Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

**THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER FREE** When it comes to the original "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," I spent hours of my life re-watching clips, and frequently thought about the show both by myself and with friends. I thought that the series couldn’t get any better. I’m happy to say that I was wrong; "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" completely surpassed all my expectations; I have watched it numerous times over the course of my life, and each time come away with a sense that I've seen something special. Christmas is coming, and Haruhi (Hirano Ayo / Wendee Lee) is abuzz with plans for the SOS Brigade. Theever-so-reluctant Kyon (Sugita Tomokazu / Crispin Freeman) braces himself for the inevitable humiliation that will come. Upon waking up one day, the entire world has changed. Everyone is getting sick, but most shocking of all, Haruhi is missing, as is Koizumi (Ono Daisuke / Johnny Yong Bosch). Mikuru (Gotō Yūko / Stephanie Sheh) doesn’t recognize Kyon, and Nagato’s (Chihara Minori / Michelle Ruff) personality is completely different. The only one seemingly unaffected by the changes, Kyon must discover what exactly happened to the world and set it back to the way it was.

What immediately stands out as exemplary is the animation. The famous “God Bless” scene from "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" had a noticeable increase in quality compared to the already-high quality of animation beforehand. With a larger budget, Kyoto Animation allowed similar quality for the entire two-plus hours of the film. Characters move through space with such fluidity and poise, and the care for color contrast is just as stunning. I was acutely aware of the extent of shading. Attention to detail is top-notch.

The sound itself was also of marked excellence. The original actors from both the English and Japanese dubs of the television series make their return. Crispin Freeman is still perfect in his performance as Kyon, while Wendee Lee is able to capture the boundless, occasionally-nauseating enthusiasm of the titular girl, just as she did many times prior. Though the Japanese dub I feel was able to capture better nuances and overall deliveries, all involved in the English version were good. The soundtrack makes excellent use of Erik Satie’s Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes, and orchestrations are lush.

But most noteworthy is that, unlike the television series which was brimming with exuberant energy, warmth, and comedy, this film’s environment is cold, literally and figuratively. There is a smattering of funny moments, but these are small gleams in a harsh world. Rather than serving as a deterrent, it causes the opposite effect. "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya’s" starkly contrasted atmosphere does not come at the price of lackluster writing for the characters. Despite the memory changes, no one acts in a fashion that is unbecoming of their established personalities. Mikuru is still the adorable cutie, Koizumi still has that off-kilter, positive attitude, and Haruhi is still full of herself.

There are, however, two notable exceptions in Kyon and Nagato. Though the scenario impacts all members of the SOS Brigade, most of the time is spent with them. Their relationship is one of the more fascinating within the original show, and the dichotomy between Nagato’s new personality and the unchanged Kyon makes for an uncomfortable dynamic. Kyon’s initial desperate attempts to make heads or tails of this new world by confronting Nagato is painful to watch, not because Kyon is being malicious, nor because it’s a side of him we’ve never really seen. Rather, we know he won’t get his answer. As he slumped dejectedly in his chair and Nagato stands against the wall completely embarrassed, my heart sank for both of them.

As for Nagato, she was the laconic bookworm whose emotionless face barely uttered a word. Here, she has more to say. Even so, the emotionless barrier is replaced with one that is quite shy. Her nose in a book is now a means to screen herself from anxious interactions. The moments where she opens up and talks are profound not due to what’s necessarily said—strong as those words may be—but instead that things are actually being said at all. Her facial expressions show the sheer amount of effort that it takes for her to do such a thing. Sometimes, she still can’t muster the courage to say something. It’s sad to watch. Plus, now that Michelle Ruff and Chihara Minori are no longer limited to deliberately-robotic deliveries, they get the chance to show off their voice acting skills wonderfully.

I have not discussed the story in much detail. Indeed, trying to talk about this plot without spoiling is frustrating since so many elements of this film are interwoven with each other and the original series. "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" is difficult to recommend if one has not yet watched the show. To get the most out of the experience, seeing the show is necessary.

One aspect that I may talk about in greater detail however relates to Kyon, or namely, the side of Kyon that is most apparent in the film. In the original series, Kyon is simply trying to go through his high school life while putting up with the antics of Haruhi, showing no qualms about his malcontent. In spite of his repeated barbs about wanting things to at least calm down a little bit, part of his charm was that we never felt like we truly knew what he was thinking. The way he would phrase something every once in a while would cast doubt for the viewer on just how much he did or did not know or felt. Kyon is clearly intelligent, but as the voice that leads the audience, he may choose what we ourselves do and do not know. He’s the textbook definition of an unreliable narrator.

Perhaps for the first time that we have known him, "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" shows Kyon at his most honest. The grappling he has of whether it’s worth the effort to put the world back to the way it was swings back and forth, and logically so. When Kyon finally settles on a decision, he’s thrust into a subconscious quiz with himself, one of my favorite scenes in all of cinema. The imagery becomes surreal as Kyon takes a hard look at what he’s feeling, and the writing and music here is great. I won’t disclose what kind of honesty is exposed, but to say it’s gripping is an understatement.

And “gripping” is the perfect word for my whole experience. Even for its nearly three hour runtime, "The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya" grabbed my attention and never let go. When it ended, I sat and stared at the blank screen, in awe of what I just watched. While I would love for there to be a third season of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" with the stories not yet adapted from the light novels, if this film is the last canonical story in the animated franchise we’ll be getting, I’m glad it ended on such a triumph. This series, with all its phenomenal characters and stories, deserved nothing less than the best.

And that’s what it got.