Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

The holidays produce a very peculiar magic. Whether it’s sound of snow slushing against each footstep, the fragrant breeze of warm dough being baked in the city streets, the felt of sticky pine brushing your fingertips, the sound of a brisk wind blowing through your eardrums, or it could be the comfort of hibernating inside with a cup of coffee, your favorite winter season creamer, a thermal blanket, and a cozy anime to pop in the Blu-ray player. Whatever it is, it’s a moment that not many can ideally produce (although it’s probably just the anime, particularly Haruhi Suzumiya). The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, acaptivating title with presumably unwanted implications, was a late winter holiday gift to myself. Haruhi always alluded me when considering what show to watch next. There was something about the show, whether it was the title of “Meloncholy”, Haruhi herself, or the subdue hype that was still present around the show’s mystique, I had to watch it at some point or another. Often, you’ll watch a show and eventually come across one you like and see it has a film correlating with it. Generally how these things go for me is I choose to skip them. Pay no mind, unless I get to either two conclusions: 1.) If the story didn’t feel complete and/or the film is the canonical conclusion 2.) after enough time has passed and hear enough praise that having watched everything else from that series that id like to now check it out. I don’t often jump straight into the film regardless of either point, but due to the nature of the show, this film follows, as well as my love for what I had just experienced, I was compelled to watch this movie.

I remember browsing around on the site’s top rated anime and this being in the top 50 at the time and thinking how interesting this film could be. It was unassuming and but it did have a 2 1/2 hour long runtime too. “Curious”, is how I can put it. I’ve heard some things about the show after awhile, namely the Endless Eight arc of the anime, but nothing that really spoiled much. I just knew people mostly hated it and that it brought down the show’s reputation for a lot of people. Of course, seeing that the film was still in most of the fans’ good graces told me enough that, even though MAL ratings don’t normally persuade my interest in an anime, it was still worth watching considering it.

After watching the show in the most boring way possible (chronologically because that’s how YouTube gave it to me) I was able to come away loving every bit of it, ESPECIALLY the Endless Eight arc. This show has proven to me that it challenges its viewer in a way originally meta and engaging, even encouraging me to watch the show in a different order than in the way I watched it. You can’t experience a show like this again from any other show. Just like this movie.

Unlike some of the other films for shows I’ve watched (and passed up, I’m sure) this one feels essential. It’s a proper end to a show that was corkscrewed upon its boradcasting. Not a bit of the film even felt like it was 2 1/2 hours long. I was lost in the characters I felt like I grew up with in all my 3 days of watching.

The animation has upgraded enough to notice a distinction in the studio, Ky-Ai, having K-On!’s art direction crossover, giving off a historical footnote to the time period it was made in. The art the sound, it was encompassing a bigger story that I felt a connection with, just like it was Christmas.

I couldn’t recommend this film enough, especially during the holiday/winter season or really any time there’s abnormal snowfall in your spring. The decade has already passed and people have made their decade lists already (I’m still working on mine), but this film, having just made the cut for its winter 2010 release, easily makes it as one of the best, most inspiring films of the 2010’s for me.