DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ComedySuzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu (2009)
MANGA ComedySuzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
ANIME ComedyNagato Yuki-chan no Shoushitsu
ANIME ComedySuzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu
NOVEL MysterySuzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu

REVIEWS

• 

  CodeBlazeFate

  76/100
  This is certainly a well-written and impressively directed film and a great sendoff to the main series

  Spoilers for Suzumiya Haruhi no Shoushitsu
  Imagine you hang out with this certain group every day. Each member has their own eccentricities, but there’s that one in particular that manages to really grind your gears at times. She harasses everyone in one way or another, she’s loud-mouthed, she’s obnoxious, and sometimes you really wanna showcase true gender equality by giving the same slap she might sometimes give you. However, what do you do when she’s gone; how would you feel?

  Given the title of this movie, that seems like the appropriate question to ask, but, in reality, it isn't. What you should be asking is: “What would happen if you were the one who suddenly disappeared?” “How would you feel?” “How would the other group members feel?” Two of these questions happen to be the ones that main character Kyon is forced to answer. That begs the questions: “Does the movie hold up in comparison to the praise people give it?” and “Is it better than the first season of Haruhi, or at least the second?” There have been a lot of questions here, and I can only really answer the last two right now with the rest of this review. If you wanna answer the rest (or all of them), then go ahead: tell me after reading this review. So, in regards to those final two questions, let’s find out, shall we?

  It's almost Winter Break for the SOS brigade and it's your typical day with them, as typical as it going to get for Haruhi standards anyway. However, as Kyon wakes up, not only does the day repeat, and not only is Haruhi not in this school, but no one recognizes him, except for a much more expressive and timid Yuki Nagato. Kyon is now in an alternate reality, and the bulk of this movie is him developing a stronger connection with Yuki Nagato while also trying to find a way back to his reality, and there are lots of incredibly handled moments here, like when Kyon tries to walk out but Yuki Nagano silently and nervously grabs his sleeve without anyone saying a word, which ends up convincing him to stay with her longer. For most part, the plot is really well handled and interesting, of unsettlingly alienating at the 10-20 minute mark (intentionally).

  The problem lies with the final act, more specifically the resolution. Ryouko Asakura, who is alive here, is once again, a crazed lunatic who stabs Kyon, and all of this is after some time travel that ends up connecting to the events of second season’s first episode. He then chooses between the new reality with the more tolerable Haruhi that he doesn't really know yet is a better person altogether, and the one of both that he is familiar with. He ultimately chooses the latter, and then the former gets erased, which, should basically erase 95% of this movie’s events, and ultimately, this raises paradox after paradox but for the sake of plot, it's how the conflict of the film is resolved. There are probably more logical ways to arrive at the same conclusion than “and then that reality got erased”, like, for instance, “both have their proper Kyon back after they ended up getting swapped by that thing Yuki Nagato did”. Needless to say, this was an instant breaker of my suspension of disbelief. Whatever, the gang is all happy and relieved to see him since he manages to recover from that nasty knife wound; the end.

  I must stress that for the most part, the film executes its premise rather well, and up until the falling actions, there really isn't anything wrong with the plot, but that one moment basically wrecked the plot of the movie since it in all logic should basically erase all of the events of most of the movie from ever happening yet Kyon still remembers them. Nonetheless, I do still appreciate what the film does up until that point since it manages to really flesh out its characters and make them even better than they were before.

  Let's discuss them while the segue is still natural. Kyon is as we love him, a snarky and tired man lost. However, not only is he every lost and confused at this scenario, but he almost becomes timid. It's nice to see him in a more isolated situation without having to put up with Haruhi all the time, that way we actively see him in more typical scenarios. However, the real star is Yuki Nagato, or rather her new self in this alternate reality. We get to see just how timid and lonely she really is under that stoic and badass exterior, and it's genuinely charming to see that, partly due to the film’s impressive directing. Haruhi’s presence is as unwelcome as ever, but the alternate Haruhi is infinitely superior. Not only does she have a better hairstyle and clothes, but her attitude is much better and calmer. I found it especially funny when she effectively called our Haruhi an idiot. Alternate Itsuki and Ryouko are the same as ever, and it's still cool to see them here.

  Mikuru is somehow the same in both realities, and as beautiful and adorkable (look it up) as ever. As for Tsuruya, we don't see her usual self this time. Instead, we see the alternate reality version, who is rather protective of Mikuru to the point of hurting anyone who scares her, which Kyon learned the hard way. Well, with that, we covered all of the characters important to this movie whatsoever aside from Kyon’s sister (who we still don't know the name of), and they're mostly good. Again, the real stars of the film are Kyon and Yuki Nagato, and again, it's touching to see their chemistry blossom in the way that it did.

  Given that this film was animated by Kyoto Animation, it's no surprise that this film looks as impressive as it does, even by KyoAni standards. The movements feel even more natural and methodical than before, as it really helps the more grounded, emotional, and quiet tone of this film. I also like how the film’s color palette is much whiter and more washed out than with the rest of the series, to really sell the aforementioned tones as well. It's hard to really do this film’s impressive direction and animation justice, really. Even pointing out scenes like the aforementioned scene of Yuki Nagato getting Kyon to stay, or even the iconic moment of Kyon making the decision to go back to his reality while glass snowflakes fall, can't do it enough justice, as those scenes deserve to be talked about in greater lengths than what I can provide.

  Unfortunately, there really isn't much that I can remotely remember from the OST. While it has been over a year since I've seen it, that's no excuse given that I can vividly remember and celebrate scores from anime that I hadn't seen in less than or over a year, such as the OST for Fate Zero and the songs from Macross Frontier. At the very least, it was really joyful to hear the first Haruhi OP return as the OP of this film, as it is a great song. The ED doesn't stack up, unfortunately. The dub is as good as ever, and some of the weaker voices don't have as much of a role here. It's still nice to hear Crispin Freeman as Kyon and Johnny Yong Bosch as Itsuki, and it's nice to hear Michelle Ruff give a heartfelt and fragile performance as Yuki Nagato. It's the best dub of the franchise, even though they all have the exact same actors each time, probably due to the more emotional material here, but hey, it's still great, and that's what matters.

  This is certainly a well-written and impressively directed film and a great sendoff to the main series (since nothing got adapted past this until a few spin-offs). I'm sure that many of you enjoy this film more than I did, but ultimately, it's still an impressive film and a charming one at that. It's certainly a breath of fresh air after the abomination that was the second season, endless 8 included. Well, with all that said, I bid you adieu.

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• 

  Rellek

  86/100
  Is this toooooo good?

  Alright so this is the first time writing a review of a show (or anything for that matter) so cut me some slack. Also, my opinion doesn't mean shit, so remember that. Here we go boys.

  This isn't a generic review of the movie. This is more of me venting about the inconsistencies of the all things Suzuyima Haruhi (2 tv shows and this movie). I know full well that were paradoxs and such, but thats now what I got out of the movie so I don't really care.

  Animation:
  As per usual, Kyoto Animation does great work and this is no exception. I have no problems with it. Their animation style is perfect for the Haruhi series in general. The score is beautiful This isn't really wanna talk about so we move on.

  Don't worry guys, I get. You looked at the top movies on anilist and found this movie, like we all did. You had no idea there even was a tv show, so you went and watched the movie on its own, and you probably loved it. That's ok! But when deciding how you feel about this movie, you should divide yourself into 2 categories. The first category is people who have not seen the original 2 seasons of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi, the second category are those who have. My review is pointed to the latter.

  For starters, I love this movie. I really do. But only this movie. The other 2 seasons of The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi do NOT stack up to this movie. That is why I get mixed feelings while watching The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi. Before this movie, I thought the first 2 seasons of were just ok. The ops and eds were nice and season one specifically was really funny (I'd rather not talk about season 2). After this movie, I really lowered my opinion of the 2007/2009 TV shows. I had so many questions for after finished the movie like: "Why couldn't the first 2 seasons be this good? and "Why did they make me watch the same episode for 2 and a half hours straight for the big reveal to be: "Lets do homework!"? Why does the tv series pale in comparison? It painted such a negative picture of the first 2 seasons it enraged me to no end.

  My entire problem: Suzumiya Haruhi and her "redemption"
  The depiction of Suzumiya Haruhi between this movie and the 2 seasons is absolutely night and day. I went into this movie thinking: "Hell yea, The bitch is gone! Now I get to see some actual true character development and some decent plot instead of follow the leader as ~!she sexually harasses and drugs her friends!~. And that is exactly what we got! Diving deep into the mindset of Nagato and Kyon was exactly what I wanted in the first place, and it was pulled off wonderfully. it was great that I didn't have to put up with much of her. However, in The Disappearence of Haruhi Suzumiya Haruhi is portrayed as a bit aloof, a tsundere, and a little bossy. For people who have never seen Haruhi stuff, she is an hard-headed but adorable leader of a group friends. For me, that's heresy. I watched the first 2 seasons and jumped into the movie all within a week, so my opinion of her was really low. Like, some of the worst character traits I've ever seen low. So this movie shocked me in that aspect. It pissed me off that most people will only see this side of her, and not get the entire picture. I rate this movie based just off the movie, and not the rest of the Haruhi series, thats why it's rated so high.

  To summarize: An amazing movie shackled by my the previous portrayals of a certain main character. Loved the rest of the movie though.

  This is 70% rant and 30% review and 100% my opinion.

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• 

  Magenta

  100/100
  The best film I have seen, period.

  This review contains spoilers The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.

  
  Never have I seen something that has had such an emotional impact on me like The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. I broke down crying into tears multiple times while watching this. This film also accomplished a feat that I don't think that any other piece of media that I have ever seen has done. A few hours after I finished watching this film, I was lying down in my bed thinking about the movie that I had just finished, and I just started to break down into tears thinking about the film. Name any other piece of media that can do something to a person like that.

  

  When Kyoto Animation made this movie, they must have knew how media can have an impact on your mind. If you watch some people's lives for a long enough time, you can start to become attached to them. When you are binging a really long series, you may find yourself crying at the very end. Saying goodbye to these people that you know so very well can be a hard thing to do. The act of saying goodbye can have such a large impact on a person. Kyoto Animation did the impossible by making you cry in this very certain way, before even the halfway point of the film.

  

  The 28 episodes of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was a very up and down show. While I really loved the 2006 season, the 2009 season wasn't very good. However, in those 28 episodes, you got to know every member of the SOS Brigade extremely well, like they were your very own friends. While not every adventure they went on was the most enjoyable one, you start to have a deeper emotional connection with these characters as you watched the series. That is the reason why as soon as they are taken away from you, it feels so heartbreaking.

  

  15 minutes into the movie, Kyon is put into a world without the SOS Brigade. All of the adventures that have taken place throughout the anime series are now just gone. Vanished into nothing, with the only remnants of their existence in Kyon's memories. Throughout the film, he gradually starts to find more clues as to how he can get back to his old world's existence. There is this point around 50 minutes into the movie where Kyon walks the alternate reality Nagato back home. It was a scene that felt like a scene familiar to me from the anime series. I was feeling something that I couldn't exactly put my finger on. At that point in the film, I started to cry.

  

  There has never been a film that somehow connected to me on this deep of an emotional level before. Part of the reason for this is how Kyon's journey in this film hits it right at home for me, is that it is similar to a journey that I can personally feel after finishing a series. You can either still stick around with the mystical fantasy of the world of the series or go back to the reality where you can be done with what you just finished. Kyon can go back to his old world of adventures, or stick around in a world more comparable to the real world. There is no right choice to pick, after all Nagato did leave both options available to Kyon. However, what Disappearance tells us is that it is okay to go back to the fantastical world of fiction. If that is what you enjoy doing, it is all okay. Kyon chose to go back to his old world, and the viewer of the film can go into the fandom of anything, even of the Haruhi Suzumiya series.

  There are probably so many more deeper layers of themes and symbolism to unpack in this film. Just talking about the themes of fandom only scratches the surface of this movie. You can probably write an infinite amount of essays about how this film tackles so many more deeper human emotions. I just have a lot of trouble putting into words of what this film did to me. I know that Nagato's character arc made me feel some deeper emotions, but I can't put into words how it did. You can't exactly make a complete review for this movie, because even if you talk about its themes for over thirty pages, there is still probably something left to talk about.

  

  Kyoto Animation brought the big guns for this movie. They somehow made an animated film longer than Infinity War, which by itself is an impressive feat. The film also didn't feel like it's length. When I finished this movie, it didn't feel like two and a half hours had passed, like any good movie that has a long movie should do. This is also one of the best scores for an anime film that I have seen. Most of the movie is very quiet, and music is only used for the most emotional scenes. When the classical music does come though it hits way too hard. The classical pieces chosen for this film are so good, that you are surprised that they weren't made specifically made for this film. This film is also very visually stunning. A lot of the animation goes into the smaller actions of the characters. While it may seem like that there isn't much impressive animation of this film, there is, you just have to look for it. The shot composition in this movie is also phenomenal.

  

  The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya is a league above anything else I have ever seen in my life. This movie will change your life in some way after you have watched it. This movie provided me emotions of the deepest pit of despair, and the comfort of a hug from a loved one. I know my life will be different from now on, just because of this movie. Bravo, Kyoto Animation, Bravo.

  

  I am rating this a perfect 100 out of 100, and I am still kind of mad that I can't give it an Infinity out of 100.

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