Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

I was never a really big fan of Haruhi to begin with. I watched the first season because of recommendations and word of mouth. The premise itself was interesting to say the least, perhaps a little dumb. High school girl has deity-esque powers and controls the world around her with her emotions without actually knowing that? Not to mention that it was again up to a bunch of high school kids to save the world from her mood swings...yeah it sounds pretty dumb on paper. What made it work so well for me was the main character nobody ever thought would make a good maincharacter: Kyon. Yup he's pretty much the only person the audience can relate to, not that his situation is relate-able in the slightest He's the character that holds things together for the brigade, but in a way, he also holds things together for us by being the only voice of reason in the show. His monologues are well written and delivered, albeit with the perfect amount of cynicism a normal person might feel in his situation. This is what makes Kyon such a likable and good character, in a cast of completely strange people with all sorts of powers, he sticks out because of his overt normal-ness. Strangely enough this is what makes him special, the audience is Kyon as much as Kyon represents the audience. Its almost hard not to get absorbed in his character. Without him, this movie or series would not work in the slightest.

The premise of the movie is that Kyon wakes up on December 17th to find himself in an alternate reality where Haruhi seemingly doesn't exist. There are no aliens, time-travelers or esper boys to speak of and Kyon pretty much reacts like any normal person would: like a raging lunatic. Not going to delve into to anymore plot details since the plot is one of the movie's strongest points. With just enough curves and twists to be complex yet not convoluted. The pacing is excellent, and although it may start off a little slow, it soon picks up steam and becomes a breeze to watch. There is a fair amount of characterization, a lot for some of Brigade members yet even some for the ones that aren't in the spotlight this time around. Kyon definitely comes a long way from the beginning of the series, and yet when he finally reaches his epiphany, it feels like an accomplishment for the audience too. The movie itself isn't a standalone feature and to get the most enjoyments out of it, the previous seasons need to have been viewed (yes season 2 as well, for the most part).

The art and animation are top notch. The background art and the scenery almost reach photo realistic levels of quality. It isn't a slouch in the animation department either, there's plenty of background movement and actions to breath life into the whole movie. The music is very well done and placed, the pieces themselves aren't anything mind-blowing yet they work so well in the context they are used in. Voice acting is very good, everyone is expressive and believable. Tomokazu Sugita does a phenomenal job with Kyon, really there is no one better suited for the role than him.

Disappearance is one of the best movies I've seen in a while. In hindsight, it probably worked as well as it did because it's a feature length film. I didn't care about Kyoani's decision about the 2nd season or the Endless Eight fiasco, I'm just glad that they made this into a movie instead of just part of the series. I strongly recommend this to anybody who enjoys movies in general. I still think the 1st and 2nd season were nothing special, but Disappearance is just in a league of its own