Haruhi Suzumiya is a series that was hugely popular in Japan over a decade ago now. The series has spawned a two season anime along with a spinoff, manga, video games only released in Japan, then lastly, an animation film. At the time of the film's released in 2010, It was one of the longest running films based on the duration of 162 minutes and tickets to the film sold out in many places across Asia on the day of release. North America just re-released the film in a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack for fans that want to go down memory lane with Haruhi and her SOS Brigade buddies all in high definition.
I'm going to be a hundred percent honesty like I am in all my posts, I never watched the original anime or read the manga. I am however familiar with the story because I read most of the light novels up until the time that they became very hard to find in bookstores. Why do I feel like people are judging me already before I even post this?[INSERT ME LAUGHING.] Anyways, I'm still pretty familiar with the storyline because I decided on a whim to read the first novel then became hooked on the series after that. The Disappearance is based off the plot of the forth novel of the series by the same name which I read already. So, I knew what was going to happen. It was the excitement to see what I read come to life that got me watching overall though. I'm not going to add to big of a plot summery in this post since I think most people know of this series. For those who don't know anything about the series, I'll sum it up really quickly….. Haruhi is the god of the world but she doesn't know this. She controls a lot of what happens around her and the SOS brigade I mentioned earlier are made up of a pretty boy Esper, a Time Traveler with big boobs, and a cute bookworm girl that acts like a living walking computer. They are exist to keep Haruhi in check basically. Other than them, Kyon is the first official member of the SOS brigade and the most ordinary member. Most of the series is narrated through his point of view. Imagine what the world would be like if Haruhi(God) vanishes, sending the world into disarray…. Or there might be more to the story….. The film covers this central conflict very well as Kyon is thrust into a dilemma that he didn't ask for at all. I'm not one for films that make you go out of your mind with frustration but you find that's the whole fun of watching this film. Kyon runs around while everyone thinks he's crazy until he finds clues to fix the problem. Poor Kyon is always left to clean up the mess. Anyone would be sick and tired of being run over time after time by miss Haruhi herself. Is a world without her truly ideal? Disappearance's plot unfolds in the same fashion that any drama related film would. Lots of character interaction mixed with enough action to keep you wanting more. I will admit that I feel asleep at the half and hour mark because I was sleepy and the events in this film are based solely on character interaction until towards to end(I woke back up.. don't worry.). Haruhi's story is also heavy infused with comedy that lightens up the mood even considering the film's undertone dark nature. Be careful what you wish for. I know I always restate this too but, People never know a good thing till it's gone. People always say what they think they feel in the moment. Humans don't actually know what they want till that moment you miss something. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya plays around with a concept like this using unconventional methods. Haruhi and Kyon's story is very unconventional. You would of thought that Haruhi wrote the script of this film herself. She might actual be the secret author of the whole series!!! [*GASPS*LOOKS AROUND ROOM SUSPICIOUSLY!]
I noticed the way the sequences of animation flowed together perfectly with the soundtrack of the film. Whenever something that could spark emotion in the viewer happened on screen, The music was there to uplift that emotion in the upmost care. Certain aspects of visual also show a emotion struggle within the characters. Fear, angry, frustration, all could be seen building up based on the surrounding world that Kyon would imagine himself in during his hardest times. It actual made me feel a little uneasy because of how depressing some of how the dark color clashing along with some of the character's facial expressions brought out a deep sadness. Like I said above though, This film is all about character interactionS between the fan favorite, SOS Brigade. They are entertaining by themselves. That doesn't take away from the fact the the film is different genres mixed into one. Drama being the most noticeable however.
I defiantly recommend that people who don't know anything about the Haruhi Suzumiya series go look up related material before watching Disappearance. This film does not nor will it try to fill you in on what went on before the events of the film so you will be left in confusion. Fans of the original series will enjoy this film the most. There's also a spin off that's connected to this film but is a stand alone story. Check that out too if you want. Then tell me how it is in the comments since I never read or watched either anime or manga.
