Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Nineteen months. That's how long I had to wait for the R1 release of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya to come out. I could've done like most other people, and just see it fansubbed, but I waited, and now I've finally had the chance to see it, on blu-ray no less. Anyway, Disappearance is an adaptation of the fourth Haruhi Suzumiya novel by Nagaru Tanigawa. It takes place after the second season, and unlike the second season, it's been as well-received as the first season, if not more so. Now that I've seen it, I can understand why; it's good. Story: It's close to Christmas time, andHaruhi has cooked up yet another zany scheme for the SOS Brigade. Kyon, much to his chagrin, agrees to go along with it, knowing the consequences if he were not to.

The next day . . . Haruhi seems to have vanished. Ryoko Asakura is still around, Itsuki never transferred to his school, Mikuru and Tsuruya don't recognize him, and most drastic of all, Yuki is no longer an alien, but an ordinary human with no powers nor memories of what has happened. And Kyon is the only one who finds this strange. It's now up to Kyon to figure out just what happened, and see if he can return to the way things were.

The movie is long, and if you haven't seen the previous two seasons, you won't be able to make heads or tails of what is happening. However, if you like the Haruhi anime, you will like this movie. It is FUNNY. Not only that, it has quite a few touching moments as well. You could call it a comedy-drama, and a very good one at that. And even though it's long, you won't notice, since the film has a good pace, and you'll be too interested in the story to notice. However, there are some confusing things about it, and some things that are left open for a continuation, especially when you consider that this is only about the halfway point in the novel series. But Disappearance is as good as the better episodes as the first season, so fans won't be disappointed. 9/10.

Artwork:

It's like the first season, but with more fluid animation, better CGI, and more detailed backgrounds. In short, the most beautiful product Kyoto Animation has come up with yet, and coming from them, that means a LOT. Definitely see this on blu-ray if you can. I'm amazed by how far production values have come in Japanese animation in the last decade, and this film is a definite example of that. 10/10.

Sound:

Again, about as good as the first season, which would make it totally amazing. There's no new rock songs, but there are plenty of beautiful orchestrated pieces throughout. Again, I have no complaints. Even the sound effects sound amazing.

One reason I waited for the R1 release was so I could watch this in English. And again, Bandai and Bang Zoom own my soul. Could a dub for a foreign film even sound this good? Apparently so. Although I do still prefer Aya Hirano over Wendee Lee for Haruhi, the fact remains that Crispin Freeman will always be Kyon in my mind, and we all remember who my favorite character is. 10/10.

Characterization:

And speaking of which, Kyon is still an amazing lead. He reacts how you think he would react in a predicament like this, and you see new sides to his character. And you especially see new sides to Yuki throughout this film too. We also see more of Mikuru, and luckily for me, she's less of a moeblob in the movie, which I appreciated. We get some good character growth here. We still don't see much of most of the minor characters, but we do get some great scenes with the major players. 9/10.

Enjoyment:

As I already said, I enjoyed this as much as the better episodes of the first season. Would I say it's the best the anime version has to offer? I don't know. I do know I really liked it, and I'm not gonna get rid of my copy anytime soon. How could I? The humor alone makes it worth the purchase! The only thing that worries me is . . . do I have to read the novels now, if I am to see what happens later? I really don't want Kyoto Animation to abandon this franchise. 9/10.

(LATE EDIT) And with this came the last thing Kyoani made I like. From here on out, it would be unfunny comedy, loathsome facial designs, and moe pandering. Enjoy Kanon, Clannad, and Haruhi while you still can!!!!!!