

In episode 13 of _The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya_ (the 2nd day of Endless
Eight), about 15 minutes in, after listening to Mikuru's speech filled with
"classified information", Kyon asks if the classified information is something
that can't be said on TV.

What does it mean? What can't be said on TV? Was this an in-joke based on a
difference between the anime and the written material?


CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-09T06:50:30.453
50778
2019-02-10T07:59:41.660
2019-02-09T08:49:44.193
2516
44882
question
haruhi-suzumiya
What does Kyon mean by a classified information that can't be said on TV in episode 13 (the 2nd day of Endless Eight)?


Rather than an in-joke, I saw this more as Kyon making a connection to the
common phenomenon of television networks [censor
bleeping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleep_censor) out inappropriate words,
most commonly with that 1000 Hz tone sound.

Television programs can also use euphemisms to censor content—for example, in
the Breaking Bad episode of _Mythbusters_ , they used "special sauce" to refer
to a key chemical ingredient that they didn't want audience members knowing. I
guess Kyon observed that the way Asahina uses "classified information" is
similar to how TV networks censor certain things.

The anime and the written material don't seem particularly different in their
presentation of this scene. For comparison:

**Novel** ("Endless Eight" chapter of _The Rampage of Haruhi Suzumiya_ ):

> I should mention that Asahina at least tried to explain. To the
> accompaniment of intermittent sobs.
>
> " _Sniff_ , um...I normally use <classified information> to contact the
> future... _sniff_. But after a week without <classified information>, I was
> starting to wonder if something was wrong. And then <classified
> information>... I was so surprised that I tried to <classified information>
> in a rush, but there wasn't any <classified information>... _sob. Hic._ What
> do I do...?"
>
> I have no idea what you should do, but does that <classified information>
> work like some kind of censor?

**Anime** (episode 13):

![Screenshot from Haruhi episode 13: '...but does "classified information"
work as some kind of censor?'](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1MLGG.png)

* * *

You've gotta watch what you say on television, eh... This question reminded me
of _Kaguya-sama_ episode 4.

![Kaguya menaces Betsy with language that'd get the attention of the
Broadcasting Code.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1IcDf.png)


CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-02-10T07:45:49.207
50788
2019-02-10T07:59:41.660
2019-02-10T07:59:41.660
18352
18352
50778
answer