Review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Have you ever wondered why this series is called ‘The MELANCHOLY of Haruhi Suzumiya’? If you only watch the original two seasons of the anime, you may be left without an answer. It is this film-length sequel, Disappearance, which encapsulates that melancholia and is one of the best anime movies ever produced. This review will be spoiler free. Who is Erik Satie? You may or may not have heard the name, but you have certainly heard his work. The Trois Gymnopedies, a series of three piano compositions, are his most famous; they are also a major inspiration for modern ambient music. Many, however, associate Satie’s TroisGymnopedies with the feeling of melancholy, or more specifically, the melancholy of modern life. So what does this have to do with Disappearance?

Trois Gymnopedies features prominently in the soundtrack..

If you want to understand what I mean about Disappearance and Trois Gymnopedies, watch the movie’s Japanese trailer. It’s pretty much a simple, good-ole AMV using 'Gymnopedie No.1' and scenes from the movie. No dialogue, just piano. The studio behind Disappearance, Kyoto Animation, found it fit to market their film with only this song, and they knew exactly what they were doing. There is no better sense for the feel of this film, without seeing it, than listening to Trois Gymnopedies. Truly, in the span of my life, I have not seen a better use of non-original score than Disappearance’s use of Trois Gymnopedies. Hearing that piano over Kyo-Ani’s beautiful animation is mesmerizing, to say the least. All this comes from a series known for its bombastic and poppy music, such as Super Driver and Hare Hare Yukai. It’s practically a miracle that such a series could produce a movie stylistically similar to something by someone like Kiyoshi Kurosawa, if we go by the standards of Japanese film contemporaries. Never, in the history of anime, has a series made itself so well rounded as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya with this movie capstone.

Here’s a breakdown of scores for the movie’s elements:

Story: 9
The story is a great twist on the original series. It is taken straight from the source material (Tanigawa’s light novel of the same name), and presents it beautifully. You will need to have watched the first two seasons to understand the film however, as it is not a stand alone work.

Characters: 8.5
The regular cast of the Haruhi series returns for this movie. There is some incredible character development here which I do not want to spoil, so I will leave it at that.

Animation/Art: 10
This is peak Kyo-Ani work. There are multiple sequences with absolutely breathtaking scenery. Blood, sweat, and tears were put into making this, and each frame reveals the fact. The style is fantastic, 100% anime-movie-level stuff.

Sound: 9
I’ve already talked enough here about the soundtrack. It is great. Here are some great listens for reference:
- Futatabi Deaeta Danin Tachi
- Nagato Yuuki no Kokoro ni Aru mono
- Je te Veux
- Itsumo no Fuukei Kara Hajimaru Monogatari (You’ve probably heard this before)

Enjoyment: 9
This is not the Endless Eight folks. Things transition at a perfect pace. There are no slow points. You will not be bored at any point during the two and half hours of run time.

Overall: 9.1

Let me just say a few words for the incredible people who put this film together. Most of us are aware by now of the Kyo-Ani tragedy that occurred in 2019. Thirty-five people were killed at Kyoto Animation’s studio 1. Many of those victims had a role in the creation of this movie. Please watch this film in honor of those who were lost, if for no other reason. Art transcends time and space; their memory lives on in this work of art. Watch it.