Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

So after the debacle which was the endless eight I came into The Disappearance of Hrauhi Suzumiya with just as much scepticism as when I first entered the franchise. This time, however, I was overwhelmed with surprises. Story- 8.8 Unlike the series the movie is very much plot driven rather than being the episodic and sporadic. Also it takes on a much more serious feel to it which is alien to the series and could have gone terribly wrong, but gladly they succeeded magnificently. Although it is mostly predictable it still manages to keep your attention throughout its long run time, 2 hours and 43 mins tobe exact, and keeps you entertained. Some of the scenes are so brilliantly executed that it blew my brain. However there are two minor gripes that I have with this movie, and I really mean minor, is that the start is bit drawn out and can leave you slightly bored and there are certain plot points which are not fully explained at the end but I guess for the latter point that they will probably be explained in the light novels and in later movie or season.

Art- 9.5

The animation was already of a very high quality for the original series so with budget of 14 episode series for one movie Kyoto Animation took it to a new level for this series. The character movements are crisper and more fluid, the designs themselves have remained the same but there is now more detail put into the character's facial features and the backgrounds are more detailed as well. The art was pleasant on the eye, now it is breathtakingly gorgeous and there is no place throughout the movie where there is any drop in quality.

Sound- 9.0 (Soundtrack-8.8 and Voice Acting - 9.2)

The soundtrack was truly amped up a notch, yet again, for the movie as the sound track includes more melodic and classical music which corresponded nicely with the more serious tone of the movie and was far more memorable. However I could not find one piece that stood. Nevertheless this was an excellent OST which was beautiful from start to finish.

Yet again I have only watched the Dub (Sub lovers don't kill me please) and I can say that it is wonderfully acted from start to finish with highlights being the performances by both Crispin Freeman and Michelle Ruff who portray Kyon and Yuki Nagato respectively. Michelle Ruff portrays the change in Yuki's character near perfectly using the new found emotion in her voice, due the character change, to startle me in the most pleasant of manners. However Crispin Freeman made the movie for me. His portrayal of Kyon was simply outstanding and this is seen in the quite beautifully written monologues and in the variety of emotions that Kyon is put through in the course of this movie.

Character- 9.3

Now this is where I got the biggest suprise from this movie. As many many people have pointed out, the characters of the Haruhi series have not developed which is true. However that trend is well and truly broken within this movie as the characters show true features of development rather than the little snippets we got through the series. This development is seen mostly in our narrator Kyon who has to deal with many conflicting emotions through the course of the movie from false happiness to desperation to relief to uplifting joy We also see a development in the relationships between him and some of the other members of the S.O.S Brigade such as Nagato and Haruhi and how much he is willing to give up in order to be able to keep them and how much they mean to him. However if there is any flaws with the characters is that for some of the main cast they only get minor development but is still far more than the series.

Enjoyment- 9.9

Unlike the series, where I feel guilty for enjoying it, I have no such qualms for this movie as it has easily placed itself among favourite movies of all time rubbing shoulders with the Godfather in terms of enjoyment. This movie has done what very few TV shows, anime and films have done; it made me feel as if I was there right with Kyon. It grasped me by the hand and fully immersed me in the world of Haruhi and I don't regret a second of it.

Overall- 9.3

I would recommend this to anyone. Yes I do mean anyone and everyone in fact as I believe that it is a spectacle that cannot be missed and the only slightly major downside is that it is attached to the Haruhi franchise itself which can put many people off of the film. However I firmly believe that if the franchise can continue by producing more very good pieces of work such as this it is promising future for all anime fans.

p.s It is advisable to have watched the two seasons of Haruhi first

This is only my second review so any kind of feedback would be greatly appreciated (especially from you people who didn't find it helpful).