Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

I must admit that I was skeptical of a nearly 3 hour Haruhi Suzumiya movie. The first series was quite good, but I found it quite hard to enjoy the second series (or season 1.5 as I like to call it). It wasn't simply the endless eight either (a good idea just dragged out) as I found it hard to watch even the rest of the series. However, being the completionist that I am, I decided to watch this film of, well, genius. I will, of course, include no spoilers or at least I hope not to. ART - If you've seen the other HaruhiSuzumiya series then this will be no different. However, I did notice it was a bit more "artsy". What I mean by that is it seemed to take on a more atmospheric role. I found this film to be less colorful than any of the other Haruhi Suzuimya series. That is definitely not a bad thing as it fit the tone of the movie.

SOUND - The 2006 series opening was the opening for this movie, so that may be a welcomed addition. The rest of the music is mostly different than what you would hear in the series as it is definitely more cinematic (it is a movie after all). It is a bit more piano and strings oriented, and thus it adds to the atmosphere. I would classify the film as mostly a mystery, and therefore the music fits perfectly.

CHARACTER - Again the characters are mostly the same if you watched the series but I did notice a bit of a difference in Kyon though (well Nagato as well, but that's beside the point). His plight is what accounts for this. The relationship between Kyon and Haruhi is explored a bit as they technically (think really hard on this if you've seen it) are without each other for a few days in this movie. They basically come to the realization about the importance they have in each others lives. My favorite scene is definitely when Kyon runs to meet the disrupted time flow's Haruhi. This is not only touching, but quite awesome or at least I thought so.

ENJOYMENT - As I mentioned before, I was quite skeptical of a nearly 3 hour Haruhi movie. I will say right now that all the skepticism I had was thrown out the window within the first 10 minutes. Despite its length, the movie is phenomenal in that it draws you in and refuses to spit you out until you have finished watching. My eyes were glued the second I started this film. For me, I owe it to the mystery of Kyon's plight. We truly delve into his inner emotions and feel for the character as we should. In all honesty, this movie ranks as one of the greatest I have ever seen, and I have seen some great films (Seven Samurai comes to mind). I find it nearly impossible for one not to enjoy this movie.

STORY - I decided to save the story for last as it may be the hardest to review. The second I stopped watching this piece of cinematic glory, I thought to myself that I needed to review it. This movie impacted me that incredibly. The story is phenomenal. A type of story where you wonder how the creator could have possibly thought of such a thing. A lot of loose ends are tied up as we are gifted with a wonderfully constructed plot. The story is mostly a mystery, and Kyon (the poor soul that he is) is forced to solve it. Kyon's emotions and his relationships with the other SOS Brigade members are explored immensely. However, I would say his relationship with Haruhi is the relationship on which the spotlight shines most. The movie must be watched in order to grasp the brilliance of it.

OVERALL - Obviously I was quite impressed with this film. Though I would consider myself a fan of the franchise, I had felt it was a bit overrated. This film single-handedly saved the franchise for me. The film is never boring even though it is nearly 3 hours, and the characters are as fascinating as always. I seriously cannot find a single flaw with this movie. I only hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.