many followeres have posted parody videos for Mikuru Beam with their own rendition.[4]
Although the original instance never went viral in the most conventional sense, the sizable fanbase of Haruhi Suzumiya on YouTube seemed to have provided enough exposure for others to jump on the remix bandwagon and follow a pattern close to Gendowned: First, the short Japanese clip showing Mikuru firing her flashing laser beam in a manner similar to Shoop da Whoop, then the devastating result of that firepower unleashed.
Notable Examples
Left: Neon Genesis Evangelion | Right: Gundam SEED
Left: Dragon Ball | Right: Star Wars
Left: Gozilla | Right: Halo
Search Interest
External References
[1] Wikipedia – List of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya episodes
[4] YouTube – Search results for mikuru beam
